The effect of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards for developers on information systems project success

For more than four decades, researchers have discussed the high percentage of failed information systems (IS) projects. During that time, they identified numerous risk factors associated with these failures; but neither they nor IS project managers found a way to improve IS project success. One unexplored approach involves intrinsic and extrinsic performance rewards, an approach that has improved the success of other project types. This article examines a survey looking at the relationship between offering project rewards--the intrinsic and the extrinsic--and achieving project success. In doing so, it defines the purpose of rewards and the two types of rewards studied. It also overviews the literature on project success, identifying three dimensions of project success that serve as this survey's dependent variables; it details this study's two hypotheses and describes its methodology.