James Alexander Consulting LLC
Compensation Advisory Services
“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.”– William Bruce Cameron Why do we find numbers so comforting? Perhaps because they give shape to uncertainty. When something is measured, it feels secure and understandable. Psychologist Arie Kruglanski called this the need for "cognitive closure"—the desire for firm answers... Continue Reading →
After many years of thinking about it, I finally sat down last year to start writing this book. Why a book? Writing forces me to take the fragmented nonsense floating around in my head and organize it. It forces me to read the research papers I’ve collected, understand them, and critically assess their value in... Continue Reading →
#1: Edward Lazear—Simple Incentives, Big Results And so we arrive at #1. If #2 represented the challenges of using financial incentives incorrectly, #1 in my list of favorite studies from Nothing to Take Away represents the exact opposite. The title of my book comes from the notion that so much of what we create benefits... Continue Reading →
#2: Sam Glucksberg—Why Incentives Can Hurt Problem-Solving Continuing my series on my 5 favorite pieces of research from Nothing to Take Away, we arrive at #2. It's easy to assume that the more money you offer, the more likely something is to happen. But research has shown time and again that humans are far more... Continue Reading →
#3: Dietz, Volansky, Erev, & Gal—The More (Opinions) the Merrier? Continuing my series of top 5 pieces of research from Nothing to Take Away, and building on #4—the timing of incentives—we arrive at #3. Have you ever found yourself sitting with a group, trying to agree on a course of action? Maybe you're quietly infuriated,... Continue Reading →
#4: Wooley & Fishbach—Why Timing of Incentives Matters (A Lot) Following up on the Freedman & Fraser study that made it into 5th place from my Top 5 pieces of research behind Nothing Left to Take Away, we come to #4. A question that often comes up is, "How often should we pay people?" The... Continue Reading →
#5: Freedman & Fraser—Why Small Requests Lead to Bigger Sales I dislike the phrase "best practice." To me, this phrase is synonymous with dogma. While writing Nothing Left to Take Away, I spent a lot of time digging into research—not only about incentives and human behavior but about how we make real-world decisions. I referenced... Continue Reading →
That's right, they exist - compensation, recognition, sales incentives, its all out there. Here are six of my favorites: Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) Directed by James Foley and written by David Mamet (the same guy that wrote the stage play of the same name), this is arguably the best film ever made about how to... Continue Reading →
What does it mean to offer employees a choice between cash and equity?
Reflections from our inaugural Pay Practitioners Panel on the topic of managing pay transparency