Make no mistake, I think people are "intrinsically motivated" too, at least to a point. I'd like to believe I am. But it's hard to deny that people (myself included) do things for some reason, some gain - even if that gain is something intangible like "a feeling that I'm doing good" or "perceived status in my organization".
I like that way of phrasing it. I suppose it's good to keep in mind in ... all? parts of life. E.g. also if raising children?
> Are there perverse incentives? Principal-agent problems?
If I setup incentives some day in the future -- I'd talk with the people involved, and describe the overall goals and intentions. And then all of us together can try to figure out problems with the incentives
(Of course in some rare? case some people might not want to do that in an honest way.)
This was interesting to read, "Principal-agent problems" was a new phrase to me: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principal%E2%80%93agent_proble...
> I think people are "intrinsically motivated" too [...] do things for some reason [...] intangible like "a feeling that I'm doing good"
Yes, totally agree
Maybe the less they care about the company's overall goals and vision, the more they follow KPI:s and bonus incentives. When there seems to be no overall purpose and meaning anyway (except for making rich people richer?), then why not game the system?
But there can also be intrinsic motivation, just "unselfishlessly" doing what seems like good for the organization, if one likes its goal and reasons for existing.
Edit: You wrote: "significantly shifted my attitudes toward work, politics"
I wonder, how did this change how you thereafter did things at the workplace? (And politics somehow?)