By Fear or By Motivation? That is the Question.

In my recent trip back to Singapore, I was struck by this sign that was pasted on all the tables at the Kopitiam food court at the Changi Airport Terminal 4. Singapore has been working towards a culture of consideration, whereby diners clear their trays to free up the tables for other diners. What was striking to me was that the sign emphasized as a byline that this is required “By Law”.

The first statement “Please Return Your Tray & Crockery” encourages such acts by appealing to our considerate nature. The byline “By Law”, however, appeals to our emotion of fear, to compel action upon reading the sign, as it implies that if we do not comply, there could be serious negative consequences.

The immediate question that came to my mind was: “Can we develop a gracious society through fear?” It seems to me that a truly gracious and considerate culture requires internalization of corresponding beliefs and practices among individuals, rather than compelled through the threat of externalized consequences.

It is tempting to use fear and consequences to drive desired behaviors – it is convenient and efficient – but we know that it does not lead to enduring change. Upon removal of the external consequences, we would tend to revert to the status quo. To drive real culture change, we need to invest time and patience in addressing the humanistic aspects, the motivation of individuals, and to persist even though the process is messier and takes longer.

As a maturing society, I believe that we will need to increasingly appeal to the motivation and reasoning of our population, and gradually shed the convenient and efficient approach of imposing consequences that has over the years earned Singapore the reputation of being a “fine city”. We have certainly enjoyed the fruits of a highly rules-based society, but also witnessed the lack of tolerance and accommodation by a populace that has been conditioned to stick-by-the-rules. A truly considerate society does not need a whole set of detailed rules regulating the behaviors of its people, with individuals taking actions based on shared beliefs and calibrated according to the context.

Perhaps the sign should say something like “Please Return Your Tray & Crockery – To Help Someone Else”, and the implicit byline is “By Choice and Motivation”.