Reward Systems of Tomorrow: A Logical Extension of Yesterday and Today

The purpose of this paper is to speculate about reward systems of the near and mid-term future. Speculate, as used here, is similar to its usage in the investment context; that is, we believe there is value in anticipating future states even though it is risky. Further, to speculate is not synonymous with to guess (as in to guess with eyes closed); rather, we have based our speculations on an extension of the historical changes in reward systems over the past half century. After first presenting the historical context, we will consider a series of pivotal issues which we believe will frame the design parameters of future reward systems.