Just a note on the continuing decline of the English language in corporate America.

In my company, executives have been groping for years for a word that means 'to encourage by use of incentives.' In other words, a verb to fill in the blank in a sentence like, "We want to [***] our employees to achieve our goals."

But 'encourage' is too weak, since the connotation they're going for is that we're giving people things (key rings, t-shirts, etc.) for doing good work; and 'encourage' seems like a vague pat on the back or a few words.

So 'incent' was tried out for a while, accent on that second syllable, please. "We incent our employees with bonus pay." But the backlash was felt, and the neologism was discarded.

I got a memo yesterday, though, from a manager who was pleased that a particular program was 'incentifying' his employees.

I really dislike both words, but does anyone have an established word that can fill the breach?

Incentivize is one I've heard in common use. "Incentify" sounds like it belongs back on the Don King thread...

i'd probably have simply used "motivate".

My husband's employer also insisted upon "incenting" his employees. Sigh.

How about "motivate?"

LOL... beat ya!!

In reply to:

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LOL... beat ya!!

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How about inspire?

Perhaps the problem with the management is that they spend so much time twisting the meanings of words they can't recognise a perfectly good and appropriate word when they see it.

I don't agree. This is the well-trodden road of the noun becoming a verb, with a more specific meaning than the existing alternatives.

The noun of an 'incentive' article (gift or other inducement) therefore becomes to incentivize, meaning quite specifically to reward by means of giving this article. IMHO it's not a pretty word. But then few such ~ize formations are! They do seem to serve a need - and that's what surely counts in how language adapts?

R-plussed
from the R+ concept (positive reinforcement)
::sigh::
-joe (nonplussed) friday

How about bribe?

capitalized?

Since it is the old carrot on a stick why not use some form of sticarrot or leave off the obvious t. Sticarro sounds kindly enough not to bruise ether end of the stick.

Don't understand what is wanted here.

Is "help" too simple a word to use here?

I'm sorry, I keep hearing Jimi Hendrix.

I think that if you want to express this concept with but one word you will probably have to resort to the dreaded act of verbificatatenization. If two words will suffice then I would offer "offer incentives"

Welcome, luana, and (I'm sorry, I have to do this--slapping my own hands away from the keyboard was totally ineffective)
Rouse Peter.

Faldage--are you going to kiss this guy?
And, verbificatatenization--wha-at, she asked hazily?
Lastly, Faldage, shouldn't you have proffered
"other incentives"?

Good heavens, I nearly forgot to address the opening question. I'd go with motivate, if you're sticking with just one word.

Faldage--are you going to kiss this guy?


[doing cartwheels] that was *my* mondegreen post!! someone remembered something i wrote!! this feels almost like a rite of initiation

jackie, you're the bestest =)

Jackie would go with motivate

The problem [ignoring all the clever references to numerous other threads emoticon], as is often the case with these irritating neologisms, is that the suggested non-irritating alternative doesn't quite have all the connotations required. Motivate doesn't necessarily suggest that there will be some reward for doing the desired thing. My two word suggestion would, I think, require another word such as (pr)offered incentives to.

Sorry, Jackie, if I misspelled verbificatatenization. I'm never quite sure what the right spelling is and it doesn't seem to be in Ænigma's lexicon.

How about verbicacophonization?

Muy gut, moya bonne friend.

<<carrot and stick>>

I'm with you, luana. WELCOME! How about "doitandyougetthetoasterdon'tandI'llkickyourass"

And, as long as we're at it, what's with executive compensation?

"doitandyougetthetoasterdon'tandI'llkickyourass"

I like it. Plainspeaking is highly underrated.

> In my company, executives have been GROPING for years for ...?Whoaaaa, Garynamy, What company is that? In what century does it do business? Maryland, now, let's see, is that anywhere close to D.C. I think there may be some lawyers there. Your company needs help! Call the Human Resources Department. What about "sensitivity training"? Where is the cadre of lawyers? Sparteye, can you help this company? (Recognizing, of course, that on this particular WEEKEND, overtime billing rates may be somewhat higher than usual, owing to certain sporting disputes that are yet to be decided.) Just let the lawyers handle that matter, Mr Garynamy, and the others can continue to seek a resolution of "incentified" which word is, I quite agree, an abomination.