Bonus-driven

Bonus-driven describes a system, individual, or organization where the primary motivation and focus are on achieving targets and behaviors that lead to the acquisition of bonuses or extra financial rewards. This often implies a strong emphasis on performance metrics and a potential for short-term gains to overshadow long-term sustainability, ethical considerations, or collaborative teamwork. The emphasis can inadvertently cultivate a culture of individual achievement over collective goals, or even promote manipulating results to inflate bonuses. The system, or individual might display a relentless pursuit of targets that directly influence bonus eligibility.

Bonus-driven meaning with examples

• The sales team operated in a fiercely bonus-driven environment, with commission structures heavily influencing their actions. This led to aggressive sales tactics, sometimes prioritizing short-term revenue over building lasting customer relationships. Some salespeople were accused of misleading clients to meet their quotas and boost their bonuses. The focus on individual earnings created a highly competitive atmosphere, however.
• The CEO's leadership style was criticized for being excessively bonus-driven. Decisions were frequently made to maximize the company's quarterly earnings, largely to increase the value of executive bonuses, even if such decisions potentially damaged the company's long-term prospects. This strategy focused on share value, leading to cost-cutting measures and employee layoffs when the company missed it's quarterly targets.
• A bonus-driven performance evaluation system within the software development department incentivized individuals to complete tasks quickly, which sometimes compromised code quality and led to critical bugs. Developers prioritized the quantity of completed features to meet their quota rather than focusing on thorough testing and documentation. This resulted in the need for later costly bug fixes and revisions.
• The financial services industry, with its reputation for huge bonus payouts, is often perceived as inherently bonus-driven. This reputation has led to controversies about risky investments, excessive risk-taking, and the encouragement of practices which have later, caused economic turmoil. The emphasis on individual profits, driven by massive bonuses, has been called out for fostering a culture of reckless behavior.