An organization wanted to encourage growth in some of its smaller departments.  The two major tools it gave department leaders were token budget increases and inconsistently elevated allocations of shared resources, primarily in the form of technology budgeting.  We found the two main problems were that: The bonus structures encouraged departmental competition as opposed to collaboration. Shared resources were allocated by one person, often after closed-door meetings. By modifying the bonus structure and providing a transparent system for resource allocation, the organization became more effective at working towards high-level goals.  People will be people, and without a doubt are susceptible to motivation.