SKIP TO CONTENTHarvard Business Review LogoHarvard Business Review LogoMotivating people|When You Have to Assign Work No One Wants to DoSubscribeLatestMagazineTopicsPodcastsStoreReading ListsData & VisualsCase SelectionsHBR ExecutiveSearch hbr.orgSubscribeLatestPodcastsThe MagazineStoreWebinarsNewslettersAll TopicsReading ListsData & VisualsCase SelectionsHBR ExecutiveMy LibraryAccount SettingsExplore HBRLatestThe MagazinePodcastsStoreWebinarsNewslettersPopular TopicsManaging YourselfLeadershipStrategyManaging TeamsGenderInnovationWork-life BalanceAll TopicsFor SubscribersReading ListsData & VisualsCase SelectionsHBR ExecutiveSubscribeMy AccountMy LibraryTopic FeedsOrdersAccount SettingsEmail PreferencesHarvard Business Review LogoMotivating people by Adam Eric Greenberg, Vicki G. Morwitz and Kurt P. MunzJanuary 26, 2026Thomas Jackson/Getty ImagesPostBuy CopiesSummary. Leer en españolLer em portuguêsPostBuy CopiesA manager assigns a team member to an unglamorous task. A senior colleague hands off a notoriously difficult client to a junior colleague. Someone must assume extra responsibilities to cover for a teammate on leave.PostBuy CopiesRead more on Motivating people or related topics Managing people, Management communication, Management skills, Managing employees, Collaboration and teams and DelegatingPartner Center
When You Have to Assign Work No One Wants to Do
Managers often try to generate buy-in for unwanted assignments by persuading, incentivizing, or softening the message—but these tactics can backfire. Research shows that what matters more than choice is acceptance: when employees see an assignment as settled, fair, and partly within their control, they are more likely to commit and perform well. By offering some element of choice, signaling finality, and ensuring a legitimate decision process, leaders can foster genuine buy-in even when people wouldn’t have chosen the work themselves.
135 words~1 min read
