Rewarding new constructs while hoping for mature ones

Bowling et al. (2026) identify how incentives drive construct proliferation.This commentary reframes the problem through Reichers and Schneider's (1990) three-stage model of construct evolutionintroduction/elaboration, evaluation/augmentation, and consolidation/accommodation-exposing how these incentives repeatedly reset promising constructs at Stage 1, stranding them in Stages 1 and 2, and preventing Stage 3 consolidation into robust models.Reichers and Schneider (1990) describe a three-stage evolutionary model for the development of scientific constructs in organizational research, progressing from:• Stage 1: Introduction and elaboration (where a new or borrowed concept is legitimized through definitions, initial operationalizations, and preliminary evidence of its existence), to • Stage 2: Evaluation and augmentation (marked by critical reviews challenging conceptualization and measurement, alongside refinements, distinctiveness tests, and applications addressing boundary conditions), and finally to • Stage 3: Consolidation and accommodation (where controversies resolve, one or two definitions and measures predominate, antecedents/consequences are well-mapped, and the construct embeds as a moderator, mediator, or contextual factor in broader theories and textbooks, with standalone research declining as it matures into "normal science").Reichers and Schneider (1990) see cumulative "normal science" as the patterned progression through these stages; construct maturity is evident when the construct is no longer the "star of the show" but is instead a well-understood component in larger theories.Considering the construct proliferation issue in light of the Reichers and Schneider (1990) model exposes how Bowling et al. (2026) identified incentives repeatedly reset promising constructs at Stage 1, stranding them in Stages 1-2, and preventing Stage 3 consolidation into robust models.This suggests that the problem is not merely construct proliferation but the systematic undersupply of Stage 2 and Stage 3 constructs relative to novel Stage 1 introductions.The Bowling et al. ( 2026) example of the workplace aggression literature reveals extensive Stage 1 elaboration (interpersonal conflict, incivility, abusive supervision, etc.) but little follow-through on available integration tools, despite acknowledgment that pruning is essential.In short, this is reminiscent of Kerr's (1975) "folly of rewarding A while hoping for B," as our field rewards "viral" Stage 1 construct introductions while hoping for Stage 3 construct maturity.Bowling et al. (2026) give the example of the development of the Five Factor Model of personality, which I would suggest is an example of a construct or model that was able to progress through the stages of construct evolution, with a wide range of constructs ultimately being subsumed under Conscientiousness and other broad factors.