Recognition Generates Results!

By: CIS - Office Plus :: Monday Jan 30, 2012

Recognizing someone’s achievements has a direct, positive impact on their and their co-workers’ performance. A recent study on this subject, by A. D. Stajkovic and F. Luthans in the Academy of Management Journal, revealedthat even informal recognition can boost performance by 24%.

Receiving a more formal type of acknowledgement—particularly certificates and plaques—can motivate people even more.

• Consider the Recipient: A reward is motivational only if the recipient wants it; i.e. sports tickets are not going to motivate a classical music fan. Choosing these kinds of rewards is a minefield—it’s too easy to select the wrong kind and have a completely negative effect. Certificates and plaques have more universal appeal.
•  Get it Right!: Make sure everything on the certificate is accurate and correctly spelled, particularly the person’s name.
•  Create an “event”: You don’t need an Awards’ Dinner, but taking time out in a workday to gather and acknowledge superior effort makes it special. Praise in front of others achieves two things:
• It’s a little slice of fame for the recipient—a moment when they are the ‘star,’ even if only for 5 minutes;
• It creates the desire amongst others to also be singled out for a share of glory.

When people feel valued and important they are more likely to contribute their discretionary effort—the work that may be outside of their job description or normal work hours, etc.—when the company needs it most. This sense of belonging also positively impacts teamwork, communication and overall employee retention.
(Source: The Effective Leadership Report)