Home >> Motivation Initiatives >> Rewards and Recognition >> A Culture of Recognition

Good question. Actually, it takes a village, but the responsibility for recognition belongs mainly with the immediate manager. Why? Because this is the person who best knows what the team needs to be focusing on and what the results need to be. That's why in this village we will start with the manager.

The Immediate Manager

In a culture of recognition, the immediate manager is at the helm. This person knows what it takes for the organization to be successful and puts a lot of thought into mutually setting goals with employees, goals that support the big-picture mission, strategy and value. This is just the beginning, however. Effective managers make it a point to follow up these goals by regularly providing timely, specific and objective performance feedback. They take note without being intrusive. And, they know who is and who is not worthy of recognition.

In a culture that supports recognition, managers realize that people need to feel appreciated for their work. Recognition savvy managers do not save up praise for once-a-year performance appraisal meetings; catching folks doing things right is an on-going activity.

Great managers are also smart enough to know that one size does not fit all. What motivates one employee may do nothing for another. Knowing this, effective managers spend time actually getting to know their employees. They ask and listen, never assuming. As a result when they provide recognition they know they are giving a "gift" each employee will personally value.

How about peer-to-peer recognition? You can bet if the company supports such a program these employees will be the first to use it. They take great pride in working alongside teammates with excellent performance.

So who else plays an important role in a recognition culture? None other than the heart and soul of the organization — the employees.

 

The Employee

Employees play an important role in recognition. They seize the opportunity to talk with their managers and mentors about how they can personally remain challenged and excited about their jobs. They share what motivates them and what doesn't. They proactively ask for feedback if they're not getting it. They make sure they are focused on the right things and have clear expectations. In other words, these employees take initiative. Not only do they ask for feedback, they also provide feedback. You can count on these employees to recognize their colleagues. If the organization supports a formal peer-to-peer recognition system, they will be the first to use it because they take great pride in working with engaged and productive co-workers.

So far we've said managers and employee have key roles in a high-recognition culture. How about the organization at-large? Are they a part of the village?

The Organization

You bet the organization is an important component! In a high-recognition culture there is widespread understanding and buy-in to the business benefits of recognition. Senior leaders lead the way; they model recognizing outstanding performance. They let people know that they are highly valued and in turn this creates a high-energy work environment. There is also a walk-the-talk mentality, meaning that ideally there is a budget for employee recognition and managers have the resources available to facilitate recognition activities. As you would expect, managers are held accountable for catching their employees doing things right.

Behavior is equally as important as results in a recognition culture. It is not only about business mission and strategy — the so-called hard stuff. It is also the soft stuff — correct behavior. In a recognition culture behavior and results go hand-in-hand.

In best-practice organizations, leaders are keenly aware that the shelf life of a typical recognition program is about 16 weeks. Accordingly, high recognition organizations are diligent about finding out what's working and keeping things relevant. A stagnant recognition program is a deal breaker and they know it!

As stated earlier, it really does take a village to build a culture of recognition. Organizations that do it well plan to keep on doing it well.

Why? Because it works!