Social Recognition 2
Continuing from last week’s blog with the concept of social recognition as both a motivator and performance manager as outlined by Mosley & Derek (2021) in Making Work Human: How Human-Centered Companies Are Changing The Future of Work And The World. Remember, they combine the principles of Positive Psychology with technological advances in crowd sourcing. They stress that successful recognition is always:
- Positive
- Appreciative
- Specific
- Consistent and fair
- Merit-driven
- Unexpected
- Frequent
- Global
It’s also:
- Social (seen by others in the organization or team)
- Celebrates efforts, contribution, and achievement
- Happens as close as possible to the event
- Resonates with values, goals, and purpose
- Comes from anywhere: manager, peer, subordinate, another department or location
- Has appropriate substance and weight
- Recognizes an individual’s uniqueness
- Authentic and sincere
With crowd sourcing, anyone can recognize anyone. According to Work Human (pgs. 126-127), whether you’re a peer or a manager, you can recognize:
- Something that people should do more.
- Something others should be doing.
- Behavior that embodies company values.
- Extra, discretionary effort.
- An extra effort noticed by a customer, vendor, or business partner.
- Showing humanity without thought of reward.
- For managers: Did an employee do something to make your life easier?
Finally, they point to the actual recognition message: not simply expressing thanks. Give details. Be precise and specific about what someone did that is worthy of recognition. Be sure to mention the person’s name and where they work and what they do. If you can say something unique about the recipient and describe the person’s impact in the context of shared goals… all the better!
Weekly Challenge: Practice these specific recommendations and recognize someone on your team.
Supporting Your Success!
KJ