Inspiration Conversation

2 + 2 = 4. Always. 

But there are plenty of things that call for a nuanced decision making process and non-linear thinking. Oftentimes, there are multiple ways to address a given issue and many of them are “correct”. Paying taxes and picking paint colors for example, and I’d add designing & operating Reward and Recognition Systems (RRS) to the list.

I do my level best to pay the IRS exactly what I owe.  I keep diligent records and use a very good CPA, and yet, I’m not 100% positive the final number is correct. There are just so many options and so many gray areas regarding the specifics.  Common sense says it’s simple – you just follow the rules and punch the correct buttons on the calculator – but we’ve all heard the stories about tax pros looking at the same return with wildly different conclusions.

We are doing some decorating around our house. Ok, my wife is doing some decorating around the house, and she came home with five color swatches for a paint color she’s considering for the legs of a table.  All five swatches are black.  Yep – five different shades of “black”.  Which one is correct (I picked the one she liked, but THAT lessons got nothing to do with this post)?  There seem to be multiple shades of a color that I thought was pretty simple to describe.

So maybe you’re redecorating your people strategy or trying to figure out what rules to follow to create your RRS.  In my experience, there are a few “2 + 2” facts to keep in mind: 

• Know what result you’re trying to achieve.  These can be strategic (become the best employer in our region) or tactical (increase sales by 15%).
• Follow a process.  At The Miller Company, we use Recognition Professionals International’s Seven Best Practice Standards (www.recognition.org)
• Involve senior management.  Help them understand how the RRS will drive corporate goals and tell them what they can do to help the effort.

Building an RRS involves a little science and a little art. Get the science right, then enjoy the creative process of choosing the “colors” that work best for your organization.

Here’s a link to an interesting discussion between two very strong thinkers in the incentive and recognition space.  I follow both Rick and Paul and I learn a lot from what they have to say.  Both make strong arguments regarding the issue of gift cards within a recognition and reward system (RRS).  As I read the post and the comments, I found myself struggling to make a choice on who I thought was “right” and finally determined… both.

http://ideationz.wordpress.com/2010/04/15/turning-retail-gift-cards-into-a-global-farce/

I get that there have to be decisions made around what mechanism is used to fulfill the ultimate promise of a reward within an organization’s RRS and it’s healthy to listen to articulate people dissect the pros and cons of respective ways to do that. I also think that it’s healthy to realize that it’s not really about the reward mechanism – there are several valid ways (none “perfect”) to get that done.  What really matters is making sure that an organization’s RRS is designed to suit their unique issues – I’m confident Rick and Paul would agree.  

I’m agnostic on the issue of what’s “best”…  I think best is a function of lots of things and is defined singularly by the particular situation being addressed at the time.  I’m suspicious of people or companies that say their solution is always “the best”.

So, maybe you appreciate the value that a formal Reward & Recognition System (RRS) can add to your organization, but you've got questions about how to budget for it.

The calculator below will provide you with a starting point based on industry averages. But who wants to be average? The fact is your RRS could spend well above the norm, but if it isn't aligned with your organization's values then it's a below average system and you're spending money on wasted opportunities.

Have some fun tinkering around with our calculator, but keep in mind that when it comes to designing your RRS, our focus will be on creating above average strategy, measurement and communication.

Using the calculator:

• click the yellow exclamation point to read an explanation of our calculation in each segment of your RRS
• the slider begins at industry averages, pull it to the left and right to adjust your investment
• in the "# Behaviors" field of the Peer to Peer section, enter your estimate of recognition moments per employee per month 

It was a great experience to be in DC speaking to people responsible for understanding issues and crafting legislation designed to strengthen our country.  The people I spoke with were interested and thoughtful.  They asked good questions and seemed genuinely interested in understanding my perspective.  Participating in the effort felt patriotic to me and it caused a renewed respect for our country and our system of government. 

Tom

Recently, I was forwarded Dan Pink's talk at the TED Conference in Oxford, England. In the talk, Pink takes on some long standing beliefs regarding "incentives" as positive influencers of employee performance. He makes a strong case that, largely, business practices have ignored the factual findings of contemporary social scientists and that, in most cases, "incentive plans" don't work when targeting knowledge workers. Yet the business community continues the practice of offering "carrots" for higher performance, more ideas and better work. I agree with him, but I'd like to suggest an "and".

Offering knowledge workers more (pay, prestige, power...) for effort beyond their normal level of contribution is a failed strategy and, as companies remove these non-working "motivational tools", they should consider how a well-designed Recognition and Reward System (RRS) might be what they are really looking for. It's a simple case of applying Maslow's thinking to your company's work environment.

If you're providing employees with a compensation plan that solves for the physiological, safety and security needs we all have, you can get more discretionary effort from people by enabling them to fulfill higher needs - belonging, esteem and self-actualization. This doesn't happen by giving them rewards beyond what they've fairly earned within your compensation system - it happens when the organization tells them why what they did matters. Research demonstrates that people will engage at higher levels when they know that their contributions to the overall effort are meaningful and that they are noticed.

Pink focuses on Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose. Perfect ... let people do the work they were hired to do, give them the tools to become expert and then tell them when they contribute to organizational success.

I'm not trying to be overly self-serving here, but an RRS will help you get this done. It's why we are able to feel great about what we do.

In another post, I've talked about Recognition and Reward Systems as Drivers of Employee Engagement.

An "engaged employee" does two things very well - they produce a high volume of high quality work and they help create change. The quality and volume of work is a result of a focus on the present and an understanding of the actions that lead to their work success and the success of the company. The ability to create change is driven by the awareness of all the components that make up their work and their willingness to challenge the status quo when they see an opportunity to do things better. An engaged employee "owns" their work and may regularly contribute beyond their exact job description.

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Twitter was down this morning as a result of what appears to be a relatively successful denial-of-service attack.

Here's a line from an AP story about the incident:

"For users of the fast-growing messaging service, the outage means no tweeting about lunch plans, the weather or the fact that Twitter is down."

Really? Snark from the Associated Press?

The outage also means that influential people aren't sharing new thoughts with their network this morning. Why not mention that? Even with Twitter's undeniable role in the Iran Election protests (#IranElection continues to be a daily trending topic), it still has a reputation among some people as merely being a peddler of so much drivel. It must be said that that reputation exists almost exclusively among those who don't actually use the service.

We deal with this sort of inaccurate reputation and these kinds of snide remarks in the world of Recognition don't we?

A prospective client once said to me, "Yeah we've got a great Incentive program. Every two weeks we cut our employees a check, and in exchange they show up and do their job."

Bravo, sir. But there is a wealth of untapped potential in your middle 60% if you were willing to listen, learn, and try motivation on for size.

How do you win over someone who sees little value in a service that has earned your enthusiasm?

It might feel good for me to say to someone who makes fun of Twitter, "Oh yeah, real nice. Say, have you figured out how to program your VCR yet?" Complimenting their 8-track collection might also be in order. (I could go on...I've got a stockpile of these.) But no, while that might be more satisfying, are they at all likely to become a convert? Absolutely not.

Probably much better to bite my tongue and share a story. Last fall I was in Chicago on business, and one evening I posted a Tweet about something I had just seen at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Some minutes later I get a message from an old friend I hadn't seen in years who also happened to be in Chicago shooting a commercial. He had read my Tweet and sent a reply. Two hours later we're toasting one another on Ohio Ave. I think that's impossible to make fun of.

What about those who don't believe that Recognition and Employee Incentive Programs are vital to your organization's success? Do you feel like saying, "Ok, nevermind the stacks of perennial research validating Recognition. Nevermind that even NFL-bound college athletes proudly collect stickers (stickers!!) on their helmets as a symbol of their accomplishment! Nevermind all that!"

Instead, let's take a breath and keep sharing stories. Stories about how, yes as a matter of fact, that thank you card that your co-worker sent in appreciation of your efforts meant a lot. That the plaque congratulating you for personifying one of your company's core values not only makes you proud but encourages you to repeat those behaviors more regularly.

What's your best story? What is it about Recognition to you that is impossible to make fun of?

That's what it says in giant black letters on the card facing the employees at a nearby sandwich shop.

Right there at the beginning of the sandwich assembly line, "Remember to ask, 'Would You Like Soup with Your Sandwich'". 

But they've never asked me. Not even once.

If we were to scratch the surface, we'd probably discover that there are a host of reasons this initiative is going nowhere, but they'd all boil down to the fact that these BLT artisans have simply decided that asking this simple question just isn't worth it.

What might the employees tell us?

"Hardly anyone says 'yes'."

"Even if they do it's just extra work and I'd rather just keep the line moving."

"I don't like the manager who implemented this so I never even gave it a chance."

Again, bottom line is that they've decided it's not worth it, and when encouraging a behavior as simple as beginning the order process with one simple question has failed, then there are some issues that need to be addressed. How might this store's sales improve if the shift that sold the most cups of soup received a tangible, meaningful reward? If designed intelligently, communicated effectively, and assessed regularly, a sales incentive program could boost morale, increase profits, and pay for itself.

Where are these gaps in your organization? What's the question you want asked or the behaviors you want to see repeated, that if rewarded, would pay for themselves and then some?