Great Thinkers, Interesting Debate

by Tom Miller

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”.

 

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