Social benefits (recognition):
“Recognition [as opposed to monetary rewards] is the demonstration of appreciation for a level of
performance, an achievement or a contribution to an objective. It can be confidential or public, casual
or formal. It is always in addition to pay” (Pitts 14).
Three main ideas when linking employee recognition and performance: The recognizer: who’s doing
the recognition, the method of recognition, and the timing of the recognition. These three, if done
correctly, will boost employee motivation and morale, inevitably leading to an increase in work
performance.
Timing: The timing of recognition is imperative with high performance behavior/acts of employees.




“Timing is important. The sooner you acknowledge employee’s performance, the clearer they
get the message, and the more likely they are to repeat the desired performance.” (Michelman
105).
We can also talk about something called “Reinforcement theory” in our paper.
“Reinforcement theory studies what controls behavior, which is believed to be reinforcers. Any
consequences that, when immediately following a response, increase the probability that the
behavior will be repeated.” (Robbins 55).
In addition to this reinforcement idea… “Consistent with reinforcement theory, rewarding a
behavior with recognition immediately following the behavior is likely to encourage its
repetition.” (Robbins 69).
The Recognizer: Who’s the one recognizing the employees




“… it is hard to feel special from a corporate program where everyone gets the same things, like
a five year pin. To be effective, recognition needs to come from those we hold in high esteem,
such as one’s manager.” (Michelman 105).
*New finding: This can be considered one of the “new findings” for our paper. The idea:
Improv. According to Marshall Goldsmith, who wrote “Improve Employee performance with
Improv”, she states that improv can teach employers and managers the skills needed to practice
employee recognition. How? She says that improv workshops helps managers and employers
become better listeners and become more aware of their environment. These two coupled
together = a recipe for better employee recognition.
According to Ventrice, from hrweb.mit.edu, “Employees are most satisfied when recognition
comes from a blend of sources”… On average, a typical employee would want to see recognition
from others in the following percentages: Manager – 50%, Peer –30%, and the Institute – 20%.
“Managers also must be taught the consequences of ignoring desired behavior and failing to
recognize it.” (Holly Dolezalek)
Method of Recognition:

Power of Public Praising: Reward achievement, socially or monetarily in public, and not just at
the meeting. According to Jeffrey Gitomer, author of article “Employee recognition can be your
best incentive plan”, states that public recognition is the best environment to give recognition.
In his article, Gitomer says “When someone wins an award, there are several unspoken benefits.
There is the incentive for that person to maintain or improve his or her performance to stay at






the top. And there is a huge stimulus for others in the audience to try to win an award next
year.
Recognition must be original and non-redundant: “…You have to keep [recognition] fresh,
relevant, and sincere. Any incentive has less punch with repeated use.” (Michelman 105).
Employees want to be recognized with the ability of having more say in the business as a whole:
“In a survey conducted on the internet, giving people a choice from 52 items, the number one
choice for the kind of recognition and rewards employees want most was managerial support
and involvement. This involves asking employees their opinions, involving them in decisions,
giving them authority to do their jobs, supporting them when they make a mistake, and so
forth.” (Michelman 106).
Being Specific: “Specific recognition tells employees exactly what they are doing that is valued.”
(Ventrice 126).
“Employees like recognition that is specific, relevant, and frequent.” (Ventrice 124).
According to the Gallup survey, “peak performers want to be recognized at least every seven
days”.
Taken from Cassandra’s research from the Discussion board on wikispaces:
oLuthans and Kreitners 5-step OB Mod. Model:
1. “identify critical performance-related behaviors”
2. ”measure the frequency of those identified behaviors”
3. “analyze the antecedents and consequences associated with the behavior within the
existing environment”
4. ”intervene by applying positive consequences/reinforcers contingent upon exhibiting the
desired behavior”
5. “Evaluate the results by measuring changes in the behavior and its impact on performance”
(Luthans, Avery, & Luthans).