Rewards And Recognition : A different prespective
- 1. Divakar Patel 15th June 2008
- 2. Rewards and Recognitions Double edged sword, if not handled carefully, can bring more negative results then positive in long run
- 3. Human mind… Humans do things for which they get tangible/non-tangible in return Action is valued by its performer by the return it fetches to him/her If there is no return to action, there is no guarantee that it will be repeated willingly in future Sub-conscious mind always weighs give-and-take before doing anything. Most of the time people are not even aware about what drives them, forget about their mentors/managers/…
- 4. Some basics… Every action has some enablers, conditions, motives, pre-requisites which are called ‘Antecedents’ e.g. Software Engineer wants to do better code re- architecting , he/she will look for following antecedents ○ Mentors across the team with whom idea can be discussed ○ Positive acknowledgement from Manager to go ahead in spite of schedule variance by bit ○ Constructive review system in place to help him/her ○ His/Her efforts (beyond call of duty) will be recognized and rewarded if successful
- 5. Some basics Contd… HR Trainee thinks that xyz policy change in org can really help in solving key issues Antecedents can be as follow ○ Open door policy in HR high ranks ○ Thinking beyond-the-designation is welcomed and not criticized ○ Mentors helps him/her in evaluating the problem and suggested solution ○ He/She can attend quick regular training in Org on “High Impact Power Point” ○ He/She is assured that even if it fails, no harm done
- 6. Some basics Contd… Every ‘Antecedents’ is followed by ‘Behavior’ Key eye-opener regarding ‘Behavior’ ○ In reality org/system does not have any direct persistent control over behavior of individuals. It has control over Antecedents and Consequences of Behavior. ○ Can we get desired output from Transport Manager to do best in cab scheduling by just ‘expecting’ this behavior ○ By just ‘expecting’, can we get always the best output from HR-recruitment person in better resume searching
- 7. Some basics Contd… Every behavior has two widely assumed perquisites, skill and motivation Most of the time, Managers lack skill of identifying gaps in both the two parameters, skill and motivation Skill, that is what you are paid for Motivation, you better do self-hypnotism More damage is done by applying ‘Negative motivation’, just to take easy and quick approach
- 8. Some basics Contd… Negative Motivation is applied by below methods Using negative peer-competition technique Threatening by assigning inferior work, sometime no work Humiliating in group meetings Always negating persons view (the same will be appreciated later detaching the originator from it) Sometime by just not talking to that person Negative Motivation does not work in long run for most of the people It’s a sign of handicap Leadership and results in disaster, for both the parties The biggest looser is system itself, stack holders at different level failed to do their job
- 9. Some basics Contd… Behavior is followed by ‘Consequences’ Type and Timing of consequences decides whether particular behavior will occur in future or not in given situation Consequences are most important yet least recognized parameter in contemporary ad-hoc management approach
- 10. Some basics Contd… Consequences can be Immediate or in Future Consequences can be Positive or Negative
- 11. Some basics Contd… What will happen if Consequences are in Future Disconnect between behavior and consequences It looses the impact on Behavior It does not guarantee whether Behavior will reoccur or not in future with less frequency and improved qualitatively
- 12. Some basics Contd… Consequences positive or negative Negative consequences convey that Behavior should not occur in future Positive consequences convey that Behavior should occur in future
- 13. Some basics Contd… Think about consequences in below scenario Manager reads email from Trainee about recent business update for the product gathered from internet Engineers part of the recruitment drive creates set of question papers without being asked and takes the lead Test engineer spends one weekend searching and evaluating various gnu test tools Beyond his job and role, engineer creates website to address KM at work Spends extra time in learning advance of scripting language so that it can be used in future effectively
- 14. Some basics Contd… According to human psychology and short memory for day to day give-n-take analysis Consequences should be Immediate and Positive Believe me, only in rare cases you will be forced to use Immediate Negative consequences
- 15. R&R : Past and Present Let’s understand one of widely used R&R tool
- 16. Employee Of the Month EOM, over a period of time becomes monthly ritual Everyone knows, there is no chance of repetition, so why to work hard always Fails to deliver positive reinforcement immediately
- 17. EOM: Pin-point error Emphasis is on giving award, and not why exactly the award is given Collogues fails to understand why exactly the award is given. Others can not replicate the same behavior
- 18. EOM: Delay Error Delay in giving positive reinforcement fades away the real purpose of recognition
- 19. R&R : Future of Management To be continued in PART-2