Developing a culture of recognition.

In most organizations recognition is something they do, not something they are. Organizations should strive for more than just doing recognition: they should strive to create a "culture of recognition." When recognition becomes a part of an organization's culture, it will have a positive impact on everything from employee morale, retention, recruiting (as the organization gains a reputation as an "employer of choice") to performance and productivity, customer service, safety and even shareholder value.

Every organization has a culture that in its simplest form can be described as "the way we do things around here." What makes something cultural is how consistent and widespread it is done. When recognition is cultural, it derives from an organization's values as observed through the behaviors and practices of its members. Like culture, values cannot be seen directly, but must be inferred from other things.

When the value of recognition is central, it is highlighted in the vision and values statements of the organization, tied to all key business objectives, integrated into the organization's human resources plan, frequently discussed in management meetings, and included in most forms of communication within the organization (e.g., newsletters, e-mails, bulletin boards, written notes, formal certificates of appreciation, announcements, department and company meetings, casual conversations, etc.). In addition, recognition events and celebrations are held frequently, recognition programs are fresh with high participation, and recognition tools are readily available to all managers and employees.

Holding managers accountable

Having recognition be an expected part of management behavior is not left to chance or the personality type and past experience of individual managers in the organization, but rather, the importance of the topic is explained to all managers who are then asked and expected to recognize their employees when they have done good work. Training is provided to managers, as are recognition tools and programs and an adequate budget, and managers are measured and held accountable in a positive way for providing recognition on a frequent basis. Those managers who do not practice recognition do not advance in the organization.

Organizations in which recognition is truly valued will also display a wide range of recognition behaviors and allow employees to be a vital part of selecting and implementing recognition ideas, programs and activities in both planned and spontaneous ways. Recognition occurs in many shapes and sizes (including intangible forms of recognition such as learning opportunities, choice assignments and increased responsibilities), and there are multiple choices for how employees can be recognized. Recognition is used positively and consistently to reinforce high performance, rather than sporadically by management as an attempt to manipulate employees to achieve short-term performance targets. Recognition is provided for improvement, as well as achieving desired results and absolute standards of performance.

It's never too late for an organization to become a culture of recognition. The process can start with any person, at any time. Even you, even now ...

Bob Nelson, Ph.D. is president of Nelson Motivation Inc., San Diego, Calif., and author of numerous books on motivating and energizing employees. E-mail: [e-mail]. Website: www.nelson-motivation.com.