My Allergy to Recognition Programs

I’ve never been a fan of the typical corporate recognition program, so when the Dundies became the target of satiric ridicule on “The Office” I loved it. But just as “The Office” has proven to be surprisingly durable as a television series, corporate recognition programs seem to be equally so.

I’m not going to list my complaints about these programs – which, to be fair, are not all bad and can be successful with some people in some situations. The problem comes when recognition for top performers is confused with organization support for individual performance. My purpose here is to point out the cultural difference between recognition and support, and how it can affect organizational performance in the long-term.

Recognition programs tend to focus on top producers, short-term goals and generally happen after the outcome has occurred. This type of recognition tends to focus on specific aspects of performance while ignoring others and is self-reinforcing — what gets recognized gets repeated. In contrast to this, a mindset of support has to do with creating an organizational context that supports individual performance over the long term, before during and after outcomes have been achieved.

The basic elements of support can show up in a variety of ways in organizations. One has to do with access to company resources – basically, do you have the resources you need to do the job. This is not always financial resources, sometimes it’s information, training, or attention from more senior leaders.

Another element of support is increased autonomy. This can look different depending on the organization but it may involve reducing layers of reporting and control. It also may involve eliminating day-to-day interference, micromanaging or needless frequent status updates. It also assumes that if the resources needed to identify problems and make fixes in real time are available – this is what will happen.

Support can flow throughout an organization vertically, from leaders to managers and on to lower levels of the organization. It can also flow horizontally, serving to develop a feeling of empowerment and commitment between different functional areas.

The mindset for creating an environment of support, rather than recognition, acknowledges the interdependencies within organizations. It supports lower level initiatives and entrepreneurship, and it prioritizes guidance and help over the exercise of authority and winning at all costs.

Research has shown that a mindset of organizational support is more likely to foster collective learning and the growth of individual members, which can help to make an organization more agile and better prepared to respond changes in the external environment. From the perspective of employee engagement, whether it’s recognition or support, the goal is the same – to be “seen”. Where these mindsets differ is in who is seen and why.