Recognition is a basic human desire.

No one wants to feel like their efforts are going un-noticed, do they?

To be honest, it’s pretty rare to find a working environment that doesn’t operate some form of recognition.  Maybe it’s just a pat on the back at the end of the month, or perhaps some muttered words of appreciation when a big project is finally completed.

It’s something, at least.

Unfortunately, this common, erratic approach to recognizing your team’s efforts will inevitably lead to dissatisfaction and gradual, widespread disengagement.

If it’s done well, implementing a culture of recognition within your organisation can improve individual performance, team engagement and help align your team with your organisation’s wider goals and strategies.

In short: recognition creates involvement!

What makes this technique even more appealing to managers is that you could start to see visible improvements very quickly.

Recognition = Involvement

Recognition shouldn’t be seen as a way to boost team morale. It shouldn’t be used as a way to get your team through a tough patch or inspire them to ‘grind through’ the current workload. Recognition should be used as a tool to help keep each member of your team working in-line with your organisational goals.

Keeping your team engaged is all about cultivating a culture of involvement. If they feel that what they are doing is helping the organization, and that they are making a positive difference, they will be more engaged, productive and fulfilled.

Productive Recognition

To create a culture of ‘productive recognition’ you should look to recognise whenever a member of your team does something that clearly furthers your organisation’s cause. This will motivate that particular individual to continue working well whilst also showing the rest of your team the type of work that’s valued within your organisation. You’ll give everyone direction.

If you implement this strategy in the right way, you will quickly see it catching on. It’s common to see whole organisations adopt this strategy within just a couple of weeks. It’s fast, effective and contagious.

Implementing a culture of productive recognition within an organization is one of the most reliable and practical ways to drastically improve involvement.

Try it. Lead by example. The results might surprise you.

If you’d like more information about how to implement an organisation wide recognition strategy, or if you would like more information about how you can use recognition to start creating a fully involved workforce, please feel free to get in touch.