Wondering what improvements you can realistically make during 2011? Here's a small thing that can easily make itself into a huge thing without much effort on you part. Just spread it around.
"Reward and recognition, and the events that signal them, trigger the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine from several sites in the brain. Research shows that the effects of dopamine are particularly strong when a positive event is unexpected -- an unanticipated award, for example, or impromptu public praise for success on a risky project.
When an employee has met the defined criteria for recognition, the moment of recognition is expected -- appreciated but not upredictable . . .
But when a manager surprises an employee -- and her peers -- with unanticipated recognition, the emotional power increases significantly . . ."
This excerpt is from Towers Watson's on "The Power of Recognition from Managers."
Another of their findings is that, "strong manager performance in recognizing employee performance increases engagement by almost 60%."
Behavioral science has been proving what most of us have known (vaguely) all along. The findings are not deal changers, but they do help us change our "soft stuff" into hard science. And, the thing is, many managers -- especially the ones that tend to withhold recognition -- are the very ones who are most influenced by data.
Now that you have this tiny but powerful insight, flaunt it. Make sure the team in Training includes these kinds of findings in their programs, too. Many of us like surprises, but who knew that they help make us innovative thinkers and creative problem solvers?
And if you don't believe Towers Watson or the research in the Psychological Bulletin that they reference, try this out on your own. Your experience could surprise you.
Margaret O'Hanlon is founder and principal of re:Think Consulting. She has decades of experience teaming up with clients to ensure great Human Resource ideas deliver valuable business results. Margaret brings deep expertise in total rewards communication to the dialog at the Café; before founding re:Think Consulting, she was a Principal in Total Rewards Communications with Towers Perrin. Margaret earned her M.S. and Ed.S. in Instructional Technology at Indiana University. Creative writing is one of her outside passions, along with Masters Swimming.
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