I've been a fan of the TV show “The Office” since it originally launched in the UK. I try to catch episodes of the US version whenever I can, too. The show skewers so well all that can go wrong in the workplace – the quirks of highly “unique” employees, managers who try to be chummy but end up being abusive, corporate “processes” that are poorly understood and even more poorly implemented.
But one of my all-time favorite episodes is from Season 2 of the US version – The Dundie Awards. Michael Scott, the boss, adores the ritual of the Dundies every year, searching hard to find a reason to give everyone an award. For example, Pam, the receptionist, receives the whitest sneakers award. Others see the awards for what they are. Stanley, a sales rep, simply throws his Dundie in the trash.
In this, the final season of “The Office” in which Michael Scott will appear (actor Steve Carrell is passing the reigns of leadership to Will Ferrell), Michael also passes the reigns of his beloved Dundies to DeAngelo Vickers (Ferrell), the new boss of Dunder-Mifflin, Scranton, PA. There’s a key lesson in leadership succession here. Transitioning leaders must also transfer cultural knowledge, values and rituals that support them.
One could argue, the Dundies deserve to die. But in general, the sentiment is powerful. Michael is trying to ensure his (admittedly warped) dedication to showing employees appreciation and recognizing each personally is carried on.
These clips show some of the failures as well as some of the successes of his attempt. But there are also three key lessons. See if you can pick them out. (For email readers, click through for the video.)
3 Lessons on Employee Recognition from “The Office”
- Timeliness of Awards – Recognition given on-the-spot or very soon after the event deserving of recognition has the greatest impact for motivating employees and encouraging them to repeat desired behaviors. Of course, Michael takes this a bit too far by showing up on employee doorsteps at 6:00 in the morning.
- Meaningfulness of Awards – The best awards are for those that have direct meaning for the employee for their achievements at work. Calling out contributions and behaviors – things employees have control over – is often more effective than focusing only on results (which may be beyond an individual’s control. Certainly, focusing on anything from an employee’s personal life – such as Andy’s “Doobie Doobie Pothead Stoner of the Year Award” – is out-of-bounds for employee recognition.
- Specific Award Messages – The most powerful recognition moments for employees are ones that are far more than a quick “thanks for everything.” Specific award messages tell an employee clearly and in detail what they did that was worthy of recognition, why it’s noteworthy, and how that action or behavior contributed to achievement of a larger goal or the success of others. Where Michael seems to have always failed on this point, his team certainly gets it right in their serenade at the end of the second clip.
Any other lessons on employee recognition or successful succession you see in these clips? Is your office a little too much like “The Office?”
As Globoforce’s Head of Strategic Consulting, Derek Irvine is an internationally minded management professional with over 20 years of experience helping global companies set a higher ambition for global strategic employee recognition, leading workshops, strategy meetings and industry sessions around the world. His articles on fostering and managing a culture of appreciation through strategic recognition have been published in Businessweek, Workspan and HR Management. Derek splits his time between Dublin, Montreal and Boston. Follow Derek on Twitter at @DerekIrvine.
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