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December 11, 2002

Appreciation: It's Good Business

A colleague used to say that when it comes to motivating employees,
every manager has the equivalent of a drawerful of $100 bills always at
her disposal. She was referring to recognition, praise, and appreciation:
the manager's ability simply to listen, acknowledge and appreciate the
efforts and contributions of others.

It's incredibly easy (and cheap) to give the gift of appreciation.
A simple, heartfelt thank-you. A pause to comment on an
employee's ingenuity in solving a problem. A smile to acknowledge
a supportive comment in a tough situation. These cost nothing.

But, you ask, how are these small social tokens equivalent
to $100 bills?

Most of us can do little about the miserable economy, the
embattled stock market, the lingering aftermath of layoffs
and looming prospect of more job losses. But conscious,
daily appreciation is a tool any manager can use to create a
work environment where people feel valued.

Employees who feel valued are more committed to their
work, which means they miss work less often, work harder,
and treat customers better. That's a nice return on the
investment required to show appreciation day-to-day.

There is another aspect of appreciation that might be less
agreeable to consider but is important for achievement of
business objectives: appreciation is a way of shaping
behavior.

"Shaping" is psychologist talk for pointing people in the direction
you want them to go, then encouraging them to move forward.
Shaping requires noticing and "rewarding" very small steps toward
a distant goal - such as increased cross-functional cooperation or
reduced non-productive water-cooler time. Timely, specific and
positive feedback is an effective reward, for example:

"You turned that water-cooler gripe session into a
problem-solving discussion just by asking, 'What could
we do about that?' I was impressed. Thank you."

Given the tough times many companies face today, what
are some behaviors managers might want to "shape"?

A prime candidate in today's environment is risk-taking.
According to Jerry Talley, a 30+ year veteran OD consultant
based in Silicon Valley, people are not sticking their necks
out these days. It's too dangerous. This means employees
don't speak up when customers are unhappy or when a
process is not working. Problems escalate, unnecessary costs
go undetected, and customers go elsewhere.

As Judy Onton, HR consultant puts it, employees want to
stay "below the radar." Avoid being noticed and maybe no
one will think of you when the next round of layoffs begins.

Talley advocates creating small problem-solving groups
empowered to take risks. Encourage employees to propose
and pilot-test solutions on for a brief period. Even if the
solution fails, employees learn - about the problem, and
about their own power to take action. When managers
acknowledge the risks taken as well as the lessons learned,
over time, more employees will take risks - and more
problems will be solved.

If your team seems to lack the spark of innovation, your
objective might be to encourage creative ideas. Careers
have been made giving advice on how to stimulate creativity,
but an honest review of how ideas are received in your
organization might be revealing. Less-than-enthusiastic
responses to a few people's ideas will lead quickly to a
collective shrug of irritation, possibly coupled with a
resolve to "get out of this place as soon as a job opens up
somewhere else."

Listening is essential for cultivating creativity, and it's also
one of the easiest and most important ways to recognize
and show appreciation. When employees come to you with
ideas, take time to hear them out. Probe for specifics, but make
sure they know you are genuinely interested, not just looking
for flaws so you can dismiss their ideas.

What do you want your employees to do more of - Partner
with other employees, departments, or customers? Take more
responsibility? Put in extra effort? Do higher-quality work?
Look for the small steps and show your appreciation.

Appreciative managers will soon notice the payoffs for
listening to and appreciating their employees: improved
morale, greater productivity, new ideas, and happier
customers. They may also find valued employees are more
likely to stick around when hiring picks up. That's why
it's "good business" to distribute those $100 bills freely
all year 'round.

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SURVEY TIP
A brief, focused survey is a quick way to listen to a large
number of employees at once. Use the Internet to get
feedback fast on a pressing concern or a new idea.

Of course, when you ask for input, employees expect
action. So be sure to let them know when results will be
reported back and how they will be used. Then follow
through! When you report outcomes of action taken, be sure
to acknowledge employees' contributions.

Otherwise, employees quickly conclude that surveys are
just an exercise, and cynicism, not commitment, is
reinforced.

Call us for a free consultation on using brief, focused
surveys to get results in your organization.
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What do you think? Where is the pain in organizations
you know? What are the business consequences and antidotes?
Send your thoughts to jgainen@surveycompany.com, or
call toll-free, 877-666-2486.

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