If you ask any Sales Manager what is the most powerful motivator for their employees, you are likely to hear ‘financial compensation’… as in “show them the money.” If you ask any Human Resources manager the same question, you may hear things like ‘fringe benefits or perks.’ While there are many different opinions about how best to motivate employees, one strategy may be more effective at motivating employees than money or benefits (and more cost effective). Namely: praise.
That’s what an obscure study done by Dr. Elizabeth Hurlock proved nearly a century ago. In Hurlock’s 1925 study, students were divided into four groups during instruction. One group was praised. One was criticized. One group was ignored. The last group was ignored during instruction, but not in front of the others so they had no idea that some students were being praised or criticized. Students who were praised in front of others during instruction improved their test scores by 71% while students who were criticized in front of others during instruction improved their test scores only 19%. The students who were ignored completely during instruction improved their scores by only 5% and that was similar to those who were separated from the others. When it came to results, praise was the best motivator. But is the same still true today? And does praise motivate adults at work as much as it motivates children? If so, does praise motivate employees as much as money or benefits? The simple answer to all three questions is YES.
Yes, praise is just as motivating to adults as to children. That’s because there is a fundamental physiological reason why praise motivates all people. Let’s start by defining praise. Praise – which is defined as using kind words, actions, facial expressions, or a gentle touch like a high-five or pat-on-the-back – is intended to communicate worth and accomplishment in others. Also called positive reinforcement by scientists or words of encouragement by teachers and parents, praise lets children know that what they have done is good and worthwhile. When bosses and managers praise employees, they are also letting workers know that the work they have done is good and worthwhile.
So why do people have such a need to know that one’s actions are good, worthwhile and successful? Apparently, it has to do with how we are wired. Recognition for good work causes the brain to release a chemical in the brain called dopamine. What exactly is dopamine? It is a neurotransmitter produced in the brain that stimulates the two parts of the brain that process rewards and create positive emotions like satisfaction, enjoyment, pride and pleasure. Dopamine also reinforces the understanding that more of a given behavior will create more praise, resulting in more dopamine, and thus more pleasure.
The need to feel that pleasure is so important to the human brain that people will go to great lengths to get it, and get it on a regular basis. Dopamine may explain why people play computer games and sports. They are trying to get the dopamine that comes from the positive reinforcement of winning. Winning is winning, and the brain feels the same pleasure whether the positive reinforcement (and thus the release of dopamine into the brain) comes from a boss, parent or game. It may also explain why salespeople and entrepreneurs keep pursuing the next sale or deal, even long after they are wealthy and successful. The short-term payoff for working hard day after day is the dopamine that generates a recurring feeling of success and enjoyment.
This desire for dopamine is hard-wired into our bodies. It is human nature to want the positive reinforcement that then produces the dopamine. That makes this need incredibly useful to managers who want to motivate their employees. Yet, few bosses leverage the power of praise to motivate their employees. A Gallup poll asking U.S. employees about praise at work found that:
- 33% of all employees said they had not received any praise from their supervisor in the previous week.
- Employees who had received praise for doing good work in the previous week had generated a 10-20% increase in productivity and revenue.
- Employees who reported that they or their work was not recognized were three times more likely to indicate a desire to quit their job within the next year.
In fact, one of the top employee complaints in many surveys is that employees don’t receive enough praise or recognition. The message: bosses need to regularly praise their employees. However, praise must meet five criteria to be effective.
1. Praise works best when it alters the self image of the individual being praised. If someone is praised for sticking with a boring or difficult task, that person will incorporate that into their self image. They will think “I have perseverance.”
2. Praise works best when it is perceived as being sincere. If a person is highly praised for mediocre work – work that they know is minimally standard – the person will believe that they are perceived as only being capable of producing mediocre work. This will have the opposite effect of being de-motivating.
3. Praise works best when it is perceived as being genuine. That’s to say, if praise is given as a way to manipulate a person into doing something, the praise will not motivate the person.
4. Praise works best which it is directed at a behavior, not a person or an innate ability. It is best to praise someone’s work product, rather than their intelligence or one of their qualities. For example, it is better to say “Your perseverance and follow-up skills in bringing in that deal were exemplary.” rather than saying “Your charm and intelligence really shone through in bringing in that deal.” Studies have found that praise targeting a person’s efforts is motivating whereas praise that focuses on the person or their innate abilities is actually de-motivating.
5. Praise works best if it is given intermittently and unexpectedly, and yet regularly. If a person anticipates or expects to be praised after every project or deal, then studies show that the praise is no longer motivating. However, if praise is given periodically and yet randomly, then the praise is motivating.
In the end, genuine, sincere, focused, yet unanticipated praise of employee’s work acts as a great motivator. People want – or should we say need — recognition. All people have a biological desire to be noticed and appreciated. It’s not just about money. While money and fringe benefits are motivating, praise is the one motivator that costs nothing and is as effective today as it was a century ago and will be a century from now.
Quote of the Week
“In every age and every man there is something to praise as well as to blame.” James Beattie
© 2012, Keren Peters-Atkinson. All rights reserved.
