Terminalcoffee discussion

I have been involved in teaching and advocating the intelligent, focused use of positive reinforcement in the work environment for over 15 years. I am continually amazed at what a hard sell this can be with people who manage or supervise others.

Most often, the whole idea of reinforcement (telling people about the good work they do, and how they make a valuable contribution) is trivialized as mere "pats on the back" (oh how I hate that term) -- never getting to an understanding of how vital it is for people.

The notion is often that people should just do their best because they are paid to do so -- even in light of the hard fact that people most often do not! Survey data supports that people are dissatisfied with their jobs because they don't feel appreciated.

I've done projects that have produced unbelievably better results due to changes in the way feedback and reinforcement are given. It really works!

So what do you think? Should people get more positive feedback at work? Or do you subscribe to the "they oughta wanna do it anyway" school of thought?

This is interesting. I think the key, for me, is to make sure said positive reinforcement is genuine and not used in a manipulative fashion. For example, I don't think praising someone for doing very little, in the hope they'll do more, makes sense. I've seen some people get praised because supervisors think they enjoy public praise when the person in question doesn't deserve it more than anyone else. I also don't think praising one person in public to shame others is going to work.

The key word here is "genuine". Productivity, of course, is a bigger issue than just this area, but trusting, genuine relationships are essential to long-term productivity in most professional environments. Personally, once I get to know people, and I know the environment, I don't need much positive reinforcement other than knowing what I do is personally and professionally meaningful. But that's because I know my work is appreciated and I don't have to hear it all the time after eight years on the gig. However, I go out of my way to recognize people, esp. the people who don't actively solicit credit for their work, when I can. I send Monday morning memos and try to make sure people get credit for what they've done the week before.

Yup. Sincerity is very important. We should never praise people for nothing.

And people need less of it from others when they reach a point where they KNOW they are appreciated.

It seems obvious to me, that people need positive reinforcement. It doesn't need to be a big deal, but it's especially nice if it's specific.

That's part of the reason I encourage study pts to report to our PI any positive feedback they share with me. We don't get much encouragement at work, otherwise. :-|

BunWat wrote: "I have had more than one person tell me that I'm witholding information about how I get the results that I get with animals, kids, other people. Because "positive reinforcement doesn't work," so that can't be what I'm really doing. There must be some other secret I'm not sharing."

What do you do that you get to work with kids AND animals AND other people? :)

Here's an excellent source:

BunWat wrote: "Hahahaha!
Um. Live?"

I was hoping you'd say that you're a smalltown vet who gets the occasional human patient because there aren't any doctors around. :) I guess you're not.

BunWat wrote: "My experience is that it takes some effort to learn how to praise effectively.

I know some people that this just seems to come naturally to, I presume they were raised different than myself who had to learn this.

I have a lady who works for me that begs for reinforcement on an almost daily basis, even on the most mundane repetitive of tasks. I have an Atta Girl ready as soon as she walks through my door.

I worked for the guy who wrote the book I showed in #9 for four years. It's ironic that he very seldom gave anyone positive reinforcement. I could count the number of times he complimented my work on one hand.

Probably the first step is that you have to know what people are doing. As Bun said, paying attention.

As Jackie said, being specific about what you are noticing is what makes it sincere.

I saw a cartoon once of a big boss walking through the office, patting a guy on the back and saying, "Good job, whoever you are, whatever you do ...."

Many work environments (mine included) seem to discourage building lasting relationships with people. If you know them well, the liklihood of being able to reinforce them properly increases.

He's a well-known expert. And he really is. It just goes to show how it doesn't just happen on its own. As he teaches (and taught me) you have to plan on doing it or it doesn't get done.

Maybe it's a midwestern thing (I hope not) but I also think it's important to say hi to everyone in the halls. No reason to keep your head down and walk past...

Nah, we do that around here, too... in fact, sometimes peeps will congregate around my office for a casual discussion in the hallway.

Like this Heidi?

[image error]

Who is the orange peep, Jim? Is that Heidi?

Only if she wants it to be, I don't want her to unleash the bear if she doesn't. :-).

I think I can bear it.

How did you know?

:::looks all around quickly:::

You guys are goofy.

:)

Larry: "I worked for the guy who wrote the book I showed in #9 for four years. It's ironic that he very seldom gave anyone positive reinforcement. I could count the number of times he complimented my work on one hand."

Similarly, my grad school advisor's research was all about how positive relationships between teachers and students in elementary school enhanced achievement, yet he seemed to try to motivate only by criticism and shame.

I try really hard to give praise to coworkers, whether peers, on the ladder-rung below me, or my supervisor. Bun's right, it does take some thought, but if I can send an e-mail that just says, "you rock! I'm gonna try that next time," it totally comes back to me. It makes my job more rewarding, ultimately.

I have a supervisor who is excellent at positive reinforcement. It's incredibly motivating to know someone has confidence in your work. If someone stops by her office and says something nice about me, she opens up a little note on her computer that pops up when I meet with her, and she tells me about it. Because of her, it's the best work environment I've ever been in.

When I was working at Intel we got to take a week long class in managing people in the technical industry. Basically, it boiled down to knowing the individuals of the group and what personally motivates them to get their job done. Knowing this and using this knowledge of how to help them achieve what is personally important to them while directing them to do what you need them to in their work was a key factor in successful projects. If you can align the work to their motivation, and then give them positive feedback on it, they will be more motivated to do a good job and the team is more cohesive.

The ironic thing was that the managers (like mine) who should have been in that course, and needed it more than anyone else, where the ones who skipped it because they said they were too busy. My manager was a classic one who really didn't know his team well and was notoriously hard to communicate with. My PM and I were the ones who carried the whole team, and they really loved & appreciated us, but when his failings caused our project to hit the downslide we were the ones to take the fall. I think this happens entirely too much in big corporations.

You said it all, Sherrie --- getting to know people as individuals with their own unique qualities, and showing them we appreciate them for the things they do works wonders. No gimmicks, no manipulation.

Too often (as in where I work) people are just interchangeable parts.

Cogs in the wheels of an overgrown machine. ::grumble:: I have big issues with corps that treat people that way.

Interestly enough, I was reading an article by Corinne McLaughlin where she talked about how the new trend in successful business is "conscious capitalism". This is where major businesses are becoming more socially responsible in their biz practices - to their employees, their shareholders, their community, and to the environment - and are prospering because of this new outlook. She outlines that this is the new wave of business and those companies & corps who are still only in it for the big buck are not going to survive. I find that really interesting as well as encouraging.

"Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) is a San Francisco-based nonprofit founded in the 1990's, which has grown to encompass over 400 organizations, including about half of the Fortune 500 companies. BSR defines corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a 'comprehensive set of policies, practices, and programs' that earn financial success in ways that 'honor ethical values and respect people, communities, and the natural environment.' These companies typcially support community projects and good causes and find innovative ways to support their employees and protect the environment."