Peters & Waterman on recognition

Notes from In Search of Excellence
Tom Peters & Robert Waterman Jr

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT

• Negative reinforcement will produce behavioral change, but often in temporary and undesirable ways. Positive reinforcement causes long-term behavioral change in the intended direction.
• Reinforcement must be specific, with detailed information on the act that deserved praise.
• Reinforcement should be immediate.
• What is being reinforced must be achievable—the system should reward small wins. Good-news swapping is common in excellent companies.
• Intangible reinforcements, such as recognition from top management, are powerful incentives.
• Frequent small rewards are more effective than rare large ones. Big bonuses often become political. The small reward, the symbolic one, is a cause for celebration, not a cause for envy.
• The manner in which a reinforcement is applied is more important than the magnitude.

INTRINSIC MOTIVATION

• While external motivation produces better performance, it is self-motivation that yields the highest performance.
• Lasting commitment to a habit, a value, or an organization comes from a person’s belief that it is inherently worthwhile.