Incorporating Peer Recognition Into Company Culture

In The Doors You Can Open, I describe a practice that was shared with me by an interviewee: Thankful Thursdays. Every Thursday, this leader makes a point to send a personal email to someone she has noticed making a positive impact in her organization. She finds that proactively acknowledging others’ contributions is a wonderful way to create or deepen relationships. It works because very few of us get positive feedback from other people, much less appreciation. Thankful Thursdays is an individual version of organizational peer recognition systems. I have tried to adopt them as well in my own teaching by having students nominate their peers for making positive contributions to their learning. But it’s an open question whether these types of systems change behavior. Does knowing that there is a possibility that one’s contributions could be formally recognized by peers lead to more helping behavior? Or, as in the case of Joseph Burke Ryan Sommerfeldt Laura Wang ‘s research, does knowing that one can acknowledge the contribution of one’s peers make one more likely to ask for help? Using experimental methods, they find that yes, in fact, peer recognition systems do increase help-seeking. Importantly, willingness is also predicated on whether the peer recognition system has been adopted by others in the organization, and more specifically, by other people at the same rank in the organization. That is, knowing that peers were using the peer recognition system increases help-seeking, but seeing that people not at the same rank are using the system can actually decrease help-seeking. Specifically, participants who were assigned to a senior manager position in a scenario were less likely to ask a peer senior manager for help when they believed that the peer recognition system was largely adopted by junior analysts, but not senior managers. The idea here is that seeing people similar to ourselves utilizing these systems signal to us what is normal in the firm. Notably, the researchers also find that peer recognition systems’ adoption patterns matter for help-seeking behavior above and beyond when leaders of the firm state that they want the culture of the firm to be one where help-seeking is normalized. Meaning, leader statements about desired culture do not work as well as implementing systems that make the culture more achievable. In sum, it’s not enough for leaders to say what they want the culture to be; they also need to put in place systems that reward the kind of behavior that they claim to want. Second, for behavior to change, people often need to be convinced that everyone else is doing it first. This is why publicly highlighting desired behavior is so important when it comes to organizational culture; most of us do what we see other people doing. If other people are helping, and other people are similarly recognizing that help, it tells us that helping is a normal and valued part of the job.

Your recognition program is hurting your culture. Not helping it. A leader once thought their annual awards ceremony was enough. But their team felt unseen and undervalued. Sound familiar? 87% of recognition programs focus on tenure. Not on behaviors that drive performance. Recognition isn't about: → Annual awards ceremonies → Generic "good job" emails → Quarterly gift cards → Public praise that makes introverts cringe It's about seeing what others miss. The best leaders I know understand: 1. Specificity and Timing Matter → Don't just say "great work"—say what made it exceptional + impact. → Small, immediate recognition beats big, delayed praise. 2. Recognition Preferences Vary → Ask your people how they want to be recognized → Some crave the spotlight, others prefer quiet conversations. 3. System Over Sentiment → Create a recognition rhythm. → Block time each week to notice what's working, not just what's broken. 4. Consistency is Key → Make recognition a regular part of your routine, not an occasional gesture. →Consistent recognition builds trust and reinforces positive behaviors. 5. Empower Peer Recognition → Encourage team members to recognize each other = culture → Peer recognition can be just as powerful as recognition from leadership. Research shows teams increase productivity by 14% with effective recognition Not by working harder But by noticing better. The leaders who build high-performing cultures? They don't have more time than you. They just leverage recognition as a multiplier. How do you recognize your team's efforts? 

BETTER than trophies and certificates: This recognition? It comes FROM your colleagues! ⭐Peer-to-peer (P2P) recognition programs are often an UNTAPPED well for boosting employee morale, engagement, and appreciation. ⭐ In a previous role, I noticed a LACK of appreciation within the company culture. This was confirmed by exit interview comments. So, I implemented a P2P recognition program using a software called Motivosity (not a sponsored post!). This platform allowed employees to give each other small cash rewards ($1-$5+) for any reason. The impact was REMARKABLE! We saw significant improvements in employee retention and satisfaction scores. One departing employee even highlighted the program as "the best thing to happen" to their division, crediting it with fostering a positive change in culture. Tips for getting started: ⤵ ✅ Choose the right platform ✅ Promote the program ✅ Lead by example ✅ Make it fun and easy ➡ Have you experienced the power of P2P recognition? #HR #HumanResources #EmployeeAppreciation #CompanyCulture #EmployeeEngagement #PeerRecognition