The answer might surprise you.
Watch the video to learn how something as inexpensive as offering Praise and Appreciation – the last elements of the V-RAMP Model – has real potential to affect remarkable engagement levels in teams.
Praise
Instinctively, you smiled!
Someone paid you a compliment – you gauged it was genuine – and you were immersed in a seemingly magical inner glow. And you couldn’t help but feel obliged to live up to the compliment and to return the good gesture.
Scientists call such moments ‘uplift’ moments. And that obligation to return the good gesture – is what scientists call ‘engagement’.
It’s no secret that when it comes to motivating people, offering praise and recognition for a job well done can be extremely powerful.
How praise works
Being praised triggers the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that affects the reward and pleasure centres of the brain, and which contributes to innovative thinking and creative problem-solving at work.
The impact of praise
In 2004 survey of four million plus individuals worldwide, the Gallup Organisation found that employees who receive regular praise are more productive, engaged and more likely to stay with their organisation than those who do not.
They also found that employees who are praised receive higher loyalty and satisfaction scores from customers.
Researchers at Towers Watson found that employees who experience uplifts – positive experiences that boost morale and motivation – are more likely to be motivated to work harder and go out of their way to support peers or the organisation, behaviours that indicative of high engagement levels.
Being praised can have the same impact on job satisfaction as being awarded a one percent pay rise, according to a 2008 report by strategy consultancy White Water Strategies. The Japanese National Institute for Psychological Sciences also discovered something similar: being paid a compliment activates the same part of our brain as receiving cash!
A few points to remember, though
How praise is delivered matters. Research shows that that only genuine achievement should be praised. ‘Unearned praise does more harm than none at all’. Insincere praise obscures development areas and diminishes the impact of genuine praise offered.
Also, the positive effects of praise, are short-lived. For praise to have an enduring impact on employee engagement, it needs to be regular. Gallup’s research indicates that employees who report being inadequately recognised at work are three times more likely to consider quitting.
In Summary
Being praised releases dopamine in the recipient’s brain. This provides ‘uplift’ experiences that increase employees’ motivation, engagement and commitment to their manager and the organisation. However, for praise to work, only genuine achievements should be praised. And it must be regular.
On that note, take a moment to realise how much you have learnt in such the short time since we began. You should be proud of yourselves. Very well done indeed!
