Incentive - September 2008 - (Page 77) T h e T h re e D i m e n s i o n s t h a t M a ke a n I n ce n ti ve M e a n i n g f u l to a n E m p l o y e e By Bob Nelson, Ph.D. PRIMER What makes an incentive meaningful? ow can we add meaning and thus value to an incentive, regardless of the cost that is spent? I’ve seen employees who were thrilled with a nod and a smile from the right person, while others were chagrined when the CEO handed them a check with the words, “Here’s your bonus. Do you think you deserve it?” What guidelines exist that can help enhance value in the selection, presentation and memory of any incentive? Richard Clark, a professor at the University of Southern California, has suggested three criteria that can help to determine the value of an incentive to an employee: Interest—Is it something the employee has interest in receiving? Importance—Does it represent an honor deemed important to the recipient? Utility—Does the incentive have usefulness to the recipient? Rabindra Kanungo, a professor at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, offers four elements to consider: Salience or “Top of Mind”—Does it stand out and become memorable? Valued by the Recipient—Is it something they feel has value? Performance Contingent—Is it an earned award, based on achievement? Performance Sensitive—Does it increase in value with the level of achievement? For my part, I’ve found three dimensions that can help make any incentive more B o b N e l s o n , P h . D. is president of Nelson Motivation Inc. (www.nelson-motivation.com), cofounder of Recognition Professionals International, a frequent speaker to management conferences and associations and a best-selling author of 1001 Ways to Reward Employees (now in its 52nd printing), 1001 Ways to Energize Employees, and The 1001 Rewards & Recognition Fieldbook, among others. You can register for Bob’s free Tip of the Week at www.1001rewards.com or e-mail him directly at bobrewards@aol.com H meaningful to a recipient: origin, choice and context. O r i g i n : Did you start with what is important to the person you are trying to motivate? There’s no use offering a travel incentive to someone who doesn’t want to travel or a nice watch to someone who already has four or five. By asking employees what things they would value, you increase the odds of being on target. L e s s o n: Don’t have the recognition committee select items from a catalog that employees can choose from. Ask your employees directly what things they’d most value. C h o i c e : Is there variety and choice, so that the person has a say in what he or she gets? Whenever you provide choice to the recipient of an incentive, you increase its value. Having a say in what she receives is empowering, and allows the individual to select something that best aligns with her interests, family situation or personality. This applies to activities as well as merchandise. Giving someone additional time off increasingly is a more cherished incentive than a simple cash substitute, such as a gift certificate. L e s s o n: Add choice points for employees whenever possible to make recognition and rewards more meaningful to those you are trying to motivate. C o n t ex t . Is the incentive presented in a way that adds to its value, making it truly an honor? It’s the sizzle more than the steak that sets the tone and enhances the memorability of any award. Who presents the incentive? Is it someone the recipient holds in high esteem (it often can be a colincentivemag.com Illustration: Katharine Sandalls | September 2008 | Incentive | 77 http://www.nelson-motivation.com http://www.1001rewards.com http://incentivemag.com
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