Kudo Wall: The Power of Recognition
When we start to recognize and value the work that our collaborators do every day, causes positive changes. Recognition motivates and reinforces the relationship not only among team members but across an organization.
Nowadays, organizations are realizing the lack of recognition towards their employees is deteriorating their commitment to the organization, even so, actions are still lacking to address this problem.
In the article Work Commitment and Employee “Happiness” written by Thony Da Silva Romero from Forbes, it indicates that establishing a clear strategy to promote commitment between the employee and the company implies considering that, for different generations, there are different motivators that connect them with the goals of the organization. According to a study carried out in 2018 by GOIntegro, almost 70% of the companies surveyed in Latin America expressed awareness of the importance of the issue, but only 36% said they were implementing a concrete plan to address it. [1]
Teamwork can result in more creative and diverse solutions. So that communication and collaboration to exist, team members need to feel motivated and for and their efforts recognized as well as visible.
It is important to me that other areas recognize the effort of each team member. Usually, people recognize by mentioning “Thanks to the leader and his team…”, which is fine. However, I consider that each member of the team should be given visibility to their work. Recognition is an important part of the motivation that encourages each member to feel engaged with the rest of the team and therefore with the organization. It is one of the main reasons that led me to apply this practice with the team.
The practice is called Kudo Wall and Kudo Cards. You can learn more about this practice you can go to the official Management 3.0 page, where you will find more information.
The objective of this practice is the public recognition of people, not only for the result but also for the behavior, attitudes, good practices, etc., that they contribute to the team.
The practice consists of using a wall, which is visible to everyone, or using a collaborative tool, in which space is allocated to each team member by placing their name and photo or avatar on it, each team member can leave a note of gratitude or recognition of the effort, done work and support to the team.
The Kudo Cards consist of cards designed to add text of appreciation or recognition. These cards can be delivered individually, pasted on a blackboard, or placed in a box, a Kudo Box, which is opened from time to time to distribute the cards to their recipients. I performed this practice by adding a variant to the Kudo Cards delivery.
With the help of a collaborative tool, I created the Kudo Wall, where I assigned a space to each team member. I explained what the practice consisted of and invited them to participate. Every time I saw suitable situations to give thanks, I encouraged people to do so on the Kudo Wall.
During August, the team participated actively. At the end of the month, I sent a Kudo Card encompassing the qualities described in the thank you notes on the wall with the purpose to recognize the effort of each team member.
As a facilitator of this practice, I learned about the benefits of being thankful and recognizing the value that our co-workers bring. Say phrases like “Well done! You did a fantastic job! Thank you for your support” are simple actions that strengthen our working relationship, generate positive emotions for both the person who receives the gratitude and the person who expresses it. When we are thankful, we develop a tendency to see the positive side of things, and we manage to maintain a positive attitude. In short, we are happier and help spread that happiness.
Next practice, I would give a talk about the benefits when the habit of giving thanks is formed, in addition to telling success stories, because I believe for this practice to transcend, all team members participate.
Kudo Wall was shared so that team members continue to participate in the next months. I keep sending them reminders and always looking for the perfect opportunity for them to leave more gratitude notes on the wall.
When sending Kudo Cards, the reaction of the team members, for the most part, was immediate, it was a surprise for them and for me also to see their reactions. Managers and collaborators from other areas realized the Kudo Wall and applauded the initiative. This is allowing more active collaboration between members who did not use to talk and interact with the rest of the team.
Although we are not responsible for the emotional state of each of the people, however, we can carry out actions that are in our hands, such as promoting initiatives that generate positive emotions.
Therefore, dear reader, I invite you to get to work, this is a very simple practice that you can apply both professionally and personally, but you will be surprised by the results you can obtain. As I always recommend, follow up and if necessary make changes promptly to keep your team motivated.
References:
[1] Da Silva Romero, Thony. (2018, Feb 22). Forbes. Compromiso laboral y “felicidad” del colaborador. Recovered from https://www.forbes.com.mx/compromiso-laboral-y-felicidad-del-colaborador/
