Talking on the phone (I know –gasp – in real lifeImage conversation!) last Friday with Theresa Chambers (her site here) about recognition it occurred to me that many companies are like the Captain of the Titanic.

Today’s companies are going ga-ga over recognition.  From social recognition to Peer-2-Peer to gamification – recognition is big, big, big.  Every day 100s of posts and tweets tell our management teams that recognition is the Yellow Brick Road to engagement salvation.  Every company that sells awards tells you to set up a company program and get moving or get left behind.

But… as Theresa and I chatted, I kept thinking that too often we’re only focusing on the recognition we see.  The recognition that get’s imputed into a system and is surfaced in reports for the mucky-mucks to review over fine cigars and brandies as they polish their monocles.

Those reports are only the tip of the recognition iceberg.

They are only seeing 10% of the situation.  And just ask Captian Edward Smith(Titanic) about the pitfalls of seeing only 10% of the situation.

Recognition Icebergs

Only a small portion of an iceberg is visible above the water’s surface.  I googled that fact just to be sure since so much of conventional wisdom is bunk (ie:  Wayne Gretzky never said “skate to where the puck is.”)

But in this case it is true…

Because the density of pure ice is about 920 kg/m³, and that of sea water about 1025 kg/m³, typically only one-ninth of the volume of an iceberg is above water. The shape of the underwater portion can be difficult to judge by looking at the portion above the surface. This has led to the expression “tip of the iceberg”, for a problem or difficulty that is only a small manifestation of a larger problem.

And recognition is the same.  Only 10% of the recognition going on in your organization is above the surface.  Much of the day-to-day recognition (both positive and negative) never makes it into the “system” to be visible by management.

Deeper Dive

If you want to see the real size of your recognition iceberg you need to dive below the surface.  You need to talk to those that are receiving (or not receiving) recognition.  This is the recognition that isn’t formalized.  You need to talk to your rank and file and see if management is truly living the “values” that the formal program espouses.

Surveys can help.  But conversations are more productive and provide more nuance.

Many companies have great recognition reports from their formal system but may find that on a minute-by-minute basis the employees are getting far more negative recognition than management may know.  Sure they’re seeing the Peer-2-Peer “kudos.”  Sure they see all the wonderful comments on the employee’s recognition “wall.” 

I know they see the invoices for the recognition awards.

But what they aren’t seeing is the stuff below the surface.

That is where your real company culture resides.  That is where your real recognition effort is taking place.

Don’t assume the reports you get from your formal reward program are telling you 100% of the recognition story.

Don’t assume your managers know how to do recognition outside the system.  Train managers how to do recognition – make sure you focus on the 90% of recognition that never makes it into the reports management sees.

If you’re a manager –that’s your job too.

Image: Yusia /Shutterstock