To appeal to the recognition need of others, identify a meritorious behavior, and then recognize that behavior with an oral, written, or material reward. An outstanding advantage of recognition, including praise, as a motivator is that it is no cost or low cost yet powerful. Recognition thus has an enormous return on investment in comparison to a cash bonus. Following are a few suggestions for the motivational use of recognition and praise:

To maximize its motivational impact, recognition should be linked to corporate values and should also help workers attain personal goals. Inform others in the group and organization about the meritorious behavior, such as via a mention in a staff meeting or a posting on the intranet. Also, praise related to specific tasks is usually more effective than general praise.

Do not use praise to set employees in competition against one another. Praise the employee who merits the praise, but do not suggest that other employees are less praiseworthy. Take into account the individual’s preference for the type of praise. A challenge in using recognition effectively is that not everyone responds well to the same form of recognition.