Appreciation at Work: It Takes a System
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The author who co-wrote the book on appreciation at work weighs in on the growing focus on the subject among human resources and recognition professionals.By Dr. Paul White
Appreciation Is Not Recognition
The Importance of Systems
When I co-wrote the first edition of The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace with Gary Chapman in 2011, I never imagined that it would sell more than 600,000 copies or be translated into 25 languages. Nor did I expect to see so many thought leaders and recognition companies talking about appreciation in their books and service offerings.
Indeed, the interest in appreciation is warranted. Appreciation is a powerful intrinsic motivator without which few people can sustainably perform at top levels. Unfortunately, as a result, the concept risks getting caught up in the long list of platitudes about employee motivation that have in fact stood in the way of seriously addressing the low levels of engagement not only in the US, but around the world, according to Gallup surveys.
The concept of appreciation faces two practical challenges: continued confusion about the definition and how to practically instill appreciation into an organization’s culture. Appreciation often gets confused with recognition in a way that lessens its impact. And, while organizations often acknowledge the importance of recognition, they seem to have little idea how to make it part of their cultures. While not complicated and easy to implement at the grass roots level of almost any size organization, to have a tangible impact across an organization as a whole, a systematic approach is required.
Appreciation Is Not Recognition 
The fundamental difference is simple and profound: Appreciation intrinsically inspires by expressing gratitude for who people are, not merely being based on performance. Recognition adds an element of extrinsic motivation because it generally focuses attention on a milestone or accomplishment and is accompanied with something tangible—a gift, plaque, token, or gift, etc.
Because it’s based on intrinsic motivation, appreciation must be individualized because not everyone feels appreciated in the same ways. Our research with Gary Chapman has broken appreciation into five basic categories:
- Words of affirmation. These can be verbal or written.
- Quality time. This means giving a colleague your undivided attention.
- Acts of service—helping someone out with a task or obligation.
- Gifts selected carefully based on who they are.
- Physical touch—a high five, handshake, pat on the back, etc.
The Importance of Systems
When it comes to motivating people, one of the most frequent errors made is to take a simplistic, disconnected approach, such as spinning up short-term recognition or training programs to address a short-term issue – rather than using a holistic approach not tied to the organization’s goals, values, and overall culture. The same is true of appreciation. It is not so much a program, but rather a fundamental component of culture—how we treat one another in our organizations.
To tap the intrinsic motivational impact of appreciation, individuals at all levels of the organization must be involved – managers, supervisors, and front-line employees. That means understanding one’s own preferred expression of appreciation and those of colleagues as well as the most meaningful ways to express it. Most importantly, it requires ongoing reminders about the importance of expressing appreciation for the benefit of both personal satisfaction and business results. In fact, research indicates that an organization will achieve the best results if it encourages people to express appreciation, rather than focus on the receivers. (See RNN: IRF Academic Research: Thoughtful Design Required for Effective Recognition Results).
Under proper conditions, once people have learned the basic principles and conducted the assessments to learn their preferred methods of appreciation, the process of appreciation gets reinforced through the platforms already being used in organizations to reinforce purpose, goals, objectives, and values—all-hands-on-deck or planning meetings, wall posters, newsletters, etc.
Organizations using rewards and recognition technology platforms, especially those with communications, social walls, and learning components, can easily weave the five languages of appreciation into the platform. The key is to make sure that appreciation focuses on the people themselves so that it doesn’t get confused with recognition or incentive programs specifically designed to achieve performance goals.
Enterprise Engagement Alliance Services
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EEA YouTube channel on enterprise engagement, human capital, and total rewards since 2020.
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Contact: Bruce Bolger at TheICEE.org; 914-591-7600, ext. 230.
