Read an interesting article published by Dr. Steven Kerr in the Academy of Management Executives. Thanks to my good friend, Dr. Stephanie Thomason, for sharing this research. The premise is simple – there is a big disconnect between what ‘we hope for’ and ‘what we reward’. Here are a few of the gems:
We hope for long term growth, but reward quarterly earnings.
We hope for teamwork, but reward individual effort.
We hope for quality, but reward speed of shipping, even with defects.
And my favorite…
We hope for candor, but reward agreeing with the boss, whether or not (s)he’s right.
Why can’t we align what we hope for, with what we reward?
Life would be so much easier for everyone.
And we won’t have to be the bobble heads of agreement.
About Hemant Rustogi