It is interesting to observe how different ed leaders reacted to the release of accountability labels. This past month, it seems as though many leaders have been very intentional about their messaging; that is, how they position themselves regarding these labels, as they well should. The stance a leader takes in regard to the Accountability System labels has long-lasting and far-reaching impact on an organization just like any other Recognition Systems within an organization. Leaders who understand this phenomenon are intentional about using the opportunity to enhance the culture. Leaders who do not understand this phenomenon risk creating confusion, conflict or even hypocrisy in the culture of their organizations.
We are using the term “Recognition Systems” to refer to the formal and/or informal system you have in your organization that highlights, rewards, badges, calls attention to, or elevates people for particular behaviors, actions, or work. Recognition Systems send a message to everyone in the organization – either a desired message by design or an unintentional message by default – about what the organization values and how to receive tangible or intangible benefit from the system. Many times, the unintentional message motivates behaviors that we are actively trying to change or decrease in our organizations, because talking or training are not nearly as influential to the culture of an organization as Recognition Systems. That is one of the things that I learned in pursuit of my undergraduate degree in psychology: Recognition Systems shape behavior profoundly.
Our brains are very efficient, and we are historically motivated by the reinforcements that are built into the systems for which we work. Therefore, the behaviors that you would like to eliminate within your organization can be extinguished by removing the recognition and/or reinforcement system aligned to them. The opposite is also true. Behaviors that you desire to see within your organization to make your workplace a thriving culture in which everyone is engaged and growing can also be encouraged and diffused through recognizing and, intentionally, rewarding that specific behavior.
Measure and recognize what you value because your organization will surely value what you measure and recognize.
It is important to note that every system is designed to get exactly the results that it gets. Recognition Systems are one of the most influential mechanisms for implementation to shape behavior and, thereby, culture. That can be a dangerous thing, or you can look at it as a golden opportunity. For instance, let’s say that you value collaboration for your organization’s culture. Then, why not set up a system that will recognize when employees are being collaborative and reward that desired behavior? When it comes to measuring and then rewarding/recognizing what we value, people often feel anxious about measuring what matters most because they often say or think that the things they value most are hard to measure.
We have to be careful about what we measure because what we measure will inevitably become what we value. When we have to measure something we do not value, we can mitigate the effect of that measure on the organizational culture by being intentional about minimizing the impact of that particular measure. For example, let’s just say that you do not value the results of the standardized testing system as a benchmark of the effectiveness of your schools and your teachers. Or, perhaps you do not value the testing and accountability system as the only measure of the effectiveness of your schools and your teachers. As a leader, the appropriate response would be to minimize the value of that measure by downplaying it or highlighting additional or other measures of effectiveness.
Recommendations for Measuring What You Value
Scrub Your Recognition Systems
I would now like to challenge you to assess your current Recognition Systems. Below is a list of examples that you may want to review to determine if they are aligned with the desired behaviors and culture of your particular organization.
What about the banners hanging on the walls of your schools? What gets reported to your district’s Board of Trustees? Who gets asked to serve as committee members for decision-making in your district or on your campus? And what about money? Is salary linked to the “best” titles? How are these things decided and by whom? All of these examples represent formal and informal Recognition Systems within the public school district, each with a profound influence upon the behaviors of your organizational culture.
Reward and Recognition the e2L Way: This is how we do it!
e2L has worked on these systems for about a year now; we finally have an elegant solution that we really love for measuring and recognizing our intangible cultural tenets we value so much as an organization. By aligning our reward and recognition protocol to our Cultural Tenets, it seems to be working in three distinct ways:
I know that you have significant, yet intangible behaviors within your organization or district that you would like to recognize. I am confident that you will find a way to do that while also extinguishing those behaviors that you longer desire for your culture. If you would like more ideas or simply need a thought partner in this process, feel free to reach out to me via email. Let’s all be the kind of leaders in education that eliminate systems where people can take advantage of political structures and Recognition Systems to advance their own agendas to the detriment of the organization and its learners. Instead, let’s be intentional about creating cultures where people are engaged, growing, and thriving!