As I traveled around the country recently talking with clients about collaboration and knowledge management (yes, KM has become a hot topic again), two issues came up over and over. The first is what behaviors really signify collaborative work (more about this later). The second is how to appropriately reward employees for their collaborative activities.
Here is the issue: upon examination, most rewards and recognition programs acknowledge individual efforts. Many organizations are stuck in “industrial era” compensation models for rewarding employee behavior. We still pay people for “what they know” and not for how they share. From time to time, a team may receive a ‘special’ reward. But in most cases, when push comes to shove and employees are rated according to their goal sheets (or MBOs or what ever your company calls them), it is the work they complete as individuals that counts the most.
I was pondering this condunrum with my colleague Ty Harmon, the Senior Council Director for Gartner’s Emerging Technology Best Practices Council, and we thought it would interesting to hear your thoughts on the matter. So how is your organization recognizing collaborative behavior? Is what you are doing having an impact on people’s behavior?
