St. John Fisher College Fisher Digital Publications

Education Masters Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education

2010

Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations in the Workplace.

Niki Scarpetta St. John Fisher College

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Abstract Celebration events commonly happen in the workplace as means to reinforce and recognize excellent work performance. Although this seems to boost employee morale, ultimately workers desire ongoing reinforcement and recognition. One may question the effectiveness of celebrations in the workplace. This research examines the effectiveness and quality of reinforcement, recognition, and celebrations in the Educational Technology Services Department at Monroe Community College. A focus group was conducted to gain insight, and provide foundation for a quantitative survey that was later administered to the ETS Department. A literature review supports the results of the qualitative and quantitative data, recommendations are made and supported through the literature review.

Document Type Thesis

Degree Name MS in Human Resource Development

Department Education

Subject Categories Education

This thesis is available at Fisher Digital Publications: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_ETD_masters/189 Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 1

RUNNING HEAD: REINFORCEMENT, RECOGNITION AND CELEBRATIONS

Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations in the Workplace

Organizational Learning and Human Resource Development

GHRD 590 - Masters Thesis

Niki Scarpetta

St. John Fisher College

2010 Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 2

Candidate Name: Niki Scarpetta

Paper Title: Reinforcement, Recognition and Celebrations in the Workplace

Paper Type: Original Research

The signatures on this page signify successful completion of the GHRD 590 capstone project requirement.

______

Robert T. Whipple, Advisor

______

Ed Ciaschi, Reader #1

______

Reverend Dr. Arnold Deknatel, Reader #2

______

Niki Scarpetta Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 3

Acknowledgements

Thank you to all who have helped me through my journey in this Masters Program.

Much love and gratitude to my fiance, Matt. Thank you for making me laugh when I was stressed out and dealing with my intense schoolwork schedule.

To my family, for all the times I have missed Sunday dinner--thank you for your patience, encouragement, and love. I appreciate all the times you have listened to my stories and helped me memorize and rehearse my presentations.

Many thanks to my parents. Your never ending love and support has encouraged me to stay focused and accomplish my goals.

Thank you to my advisor, Bob Whipple. You have relentlessly given me sound advice and unyielding support and trust throughout this whole Capstone experience.

Special thanks to Bill Wagoner. Your extraordinary assistance provided me with the tools to make my 590 project successful.

Thank you to Cohort 12, I have grown so much because of you. I am blessed to have been apart of such an awe inspiring group. You have given me the courage to take hold of the handlebars and ride into the unknown. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 4

Dedication

This is dedicated to Nicholas, Andrew, Ella, and Emily; thank you for always making me smile and giving me hope. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 5

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements...... 3

Dedication...... 4

Abstract...... 6

Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations in the Workplace...... 7

Qualitative Questions for Focus Group...... 11

Quantitative Survey Results...... 15

Cross Tabulation of Quantitative Data...... 21

Discussion of Hypotheses...... 33

Literature Review...... 35

Recommendations...... 44

References...... 48

Appendix A...... 52

Appendix B...... 56 Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 6

Abstract

Celebration events commonly happen in the workplace as means to reinforce and recognize excellent work performance. Although this seems to boost employee morale, ultimately workers desire ongoing reinforcement and recognition. One may question the effectiveness of celebrations in the workplace. This research examines the effectiveness and quality of reinforcement, recognition, and celebrations in the Educational Technology

Services Department at Monroe Community College. A focus group was conducted to gain insight, and provide foundation for a quantitative survey that was later administered to the ETS Department. A literature review supports the results of the qualitative and quantitative data, recommendations are made and supported through the literature review. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 7

Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations in the Workplace

The purpose of the study is to examine how celebrations in the workplace, reinforcement, and recognition affect motivation and personal relationships that may or may not take place in an organization. Celebrations range in a variety of social gatherings such as; birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, picnics, and company outings. Workplace gatherings that celebrate company milestones and goal oriented accomplishments will also be included in this study.

Generally, there is a preconceived notion that celebrations in the workplace create a positive atmosphere for employees. However, celebrations may have a negative impact on employee morale, and ultimately damage group cohesion. This study defined options for HRD practitioners that can allow for improvement of positive personal relationships in the workplace.

I administered a focus group and a quantitative survey at Monroe Community College to gain insight on this subject. The focus group consisted of eight employees from upper management. I then used the responses from the focus group to form a quantitative survey. Using St. John Fisher’s Qualtrics web-based survey system, I sent a link of the quantitative survey to one hundred employees in the Educational Technology Services

(ETS) department of Monroe Community College. Employee motivation and personal reactions to social events are fundamental topics that were included in the survey. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 8

Hypotheses

One hypothesis is that employees are less motivated to complete their work just before attending celebrations at work. A second hypothesis is that celebrations in the workplace decrease productivity by distracting employees and interrupting their workflow. Lastly, a third hypothesis is that when employees cannot reach an agreement on the type of activities that take place during celebrations at work, management should be concerned and become involved.

I had anticipated that the conclusions from this study would provide a strong correlation between the impact of celebrations in the workplace and employee motivation. To my surprise, the survey results went against the logic in the research. I found that the celebrations had very little impact (positive or negative ) on productivity both before and after the event. A covariant analysis was used as a means to support or refute the hypotheses. First, I will review the measures that were taken in order to build the foundation of the study.

Methods

On January 28, 2010, a focus group was conducted at Monroe Community College. The focus group consisted of eight members from upper management of Educational

Technology Services (ETS) including the Associate Vice President of Instructional

Technologies. There were a total of 23 qualitative questions in the focus group study. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 9

However, due to the nature of the conversations that took place, only 17 of the questions were used. It is not unusual for the questions in a focus group to be modified on the spot based on the direction of conversation at the event. Mechanically adhering to questions generated a priori can lead to frustration within the focus group and lower the validity of the technique. Questions 1-5, 7-9, 13-15, and 17-22 (see listing below) were discussed within the focus group. The focus group gave insight as to how well reinforcement, recognition, and celebrations at MCC were working. It also provided direction to allow construction of a quantitative instrument for use with the general population.

Fourth Hypothesis

Due to the Reinforcement program in the Instructional Technology Department, I added a fourth hypothesis to this study. A fourth hypothesis is that employees who work in the

Instructional Technology Department will provide more positive responses in the quantitative survey compared to the rest of the ETS departments.

Bias

There are several biases that affected the results of the focus group. For example, the

Associate Vice President of Instructional Technologies participated in the focus group, which may have influenced the group to give more positive or guarded responses. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 10

A second example of bias is that the quantitative survey was distributed by one of the

Vice Presidents from MCC. Although the introduction letter claimed anonymity, there may have been an effort to answer questions with an uplifting, positive response.

Lastly, there was interview bias during the focus group. This was the first time I conducted a focus group. I did not know the best questions to ask in order to draw the information needed for my quantitative survey. Some of the qualitative questions were very similar to one another so there was redundancy built in to the focus group discussion to test for reliability. This may have been tedious for some attendees. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 11

Qualitative Questions for the Focus Group

1. What type of reinforcement and recognition program does Monroe Community College currently have for their employees?

2. How do employees obtain reinforcement and/or recognition?

3. Are all the goals to obtain reinforcement and recognition realistic for employees to achieve?

4. What types of things are working well?

5. Are there any areas that need improvement?

6. Are there any changes you would like to see implemented?

7. Do employees improve their work performance when reinforcement and recognition is offered to employees? Why or why not?

8. Do reinforcement and recognition better motivate employees? Why or why not?

9. Which type of reinforcement do you think is most effective for employees? Why or why not? Monetary? Gifts? Appraisal?

10. Do you receive many opportunities for reinforcement and recognition?

11. What types of non-tangible recognition do you use at Monroe Community College?

12. Is your system of celebrations for things like birthdays, anniversaries, holidays etc. working well for you or do people sort of resent the distraction?

13. Have you been successful at achieving a culture of reinforcement whereby all employees praise each other - not just supervision praising employees?

14. How do you measure the effectiveness of your recognition program? Do you have specific tangible measures? How do you know if these measures are valid? Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 12

15. Do people sometimes complain about the system being “unfair” - like some “favorite” people get more of the recognition than they should?

16. Are there parts of your recognition program that encourage people to do things that are not in the best interest of the Team objectives?

17. How are celebrations at work coordinated throughout the workplace? Is there a designated committee? How many people are involved?

18. What types of Social Events are celebrated?

19. How are celebrations in the workplace supported? Need approval from management? Evenly supported between all co-workers?

20. How are celebrations in the workplace funded?

21. Do celebrations in the workplace have a positive or negative effect with motivation?

22. Are workers more or less likely to increase productivity before participating in celebrations in the workplace?

23. Does a worker feel more or less energized to complete a full work day after attending celebrations in the workplace? Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 13

Conclusions of Focus Group

Based on the responses from the focus group, MCC seems to orchestrate celebrations in the workplace successfully. Also, there seems to be a good sense of reinforcement and recognition throughout the ETS departments. One particular ETS department,

Instructional Technology, appears to have an excellent recognition program. The quantitative survey was constructed based on the results from the focus group.

The positive feedback from the focus group altered my initial thought process for the quantitative questions. I had originally anticipated there would be some issues within the focus group about a lack of reinforcement and recognition in their departments.

However, the recorded qualitative data reflected positive and upbeat responses regarding the reinforcement, recognition, and celebrations in their departments. Based on these responses, I was able to generate quantitative questions that were grouped into five categories: recognition, measurement, culture, reinforcement, and celebrations. The first five questions of the quantitative survey began with demographic questions which helped detect any patterns within the given responses. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 14

Quantitative Survey

After the focus group was conducted, a quantitative survey was created as a means to gain better insight to the reinforcement, recognition, and celebrations at MCC. A link to the quantitative survey was initially sent to one of the Vice Presidents of MCC who forwarded the survey link to the entire department of ETS. This assisted in buy-in to complete the quantitative survey from the employees, but it may have introduced a subtle form of bias due to expected outcomes. This is similar to the famous “Hawthorne Effect” that was described by Henry A. Landsberger in 1955. He was studying the conclusions of earlier behavioral experiments at the Hawthorne Works of Western Electric. The

Hawthorne Effect posits that when people know they are part of an experiment, it impacts how they perform. In other words, the process of measuring performance has an indirect but measurable impact on the performance itself. There were a total of twenty-one questions in the survey: nineteen quantitative questions, one qualitative question, and one quantitative question that gave an option to choose a qualitative response. There were five demographic questions in the quantitative survey. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 15

Results

Analyzing the results of the survey provided a better understanding of the data.

Question #1 asked about the gender demographic of participants. Sixty percent of them were female and forty percent were male. It may be that differences in gender play a part in how recognition is perceived. The data in this study did not show a statistically significant effect of this, but it might make an interesting experiment for future follow-up on work.

Question #2 asked about participant age. This indicates the majority of employees that work in the ETS Department are between the ages of 36 and 55. Being able to split out age groups did lead to some interesting observations that will be reviewed later. Clearly, not all age groupings view recognition through the same lens.

Question #3 indicates the majority of employees have worked either 10 years or more at

Monroe Community College. It was a demographic question. As might be expected, length of service was highly correlated with the age demographic.

Question #4 identified the specific department for each respondent. This was important because some areas of the Division were found to be more adept at using reinforcement and recognition. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 16

Question #5 was a demographic question asking if the employee was full time or part time. The majority (88%) of respondents were full time employees.

Question #6 reveals the majority of respondents agree that it is helpful to receive recognition from peers after completing a major project. This indicates employees in the

ETS departments tend to self promote positive reinforcement and are less dependent on peer feedback. This question had an average of 2.46 with a standard deviation of 0.95.

A four point likert-type scale was used to measure responses.

Question #7 was designed to allow respondents to check all that apply to which tasks rarely get recognition in the workplace. The results indicated that “routine tasks” received the least recognition. “Special projects” received the highest recognition when completed.

Question #8 measured how well the work atmosphere encouraged workers to complete their work successfully. Results on this question indicate that nearly 75% of respondents agreed that their work atmosphere encouraged them to complete their work successfully.

Question #9 This question indicates the majority of respondents agreed that they mostly receive recognition for successfully accomplishing work tasks. Employees do not appear to be recognized for daily work tasks. Also, nearly 30% of respondents checked “other,” Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 17 which called for a free form response. The most frequent write in response was that there was little or no recognition.

Question #10 had an average of 2.73 with a standard deviation of 0.62. A three point likert-type scale was used to measure the responses. This indicates the vast majority of employees believe they do not feel any different towards completing their tasks before attending a celebration event at work. This is a startling conclusion that refutes one of my hypotheses.

Question #11 implies celebrations in the workplace have a positive affect on employees.

Roughly 75% of respondents agree or somewhat agree that they look forward to attending department celebrations.

Question #12 indicates employees believe they do not feel any different towards completing their tasks after attending a celebration event at work. This question had an average of 2.40 with a standard deviation of 0.84. Just as in Question #10, this result is in opposition to one of my hypotheses. Taken together, Questions 10 and 12 mean that employees do not feel any different (either positive or negative) toward their work either before or after a celebration. This is a very significant finding of this study as will be discussed later. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 18

Question #13 indicates the majority of respondents disagree that celebrations at work are distracting from the ability to complete daily work tasks. Employees feel motivated when anticipating attending a celebration event at work and are not sidetracked by them.

Question #14 was a qualitative free-form question asking what type of celebration employees appreciate the most. It had a total of 42 responses. The responses in this question varied. Employees prefer to attend celebrations at work that are purposeful and consist of a small group without supervisors. Also, respondents enjoy celebration events that are intended to reward and recognize the completion of hard work. Food was mentioned often as a major drawing force for celebrations.

Question #15 indicates the majority of respondents receive positive reinforcement and recognition within the weeks of when they accomplished the task or not at all.

Recognition is not intertwined in routine work performance.

Question #16 focused on whether celebrations at work motivated employees to produce quality work. Roughly 2/3 of respondents agreed that celebrations do encourage quality work.

Question #17 had an average of 2.16 with a standard deviation of 0.93. A four point likert-type scale was used to measure the responses. This indicates that reinforcements Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 19 from supervision is either critical or helpful to employees after completing a major project.

Question #18 measured the skill of supervisors at giving reinforcement. The results were that 55 % did not do it well. This indicates the majority of respondents feel the skills of their direct supervisor are spotty and often forgetful at giving recognition or just plain clueless about reinforcement.

Question #19 indicates that on rare occasions, well intended recognition rarely backfires and makes people feel worse. There may have been issues between employees that led to a false pretense of recognition.

Question #20 indicates that roughly 2/3 of the respondents felt that peer-to-peer recognition was encouraged within their groups. This is a very powerful form of personal recognition, and it was good to see most areas encourage this.

Question #21 asked about recognition as a formal part of group meetings. For this question, respondents were split 50-50 as to whether reinforcement is encouraged in these public forums. Where it is not happening, this represents an easy way to enhance the recognition efforts in the Division. Carving out a few minutes in every meeting to have some group and individual reinforcement is not too much to ask, especially as it has been shown to boost the morale of any group. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 20

Overview of Quantitative Survey Data

In summary, many of the questions on this survey gave results that would be expected of a typical cross section working group. Questions 10 and 12 both imparted the most significant surprise in this study. Thus far, I have reported only the direct data from the survey as tabulated. While linear observations are interesting, a covariant analysis examining several multiple correlations will provide more insight into some helpful areas of inquiry. The following cross tabulation tables make an easy visual analysis of some of these effects. Unfortunately, with this small sample size, a more rigorous statistical analysis of covariance would not be valid. Further research in these areas may want to expand the number of data points for certain interesting questions. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 21

Cross Tabulations of Quantitative Data

Reinforcement, Recognition and Celebrations in the Workplace Cross Tabulation(3)

2. What is your age group? 18- 26- 36- 46- 56- 66- Total 25 35 45 55 65 75+ Highly encouraged 1 3 5 4 1 0 14 and reinforced Suggested, but 20. How much is not often - 1 1 3 9 3 0 18 peer-to-peer spotty recognition Peer-to-peer encouraged in your recognition is 0 2 5 3 4 0 14 group? seldom discussed Co-worker recognition is 0 2 1 2 4 0 9 ignored Total 2 8 15 20 12 0 66

The results of the cross tabulation indicates the respondents in the age range of 18-25 engage in peer-to-peer recognition more often than the majority of respondents in the age range of 56-65. This indicates that the respondents in the 56-65 age group seem to work more independently and do not rely on peer-to-peer recognition as much as the younger group. The 56-65 age group appears to be more self confident in their work. The respondents in the younger group in the age range of 18-25 use reinforcement as a means to gain confidence and to stay on track. Reinforcement provides reassurance of a job well done. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 22

Reinforcement, Recognition and Celebrations in the Workplace Cross Tabulation(4)

4. Which department do you work for? Communications Instructional VP Computing and Network Library Total Technology Office Services (CNS) Highly encouraged 0 2 5 6 0 14 and reinforced 20. How Suggested, but not much is 2 5 4 4 2 18 peer-to- often - peer spotty recognition Peer-to- encouraged peer in your recognition 2 4 4 3 1 14 group? is seldom discussed Co-worker recognition 2 4 1 2 0 9 is ignored Total 6 16 15 15 3 66

The results of the cross tabulation indicates the respondents who work in the computing department receive the least amount of peer-to-peer recognition in their group. This seems logical as individuals in this area work more autonomously than people in the other areas. Instructional Technology did have a high percentage having peer-to-peer recognition highly encouraged and enforced. This was expected based on the results of the focus group interviews. However, the department with the highest numbers was the

Library. Based on my hypothesis, this was an unexpected finding. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 23

Reinforcement, Recognition and Celebrations in the Workplace Cross Tabulation(5)

3. How long have you worked at Monroe Community College? Less than 1-3 3-5 5-7 7-10 10+ Total a years years years years years year Highly encouraged 3 2 0 1 3 5 14 and reinforced 20. How Suggested, but not much is 0 1 0 3 3 10 18 peer-to- often - peer spotty recognition Peer-to- encouraged peer in your recognition 0 1 1 1 4 7 14 group? is seldom discussed Co-worker recognition 1 1 1 0 2 4 9 is ignored Total 4 5 2 5 13 28 66

The respondents who have worked at MCC for 3 years or less seem to notice recognition and engage in peer-to-peer recognition more than the respondents who have worked at

MCC about 5 years or more. The respondents who have worked longer than 5 years could be more confident in their work and rely more on themselves for reinforcement and encouragement. Thus, the length of service tracked closely with the findings relative to age, which makes logical sense. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 24

Reinforcement, Recognition and Celebrations in the Workplace Cross Tabulation(6)

2. What is your age group? 18- 26- 36- 46- 56- 66- Total 25 35 45 55 65 75+ It is critical 1 1 3 3 0 0 8 It is helpful 1 5 5 8 5 0 24 6. For you, how important is it to I am OK one receive recognition way or the 0 1 5 6 1 0 14 from peers after other completing a major My project? reinforcement 0 1 2 2 6 0 11 is mostly from myself Total 2 8 15 20 12 0 66

The results of the cross tabulation indicates the majority of respondents in the age range of 56-65 believe most reinforcement should come from within oneself after completing a major project. In contrast, the majority of respondents in the age range of 26-35 believe it is most helpful to receive recognition from peers after completing a major project. This supports the interpretation of the results from question 21. The group in the age range of

26-35 feels a need to be encouraged and reinforced for the work they complete. The group in the age range of 56-65 feels confident and independent of the opinion of their peers. Reinforcement and recognition is ignited from within. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 25

Reinforcement, Recognition and Celebrations in the Workplace Cross Tabulation(7)

4. Which department do you work for? Communications Instructional VP Computing and Network Library Total Technology Office Services (CNS) 6. For you, It is critical 1 2 2 3 0 8 how It is helpful 4 6 4 8 2 24 important is it to I am OK one receive way or the 1 1 7 3 0 14 recognition other from peers after My reinforcement completing 0 7 2 1 1 11 a major is mostly from project? myself Total 6 16 15 15 3 66

The results of the cross tabulation indicates that people in each department have a different opinion on the importance of receiving recognition from peers after completing a major project. The largest number of respondents that work in the Communications and

Network Services (CNS) believe reinforcement should project mostly from oneself. The respondents that work in the Instructional Technology Department seem more ambivalent about the importance of receiving recognition from peers after completing a major project. Workers in the Library Department and the VP Office believe it is helpful to receive recognition from peers after completing a major project.

The sample size in the VP Office and Computing Department is inadequate. There were a total of 3 VP Office respondents. Therefore the validity of this part of the cross tabulation is weak. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 26

Both the IT Department and the Library show the highest in numbers that peer to peer recognition is important. One may make the assumption that the CNS Department employees rely more on themselves for positive reinforcement due to the nature of the job. The customer relationship may be frazzled and disconnected when an employee from the Computer Network Services Department arrives to aid in resolving an issue. In contrast, employees from the Library Department may experience more of an inviting and appreciative and less frantic customer. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 27

Reinforcement, Recognition and Celebrations in the Workplace Cross Tabulation(9)

4. Which department do you work for? Communications Instructional VP Computing and Network Library Total Technology Office Services (CNS) 11. When Agree 1 3 9 2 1 16 department Somewhat 4 4 6 8 2 25 celebrations Agree for birthdays, Somewhat anniversaries, 1 3 0 1 0 5 or other Disagree events are scheduled, I Disagree 0 6 0 4 0 10 look... Total 6 16 15 15 3 66

This tabulation indicates the majority of departments look forward to celebrating events in the workplace. An interesting finding is that the majority of the CNS Department does not look forward to celebrations at work. This may indicate that there is conflict between workers in the CNS Department or they may work more autonomously with less collaboration. Further study into this area would be helpful. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 28

Reinforcement, Recognition and Celebrations in the Workplace Cross Tabulation(12)

4. Which department do you work for? Communications Instructional VP Computing and Network Library Total Technology Office Services (CNS) 10. Before More 1 0 2 1 2 6 attending energized a Less 0 3 1 1 0 5 celebration energized event at work (ex. birthday, No picnic, 5 13 12 13 1 46 etc.), I am difference _____ to complet... Total 6 16 15 15 3 66

This tabulation shows the majority of respondents feel indifferent before attending a celebration event. It was interesting to see the results produce an overwhelming number of people that are indifferent to celebrations in the workplace. The data may imply the celebrated events lack excitement for employees. It may also indicate that there is a steady flow of work for each department, therefore keeping employees preoccupied with completing tasks. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 29

Reinforcement, Recognition and Celebrations in the Workplace Cross Tabulation(15)

4. Which department do you work for? Communications Instructional VP Computing and Network Library Total Technology Office Services (CNS) 12. After More 2 1 5 2 3 13 attending energized a Less 0 1 2 1 0 4 celebration energized event at work (ex. birthday, No picnic, 4 14 8 12 0 39 etc.), I am difference _____ to complete... Total 6 16 15 15 3 66

The results of this cross tabulation indicate respondents feel indifferent after celebrating events at work. This was a surprising result because I had based my hypothesis on the thought that employees would feel less energized to complete work tasks. One implication based on the results is that workers are focused on completing their work tasks.

It is important to note that individuals are only reporting their own perception of their productivity following a social event. The reality may be different from their perceptions, so this ought to be investigated in a follow-up study. Another potential explanation of these data is that employees truly do enjoy the celebrations and were afraid to admit to a loss of productivity following them for fear management might be less inclined to support future events. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 30

Reinforcement, Recognition and Celebrations in the Workplace Cross Tabulation(17)

4. Which department do you work for? Communications Instructional VP Computing and Network Library Total Technology Office Services (CNS) 16. Agree 0 3 2 1 2 9 Celebrations Somewhat 4 5 7 7 1 24 in the Agree workplace Somewhat motivate me 2 3 4 3 0 12 to produce Disagree quality work Disagree 0 5 2 4 0 12 Total 6 16 15 15 3 66

The majority of respondents somewhat agree that celebration events motivate employees to produce quality work. This indicates celebrations have a positive influence on work performance. The result for the CNS Department was more mixed indicating, most likely, that the CNS employees are more intrinsically motivated than the others. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 31

Reinforcement, Recognition and Celebrations in the Workplace Cross Tabulation(19)

4. Which department do you work for? Communications Instructional VP Computing and Network Library Total Technology Office Services (CNS) 13. Agree 0 2 0 0 1 3 Celebrations Somewhat 3 6 3 4 0 17 at work Agree distract me Somewhat from 2 1 6 2 1 12 completing Disagree my daily work tasks Disagree 1 7 6 9 1 25 Total 6 16 15 15 3 66

This data shows the majority of employees are not distracted from their work due to attending celebrations in the workplace. In contrast, the Computing Department reveals the majority of respondents believe attending celebrations at work is distracting. This may reveal a more demand driven work pace for the Computing Department, which would make logical sense. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 32

Reinforcement, Recognition and Celebrations in the Workplace Cross Tabulation(22)

4. Which department do you work for? Communications Instructional VP Computing and Network Library Total Technology Office Services (CNS) Within the hour of when 0 2 2 2 0 6 the task is accomplished Within the same day of when the 0 1 3 1 0 5 15. I receive task is positive accomplished reinforcement Within the and weeks of recognition when the 4 4 6 5 1 21 task is accomplished Only during my annual 0 3 2 3 1 10 Performance Appraisal Not at all 2 6 2 4 0 14 Total 6 16 15 15 3 66

This cross tabulation reveals the Instructional Technology department has the highest number of respondents who receive positive recognition within the same day a task is completed. The CNS Department, Instructional Technology Department, and Library

Department all had the highest number of respondents who receive recognition within the hour or the same day of when the task is accomplished. This may suggest there is a more continuous reinforcement pattern in these departments. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 33

Discussion

The results of the survey did not support any of my hypotheses completely, but some of them were partially supported. The first hypothesis stated employees are less motivated to complete their work just before attending celebrations at work. This hypothesis was not supported because the evidence showed there was an overwhelming agreement that employees felt no difference in their level of motivation before or after attending a celebration. The data from questions 10 and 12 support that employees do not feel a negative impact from attending celebrations at work. Further research should focus on whether this conclusion is real or some kind of Hawthorne Effect where people do not want management to know what productivity is impacted, so they provide inaccurate responses to the survey.

The second hypothesis, stated that celebrations in the workplace decreased productivity due to distractions and interruptions, was not supported. The data from the survey question 16 implies celebrations at work actually motivate employees to produce good work. Question 11 indicates that the majority of respondents enjoy attending celebrations in the workplace. Employees do not feel interrupted; rather they feel a surge of energy and are encouraged to promote good work performance. Question 13 reveals that respondents are not distracted by celebrating events. The data suggests celebrations at work energize employees to better focus on work tasks after attending the celebration event. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 34

The third hypothesis was not supported because there was insufficient data to verify this hypothesis. The overall results of the quantitative survey indicate the majority of employees at MCC receive healthy amounts of positive reinforcement and believe they are well motivated.

In addition, the question of whether employees are satisfied with their job at MCC was never addressed in the quantitative survey. This matter will be a focal point in future surveys.

Lastly, the fourth hypothesis stating employees who work in the Instructional Technology

Department will provide more positive responses in the quantitative survey compared to the rest of the ETS departments was partially supported. The Instructional Technology

Department was strong but not the strongest. Questions 11 and 15 indicate that the

Instructional Technology Department had the highest number of positive responses.

However, in some cases the Library Department had the highest number of positive responses. This is shown in question 6 and question 20, which relate to peer-to-peer recognition. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 35

Literature Review

Importance of Culture, Trust, and Recognition

It is important to accentuate positive behavior and actions in order to build a trusting environment (Blanchard, Lacinak, Tompkins & Ballard, 2002). This study focused on reinforcement and celebrations. Reinforcement is directly linked to the level of trust exhibited on an organization. Leaders not only need to reinforce others, they need to understand how all of their own behaviors impact the level of trust in an organization.

When leaders focus on their own behavior, it is easier to build an environment of trust

(Whipple, 2009e).

In low trust environments, leaders are in a continuous bind to try and maintain work performance. In low trust environments leaders communicate with employees mostly in the form of “damage control” while trying to ease constant struggle (Whipple, 2009c, pg.

1).

“Trust and fear are incompatible” (Whipple, 2009c, pg. 2). In any environment, trust is thought of as a bank account. Positive interactions are thought of as deposits made into a trusting relationship account. Consequently, negative interactions are thought of as withdrawals from the relationship. This transactional nature of trust allows leaders to build up deposits, but it is just as important to prevent withdrawals, especially large ones. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 36

Leaders enable a trusting environment when they allow staff to point out inconsistencies within management (Whipple, 2009b). High trust environments enable workers to solve problems with ease and efficiency. Rather than arguing and choosing sides in disagreements, employees harness positive energy towards completing work. When workers are trusted with increased responsibility and have control in the output of their work, employees feel committed to the company (Pfeffer & Veiga, 1999). Employees focus on being team players for the organization while keeping the vision and mission in mind. Communication is more clear and efficient in high trust environments. This leads to better and more consistent reinforcement and recognition. Problems are more likely to arise in a low trust environment where there is little recognition. Rumors and gossip are more likely to spread in a low trust environment. Environments that stress reward and recognition enable employees to develop passion for their work. Employees show apathy in low trust environments where there is no recognition. This becomes apparent when disgruntled employees interact with customers and that hurts customer retention.

Workers in high trust environments respect fellow employees and instinctively go out of their way to reinforce their good behaviors. Therefore, they continue to strive toward company goals. Communication is hindered in a low reinforcement environment because people are afraid of the type of reactions they would receive. High trust within a workplace promotes a positive atmosphere. Employees enjoy being at work. A positive atmosphere encourages enjoyment for employees which transfers into increased productivity. Feelings, behaviors, trust and reinforcement are important parts to the creation of a culture in an organization. High trust enables employees to focus energy Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 37 outward at “the opportunities (customers) or threats (competition)” (Whipple, 2009g, pg.

3). A successful culture in the workplace is dependent upon high trust and lots of recognition. Creating a culture that supports internal motivation allows synergy to be created among employees. A culture that embraces motivation must be continuously nurtured.

Intuitive questions about the feelings and thoughts of employees are important to ask in order to gain trust and buy-in. This generates a positive flow of energy (Block, 2008).

For example, employees should be asked what skills can be offered in order to assist in overcoming this particular challenge (Block, 2008). Employees need to feel appreciated and valued by their employer (Bradbury-Guerrero, 2006).

Reinforcement

Reinforcement is a powerful tool that helps shape employee work performance (Whipple,

2009h). It is important to give positive, effective reinforcement from the very beginning when leaders first meet their employees (Blanchard, Zigarmi & Zigarmi, 1985). Leaders gain trust from employees when acknowledgement is given for excellent work performance (Welch & Welch, 2005). Positive behavior demonstrated by leaders will energize employees and help boost morale. Employees should feel a sense of pride and accomplishment after performing a task well.

Allowing a safe and open environment enables immediate recovery from any

“withdrawals” from individual employees to entire staff (Whipple, 2009e). Employees Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 38 should feel comfortable having a conversation with their leader and reporting any inaccuracies that may have occurred. Most employees are fearful to admit their feelings are hurt by some type of action caused by their leader. A culture built around reinforcing values begins with the support of management. Open discussions about the success of positive reinforcement generates good behavior. A reinforcing culture happens when it is created at all levels of the organization.

In a high trust environment, positive reinforcement is easily accepted because it comes across as honest creditability (Whipple, 2009f). In contrast, positive reinforcement is interpreted as insincere and phony when given in a low trust environment. Often times praise and recognition are interpreted as manipulative. This drastically reduces the validity of any given reinforcement. Consequently, employees are more likely to resist positive feedback. Verbal reinforcement is only considered valid when spoken in a sincere tone of voice.

A study conducted by Kim and Schuler (1979) notes that the impact of extrinsic feedback can be viewed as both negative and positive. The incorrect use of positive reinforcement can cause a negative effect on employees (Whipple, 2009h). An example would be distributing generic material reinforcements to employees. Material reinforcements used too often create a false sense of genuine appreciation. Meaning is associated with material reinforcements when reasons why the object was chosen and its importance is stated. Studies by Alfie Kohn prove material rewards do not have a strong connection to Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 39 improvement in performance (Whipple, 2009d). Constricting the amount of tangible reinforcements increases the sincerity and effectiveness associated with the reward.

Publicly giving praise to a particular employee can cause negative attention in the workplace (Whipple, 2009h). For example, reinforcing an “employee of the month” could alienate other workers who did not receive praise for their work performance. In this situation, the employees who did not receive recognition may feel their work is ignored, and feel threatened. This alludes to competitive behavior directed between employees rather than working together to conquer the organization’s competitors.

Used as a way to show appreciation for all workers, leaders should direct positive recognition on group performance and give acknowledgement to employees as a working team (Whipple, 2009h). Cohesion is created when all members of staff are involved in the process of electing “employee of the month” and “employee of the year” (Bradbury-

Guerrero, 2006). Leaders should build a reinforcing culture that allows all employees to participate in giving and receiving positive reinforcement. Employee satisfaction derives from committed employees (Lavigna, 2010).

Motivation

Each employee is motivated by something different (Darlington, 2009). In order to encourage motivation, a leader must understand the needs of employees. Bradbury-

Guerrero (2006) suggests it is a good idea to distribute a survey to assess motivation Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 40 factors to gage employee satisfaction. In many instances employers tend to reward employees with monetary gifts or bonuses. However, each employee should be asked what are the best reinforcements that directly relate to increased motivation (Blanchard et al., 2002). The preference of the type of reinforcement an employee favors should never be assumed. Individuals have their own unique objects of motivation. Gratitude is better expressed when employers vary the types of reward given to employees.

Self Promote

A challenging goal for managers is to create an organization that truly stays motivated

(Darlington, 2009). The key to motivation is to create a culture in the workplace that nourishes motivation in individuals (Whipple, 2009a). Starting from the beginning of the day, individuals should make an effort to have a positive mind set when they arrive at work (Darlington, 2009).

It is crucial for the leader to exemplify positive actions to promote motivation in others

(Whipple, 2009a). Nevertheless, leaders are hesitant to admit mistakes in fear of looking less creditable (Schein, 1993). It is important for leaders to reflect upon themselves to ensure they are following the same values expected from their employees (Badaracco Jr.,

1998).

Creating a comfortable atmosphere at work encourages employees to grow and feel at ease (Darlington, 2009). A trusting atmosphere in the workplace enables employees to be Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 41 better equipped when issues arise (Badaracco, 1998). Trust is built from candor, transparency and credit (Welch & Welch, 2005). Employees and management are able to track progress and enjoy accomplishments by setting clear goals (Blanchard & Johnson,

1981). Workers are able to focus more clearly and identify resolutions to solve any issue that my arise (Badaracco, 1998). Darlington (2009) encourages individuals to engage in a fun, worthwhile activity for at least 15 minutes a day. Strong employee engagement in an organization promotes customer satisfaction and high work performance (Lavigna,

2010).

Inspire

Motivation is learning how to inspire people from within (Darlington, 2009). Self confidence enables individuals to perform tasks at the best of their ability (Welch &

Welch, 2005). Employees are more likely to become engaged in their work (Darlington,

2009). An important aspect of managing people is to spark interest in their work, create excitement, and nurture a need for employees to explore their full potential. The source of long term motivation found in employees comes from within each individual.

A lack of motivation from a leader could be due to heavy work loads or the leader does not know how to motivate employees (Darlington, 2009).

Lack of praise and too much punishment can cause confused and insecure employees

(Blanchard & Johnson, 1981). Employees should only be reprimanded on behaviors that Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 42 have personally been observed. Incentives such as short term rewards, do not aid in achieving a shift of behaviors (Whipple, 2009d).

Punishment is not a motivator (Blanchard et al., 2002). It can lead to a hostile environment which can encumber motivation in employees (Blanchard & Johnson,

1981). Instead of focusing on negative feedback, employers should emphasize on encouragement and recognition toward employees.

An employee’s negative behavior should be redirected into a task at which the person might excel. Poor work performance should be neglected, and good work performance should be acknowledged with praise and rewards (Blanchard et al., 2002). A response to one’s actions always acts as some type of reinforcement. Employees need to feel appreciated and valued by their employer (Bradbury-Guerrero, 2006).

Recognition

Spending too much attention on negative interactions actually encourages poor behavior

(Blanchard et al., 2002). Leaders should praise themselves when they are performing well in addition to reinforcing good behavior in employees. Only sincere and honest praise should be used when giving positive reinforcement. It is a necessity to provide clear feedback when things are going well and when things are going poorly (Blanchard

& Johnson, 1981). Good eye contact validates the sincerity of praise when Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 43 communicated to employees. Positive reinforcement should be administered as soon as a good task or good behavior is accomplished.

Both employees and employers share the responsibility to foster motivation (Bradbury-

Guerrero, 2006). Little victories must be celebrated and built upon one another in order to achieve big victories (Whipple, 2009a). Good leaders support self-confidence in employees, as well as encouragement, caring, praise and recognition (Welch & Wech,

2005). The development of people should be an on-going daily task that leaders take part in. In terms of recognition, employees crave the need for acknowledgement and respect

(Darlington, 2009).

Celebrations

Leaders should make a conscious effort in celebrating accomplishments with staff at work (Welch & Welch, 2005). One example of acknowledging birthdays of employees is to give a gift or card (Bradbury-Guerrero, 2006). In addition, Bradbury-Guerrero suggests to outwardly appreciate employees for their work performance. Thank you notes are suggested to be given in order to show employees acknowledgement of their work (Bradbury-Guerrero, 2006).

Celebrations in the workplace create a positive energy between workers (Welch & Welch,

2005). When employees make suggestions at meetings, show appreciation by giving out notes of thanks and praise (Bradbury-Guerrero, 2006). It should feel natural to celebrate Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 44 accomplishments at work (Welch & Welch, 2005). Celebrations at work are necessary in order to reinforce good work performance.

One example of how to acknowledge employee’s anniversaries is by giving them a card and announcing the anniversary date to the company (Bradbury-Guerrero, 2006).

Company newsletters, websites and blogs are vehicles that can be used to acknowledge employees (Bradbury-Guerrero, 2006). Employees feel a better sense of cohesion and need when organizational goals are defined and reviewed (Bradbury-Guerrero, 2006).

Recommendation

Whipple (2009b) suggests using a Reinforcement Note to express appreciation and praise. A Reinforcement Note is presented in the form of a short e-mail which can then be printed out and shared at meetings. In the beginning of each meeting, the notes should be talked about, highlighting good deeds and good work from employees. This supports a culture that values accomplished work in the organization more than crisis. Encourage praise when noticing an employee doing something right. When receiving assistance from an employee, make it a point to thank the person.

Recommendations for Future Projects

While researching the effects of reinforcement, recognition, and celebrations in the workplace, I have come across many topics that are related but do not quite fit inside the scope of my project. There are many different projects that can be created with my 590 Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 45 project used as a base line. One example is to use the same study and distribute surveys to one large company and one small company. Then contrast and compare the results.

My 590 project was distributed to about 100 employees and received a total of 57 responses. The results may differ if it was taken at a company that had a smaller number of employees. Secondly, the study could be used and distributed to two types of companies; one for profit and one not-for-profit.

A third example would be to use this study as a base line and focus on the topic of trust in an organization. The topic of trust has surfaced in many of the articles I have read as part of the literature review for this project. The survey questions could address relationships between employees, supervisors, and upper management.

Lastly, using this study as a base line, one could explore the connections between positive reinforcement and empowerment in the workplace. The quantitative survey might address any correlations between the amount of positive reinforcement in the organization and whether or not employees demonstrate empowerment.

Conclusion

The topic that was researched for my 590 project was reinforcement, recognition, and workplace celebrations. Part of my hypothesis was that employees would feel less motivated to produce work. However, I was shocked to find that all my hypotheses were at least partially incorrect. Only one of four hypotheses was partially correct. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 46

Conducting this study in an academic institution may have injected a bias into the analysis, and the method of communicating the survey could have resulted in some form of Hawthorne Effect as I have discussed. Since the results provided unexpected surprises, it would be worth some future research to handle these variables in a more controlled fashion with a larger population.

The study did reveal some interesting trends between department personalities that seem logical on the surface. A computer service department operates very differently from a library, and thus the reaction to rewards and reinforcement might logically show up differently. Specifically, the type of work and the level of autonomy in the job itself seemed to make a difference between department level data.

Another aspect that could be studied, but was not part of this investigation, is the quality of leadership within a particular unit. It seems logical that a department reporting to an outstanding leader might value reinforcement more than one reporting to a poor or inexperienced leader regardless of the function of the unit. In fact, the quality of leadership may overshadow all other effects such as age, length of service, function, or employment status. This question should be pursued in a future study.

The limited time for this research coupled with some logistical problems obtaining a place to administer the survey caused a kind of time compression that resulted in a smaller sample size than I would have liked for this study. This made a full-blown Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 47 statistical analysis less viable. Instead, I based most of my observations on cross tabulations of the data rather than rigorous statistical calculations of multi-variant correlation coefficients. With a proper framing of the research in a larger organization, some of the directional conclusions I have made here could be confirmed, and other interesting studies would then be possible. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 48

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Blanchard, K., Zigarmi, P., & Zigarmi, D., (1985). Leadership and the one minute

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green room. Sloan Management Review, 34(2), 85-92.

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Appendix A - Qualitative Survey Data

Recognition

1. What type of reinforcement and recognition program does Monroe Community College currently have for their employees? #1 Employee of quarter #2 September Employee Awards #3 League of Innovation Awards and SUNY Chancellors award and SUNY Innovation award #4 Length of Service to College awards: 10 years, 15 years, and 30 years. #5 A lot of support from staff #6 Annual Award

15. Do people sometimes complain about the system being “unfair” - like some “favorite” people get more of the recognition than they should? #1 A little, once or twice #2 There are always complainers (agreement from others) #3 Staff feels under appreciated in a service organization. Our customer service team looks at feedback #4 People grow into success, increases satisfaction #5 Previous work gives recognition #6 At MCC, people are given a chance to work outside the area, offer retreats with food, and attend All College Day

Measurement

2. How do employees obtain reinforcement and/or recognition? #1 Customer service survey results--allows customers to drop comments

#2 Emails from customers to recognize support #3 Letters to recognize support #4 Kudos at staff meetings and announced at ETS Retreats--highlights personal achievement, successes from the department

3. Are all the goals to obtain reinforcement and recognition realistic for employees to achieve? #1 No formal process #2 Do 1 thing a month #3 These are not sales goals Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 53

14. How do you measure the effectiveness of your recognition program? Do you have specific tangible measures? How do you know if these measures are valid? #1 Clearly see results from employees #2 Customer sat/consultant did evaluation for us

Culture

4. What types of things are working well? #1 No formal program #2 Good customer service #3 Self recognition #4 Working on projects #5 Regularly schedule retreats #6 Division receives food

5. Are there any areas that need improvement? #1 Could do better #2 Could do better #3 As a service division, behavior is expected, so it’s a challenge to figure out what is above and beyond #4 Once or twice in past, not often #5 People always hear about negative more than positive #6 Always more to do

Reinforcement

7. Do employees improve their work performance when reinforcement and recognition is offered to employees? Why or why not? #1 Yes we do social events and recognize birthdays

#2 College Department #3 Social Committee is chosen by whoever volunteers #4 Once a month Birthdays are celebrated #5 Bring in food for lunch #6 College Day and Holidays #7 Employee recognition #8 Big Christmas celebration #9 Graduation--Union #10 College supported Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 54

8. Does Reinforcement &Recognition better motivate employees? Why or why not? #1 Yes, they like staff approval #2 My student workers compete for staff award each week, get gift card to Aramark, our food court vender #3 That’s a cool idea, how do you judge them? #4 Have to be above and beyond and be seen, work hard

9. Which type of reinforcement do you think is most effective for employees? Why or why not? #1 Praise works best, dollars help--I post pictures to the staff board #2 Recognition lasts longer #3 Motivators--informal type work--I give $1 Java’s coffee shop tokens. MCC President has a special award that they give for customer service observed, presidents choice, no application process

13. Have you been successful at achieving a culture of reinforcement whereby all employees praise each other - not just supervision praising employees? #1 Can’t generalize from ETS to College #2 Murmurs of assent from whole group #3 Yes, social committee, staff appreciation, Little Debbie Day (Library) #4 Instructional Technology (specifically Student Aid) provides cards, gift certificates, movie tickets, food #5 Staff is nominated to receive rewards #6 Praise is important, everyone knows recognition lasts longer #7 Picture posted--informal recognition, which is the most important

Celebrations

17. How are celebrations at work coordinated throughout the workplace? Is there a designated committee? How many people are involved? #1 College-wide parties (Holiday party, inauguration of president, all college day, spring fling) #2 Have department social fund, use for food and parties

17a. How is the birthday committee chosen? #1 self selected

18. What types of Social Events are celebrated? #1 Birthdays by president, once a month #2 Lunch, All College Days and Holidays, Employee Recognition, graduation and inauguration Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 55

19. How are celebrations in the workplace supported? Is approval required from management for celebrations? #1 Social funds, participation optional #2 Staff appreciation fund, sell goodies in break room, funds holiday party at library

20. How are celebrations in the workplace funded? #1 Optional fund participation #2 Hard part, half of the 25 participate #3 Baby born to non-participant equals no shower #4 Had fund for many years, now social funds cover kitchen supplies and gifts, not food anymore #5 Varies by place, no budget used #6 Baby shower held during lunch hour so no staff time used, fund used for staff appreciation, can’t force participation #7 Contributing money to Social Fund is optional #8 Library Department -- Bring in a quarter for “Bake Sale” #9 Funded, celebrate #10 Food is brought in by employees within department

21. Do celebrations in the workplace have a positive or negative effect with motivation? #1 Positive (agreement from others) #2 Positive overall

22. Are workers more or less likely to increase productivity before participating in celebrations in the workplace? #1 No effect, some decrease just before Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 56

Appendix B - Quantitative Survey Data

2. 1. What is your gender?

2. 1. What is your gender?

# Answer Bar %

1 Male 40% 2 Female 60% # Answer Bar % Total 1 Male 40%

Statistic2 Female Value 60% Total Mean 1.60

VarianceStatistic Value0.24

StandardMean Deviation 1.600.49

Total VarianceResponses 0.2457 Standard Deviation 0.49 Total Responses 57 Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 57

3. 2. What is your age group?

3. 2. What is your age group?

# Answer Bar %

1 18-25 4% 2 26-35 13% # Answer Bar % 3 36-45 27% 1 18-25 4% 4 46-55 36% 2 26-35 13% 5 56-65 21% 3 36-45 27% 6 66-75+ 0% 4 46-55 36%

5 Total56-65 21% 6 66-75+ 0% Statistic Value Total Mean 3.59 VarianceStatistic Value1.16 StandardMean Deviation 3.591.07 Variance 1.16 Total Responses 56 Standard Deviation 1.07 Total Responses 56 4. 3. How long have you worked at Monroe Community College?

Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 58

4. 3. How long have you worked at Monroe Community College?

# Answer Bar %

1 Less than a year 7% 2 1-3 years 9% 3 3-5 years 4% 4 5-7 years 9% 5 7-10 years 23% 6 10+ years 49%

Total

Statistic Value

Mean 4.79 Variance 2.63 # Answer Bar % Standard Deviation 1.62 1 Less than a year 7% Total Responses 57 2 1-3 years 9% 3 3-5 years 4% 4 5-7 years 9%

5 7-10 years 23% 6 10+ years 49%

Total

Statistic Value

Mean 4.79

Variance 2.63 Standard Deviation 1.62 Total Responses 57 5. 4. Which department do you work for?

Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 59

5. 4. Which department do you work for?

# Answer Bar %

1 Computing 11% 2 Communications and Network Services (CNS) 30%

3 Instructional Technology 28%

4 Library 28%

5 VP Office 4%

Total

Statistic Value

Mean 2.83 Variance 1.16

# AnswerStandard Deviation Bar 1.08 % Total Responses 54 1 Computing 11% 2 Communications and Network Services (CNS) 30% 3 Instructional Technology 28%

4 Library 28% 5 VP Office 4%

Total

Statistic Value

Mean 2.83

Variance 1.16 Standard Deviation 1.08

Total Responses 54 6. 5. I am considered a ______worker

Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 60

6. 5. I am considered a ______worker

# Answer Bar %

1 Full Time 88% 2 Part Time 11% 3 Student Employee 2%

Total

Statistic Value

Mean 1.14 Variance 0.16 Standard Deviation 0.40 Total Responses 56 # Answer Bar %

1 Full Time 88% 2 Part Time 11% 3 Student Employee 2%

Total

Statistic Value

Mean 1.14 Variance 0.16

Standard Deviation 0.40 Total Responses 56 7. 6. For you, how important is it to receive recognition from peers after completing a major project?

Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 61

7. 6. For you, how important is it to receive recognition from peers after completing a7. major6. project? For you, how important is it to receive recognition from peers after 7. 6. For you, how important is it to receive recognition from peers after completing a completingmajor project? a major project?

# Answer Bar %

1 It is critical 14% 2 It is helpful 43% 3 I am OK one way or the other 25% 4 My reinforcement is mostly from myself 18%

Total

Statistic Value

Mean 2.46 Variance 0.91 Standard Deviation 0.95 Total Responses 56 # Answer Bar %

1 It is critical 14% 2 It is helpful 43%

3 I am OK one way or the other 25% 4 My reinforcement is mostly from myself 18%

Total

Statistic Value

Mean 2.46 Variance 0.91

Standard Deviation 0.95

Total Responses 56

# Answer Bar %

1 It is critical# Answer Bar 14% % 2 It is helpful 43% 1 It is critical 14% 3 I am OK one way or the other 25% 2 It is helpful 43% 4 My reinforcement is mostly from myself 18% 3 I am OK one way or the other 25% Total 4 My reinforcement is mostly from myself 18%

Statistic Total Value

Mean 2.46 Statistic Value Variance 0.91 Mean 2.46 Standard Deviation 0.95 Variance 0.91 Total Responses 56 Standard Deviation 0.95 Total Responses 56 Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 62

8. 7. Which tasks rarely get recognition in your workplace? (Check all that apply)

8. 7. Which tasks rarely get recognition in your workplace? (Check all that apply)

# Answer# Answer BarBar ResponseResponse% %

1 Routine1 Routine tasks tasks 51 51 94% 94% 2 Special projects 12 22% 2 Special projects 12 22% 3 Team oriented activities 18 33% 3 Team oriented activities 18 33% 4 Work done by myself 33 61% 4 Work done by myself 33 61% 5 Tasks that my boss does not realize I do 37 69% 5 Tasks that my boss does not realize I do 37 69% Statistic Value Statistic Value Total Responses 54 Total Responses 54 9. 8. The work atmosphere encourages me to complete my work successfully

Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 63

9. 8. The work atmosphere encourages me to complete my work successfully

# Answer Bar %

1 Agree 41%

2 Somewhat Agree 30% 3 Somewhat Disagree 16%

4 Disagree 13%

Total

Statistic Value

Mean 2.00

Variance 1.09 Standard Deviation 1.04

# Total AnswerResponses Bar 56 %

1 Agree 41% 2 Somewhat Agree 30% 3 Somewhat Disagree 16% 4 Disagree 13%

Total

Statistic Value

Mean 2.00

Variance 1.09

Standard Deviation 1.04

Total Responses 56 Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 64

10. 9. I mostly receive recognition for

10. 9. I mostly receive recognition for

# Answer Bar % # Answer Bar % 1 Demonstrating positive behaviors 12% 1 Demonstrating positive behaviors 12% 2 Successfully accomplishing work tasks 49% 2 Successfully accomplishing work tasks 49% 3 Timeliness 8% 3 Timeliness 8% 4 Maintaining an organized work space 2% 4 Maintaining an organized work space 2% 5 Other 29% 5 Other 29% Total Total

Other Other nothing nothing CompletingCompleting tasks tasks that werethat were assigned assigned to others to others of higher of higher position position which which allows allows them them to to proceed proceed or or enjoy enjoy successsuccess at their at leveltheir level

nothingnothing DoingDoing things things that arethat not are under not under my jobmy descriptionjob description if they if they help help every every one one else else Nothing.Nothing. Little Littleor none. or none. TechnicalTechnical knowledge knowledge relating relating to PC to hardwarePC hardware / software / software occasionallyoccasionally receive receive recognition, recognition, handling handling a customer a customer

contributingcontributing

extraordinaryextraordinary work work no recognitionno recognition

I do notI do get not recognition get recognition rarelyrarely for anything for anything this is assuming we get recognition this is assuming we get recognition Going beyond the minimum Going beyond the minimum Training & Special Projects/Pilots Training & Special Projects/Pilots

Statistic Value Statistic Value Mean 2.88 Mean 2.88 Variance 2.19 Variance 2.19 Standard Deviation 1.48 Standard Deviation 1.48 Total Responses 51 Total Responses 51 10. 9. I mostly receive recognition for

Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 65

# Answer Bar %

1 Demonstrating positive behaviors 12% 2 Successfully accomplishing work tasks 49% 3 Timeliness 8% 4 Maintaining an organized work space 2% 5 Other 29%

Total

Other

nothing Completing tasks that were assigned to others of higher position which allows them to proceed or enjoy success at their level nothing Doing things that are not under my job description if they help every one else Nothing. Little or none. Technical knowledge relating to PC hardware / software occasionally receive recognition, handling a customer

contributing extraordinary work no recognition I do not get recognition rarely for anything this is assuming we get recognition Going beyond the minimum Training & Special Projects/Pilots

Statistic Value

Mean 2.88

Variance 2.19 Standard Deviation 1.48 Total Responses 51 Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 66

11. 10. Before attending a celebration event at work (ex. birthday, picnic, etc.), I am _____11. to complete10. Before my work attending tasks a celebration event at work (ex. birthday, picnic, etc.), I 11. 10. Before attending a celebration event at work (ex. birthday, picnic, etc.), I amam ______to complete to complete my work tasksmy work tasks

# Answer Bar %

1 More energized 9% 2 Less energized 9% # Answer Bar % 3 No difference 82% 1 MoreTotal energized 9% # Answer Bar % 2 StatisticLess energized Value 9% 1 More energized 9% 3 MeanNo difference 2.73 82% Variance 0.38 Total2 Less energized 9% Standard Deviation 0.62 3 No difference 82% StatisticTotal Responses 56 Value Total Mean 2.73 VarianceStatistic 0.38 Value

StandardMean Deviation 0.62 2.73 Total ResponsesVariance 56 0.38 Standard Deviation 0.62 Total Responses 56 12. 11. When department celebrations for birthdays, anniversaries, or other events are scheduled, I look forward to attending them Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 67

12. 11. When department celebrations for birthdays, anniversaries, or other events are scheduled,11. When I look department forward tocelebrations attending them for birthdays, anniversaries, or other 12.12.11. When department celebrations for birthdays, anniversaries, or other eventsevents are arescheduled, scheduled, I look forward I look to attending forward them to attending them

# Answer Bar %

1 Agree 29% 2 Somewhat Agree 44% 3 Somewhat Disagree 9% 4 Disagree 18%

Total # Answer Bar % Statistic Value 1 Agree 29% Mean 2.16 2 Somewhat Agree 44% Variance 1.10 3 Somewhat Disagree 9% Standard Deviation 1.05 4 Disagree 18% Total Responses 55 Total

Statistic Value

Mean 2.16 # VarianceAnswer Bar 1.10 % Standard Deviation 1.05 1 Agree# Answer Bar 29% % Total Responses 55 2 Somewhat1 Agree Agree 44% 29%

3 Somewhat2 Somewhat Disagree Agree 9% 44% 4 Disagree 18% 3 Somewhat Disagree 9%

Total4 Disagree 18%

Statistic Total Value

Mean Statistic 2.16 Value Variance 1.10 Mean 2.16 Standard Deviation 1.05 Variance 1.10 Total Responses 55 Standard Deviation 1.05

Total Responses 55 13. 12. After attending a celebration event at work (ex. birthday, picnic, etc.), I am _____ to complete my work tasks

Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 68

13. 12. After attending a celebration event at work (ex. birthday, picnic, etc.), I am _____13.13. 12.to completeAfter12. attending After my attending a celebrationwork tasks a event celebration at work (ex. event birthday, at picnic, work etc.), (ex. I birthday, picnic, etc.), I amam ______to complete to complete my work tasks my work tasks

# Answer Bar %

2 Less energized 7% 1 More energized 22%

3 No difference 71%

Total

Statistic Value

Mean 2.49 Variance 0.70

Standard Deviation 0.84 Total Responses 55 # Answer Bar %

2 Less energized 7% 1 More energized 22% 3 No difference 71%

Total

Statistic Value

Mean 2.49 # Answer Bar % Variance 0.70 2 StandardLess Deviation energized 0.84 7% # Answer Bar % Total Responses 55 1 More energized 22% 2 Less energized 7% 3 No difference 71% 1 More energized 22% Total 3 No difference 71%

Statistic Total Value Mean 2.49 Statistic Value Variance 0.70 Mean 2.49 Standard Deviation 0.84 Variance 0.70 Total Responses 55 Standard Deviation 0.84

Total Responses 55 14. 13. Celebrations at work distract me from completing my daily work tasks

Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 69

14. 13. Celebrations at work distract me from completing my daily work tasks 14. 13. Celebrations at work distract me from completing my daily work tasks

# Answer Bar %

1 Agree 4% 2 Somewhat Agree 30%

3 Somewhat Disagree 21% 4 Disagree 45%

Total

Statistic Value

Mean 3.07 Variance 0.90 Standard Deviation 0.95 Total# ResponsesAnswer Bar 56 %

1 Agree 4% 2 Somewhat Agree 30% 3 Somewhat Disagree 21% 4 Disagree 45%

# AnswerTotal Bar %

1 StatisticAgree Value 4%

2 MeanSomewhat Agree 3.07 30% Variance 0.90 3 Somewhat Disagree 21% Standard Deviation 0.95 4 Disagree 45% Total Responses 56 Total

Statistic Value

Mean 3.07 Variance 0.90

Standard Deviation 0.95

Total Responses 56 Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 70

14. What type of celebration do you appreciate the most? 15. 15. 14. What type of celebration do you appreciate the most? 15. 14. What type of celebration do you appreciate the most?

Text ResponseText Response Text Response DivisionDivision wide aswide the as celebrations the celebrations withing withing the librarythe library feel feel forced forced Division wide as the celebrations withing the library feel forced life life life completioncompletion of a large of a large project project completion of a large project genuinegenuine heartfelt heartfelt unplanned unplanned events events amongst amongst peers peers genuine heartfelt unplanned events amongst peers birthdaybirthday (we celebrate (we celebrate decade decade birthdays) birthdays) birthday (we celebrate decade birthdays) seasonalseasonal celebrations: celebrations: like holiday like holiday Christmas Christmas luncheon, luncheon, a step a step into into Spring Spring celebration.seasonalcelebration. celebrations: like holiday Christmas luncheon, a step into Spring celebration. One whereOne where I am notI am the not object the object of the of celebration.the celebration. :) :) One where I am not the object of the celebration. :) division retreats division retreats division retreats Informal - therefore, bosses and administrators aren't necessarily there. Removes Informal - therefore, bosses and administrators aren't necessarily there. Removes Informal"obligitory-attendance" - therefore, bosses feel, andpeople administrators are more relaxed. aren't necessarily there. Removes "obligitory-attendance""obligitory-attendance" feel, feel,people people are aremore more relaxed. relaxed. holidays holidaysholidays Difficult personalities make celebrations difficult to enjoy. DifficultDifficult personalities personalities make make celebrations celebrations difficult difficult to enjoy. to enjoy. none nonenone Birthdays & Special Recognitions BirthdaysBirthdays & Special & Special Recognitions Recognitions A milestone recognition. A milestoneA milestone recognition. recognition. Just general appreciation for a job well done. Words of affirmation would be nice Just generalJustonce general in appreciationa while appreciation instead for of a for onlyjob a welljobgetting well done. noticed done. Words Words when of affirmation thereof affirmation is a mistake would would orbe be nice nice once onceinproblem. a while in a while instead instead of only of only getting getting noticed noticed when when there there is a is mistake a mistake or or problem. problem.Birthdays Birthdays Birthdaysbirthdays birthdays birthdaysPositive feedback and anything with food! PositivePositive"No feedback reason" feedback ("Let's and andanything have anything a cookoutwith with food! tomorrow!") food! and individual's personal events (birthdays, marriage, babies) although we don't do those any more. "No reason""No reason" ("Let's ("Let's have have a cookout a cookout tomorrow!") tomorrow!") and and individual's individual's personal personal events events (birthdays, marriage, babies) although we don't do those any more. (birthdays,Picnics marriage, babies) although we don't do those any more. Picnics PicnicsMajor Project recognition. Major Project recognition. Majorrecognition Project recognition. recognition recognitionDoesn't matter, most of the celebrations that occur within ETS happen during the Doesn'tbusiest matter,part of themost workday. of the celebrations So I don't go. that occur within ETS happen during the Doesn't matter, most of the celebrations that occur within ETS happen during the busiestnone in part particular of the workday. So I don't go. busiest part of the workday. So I don't go. noneCasual in particularluncheons to get to know fellow employees none in particular CasualWhen aluncheons colleague to is getrecognized to know for fellow an awardemployees or accomplishment which rarely if Casualever luncheons happens. to get to know fellow employees When a colleague is recognized for an award or accomplishment which rarely if WheneverEnd a colleague happens.of project is celebrations recognized for an award or accomplishment which rarely if ever happens. EndHoliday of project luncheons celebrations End of project celebrations Holidaybirthdays luncheons Holiday luncheons birthdaysfree lunch birthdays freeRecognition lunch type activities. In my work I am not seen and sometimes feel invisible (except for the people who daily rely on my work),. free lunchRecognition type activities. In my work I am not seen and sometimes feel invisible (except for the people who daily rely on my work),. Recognitionnone - ourtype workload activities. is Insuch my that work we I amcan't not complete seen and our sometimes tasks to begin feel with. invisible taking a vacation or sick day is difficult. (exceptnone for - theour peopleworkload who is suchdaily thatrely weon can'tmy work),. complete our tasks to begin with. taking aDoesn't vacation matter or sick the day occasion, is difficult. it is nice to gather with colleagues outside a work none - our workload is such that we can't complete our tasks to begin with. taking based gathering! a vacationDoesn't or mattersick day the is occasion, difficult. it is nice to gather with colleagues outside a work basedteam buildinggathering! Doesn't matter the occasion, it is nice to gather with colleagues outside a work basedteamAny gathering! wouldbuilding be nice

team Anybuildingcelebrating would be for nice no reason.. just because.. or a suprize Any wouldcelebratingA simple be nicenote for ofno recognition reason.. just when because.. going aboveor a suprize and beyond is fine. celebratingAAnything simple for note withno reason.. offood. recognition just because.. when going or aabove suprize and beyond is fine. A simpleAnythingI appreciate note withof recognition celebrations food. when with mygoing peers, above without and supervisors.beyond is fine. Ismall appreciate group celebrationsget togethers with with my my peers, own work without group supervisors. Anything with food. smallDept groupRetreats get togethers with my own work group I appreciate celebrations with my peers, without supervisors. DeptGatherings Retreats where there is food. small group get togethers with my own work group Gatherings where there is food. Dept RetreatsStatistic Value

GatheringsStatisticTotal Responseswhere there is food. Value42

Total Responses 42 Statistic Value

Total Responses 42 15. 14. What type of celebration do you appreciate the most?

Text Response

Division wide as the celebrations withing the library feel forced

life completion of a large project genuine heartfelt unplanned events amongst peers

birthday (we celebrate decade birthdays) seasonal celebrations: like holiday Christmas luncheon, a step into Spring celebration. One where I am not the object of the celebration. :)

division retreats Informal - therefore, bosses and administrators aren't necessarily there. Removes "obligitory-attendance" feel, people are more relaxed.

holidays Difficult personalities make celebrations difficult to enjoy.

none

Birthdays & Special Recognitions A milestone recognition.

Just general appreciation for a job well done. Words of affirmation would be nice once in a while instead of only getting noticed when there is a mistake or problem. Birthdays

birthdays Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 71 Positive feedback and anything with food!

"No reason" ("Let's have a cookout tomorrow!") and individual's personal events (birthdays, marriage, babies) although we don't do those any more.

Picnics

Major Project recognition. recognition

Doesn't matter, most of the celebrations that occur within ETS happen during the busiest part of the workday. So I don't go.

none in particular

Casual luncheons to get to know fellow employees When a colleague is recognized for an award or accomplishment which rarely if ever happens. End of project celebrations Holiday luncheons birthdays free lunch Recognition type activities. In my work I am not seen and sometimes feel invisible (except for the people who daily rely on my work),. none - our workload is such that we can't complete our tasks to begin with. taking a vacation or sick day is difficult. Doesn't matter the occasion, it is nice to gather with colleagues outside a work based gathering! team building Any would be nice celebrating for no reason.. just because.. or a suprize

A simple note of recognition when going above and beyond is fine. Anything with food.

I appreciate celebrations with my peers, without supervisors. small group get togethers with my own work group Dept Retreats

Gatherings where there is food.

Statistic Value

Total Responses 42 15. 14. What type of celebration do you appreciate the most?

Text Response

Division wide as the celebrations withing the library feel forced life completion of a large project genuine heartfelt unplanned events amongst peers birthday (we celebrate decade birthdays) seasonal celebrations: like holiday Christmas luncheon, a step into Spring celebration. One where I am not the object of the celebration. :) division retreats Informal - therefore, bosses and administrators aren't necessarily there. Removes "obligitory-attendance" feel, people are more relaxed. holidays Difficult personalities make celebrations difficult to enjoy. none Birthdays & Special Recognitions A milestone recognition. Just general appreciation for a job well done. Words of affirmation would be nice once in a while instead of only getting noticed when there is a mistake or problem. Birthdays birthdays Positive feedback and anything with food! "No reason" ("Let's have a cookout tomorrow!") and individual's personal events (birthdays, marriage, babies) although we don't do those any more. Picnics Major Project recognition. recognition Doesn't matter, most of the celebrations that occur within ETS happen during the busiest part of the workday. So I don't go. none in particular Casual luncheons to get to know fellow employees When a colleague is recognized for an award or accomplishment which rarely if ever happens. End of project celebrations

Holiday luncheons

birthdays free lunch

Recognition type activities. In my work I am not seen and sometimes feel invisible (except for the people who daily rely on my work),.

none - our workload is such that we can't complete our tasks to begin with. taking a vacation or sick day is difficult. Doesn't matter the occasion, it is nice to gather with colleagues outside a work based gathering! team building

Any would be nice celebrating for no reason.. just because.. or a suprize

A simple note of recognition when going above and beyond is fine. Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 72 Anything with food. I appreciate celebrations with my peers, without supervisors.

small group get togethers with my own work group Dept Retreats Gatherings where there is food.

Statistic Value

Total Responses 42 Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 73

16. 15. I receive positive reinforcement and recognition 16. 15. I receive positive reinforcement and recognition

# Answer Bar %

1 Within the hour of when the task is accomplished 11% Within the same day of when the task is 2 9% accomplished 3 Within the weeks of when the task is accomplished 38% 4 Only during my annual Performance Appraisal 16% # Answer5 Not at all Bar 25% % Total 1 Within the hour of when the task is accomplished 11% Statistic Value Within the same day of when the task is 2 9% accomplishedMean 3.36 Variance 1.61 3 WithinStandard the Deviation weeks of when the task is accomplished 1.27 38% 4 OnlyTotal during Responses my annual Performance Appraisal 55 16% 5 Not at all 25%

Total

Statistic Value

Mean 3.36 Variance 1.61

Standard Deviation 1.27 Total Responses 55 17. 16. Celebrations in the workplace motivate me to produce quality work

Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 74

17. 16. Celebrations in the workplace motivate me to produce quality work

# Answer Bar %

1 Agree 14% 2 Somewhat Agree 43% 3 Somewhat Disagree 21% 4 Disagree 21%

Total

Statistic Value

Mean 2.50 Variance 0.98 Standard Deviation 0.99 Total Responses 56 # Answer Bar %

1 Agree 14% 2 Somewhat Agree 43% 3 Somewhat Disagree 21% 4 Disagree 21%

Total

Statistic Value

Mean 2.50 Variance 0.98

Standard Deviation 0.99

Total Responses 56 18. 17. For you, how important is it to receive recognition from supervisors after completing a major project?

Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 75

18. 17. For you, how important is it to receive recognition from supervisors after completing18. a major17. For project? you, how important is it to receive recognition from supervisors after completing a major project?

# Answer Bar %

1 It is critical 21%

2 It is helpful 55% 3 I am OK one way or the other 9% 4 My reinforcement is mostly from myself 14%

Total

Statistic Value

Mean 2.16

Variance 0.86 Standard Deviation 0.93 Total Responses 56

# Answer Bar % # Answer Bar % 1 It is critical 21% 1 It is critical 21% 2 It is helpful 55% 2 It is helpful 55% 3 I am OK one way or the other 9% 3 I am OK one way or the other 9% 4 My reinforcement is mostly from myself 14% 4 My reinforcement is mostly from myself 14% Total Total

Statistic Value Statistic Value Mean 2.16 Mean 2.16 Variance 0.86 Variance 0.86 Standard Deviation 0.93 Standard Deviation 0.93 Total Responses 56 Total Responses 56 Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 76

19. 18. How skilled is your direct supervisor at giving recognition? 19. 18. How skilled is your direct supervisor at giving recognition?

# Answer Bar %

1 Highly skilled 18%

2 Tries hard to give good recognition 27% 3 Spotty and often forgets 39%

4 Clueless 16% # AnswerTotal Bar %

1 HighlyStatistic skilled Value 18% Mean 2.54 2 Tries hard to give good recognition 27% Variance 0.94

3 SpottyStandard Deviationand often forgets 0.97 39% 4 CluelessTotal Responses 56 16%

Total

Statistic Value

Mean 2.54 Variance 0.94 Standard Deviation 0.97 Total Responses 56 20. 19. How often does well intended recognition backfire and make people feel worse?

Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 77

20. 19. How often does well intended recognition backfire and make people feel worse? 20. 19. How often does well intended recognition backfire and make people feel worse?

# Answer Bar %

1 Never 22% 2 Rarely 42% 3 Sometimes 24% 4 Often 13% 5 Always 0%

Total

Statistic Value

Mean 2.27 Variance 0.91

Standard Deviation 0.95 Total Responses 55

# Answer Bar %

1 Never 22% # Answer Bar % 2 Rarely 42% 1 Never 22% 3 Sometimes 24% 2 Rarely 42% 4 Often 13% 3 Sometimes 24% 5 Always 0% 4 Often 13% Total 5 Always 0% Statistic Value Total Mean 2.27

VarianceStatistic 0.91 Value StandardMean Deviation 0.95 2.27 Total ResponsesVariance 55 0.91 Standard Deviation 0.95

Total Responses 55 21. 20. How much is peer-to-peer recognition encouraged in your group?

Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 78

21. 20. How much is peer-to-peer recognition encouraged in your group?

# Answer Bar %

1 Highly encouraged and reinforced 26% 2 Suggested, but not often - spotty 31% 3 Peer-to-peer recognition is seldom discussed 26% 4 Co-worker recognition is ignored 17%

Total

Statistic Value

Mean 2.33 Variance 1.09 Standard Deviation 1.05 # AnswerTotal Responses Bar 54 %

1 Highly encouraged and reinforced 26% 2 Suggested, but not often - spotty 31%

3 Peer-to-peer recognition is seldom discussed 26% 4 Co-worker recognition is ignored 17%

Total

Statistic Value

Mean 2.33 Variance 1.09 Standard Deviation 1.05 Total Responses 54 22. 21. How often is recognition a formal part of your group meetings?

Reinforcement, Recognition, and Celebrations 79

22. 21. How often is recognition a formal part of your group meetings?

# Answer Bar %

1 Every meeting we have specific time for reinforcement 22% 2 We usually have some positive comments to share 29% It is rare to discuss positive reinforcement in a group 3 35% meeting 4 We never discuss reinforcement in meetings 15%

Total

Statistic Value

Mean 2.42 Variance 0.99 Standard Deviation 0.99 # AnswerTotal Responses Bar 55 % 1 Every meeting we have specific time for reinforcement 22% 2 We usually have some positive comments to share 29% It is rare to discuss positive reinforcement in a group 3 35% meeting 4 We never discuss reinforcement in meetings 15%

Total

Statistic Value

Mean 2.42 Variance 0.99 Standard Deviation 0.99 Total Responses 55