Gamification stuff we love: creating a culture of celebration
Reinforcing wins or wanted behaviour I believe I have mentioned a few times. In a sales organisation having a bell sound every time a deal is made and the added buzz this creates. In more transactional work receiving praise for a job well-done on a regular basis is helping with keeping people motivated.
In most companies the culture is to only celebrate major big events, or when something was won beyond all initial possibility. I would suggest to break it down and make it relative to the person and the team. For new starters getting to find your way around and learning the new culture of a company may be a key celebration of lots of smaller steps. When in projects several milestone opportunities or successful sprints in agile may be worth recognition and not just complete project achievement.
The great thing with creating a culture of celebration is that there is no immediate need for technological investment. However there are plenty of systems that can help should you wish to use them. Some of my favourites include Due Props, Redcritter and BadgeOS to name just a few.
What it takes is managerial willingness to spot the good things that happen every day and to reinforce the behaviours that ultimately lead to overall success. It takes courage to get it started and consistent encouragement to keep it alive. Even if some of the more cynical staff may do their cringe, deep down most people like a bit of recognition. If you can personalise it even further then even the cringe-masters could be silenced and satisfied.
Where have you seen a great culture of celebration, we would love to hear about it in the comments?
