Productivity Needs To Be Personalized – Friday Distraction
(Editor’s Note: Today’s post is brought to you by Kronos, the global leader in delivering workforce management solutions in the cloud. Bill Bartow, vice president of global product management wrote a terrific piece on Gigaom about the intersection of wearable tech and work. It will have an impact on the workplace. Be sure to check it out!)
The “carrot and stick” approach has been around for decades. The term refers to the concept of using both rewards and punishment to change behavior. It comes from an old practice of dangling a carrot in front of a mule. The mule wants the carrot so it moves forward. At the same time, it doesn’t want the stick (i.e. punishment) if it doesn’t move.
Today’s Time Well Spent cartoon from Kronos reminds me that, as logical as the carrot and stick concept might sound, it doesn’t always translate well to every setting.
Every individual works differently. The environment that allows me to be my most productive might not work for someone else. And vice versa. Same is true for rewards and punishment. My idea of a reward could mean nothing to others. Managers should understand what works best for their teams and create an environment that offers it. That will allow individuals to perform at their best!
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