For an Employee Referral Program (ERP) to take root and flourish within a corporation it must be embedded within the corporate culture. Embedding it within your corporate culture is made easier if you can motivate your employees to take ownership of the ERP.Motivating employees is best addressed by paying attention to their selfish and selfless appetites. If you can feed both appetites you are likely to have them returning to the ERP table for more.
There are three simple steps to addressing both the selfish and selfless appetites... all related to educating the referrer. The first step - which addresses the selfish - is that you must show the referrer how it directly correlates to his or her success. .... That the referrer´s survival is dependant on A players joining their team. Sports teams use this in dealing with contract issues. Team management in the NFL frequently use the argument in negotiations with their high paid players. For example, team management might say to their star quarterback ... "if we can defer some of your pay until the last years of your contract we can get the best receiver available in the draft and you can throw more touchdowns. And if you throw more touchdowns we will add an incentive clause to your contract."
The second step is to convince potential referrers that the ERP process you have designed supports the mission. You have to assure them that you are not going to burden them with time consuming administrative barriers that clutter the mind. Time is a precious asset. Showing the quarterback the steps that will get it done before the season begins will likely increase the chances of him agreeing with your proposition.
The third step addresses the selfless appetite. You must show how the rewards that result from the successes of the ERP will be shared universally... that a rising tide floats all boats. Again, if the team ends up with more points scored than its competition - as a results of the receptions made by the star receiver - the team wins more games and the fans are more happy.
The bottom line is that getting the referrer to support and contribute to your ERP can be greatly enhanced by satisfying the selfish and selfless appetite of the A referrer.
