Recognize This: Be sure to communicate to program development participants why and how final decisions are made if you want any hope of ultimate program success.

As I discussed in yesterday’s post on Involving Program Participants and Inviting Their Input when creating a strategic recognition program, notice the delicate balance between input and progress. At some point, every initiative must move from the planning to the execution stage. And not all participants in the planning will be happy with the execution decisions – unless you clearly communicate why final decisions have been made throughout the process.

Or, as Ann Bares recently pointed out in her Compensation Force blog:

Quotation

“Nothing wrong with fun, fulfillment or perks – but maybe our priority should be on creating work environments of truth, integrity and mutual respect then ensuring that employees are rewarded well for the results they work to deliver.”

Communicating why decisions are made – especially to stakeholders (at all levels) who helped in the process leading to those decisions – contributes considerably to ultimate program success. Why? Because those stakeholders will gladly carry the banner of why the program (and the decisions behind it) are good, valid and worthwhile.

Have you been in a position (officially or not) where people looked to you to validate the worth of a new program? What was your response? What was the program? Did you support it to your peers?