title: Recognizing "me" benefits "we": Investigating the positive spillover effects of formal individual recognition in teams.
abstract: Many organizations use formal recognition programs (e.g., "employee of the month") as a way to publically acknowledge an individual employee's outstanding performance and motivate continued high performance. However, it remains unclear whether emphasizing individual achievement in a team context is beneficial or detrimental for recipients' teammates and, by extension, the team as a whole. Drawing on a social influence perspective, we examine potential spillover effects of individual formal recognition programs in teams. We hypothesize that a single team member's recognition will produce positive spillover effects on other team members' performance, as well as overall team performance, via social influence processes, especially when the award recipient is located in a central position in a team. Findings from 2 lab experiments of 24 teams and 40 teams (Study 1 and Study 2, respectively) and a field experiment of 52 manufacturing teams (Study 3) reveal that formally recognizing a team member leads to positive changes in her/his teammates' individual and collective performance. Thus, formal social recognition programs can potentially provide a motivational effect beyond individual recipients. (PsycINFO Database Record
authors.affiliation: Tippie College of Business, The University of Iowa.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Leadership and Organization Management, School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University.
authors.forename: Xiaoming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Management, Entrepreneurship and Leadership, Neeley School of Business, Texas Christian University.
authors.forename: T Brad
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: Department of Leadership and Organization Management, School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Management, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship, Poole College of Management, North Carolina State University.
authors.forename: Bradley L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Kirkman
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000328:Adult; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D012938:Social Perception; D055815:Young Adult