Give The Best Recognition With These P.R.I.M.E. Factors

Each act or expression of recognition can be measured against five criteria, which I call Recognition P.R.I.M.E. Factors.

When you fully understand the importance of these factors you will wisely be able to use them and give more meaningful and memorable recognition.

I am not saying you MUST use all of these factors every time you give recognition. But each type of recognition you use will score differently on a polar spectrum – high or low for example – for each individual factor.

Let’s quickly review each of the PRIME Factors and see how they affect recognition and the impact they can have on people.

The five PRIME Factors consist of Proximity, Relationship, Intangibility, Meaningfulness, and Execution.

Here are the definitions of these five factors along with examples of what is meant by each of them.

P: Proximity – Proximity refers to the degree of personal proximity of the type of recognition being given. Proximity can be either Close or Distant on the spectrum.

Naturally, recognition given directly in a face-to-face delivery has a closer Proximity value than say a written email acknowledgment. Not that emails are bad or should never be given. You might have to keep in mind the frequency of how often you use each type of recognition for each individual.

Idea: Mix the variety of offline and online recognition you use. Ensure a Close recognition delivery at least on a weekly basis.

R: Relationship – Relationship is associated with the degree of positive relationship strength you have of the giver and receiver of recognition. Similar to Proximity, Relationship is measured as to whether it is Close or Distant.

The closer and more positive the relationship strength is between the giver and receiver of recognition the more positively the recognition is perceived.

Idea: Work on building better relationships with each of your employees across your business unit or department.

I: Intangibility – the nature of Intangibility is the degree of inner value behind the type of recognition given to someone. The parameters for Intangibility are whether the recognition is Intrinsic or Extrinsic.

This is all about the time, thought and effort you put into the selection and type of recognition used. The more care you put into the recognition the greater the Intrinsic value When you enhance the Intangible value it increases the recognition perception.

Idea: Make time for putting some thought and care into the personalization of the recognition you give to people.

M: Meaningfulness – All recognition has some form of meaning to it – but the question comes as to whose meaning is the recognition really conforming to. Meaningfulness is measured against the eyes of the beholder and whether it is Receiver Focused or Giver Focused.

It’s important that the words you use and the method of recognition you do, are all focused on what the recipient wants. Be careful not to take the glory away from the intended receiver.

Idea: Recognition is not about you, the Giver, so make time to learn about the personal preferences of each recognition recipient.

E: Execution – I’ve always said that the way recognition is executed can either make you or break you. Recognition can be given in ways that are considered to be Thoughtful or demonstrate Thoughtless actions.

How you give recognition to people is critical. Learn to be sincere and specific. Make sure in-person presentations are well orchestrated and prepared.

Idea: Create a presentation checklist for all recognition given to employees so you ensure the basics are covered and any personal touches are well made.

Employees will value your recognition more when you use each of these PRIME Factors on a regular basis.

Question: Do you actively look to raising the perceived value of the recognition given to employees?

Roy is no longer writing new content for this site (he has retired!), but you can subscribe to Engage2Excel’s blog as Engage2Excel will be taking Roy’s place writing about similar topics on employee recognition and retention, leadership and strategy.