Praise or Criticism: Which is better?
When I.B.M.’s chief executive, Virginia Rometty, announced disappointing financial results earlier this year, she also sent employees a short video chastising the sales staff for missing big deals. “We were too slow,” Rometty told the company’s 434,000 employees. “The result? It didn’t get done.”
A CEO chiding employees is unusual enough that it caused a press maelstrom. The Wall Street Journal called it a “rare companywide reprimand.” Others cited it as proof that she was destined to fail.
All of which raises an interesting question: is it better for a chief executive to deliver criticism or praise? Everyone is familiar with the praiseful part of that equation: most CEOs are cheerleaders because – the theory goes – a motivated workforce is willing to work harder and longer.
And yet, we also know that fear of failure is one of the greatest motivators – and that failure is only real when it is accompanied by consequences like getting dressed down in front of 433,999 of your peers.
There isn’t a lot of data on the reprimand-versus-praise question within workplaces. But inside classrooms, the topic has been studied extensively. One of the most authoritative studies on the topic, published in 2012, concluded:
“Reprimand and negative nonverbal responses consistently resulted in greater compliance. Praise and positive nonverbal responses resulted in mixed child outcomes. … The effect of praise appears to be less immediate than the effect of reprimand, as evidenced by the lack of a consistent connection between praise and compliance in the literature.”
In other words, we love to receive praise, but usually we’re not certain what message, precisely, we should take from it. On the other hand, when someone points out our flaws, we realize immediately that something needs to change.
There’s a twist to these studies, however: simply knowing that something is wrong isn’t enough. For the message to resonate, we need to know what to do differently. Studies indicate that praise loses its power because we tend to get caught up in self-congratulations, and therefore miss whatever is said next. On the other hand, criticism is fantastic at causing us to pay close attention. Therefore, reprimands have to be paired with specific next steps.
And that’s what Rometty did. Here’s her slap-down of the sales staff:
"We were too slow to understand the value and then engage on the approval and the sign-off process," she said. "The result? It didn't get done."
Then, she revealed a new rule: If a client had a request or question, IBM must respond within 24 hours.
"And if anything slows you down, call it out," she urged. "Engage management, engage leadership, and let's deal with it."
In other words, feel free to get critical on your own and start handing out your own reprimands.
How do you lead? How do you mix praise and criticism? How do you react when someone tells you that you need to change?
Library Assistant
6yI believe in the "Hamburger Effect." When mixing praise and criticism, the top bun represents a praise. The meat represents the criticism followed by next steps, and the bottom bun becomes another type of praise or positive outlook on the entire situation. I've used this in the world of academia and believe it can be applied to other professions. When I've been told that I need to change, I reflect on the entire situation, review notes, data, ask questions, and anything else involved. Then I apply my growth mindset to my area that needs to be improved. Is this my best work? What am I missing? I can always improve and learn from my mistakes.
Founder/Chief Growth Officer (CGO)
9yAn over exaggeration of the question of which is better is illustrated in the movie, "Whiplash," out now. It addresses the question of whether you are driving the person to be "good" or "great" & what's in the person deep down. Again, it's a exaggeration but offers a point.
Senior Partner, VOX Global
9yI just wrapped Charles Duhigg's book "The Power of Habit" which is a must read for communications professionals or anyone working to get on the right track personally or professionally. It offers great insights and common sense steps to suppress bad habits and develop good ones. Pick it up and enjoy!
Creatively optimizing the path to quality!
10yIf we analyze this article based on the psychological ways recognized to modify operant behaviors we can identify non-constructive criticism as a kind of punishment. Punishment will never yield the long term effects of real motivation derived from positive reinforcement coupled with a long term vision and goals for all collaborators. It is also true when providing feedback you cannot ignore the AFIs you are coaching to, however these should not be addressed as criticism, these should be addressed in the context of all the capabilities of the individual or team being coached, offering a partnership in the solution of these AFIs, showing you care about them to earn their trust and cooperation, and leaving behind the sense of failure to be replaced with the vision of a better outcome in the future driven by the collaboration between the team(s) and the leaders.
Sr Program Manager | Team Builder
10yI have found that I would rather be praised/critiqued on a specific topic rather than beaten down or "flattered." The same certainly counts toward teaching students. If you can point out specifics for both good and bad results and explain where there is need for improvement, people are generally much more likely to respond.