The role of social bonds in understanding the pre- and post-recognition effects of recognition visibility

Although firms extensively use public recognition for high-performing employees, prior academic studies do not find beneficial effects of public recognition (versus private) on employee behavior. I utilize a laboratory experiment to investigate this apparent disconnect by investigating the strength of employee social bonds, and how it moderates the effect of recognition visibility on employees’ pre- and post-recognition behavior. Consistent with prior studies, I find that when weak social bonds exist, public recognition does not result in more beneficial employee behavior than from private recognition. However, when strong social bonds exist, public recognition (versus private) results in greater employee effort to achieve recognition and a more positive response to recognition. Overall, this study offers a potential explanation for the extensive use of public recognition in practice and has implications for the implementation of employee recognition programs – suggesting managers should consider the state of employee relationships before deciding how and where to recognize their employees.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Accountancy

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2019

Author dc:creator

• Burke, Joseph

Contributors dc:contributor

• Chen, Clara
• Hecht, Gary
• Mehta, Ravi
• Wang, Laura
• Williamson, Michael

• recognition
• Accounting
• social bonds
• employee recognition
• public recognition

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2018 Joseph Burke

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/102806

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/102806