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Rewarding Teams: Lessons from the Trenches

"At last a book that demonstrates how two dozen top companies use rewards to make teams work. A useful handbook for HR and line managers alike."
--Jon Katzenbach,
Co-author of The Wisdom of Teams

In this new book, co-authored with Jerry McAdams and Dave Zielinski, we identify the three most important reward systems for teams--recognition plans, project team rewards and organizational unit incentives and then go on to provide numerous examples of how today's companies are using them to spur the development and success of their work teams.

The book includes 27 case studies from large, well-known companies such as Chase Manhattan, Merck, Rockwell, Lotus Development, Bayer, Ralston Purina and Ameritech, small, privately held business like Markem, OMI and Mid-States Staffing and non-profits such as Texas Guaranteed Student Loan and ASCAP.

These case studies show you how to handle a variety of difficult issues such as whether to use cash or non-cash rewards, creating a varied team rewards effort, managing and administering team rewards, kicking off a program and measuring payouts. All cases include a "lessons learned" section that provides an honest assessment of the program and ideas you can apply to your organization.

In the final chapter we provide 10 overarching "lessons from the trenches" that emerge from the 27 cases:

1. The need to customize team rewards to your organization's culture.
2. Aligning team rewards with your organizational objectives.
3. The importance of sending the right message with your rewards.
4. The "trophy value" and impact of non-cash rewards.
5. The critical need to communicate the purpose of the program, how to obtain the rewards and the results on an on-going basis.
6. Create a "smorgasbord" of different types of team rewards.
7. Establish line item budget solely for team rewards.
8. Don't establish a rewards program unless you are able to administer it.
9. Determine what you expect in terms of payoff from your rewards program.
10. Introduction and operation are more important than a good program design.

240 pages, hardcover, Jossey-Bass/Wiley, 2000.  Order from Amazon

For bulk purchases of more than 10 copies please contact Rick Skewes of the Wiley Special Sales Department at specialsales@wiley.com