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Employee Recognition at Intuit Case Solution

Solution Id Length Case Author Case Publisher
2768 2869 Words (11 Pages) Hayagreeva Rao, David W. Hoyt Stanford Graduate School of Business : HR31
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Scott Cook, an entrepreneur with marketing and consultancy experience, started Intuit in collaboration with Tom Prolux. The company exercised different programs for employee recognition. The first program was an online merchandising program that was managed by the vendor. The employees disliked the program for the outdated and late delivery of the products. Moreover, the online products were more expensive than the stores. The products provided to the employees also have missing items. 

To address employees' concerns, the Spotlight program was introduced by Intuit with the help of Globoforce, a gift certificate company. Through this program, three types of recognition awards were given that are performance awards, invention, and service awards. Performance awards were given for performance and behavior that met the criteria. Innovation awards were for patent filings and issued patents. Lastly, service awards were granted for anniversaries in multiples of five years. Although the employees of the organization highly acknowledge the reward system, it has a few drawbacks.

Following questions are answered in this case study solution:

  1. Is the Spotlight program strategic? Does it focus on reinforcing company strategy or is it unfocused? Would you recommend changes in the program with regard to strategic focus? As you think about the company evolving with the market forces and product trends of mobile, global and social, how might this impact the Intuit of the future regarding this strategy? 

  2. Intuit believed that it was important to recognize employees publicly. This provided the opportunity to teach company values, motivate other members of the award-winner’s unit, and further build the company culture. However, some employees might be embarrassed or intimidated by being publicly recognized. Should Intuit respect the desire of some employees for privacy, and if so, how can it maximize the benefits of the recognition program for the larger organization? 

  3. When asked about what type of award they preferred, employees typically responded that they would like cash. However, studies showed that cash awards tended to be quickly forgotten. Consider the ‘stickiness’ of various types of awards. How does a company best use recognition to create and sustain a desired culture? 

  4. How would you address the issue of equity in award amount? How important is consistency as opposed to maximum discretion on the part of the award giver? 

  5. How should Intuit address the problem of mixed signals? How can it ensure that award givers and an employee’s manager are providing consistent feedback?

  6. How does Intuit keep the program fresh (for both leaders and recipients) while addressing concerns amongst some users about equity and consistency in execution? 

  7. Should Intuit change its practice to require manager approval in the future before the Spotlight award is issued, rather than relying on after-the-fact audits? 

  8. If you were to design a solution for Intuit with a clean sheet of paper, forgetting the current program and configurations, what would it be?

Case Study Questions Answers

1. Is the Spotlight program strategic? Does it focus on reinforcing company strategy, or is it unfocused? Would you recommend changes in the program with regard to strategic focus? As you think about the company evolving with the market forces and mobile, global, and social product trends, how might this impact the Intuit of the future regarding this strategy? 

The Spotlight program is strategic because, through this program, an employee is recognized and rewarded for his/her deserving specific achievements. The program reminded award senders and award recipients of the values of the company, which then provided employees with a practical understanding of the company's strategy. Additionally, Intuit focuses on communicating, recognizing, and motivating employees. Hence, through Spotlight, the company's strategy is reinforced by aligning the recognition program with the company's culture, values, and business objectives. 

With regard to strategic focus, Spotlight should integrate a system in which a budget should be allocated to each department for employee recognition. This will ensure that of all Intuit's operating values, integrity without compromise is thoroughly practiced because the employees will then get the reward they deserve. Moreover, appropriate budget allotment will solve the award equity concern. It will encourage managers who are reluctant to use Spotlight because of the uncertainty of the amount to use Spotlight and will increase the employee base in the program. In addition, the approval loop for the Spotlight program should be added to avoid giving mixed signals to employees. The employee's line manager should be contacted before sending the award to analyze the person's overall performance.

As Intuit evolves with the market forces and product trends of mobile, global, and social, Spotlight, with an integrated budget allotment system, will positively impact the future of the company. The growth in the market forces and product trends will automatically increase the employee base. Therefore, a specific budget allotment is needed to continue with the employee recognition program so the cost doesn't get affected. Additionally, the approval loop will affect the recognition program because a more pragmatic approach is being followed. The changes will also enable the recognition of the employees globally. 

2. Intuit believed that it was important to recognize employees publicly. This provided the opportunity to teach company values, motivate other members of the award-winner's unit, and further build the company culture. However, some employees might be embarrassed or intimidated by being publicly recognized. Should Intuit respect the desire of some employees for privacy, and if so, how can it maximize the benefits of the recognition program for the larger organization?

Recognition of the employees publicly is the strength of Intuit, which reinforces the employee's hard work and boosts their morale. Not only it increases their confidence, but it also impacts their performance unquestionably. Public recognition of the employees assists in building relationships of the employees with the organization. However, some people are intimated by the crowd and are uncomfortable being the center of attention in front of large audiences. Additionally, they want their achievements to be acknowledged privately. They either get confused or embarrassed and avoid being part of such gatherings. Therefore, Intuit should respect the desire of such employees for their privacy. Since Intuit has a strong culture of ethics, it should respect employees' concerns for their privacy to build an atmosphere of credibility. 

To respect the desire of some employees for privacy, an internal survey should be circulated by HR to ask for the permission of each employee if they are comfortable being recognized publicly. Once data is collected, it should be analyzed and then incorporated into the individual's ID on the online portal. Through the online platform, an option should be given to the award sender to check the option of the employee's concern for public recognition, and then the award should be assigned. This integration will maximize the benefits of the recognition program. Not only will the employee's concern be addressed, but the process will also if cost-effective. For instance, if many employees are not interested in public recognition, the cost of an offline event will be saved. 

Employees' concern about public recognition is vital because it can become a threat to the organization if it doesn't get addressed promptly. The employees who are intimidated by public recognition will avoid such gatherings, and the resources of the companies will get wasted. Additionally, it will create distrust among the employees, and it might lead them to exit the company. Therefore, for employee trust and cost-effective management, an online survey system should be incorporated for the larger organization's success.

3. When asked about what type of award they preferred, employees typically responded that they would like cash. However, studies showed that cash awards tended to be quickly forgotten. Consider the 'stickiness' of various types of awards. How does a company best use recognition to create and sustain the desired culture?

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