Harvard Business Review Analytic Services Research Report: Improving business performance through appreciation

Organizations today face no shortage of strategic priorities. AI adoption. Innovation. Customer experience. Productivity. Culture transformation. The challenge isn’t deciding what matters. It’s helping employees understand what to do differently every day to make those priorities real.

A new Harvard Business Review Analytic Services report explores an increasingly important question: How can organizations influence the behaviors that drive business performance at scale?

The answer may be simpler than many leaders realize.

Recognition is no longer just a culture initiative

For years, recognition was viewed as a way to boost morale, celebrate milestones, or improve employee engagement.

Today’s business environment demands more.

As organizations navigate rapid change, leaders need practical ways to encourage the behaviors that support business goals. Whether the objective is increasing innovation, strengthening collaboration, improving customer experiences, or helping employees embrace new technologies, success ultimately depends on what people do every day.

The latest HBR research suggests that recognition plays a larger role in shaping those behaviors than many organizations realize. Here’s a striking disconnect called out in the report: while 66% of organizations say recognition is very important for influencing business performance, only 33% believe their recognition programs are very effective at doing so. That gap, alongside other key report findings, illustrates just how much opportunity remains for organizations willing to take a more strategic approach.

At Achievers, this aligns closely with what we’ve seen through years of workforce research and customer partnerships. Recognition is most impactful when it’s timely, meaningful, frequent, and connected to what matters most to the business.

Download the report to access fresh evidence that recognition can do far more than celebrate success after it happens — it can help create more of it.

The organizations seeing the strongest results approach recognition differently

One of the report’s central themes is that high-performing organizations are intentional about what they recognize and why.

Employees make countless decisions throughout the workday. Where should they focus? Which priorities deserve attention? What behaviors will help them succeed?

Recognition can help answer those questions.

The report and its contributors explore how leading organizations use appreciation to reinforce the actions, mindsets, and contributions they want to see repeated. Rather than treating recognition as a standalone HR program, they integrate it into the broader strategy of the business.

What does that look like in practice?

The report gives you examples from organizations that have aligned recognition to strategic priorities ranging from innovation and customer experience to safety and emerging technologies. It also reveals how much more likely leading organizations are to design recognition programs around specific business-driving behaviors.

Download the report for the full findings and examples.

Why appreciation has the greatest impact when it becomes part of everyday work

Recognition is most effective when it is part of the employee experience, not an occasional event.

That’s one of the strongest messages throughout the research.

While many organizations still rely heavily on formal moments of recognition, the report highlights how leading organizations are creating cultures where appreciation is woven into daily work.

The research also explores a challenge many leaders will recognize: employees often aren’t lacking effort or commitment — they’re lacking feedback.

Download the report to gain clarity and to discover the key to creating an environment with consistent, meaningful employee recognition.

Technology is changing what’s possible

As organizations scale, recognition becomes harder to deliver consistently. That’s one reason recognition technology has become a growing area of focus.

The report examines how modern platforms are helping organizations make recognition more visible, more frequent, and more inclusive. Beyond enabling manager recognition, many organizations are creating opportunities for peer-to-peer appreciation, increasing transparency around employee contributions, and giving leaders new insight into the behaviors driving performance.

One particularly surprising finding highlights how organizations are using recognition technology to support strategic transformation initiatives. The report explores how recognition is being connected to emerging priorities, including AI adoption and workforce innovation.

It also examines how organizations are leveraging recognition data to better understand employee contributions, collaboration patterns, and performance across the business.

See the full breakdown in the report, including the most valuable capabilities organizations gain from dedicated recognition technology.

How leading organizations are putting these ideas into practice

While packed with data, the report doesn’t stop at the research.

Through interviews with leaders at General Motors, Workday, Kyndryl, and Coles, it offers a closer look at how recognition strategies are being applied inside complex organizations navigating transformation and growth.

Download the report to learn:

• How a global automaker uses recognition to support employee connection from day one
• The approach one technology company is using to reinforce strategic workforce behaviors
• How an enterprise services organization connects recognition to business goals and performance visibility
• The ways a major retailer has scaled appreciation across a large, distributed workforce

Look for the real-world examples to reveal a common theme and explore exactly how these organizations are making that happen.

Get full access to the report findings

Business transformation ultimately depends on behavior change.

Organizations can invest in new technology, launch new initiatives, and set ambitious goals. But performance improves when employees understand what matters, feel connected to their work, and receive reinforcement that helps them repeat the behaviors that drive success.

This new Harvard Business Review Analytic Services report provides valuable research, expert perspectives, and real-world examples that show how leading organizations are using appreciation as a business strategy, not just a culture initiative.

As professor Amy Edmondson notes in the report:

Download your copy of the report now to uncover the research, insights, and practical examples you need to shape the future of recognition and results at your organization.