Do you think to be an effective boss should spend more efforts criticizing or encouraging employee efforts?

Question

It just seems like most bosses think they should critisize instead of build up even though most people respond to praise favorably.

I'm a teacher and even with my students, if I praise them for stepping out and trying something new or doing something creative, or just reading more books etc. they keep doing it because they are usually much more interested in me noticing their efforts than me even giving them a good grade. (Even though they ARE interested in the grade too, of course.) But if I criticize them harshly they're more likely to just close up or give up. So praise gets more out of them. Seems like adults are like that too. Agree or not? If you agree why do so many bosses use criticism instead of praise?

Answer 1

The best way is a form of positive reinforcement (giving praise) and negative punishment (removing praise).

Criticism is good for coercive management for untrained employees or ones not internally motivated to learn (note: most humans ARE internally curious, it just takes interesting work to bring that side out in them).
This criticism style of management/teaching is especially effective in assembly line style environment (low-sophistication jobs) or people very new to jobs who do not yet respect authority. This is also common of work-place bullies and often insecure bosses who can't understand that untrained employees become trained and will still respect them in they don't stop "cracking the whip".

But the truth is people who are the best long-term leaders and teachers concentrate on things like increasing responsibility and giving more interesting work as a reward for good effort and ultimately performance. Good effort should ideally be awarded in some form even if it does not immediately generate performance since if people put forth effort and don't see praise for performance they become disillusioned (this is formally called "Expectancy Theory").

All in all a good general strategy would be, like you said, giving them a more interesting "job" (in the case of your students work, like you said, more creative assignments, which is a satisfier as it keeps them interested) rather than pushing them in threat of punishment to work hard to get pay (IE a better grade, which is a hygiene factor to keep them from being unsatisfied).
Depending on the limits of the school system, you may even want to invent a type of system where students can get grade bonuses for continued creativity. For example if a student touches 3 of 4 major points of the reading on 2 tests but manages to mention apply the readings points to more real-life situations then most student, if he or she gets the performance by the third test (say he/she gets a fourth test grade of 3.8-4) the other 2 tests should be forgiven (IE the student would get a 3.7-4 final grade and notes saying something like "available bonus on next test(s) as credit for you creativity on this test") I'm sure you could probably think of something more appropriate but that is just an idea I realize my views on the issue are perhaps somewhat Montessorian.

Obviously the students must get both the "pay" and the "improving job", but the trick, as it seems you have found through experience, is to focus on the effort and the interest/satifier factors over the immediate results.

Best luck. :-)

Answer 2

There should be a mixture. At the same time there should be praise but also you should point out things that are being done wrong and telling them how to correct it. For example if you have a student struggling with reading you don't just focus on the stuff they get right. You have to address what they are struggling with and find out ways to help them. This should be done without criticism of course. But we can't always just focus on the positive we do have to address the negative and fix it.

Answer 3

Bosses should praise employees every time they have a good reason. Rather than criticizing they should withhold praise when necessary. Just like our pets, people respond better to praise and will do what they have to to get it.

Answer 4

I encourage, support, and respect my staff. This is a much more productive way to manage. At the same time supervisors and managers are responsible for making sure employees don't take advantage of the business (and plenty try). So if I need to criticize someone for inappropriate behavior, I have no problem in setting appropriate disciplinary consequences (sort of like a parent!).

Answer 5

In real life most bosses must devote all of their time to fixing problems. For an employee a period of no complaints from the boss "is" praise. Henry Kissinger

Answer 6

more bosses should praise their employees, and teachers should praise students insted of critisizing them. you'll get more from praise, and a more positive outcome.

Answer 7

Both, but the critisism should be constructive and tactful.