Motivating People: Let's Name Names

03/06/07

Take this quick, odd-one-out test. Which of the following doesn’t fit?

This engine was assembled by Santino DiVito.

These cabinets were built by Michael Jones.

This heating system was repaired by P.J. Owens and Brenda Allison.

Assembled by No. 17.

Easy, wasn’t it?

Hang in there, No. 17, you unsung production-line hero. My condolences. Being a number instead of a name is a real ego-bruiser--and a demotivator, too. Ever wonder why some companies expect employees to take pride in their work on one hand and make them nonpersons to customers on the other? Me, too. Your case is hardly unique.

Whether they’re tuning engines or tuning pianos, people usually feel a greater stake in what they’ve done when they put their name on it. That act alone personalizes what they’ve done and reinforces their sense of worth. Managers who identify manufacturing and service people by number (or don’t identify them at all) make them anonymous. Hardly the best way to inspire attention to detail and pride of performance.

In the early 1970s, painters at the Porsche factory in Stuttgart inscribed their initials on a concealed part of each car. What a great way to create a lasting bond with each car they painted. Companies that demolish aged buildings sometimes find the names of long-dead craftsmen and laborers scrawled on a list inside the walls for posterity. Like the Porsche painters, this helped satisfy their need to identify with what they’d done.

Sure, the idea’s impractical for some companies and situations. Who wants a delivery room nurse’s name tattooed on their baby? And yes, high turnover and mass production prompt some companies to identify employees by number. Some—but certainly not all.

Thousands of small manufacturers and service firms overlook the inspirational value of identifying production and service technicians by name to the customers who buy what they’ve made or fixed. Pity. It’s a subtle and inexpensive motivator that even tiny businesses can use to build giant reputations with employees and customers alike.