AWAM AWARDS: Regarding The Pesky Prevalent Practices Of Awards Without Authenticated Merit (otherwise known as AWAMs)!

Take 1 (Typos and All).

Quick Story: Prelude To A Fall

A friend recently told me this: That a colleague from his (let’s say) social group confessed that even though she had received a very much-publicized national award for some form of excellence in Human Resource Management, she the recipient did NOT know what she had really done to deserve the award! The indication was that neither the recipient, as head of HR, nor her organization had submitted any application or body of information to the organizers for consideration for that very much-publicized national award!! The organizers are a private company with lots of business in the HR space. The winners were (and are) current and potential future clients.

?My Recent Comment On An Award:

In response to a recent list of awards to Vodafone (Global I assume), I wrote:

"Congratulations! It would be really validating and great if each winning citation for these awards anywhere (not just this one) would be followed by links to the body of evidence of the accomplishment. For instance, I know I am NOT the only person who wants to read about that impressive sounding "Most Successful Cultural Transformation."

?"I prefer the 'sharing' of details of what organizations have done to earn the award, to the rather common practice of many awards with categories or citations that leave you scratching your head and asking: What Did He / She / They Really Do?

?"Thanks in anticipation, [company name here]"

?AWAMS: Recent Frequency And Background To The Term

[In one or more countries that I know, 'AWAM' is the term for all things fake, crooked, dubious, spurious, sham-ish, scam-ish, etc.]

There is a rather frightfully high frequency of posts of awards, or what I prefer to call: Awards Without Authenticated Merit (otherwise known as AWAMs)! In fact there are situations of so many AWAMs scrambling over each other to win over participants and winners, it is difficult to keep track.

Some AWAMS specialize in end of year rush. But that is proving too difficult to do with so many events competing for attention. Others have moved beyond year end to other times, Covid-19 Protection And Safety Protocols allowing.

I AM ALL FOR REWARDS AND RECOGNITION:?I Love All Forms Of Rewards And Recognition, Appropriately Designed, Structured, And Awarded. It is an occupational predisposition. Matter of fact, I invested significant time and money to prepare for and successfully complete lots of examinations to get a globally recognized and respected professional credential, the Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) designation awarded by WorldatWork (Formerly, American Compensation Association). It took some 'blood, sweat and tears' to get that designation. I continue to maintain currency (renewal of the certification) through a structured set of specified continuing professional activities.

As a Total Rewards professional, I am all for all forms of recognition in particular, and Total Rewards in general, "Appropriately Designed, Structured, And Awarded." Typically, the criteria for earning / winning Rewards and Recognition are well defined, up front (with just few coming as surprises). ?I also believe in motivating people to perform better in all fields of endeavor. I am no scrooge or Grinch, even if I have to say so myself.

Anatomy Of AWAMs: How To Spot A Shameful Sham Of A Scam

There is increasing indication that many (NOT all) of the awards programs that recipients frequently rush to post online and benefit from many of the following characteristics, among others. They:

1.???Were set up by organizers lacking the subject matter expertise so to do.

2.???Do NOT have clearly spelt out rigorous and structured criteria for entry and winning.

3.???Do NOT require competitors to submit applications to meet rigorous standards of verification.

4.???Require winners and their organizations to sponsor the event.

5.???Do not involve an expert body of QUALIFIED INDEPENDENT judges screening, selecting, and determining winners.

6.???Do not have rigorous selection other than the ability of winners to pay one or other form of sponsorship fees (by any other name).

7.???Are self-promotion schemes / shams / scams of and for the beneficiary organizations and individuals.

8.???Are schemes to lure 'winners' into future bouts of massive support and promotion and support of the organizers.

9.???Make any truly serious professional wonder about the integrity of the recipients themselves and the organizers in general.

10.??????????Become self-perpetrating schemes of annual or periodic self-adulation and convivial events in which winners and aspirants become more deeply entrenched, trophies and all.

11.??????????More and more categories are created to accommodate every person or organization that is ready, willing and able to 'sponsor' or pay some fee for participation in these events.

Corrupted Gatekeepers!

Sadly, leaders and members of some departments that should be gatekeepers and upholders of high standards in all matters of credentials and qualifications (you know them, my friends) appear to be among the most enthusiastic patrons of these Awards Without Authenticated Merit (otherwise known as AWAMs).

The Trophy Culture, Entitlement, Attitudes Behaviors; Values Versus Value

In a way, it appears that the Trophy Culture from some jurisdictions and cultures in which every member of a club or group at school is entitled to a trophy just for being a member ( NOT for winning competitions or for clearly distinguished performance or behavior) has spread into some other spheres of life and work.

In fact, some people simply create AWAMs just so they and their ‘friends and family’ can have some claims to fame, more trophies, certificates, announcements to make, more ‘likes’, etc., etc., ad infinitum.

?What is probably worse is that more and more people feel absolutely entitled to these awards, without regard to any criteria or basis for the same. Accordingly, they feel, talk about, suggest, lobby for, and even demand recognition of one sort or the other for awards (including a recent 'demand' for a Nobel Prize) that are otherwise decided by independent organizations using highly-respected, structured and defined processes. We witness these entitlement attitudes and behaviors among some otherwise ‘mature’ adults, many two-year olds, and lots and lots of people between. ??

The more people feel entitled to and get awards, the less their value become. But that does not stop individuals and groups from creating, scheming, scamming, and shamefully lobbying for an increasing number of AWAMs, new categories, and all that. If anything, the race for AWAMS is even more intense. Everybody wants awards. Almost everybody feels entitled to some form of award!

Extinction: In principle, we destroy the essence and motivational value of rewards and recognition of any kind when everybody gets them without fail and without clear and palpably evident merit. If everybody is gets them, they are NOT rewards and recognition in the true sense. In such cases, they are better called what they are: entitlements.

?Way Forward?

Your thoughts are welcome on the way forward.

To be revised, perhaps.

#awards #rewards #recognition #entitlement #awam #awardswithoutautenticatedmerit #criteriadriven #validation #integrity #credentials #qualifications #values #scams #shams #dubiouscredentials