In praise of praise

In our world, everyone seems to be a critic. Everyone seems to know the price of everything and the value of nothing. And they are not afraid to talk about the price either. But for some reason the doling out of praise is way more meagre amongst us. It is as if we are afraid to lavish praise but not criticism. 

Praise and blame are closely connected with the concept of moral responsibility for an action, omission, or a trait of character. When someone is morally responsible for doing something wrong we say that his or her action is blameworthy. By contrast, when someone is morally responsible for doing something right, we may say that his or her action is praiseworthy.There are of course other senses of praise and blame that are not ethically relevant. One may praise someone’s good dress sense, and blame the weather for the crop failure. 

Philosophical interest in praise and blame derives from questions surrounding the appropriateness praise and blame responses. What makes it appropriate to praise and blame someone? There are two main schools of thought on this question. Firstly, utilitarian thinkers argue that praise and blame are appropriate just in case they bring about useful results. The second school of thought may be called the desert theory. According to this theory, praise and blame are appropriate only when they are deserved. Immanuel Kant is an important proponent of the desert theory.

Various analyses have been offered as specifying necessary conditions for appropriate moral praise or blame. Aristotle says that praise and blame are only proper responses to voluntary actions and states of character. He defines a voluntary action as an action that is done with knowledge of what one is doing (i.e., not in factual ignorance) and which one brings about by one’s own ‘will’ or determination. This latter ‘control condition’ on voluntariness becomes particularly prominent in the free will / determinism debate. In this context, some philosophers have argued that moral responsibility for actions, particularly, blame for wrong actions, requires a certain strong sense of freedom which involves exemption from causal order of natural events. Finally, also in relation to the conditions of praise and blame, some have asked whether the conditions of praise and blame are structurally analogous. In this respect, Immanuel Kant famously argued that praiseworthiness requires more than voluntary action, but also includes a requirement that agent do the right thing for the right reason. In Kant’s terminology, this amounts to doing the right thing out of the desire to do one’s duty.

We know that people are responsive to praise and will demonstrate an increase in self-esteem or confidence if a suitable amount of praise is received. Some psychological theories hold that a person's life is largely made up of attempts to win praise for their actions. Yet it remains a scarce commodity.

Appreciation and praise, especially when expressed specifically, inevitably make employees feel more loyal and more engaged, all too few bosses practice the art of gratitude, says Chester Elton, a motivation consultant. A recent study found that between 75% and 80% of American workers said they got little or no recognition from their managers in the last year. In that book, Elton and Gostick include the results of a survey they commissioned of 200,000 American workers that demonstrates a link between bosses who recognize employees with praise, along with other signs of appreciation like holiday parties and handwritten notes, and a company's financial performance. The survey shows return on equity three times higher for companies that engage in employee appreciation. Their workers are more creative and more dedicated to the business's success, and they have a stronger bond to their company and its goals, according to the research.

Though it costs a company nothing, verbal praise can be as effective as a cash award, he says. Hard Rock Café, the restaurant chain, did a study on the effect of managers welcoming their shifts, thanking employees for coming in and making a few inquiries about their personal lives and families. Just a minute a day of verbal appreciation reduced employee turnover by 3%, Elton says.

But how does a manager avoid the impression that his praise is hokey or maudlin? Specificity, says Elton. "General praise has no meaning," he explains. "If a manager says, 'Great job, you rock,' that isn't effective." Instead, the boss should single out an accomplishment and compliment it. Tell the counter person you appreciated the way she handled that upset customer, or praise the craftspeople producing your product for turning out zero defects over the last three weeks. Make the praise timely, Elton says. Don't wait until the end of the year to offer your appreciation at the holiday party. When you see a job well done, say so.

When all is said and done, I agree with the famous philosopher Will Durant: "To speak ill of others is a dishonest way of praising ourselves. Nothing is often a good thing to say, and always a clever thing to say." It is better to praise than to criticize. We little realize what effect little word of praise uttered at just the right time can have. And as the old jingle has it,

" Little words of kindness

Spoken everyday

Make a home a heaven and

Help us on our way"