Productivity and the Federal Incentive Awards Program

This article appeared in the GAO Review, Vol. 14, Issue 4, Fall 1979. The federal government's Incentive Awards Program makes it possible for agencies to recognize and reward employees who have made significant contributions to improving government operations. Most managers, however, have not made use of the opportunity that exists for increasing organizational productivity through the use of incentive awards. Very few federal agencies link their Incentive Awards Program with specific organizational goals. The GAO Task Force on Rewards found that GAO managers and supervisors made an honest effort to foster an environment in which recognition and rewards for superior performance would be in keeping with the highest principles of good management practices; however, there were indications that the GAO rewards system does not adequately support the goals of GAO and the needs of its employees. In order to create a more effective GAO rewards system, the Task Force believes that improvements could be made in the following areas: (1) revitalizing and maintaining the rewards system; (2) linking rewards with performance; and (3) training managers, supervisors, and staff.