Lessons From the Ivory Tower

In the world of academia and academic publishing, giving and sharing credit are hallmarks of the trade -- and the driving force behind innovation. It is this very tangible recognition of their work that is the coal for the creative engines (or perhaps I should say ethanol for the hybrid cars) that are the professors and the researchers in the field.

Too often in the business world, a team's work goes unnoticed while CEOs and other managers receive credit for the diligent research, creative thinking and long hours of their underlings. Consequently, much of the expertise and worth of team members is unrecognized, untapped and not adequately shared with the rest of the group. While managers would argue that their staff is paid well for humbly completing their task, true innovation is almost always spurred on by the promise of achievement, career development and, yes, recognition.

Managers can get more out of their team by giving individual members the chance to be in the limelight, even if only for a brief moment. Here are a few basic ways to shine a light on the brain power of your team members:

One more tip: The more reticent and perhaps less experienced members of the team may be hesitant to put themselves on the line, so it's good to allow for supporting roles as well, so they can become more comfortable in the spotlight. While academic journals recognize the primary author or authors of a study, they also cite secondary authors, allowing the researchers who do much of the grunt work and contribute ideas and opinions to the paper to get credit as well.