Kudo Cards are a simple but powerful tool from Jurgen Appelo’s Management 3.0 framework. They are designed to foster a culture of appreciation and recognition within teams and organizations. Based on the idea that positive reinforcement can significantly boost morale and productivity, Kudo Cards offer a structured way for team members to acknowledge and celebrate each other’s contributions.

What are Kudo Cards?

Kudo Cards are small, physical, or digital cards that team members can fill out to express gratitude or recognize a colleague’s work or behavior. The card typically contains a brief message of appreciation, such as “Thank you for helping with the project deadline!” or “Great job leading the meeting today!” These messages can be for small acts of kindness, outstanding work, or even behaviors that align with the company’s values.

What are some benefits of using Kudo cards?

– Boosting Morale and Motivation: Public recognition through Kudo Cards can significantly uplift employees’ spirits.

– Fostering a Positive Work Culture: Regular use of Kudo Cards encourages a culture of continuous positive feedback.

– Encouraging Peer-to-Peer Recognition: Unlike traditional top-down recognition programs, Kudo Cards empower everyone in the organization to recognize their peers.

But there are not enough words to explain how powerful this tool is; you should try it.

My humble contribution is to share one of my personal stories:

I am working as an external agile coach with a multinational company. For more than three months, we developed a product that we truly believed in. We use Scrum as the most suitable framework.

We had our ups and downs, but my Team stayed strong during those days.

One of the difficult moments recently was when we failed the Sprint goal. That resulted in the delayed release of our new feature for a month. All team members were down. Constantly repeating my favorite sentence, “There is no failure, there is just learning,” didn’t help.

On that particular Sprint Retrospective, the Team’s mood was bad—or we can call it sad. The energy was low, and silence was our additional member. The standard retrospective questions, such as “What was good?” and “What needs improvement?” were ineffective.

At this moment, we needed a new idea. One tool from Management 3.0 could work. Let’s use Kudo cards!

I prepared digital Kudo cards on the Mural board and shared them with the team members. I said:

“Hey, Team, let’s show the world who we are! The five of us are unbeatable. We stayed together in the most challenging times, respecting and covering each other. Now, it is time to share gratitude. Take one or more cards from the Kudo cards storage and write how grateful you are to them. Take as much time as you need. Be honest, we need this today!”

After that, I invited them to take cards and think in silence. We said no additional words, just silence like a dark, blue ocean of thoughts.

Every team member was so focused, almost in some trans.

Ultimately, they just put cards on the Retrospective canvas for team members who wanted to share.

Later, I added Kudos Wall as a sign of constant appreciation.

What did I learn? 

Even in the most challenging moments, we can use some communication tools to create bonding and support a team in continuing their journey. Being grateful and respecting all team members is one of the best ways for a team to succeed.

• In that Retrospective, I use simple and cost-effective yet super-powerful tools. They are free to download or cheap to buy online.
• We started something new. At that moment, we didn’t recognize the size of the change—it was almost a cultural change. We changed the way we give and receive feedback.
• Finally, we promoted recognition among us first and then within the organization. Our Team connected on a deeper level.
• I am especially proud of adding an additional column for people outside our Team, who heard about this and appreciated this initiative.

Of course, I had some pitfalls that I want to share with you:

• I didn’t explicitly say that everyone should write for everyone, so I wrote one for one team member who didn’t have any. Next time, I will choose to do this in pairs or everyone for everyone.
• When I put Kudo cards on the wall, I explained that this is something that we will do when they feel like we should, not to have a specific time. I am afraid that Kudo cards could lose authenticity if it is forced.
• Not every achievement is the same. I need to figure out how to create distinction.
• Are other Teams ready for this “new culture”? We shall see.

The idea of a Kudos Wall is new to me, but I intended to have a dedicated space, either physical (like a bulletin board) or digital, where Kudo Cards are displayed. This wall serves as a visible reminder of the positive actions and contributions within the Team or organization.

And for the end, one of my favorite Kudo cards I get on my leadership training shows the power of this great tool. Even after 15 months, I still keep it on my whiteboard.