# Recognition Systems **Domain:** Community Design / Behavioral Science **Doc Type:** Concept Node **Maturity:** Developed ## Definition Recognition systems are formal and informal mechanisms that show a community which contributions, conduct, and forms of courage it values. ## Mechanism Awards, leaderboards, acknowledgments, and featured work direct attention toward selected behavior. Repeated recognition supplies social proof and increases the likelihood that others will imitate it. ## Significance Recognition shapes culture most constructively when it rewards contribution, learning, service, and responsible participation rather than visibility alone. ## Relationships - [[wiki/Behavioral Modification|Behavioral Modification]] - [[wiki/Peer Influence|Peer Influence]] - [[wiki/Social Proof|Social Proof]] ## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts > “Recognition systems teach a community what it values. Leaderboards and awards that highlight the most active video makers, commenters, and encouragers signal which behaviors the culture celebrates. Rewarding contribution and courage shapes a healthier group.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Building a Community Platform for Durable Creative Work - Livestream (Aug 2016)* [[reminders/Leadership/Recognition Systems Teach Communities What to Value by Bryant McGill|Recognition Systems Teach Communities What to Value by Bryant McGill]]