𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀.

𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝘀𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴?

Let's look at the three types of reward systems project teams use and the effect each can have on community building.

🔸 Some project teams reward only the winners and exceptional contributions.

🔸 Others reward participation and contributions.

🔸 Then there is the hybrid approach that rewards participation, contributions and exceptional performers.

I find the the hybrid approach interesting and more beneficial to projects when the goal is to build a long-term, supportive community.

It's healthier and has the potential to elicit a sense of belonging and a willingness for long-term support from community members.

In most communities, exceptional contributors constitute about 5–10 percent.

If only this category of the community is rewarded, in the long run, the greater number of community members are likely to feel aggrieved and become less supportive, as they may feel their contribution or participation is meaningless.

While the need for high-flyers and exceptional contributors cannot be overemphasized,

it's important to acknowledge that a community is made up of people with different abilities, resources, experience, networks and levels of influence.

Some community members might not make exceptional contributions and may never make the leaderboard, yet they consistently show up, contribute genuinely and support the ecosystem. They bring goodwill, they put out positive words about the project to the larger society, and projects need all these contributions to thrive.

A hybrid reward system gives every participant a reason to keep showing up, while giving exceptional performers an extra incentive.

These no doubt translate into a long-term, healthy, enthusiastic and supportive community.

What do you think?