Here's the ultimate in accountability:  Employees can do whatever they want, whenever they want, as long as the work gets done.  May sound crazy, but that's exactly what is happening at Edmunds, a company that operates as an online resource for information on the U.S. automotive industry. 

Just a few years ago, the leadership at Edmunds was looking for a competitive edge in attracting hard-to-come-by tech talent.  They tried a flextime policy with high hopes.  But the policy was cumbersome to administer and it didn't achieve the objective.  After trying many iterations, Edmunds' Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) implemented a vacation policy that had no limits.  That's right - take as many days off as you wish, but you'd better be able to produce the results. 

This may seem like a policy that is lined with a whole host of problems, but upon further reflection, you realize that as long as the infrastructure and accountability are in place, everyone can be satisfied.  Employers get the intended result and employees enjoy flexibility in their work lives. 

Important features of such a program would include an infrastructure that clearly identifies what success means and how the results will be measured/tracked.  And if the company is to maintain or improve worker productivity, managers have to be on top of their game in managing team member activities and holding them accountable. 

It's amazing what organizations can do once accountability is in place!  Creativity in HR "policies" can drive significant culture change that improves company productivity and thus, positively impacts the bottom line.         

According to a recent poll by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), pay is now the No. 1 contributor to job satisfaction.  This is an important consideration for organizations as it signifies a change in what leads to employee retention...for the past 5 years, job security has topped the list.

Certainly, it's not only about a paycheck.  The value of an organization's benefits package including health care, retirement savings and paid time off are all part of the total rewards picture. 

But beyond that, other contributors to job satisfaction included the employee's relationship with their  immediate supervisors and "the work itself".  Guess it adds to the validity of the statement that employees don't work for the company, they work for their supervisor...plus a paycheck, of course! 

As a follow-up to my last blog post about absence of trust as a characteristic of team dysfunction, today we'll follow up two more:  fear of conflict and lack of commitment.  

Fear of Conflict.  Why does fear of conflict cause team dysfunction?  Because if your workplace is not "safe" for dialog about work situations, especially sticky ones, you are probably missing out on some of the best solutions.  Healthy discussion about the pros and cons of a problem bring out valuable perspectives that can help employees narrow in on the best approaches. 

Some of the symptoms of environments where fear of conflict prevail include:  1)  employees avoid discussion of topics that are crucial to team success, 2)  politics and personal attacks thrive, 3)  there is a lack of open forums where all team members express their thoughts/perspectives.

Overcome fear of conflict by creating an environment where new ideas and differing perspectives are encouraged.  Start by designating a few employees Patrick Lencioni calls, "miners of conflict".  These are stewards that encourage employees to share their thoughts and verbally encourage them as the discussion becomes uncomfortable.  The stewards also follow up with contributing team members after the dialog to remind them that the conflict they just engaged in is healthy for the team in the long run.     

Lack of Commitment.   Commitment is a team dysfunction for obvious reasons - if employees are not committed to your business goals and objectives, progress is stifled. 

Environments that exhibit symptoms of lack of commitment include:  1) employees aren't clear about team direction and priorities, 2) employees revisit discussions and decisions again and again, 3)  team members second-guess each other. 

Overcome a lack of commitment by honing in on clarity and buy-in.  Clarity exists when all parties understand the objectives of the project and their role in achieving the objective.   Buy-in exists when everyone is in agreement of the next step (this does NOT always mean agreement with the decision).   

One easy way to achieve both clarity and buy-in?  At the end of staff meetings, the team should review key decisions that were reached and agree who is doing what by when...and then the team needs to hold each member accountable.   

Sometimes merely "noticing" there are dysfunctions is the first step in eliminating them.  Hopefully by reviewing some of the symptoms of each, you can recognize which ones need work on in your environment!    Next time, we'll cover the last two team dysfunctions:  avoidance of accountability and inattention to results.

Of critical importance in reaching business objectives is making sure your people work well together.  If you haven't read Patrick Lencioni's, "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team", you might benefit from picking it up.  It is a fable (and quick read) about a CEO whose business is starting to fail mainly due to a critically dysfunctional team. 

Maybe you recognize that your own team has some struggles, but you're not really sure what is causing the turmoil.  Lencioni professes a kind-of-a Maslow's hierarchy of dysfunction as follows: 

His premise is that a lack of trust is the foundation (and cause) of many other dysfunctions.  Examples of behaviors where a lack of trust pervade include team members who:  1)  conceal their weakness or mistakes; 2) hesitate to ask for, or offer,  help; 3) jump to conclusions about the intentions or aptitudes of others without attempting to clarify them; 4) hold grudges; 5) avoid meetings and find ways to avoid spending time together.

How to overcome a lack of trust?  Certainly not overnight!  It requires shared experiences over time that include understanding and a building of credibility for team members.  One of the suggestions is...oh, no, dare I say it...team building exercises. 

Once the team buys into the vision of building trust, a simple exercise such as sharing personal history can work well.  In the next team gathering, go around the table and ask folks to share some information about themselves such as hometown, favorite hobbies, first job, worst job, etc.  This provides team members with the opportunity to relate to each other in another way and see each other as people with interesting backgrounds.  This encourages greater empathy and understanding, a few main steps in building trust and rapport. 

Next time we'll cover some of the ways to overcome the other dysfunctions of teams.  Stop back soon!

      

One of the industry's leading change agents, John P. Kotter writes,  "You know your organization needs to change.  You may even know what the change needs to be:  a new strategy, a new IT system, an acquisition or reorganization.  But somehow, change comes too slowly or it feels like you're pushing a boulder up a hill, or the implementation of that great new idea has stalled - again."  Sound familiar?   Then you may need to create a sense of urgency. 

The success of any change initiative depends on the people who are leading it.  They need to feel like there is some immediacy to their actions.  Sometimes it is much easier to get started and much harder to keep the momentum going.  Here are a few ways to see change through to the end.

1.  Build a guiding team.  Pick leaders who have a vested interest in the change initiative.  Ask them to help identify critical issues and potential challenges that might hinder your progress.  Work with them to  help minimize the roadblocks and pave the way toward success.

2.  Communication.  Successful change projects have one thing in common - the leaders relentlessly communicate the visions and strategies to stakeholders and those impacted by the change.   Find various modes to communicate the same messages - email, meetings, town hall gatherings, company fun functions.

3.  Empowerment.  Change agents empower others who are committed to make an vision a reality.  You can't force change...and the more supportive feet on the ground, the better chances your initiative has for success.

4.  Short-term Wins.   Change takes time and there may be slip ups along the way.  The best way to keep employees focused is to celebrate short term wins.  At each step in the process, use celebration or recognition of reaching important milestones as a way to keep the momentum going. 

5.  Make change stick.   Find ways of institutionalizing the change into the company structure, systems and culture...make the change the "new" way.

Need some more thoughts on creating a sense of urgency for your next change initiative?  Check out Kotter's book, "A Sense of Urgency" here. 

  


 

According to a recent survey by the folks at Monster, we could use a little work in engaging our employees in work they love.  When 1,000 employed Americans were asked how much they love their current job, only 22% said they love it so much they would do it for FREE!  I guess the upside is that another 31% said they like their jobs a lot, but could like it more.  But that leaves almost 50% of employed Americans saying either they like it "well enough" for now, think they could do better or don't love it at all.

So what are the elements that increase job satisfaction and create engaged employees?  Employees of organizations that are successful at creating a great work environment:   

1)  Have a clear understanding of the company vision - why it is in business.
2)  Have a clear understanding of how their contributions help the business meet its vision.
3)  Have the training to do a great job.
4)  Are being held accountable for the work they do - with clear feedback on performance.
5)  Are respected by their supervisor and peers.  (Most people don't leave a "company", they leave their supervisor)
6)  Feel a sense of community/shared values with co-workers.

Now you may look at this list and say these factors are obvious...but you'd be surprised how many organizations miss the mark on making sure they gain traction on the simple things!  Is your organization one of them?

 

BHAG, Big Hairy Audacious Goal  – a term coined by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras in their book, Built to Last:  Successful Habits of Visionary Companies.  Their application of a BHAG is for companies to implement visionary goals that are more strategic and emotionally compelling than a typical goal and they tend to have an outlook of 10 – 30 years. 

What separates BHAGs from what most companies do is their lofty spirit and time frame.  Many businesses set goals that describe what they hope to accomplish over the coming days, months or years.  These goals help align employees of the business to work together more effectively and are often very tactical, for example, to "achieve 10% revenue growth in the next 3 months." 

In contrast,  Collins and Porras state that BHAGs are "...an audacious 10-to-30-year goal to progress towards an envisioned future."    A true BHAG is clear and compelling, serves as unifying focal point of effort, and acts as a clear catalyst for employees to champion.  It has a clear finish line, so the organization can know when it has achieved the goal; people like to shoot for finish lines."

For more details on BHAGs, check out the article "How to Achieve Big Hairy Audacious Goals" from Inc. magazine and hopefully you’ll be able to use these thoughts to get you on your path toward a BHAG!  Put a stake in the ground that 2014 is your year to achieve what matters most.

Employee engagement seems to be the latest buzz phrase in business.  According to a Society for Human Resources Study conducted in Spring of 2013, Forty-seven percent (47%) of companies surveyed stated that employee engagement was their MOST important HR challenge.  And it's good that organizations are recognizing this because a recent Gallop poll noted that as employee engagement increases, company profits do too.

So what is engagement?  It's when an employee is fully focused, involved in, and enthusiastic about his or her work.  If an employee is engaged, they act in the best interest of the company and work to further the organization's interests.

How To Increase Employee Engagement
Weaving engagement into a company culture takes effort...and it is not a do-it-and-you're-done endeavor.  It requires sustained effort.  The folks at Gallop state that integration takes a focus on four main areas:  1)  Strategy and leadership philosophy; 2) Accountability and performance; 3) Communication and knowledge management; 4) Development and ongoing learning opportunities.  Yikes, sounds like a lot of work!

In building the strategy and leadership philosophy, a few key points stand out:

• Every action that the leadership of a company sets in motion has an emotional undercurrent for employees.  Being methodical and thoughtful about the approach to business and how employees are treated is an important part of the journey. 
  
• Involvement of the leadership team is critical to the success of an engagement process.  This means they have a voice in the development AND deployment of the messages.
  

In building accountability and performance, it is critical to establish a work environment where everyone is held accountable for their work product and effort.  This starts at the top and cascades through every level of the organization.

Once the structure of an engagement process is developed, the deployment of an actual communication plan needs to take place so that engagement permeates every conversation and becomes a part of the culture. 

The sustainability of any engagement process will involve development and learning opportunities.  The is one way to directly invest in employees so they are able to perform the work tasks necessary and it gives them a positive feeling (and heightens engagement) about the organization.

One final note from our friends at Gallop - only about 1/3 of  a typical organization's employees are engaged.  Think of the opportunities that could present themselves if you doubled that...