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.         

Whether your organization is big or small, consider the impact that HR can have on an organization:

• According to the ADP Research Institute, the average employment lawsuit exceeds $490,000...and the number of lawsuits have increased by 400% over the last 20 years.  You can't completely avoid lawsuits, but an HR professional can help you establish procedures and protocol to minimize the number and severity of cases.
• A recent Forbes article stated the obvious - the best way to ensure strategy implementation is to hire the right people.  How do you hire the right people?  Have an orchestrated recruiting process (a key HR role).  

• Got legislation?  The alphabet of healthcare (ACA, COBRA, ERISA) is enough to give all employers a headache, but then add a few more - FLSA, FMLA, and ADA and you've got a full blown migraine!  Any HR professional can help keep you out of legal trouble by making sure your organization is in compliance and procedures are established so leaders know how to keep in compliance!
  

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!

      

While thinking about the subject for a perfect blog, I ran across a Linkedin post from Jack Welch.  The points he made in the article resonated with me and my passion for what HR can do for an organization, so I thought I'd share it (see below). 

One of the key thoughts in the post is, "HR should be every company’s “killer app.”  What could possibly be more important than who gets hired, developed, promoted, or moved out the door?  Business is a game, and as with all games, the team that puts the best people on the field and gets them playing together wins. It’s that simple." 

Amen!  But I will add one key point:  HR leaders can only be fully effective if there is a strategic business plan in place.  HR should be involved in the development of the plan and then they should partner with key leaders to help implement it!

Read more below from Jack Welch's article.  It's great stuff.    

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?

 

In studying any concepts in management, you are likely to come across his name.  Peter Drucker.  He was one of the first management consultants focusing on business improvement and worked with many of our leading corporations.  Heard of Management by Objectives (MBO)?  Mr. Drucker came up with that...and many other concepts businesses use to become more effective.

In his book, "The Effective Executive:  The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done", he summarizes his findings on the practices that effective executives have in common.   They seem pretty straight-forward on the surface, but implementation of them take some effort and focus.  The most effective leaders followed these eight practices: 

1)  They asked, "What needs to be done?"  Constantly.  An effective executive only focuses on one goal, maybe two, at a time.  Additionally, at regular intervals, he is re-evaluating those priorities to make sure they're still on track toward the RIGHT objectives. 

2)  They asked, "What is right for the enterprise?"  Not shareholders, not the Board of Directors, but what will make the business succeed.  Then the profits and pleasing stakeholders falls into place. 

3)  They developed action plans.  They figured out what needed to be done and who should do it...methodically.

4)  They took responsibility for decisions.  The buck stopped with them.  They held people accountable, but in the end, it was their responsibility to be sure everything stayed on track.

5)  They took responsibility for communicating.  They didn't expect people to just "get it".  They arranged meetings and weaved the messages and goals into everyday conversations.

6)  They were focused on opportunities rather than problems.  A problem is seen as a way to meet a need that is currently not being satisfied - either in making a customer for life or in providing a product that is superior to what's currently being offered.

7)  They ran productive meetings.  This often means not having meetings at all.  Discipline is one of the keys here.  Since time is our most valuable commodity, we are best suited to manage it as such.

8)  They thought and said "we" rather than "I".  Enough said - TEAM!

 

Recently HP's CEO, Meg Whitman announced a management shakeup.  The key focus on her "turnaround strategy" is making sure the right people are doing the right jobs...it turns out getting the right people on the bus is not enough.  In fact to quote Ms. Whitman, "Who the right person is can greatly depend on the moment.  Someone who has performed an exemplary job leading one leg of that journey may not be ideally suited for the next."  She further drew out her point by saying, "As a company grows quickly, a manager who is good at running a business at one scale and revenue level may suddenly find themselves overwhelmed when the business quickly surpasses a certain point.   The tendency is to think that the manager is failing. In fact, the business has simply grown beyond the manager’s skills. They need help."   BRAVO! 

It is easy for companies to get "stuck" with their current organizational structure and lose sight of whether growth of the business translates to growth IN THE SAME WAY by the leaders holding key positions.   Business leaders owe it to themselves (and the success of their business) to constantly re-evaluate the competencies of their employees and make sure they are optimized.   At times, this may require a simple training/coaching initiative to bring the employee's capabilities to the level that is needed.  But another approach, as Ms. Whitman illustrated with her "management shakeup", is moving folks to different assignments so certain skill sets can be better utilized.  

According to a recent study of 300 CEOs by the folks at Kapta Systems…

• 82% feel their team isn't acting with enough urgency - impacting the company's ability to get work done;

• 78% said they don't have confidence that their employees "get it".  They fear employees are working on unproductive or misdirected activities that are unrelated to the company's strategy;
• 64% said they didn't feel full control over their company's direction;
• 45% were not satisfied with the executive team's performance;
• 38% said they have been blind-sided by a negative surprise in the last 90 days.  

Common to each of these issues is people management.  With the proper alignment of people, processes and technology, CEOs can sleep easy with dreams of a highly profitable business filled with inspired employees!