According to a Gallop annual report on engagement, the best predictors of employee and workgroup performance are:  whether the organization addresses employee's primary needs, how workers contribute to the whole, how they are valued, whether there is organizational fit and whether they have developmental opportunities.

Trying to figure out whether your organization caters to fully engaged employees can be tough, but Gallop provides some true or false indicators to ask employees that might shed some light.  The two most critical indicators are:  1) I know what is expected of me at work, and 2) I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right.  If employees answer "true" to these questions, you're on the right path.      

A few other indicators are answers to these questions:
3)  In the past seven days, I have received recognition or praise for good work.
4)  My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.   
5)  The mission or purpose of my company make me feel my job is important.
6)  In the past year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow.

So go out and ask employees what they think!  Based on the input, you can implement changes that will build more loyal and engaged employees...and positive impact your bottom line.

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! 

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!
  

In the last part of our series about team dysfunction, today we'll cover the last two of Patrick Lencioni's "Five Dysfunctions of a Team":  Avoidance of Accountability and Inattention to Results.

One of the things that has struck me most about these Five Dysfunctions is the significant impact that a lack of strategic focus has on each of them.  Without a clear direction, employees don't know which priorities to focus their efforts and that usually yields sub-par performance...and with the last two, that is even more prevalent.  

Avoidance of Accountability:  If employees aren't sure of the direction of the company or their departmental goals, how are they going to have leverage to hold others accountable?  Accountable to what? 

A team that lacks accountability 1) Creates resentment among team members who have different standards of performance, 2) Encourages mediocrity, 3)  Misses deadlines and key deliverables.

Maybe the most impactful way to improve accountability is to publicize the goals and standards...make it crystal clear what is expected and how everyone must behave to achieve the objectives.  Yet another approach is to regularly give reviews on progress - this helps in re-setting expectations for anyone going off track.   And finally,give rewards or recognition for progress along the way or for meeting important milestones.

Inattention to Results:   Once again, the importance of clearly stated goals and objectives comes into play. 

A team that is not focused on results 1) Stagnates/fails to grow, 2) Rarely defeats competitors, 3) Encourages team members to focus on their own careers and individual goals.

Consistent with accountability, a focus on expectations and a clear picture of success is important, along with a public declaration of results.  And institute a process where financial rewards such as compensation or bonus are based on team completion of goals.  

Hopefully by spotlighting some of the key dysfunctions of teams, you can determine which ones are impacting your ability to achieve objectives...and you have some steps to take to get on the path toward success!

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!

      

I can sometimes see why organizations treat the HR Department like it's a "cost center".   Typically, most HR departments operate as a transactional part of doing business (cost) rather than being a strategic partner or leader in making sure business goals are met (value added). 

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal (you can read it here) highlights a few very real situations where companies tried to do without HR.  The most daunting story was of Outback, the restaurant chain, who, without an HR department, had to settle a sex discrimination lawsuit by forking up $19 million.  Another part of the settlement - hire an HR Executive!

Let's face it, HR is evolving and most of the transactional work like processing benefits and streamlining the recruiting process can be outsourced, saving a company money to devote to other more strategic initiatives.  This is where HR can really step up and play a key role in a organization - to understand where the company is heading and assist in the development of plans to get there.  After all, HR IS the function that helps manage the people who actually DO the work!   

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. 

  


 

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.