Hack:
Gold is for diggers: discover your people!
January 20, 2011 at 2:13pm
Summary
'What's in it for me?' - an uncomfortable question sometimes, but always a real concern for individuals. Boost people's engagement and motivation, unleash their capability, by taking two bold & new, yet natural directions:
- GET TO KNOW YOUR PEOPLE - holistic approach, with personal perspective included,
- INVOLVE YOUR EMPLOYEES IN BUILDING THE BUSINESS STRATEGY.
- GET TO KNOW YOUR PEOPLE - holistic approach, with personal perspective included,
- INVOLVE YOUR EMPLOYEES IN BUILDING THE BUSINESS STRATEGY.
Problem
premise 1. mixing business with pleasure is a 'no go' in the corporate culture. Being professional is most often associated with excessive formalism and 'business focused' behavioral pattern, which excludes the human side of a business. People's perspective is that they are mainly the tools for achieving results and 'focusing on people' implies merely enhancing their capabilities for achieving greater business outcomes. Still, all employees are people interested not only in working but also in fulfilling their personal goals. We all spend most of our lives at work and we long for satisfaction and work-life balance. Real people have real feelings and needs they can not entirely leave outside the company door. So how do we, business and HR leaders, ensure everyone has a clear answer to 'what's in it for me?' and 'why would I still be here?'.
premise 2: lack of engagement is generated as well by lack of congruence between individual's personal objectives and the organization's business objectives. Therefore, each entity will have a different way of 'doing business' that sets the stage for heightened dissatisfaction on both sides. Moreover, improper understanding of the organization's mission / disbelief in its mission, or products & services fosters disengagement, and implicitly, a low level of contribution.
premise 2: lack of engagement is generated as well by lack of congruence between individual's personal objectives and the organization's business objectives. Therefore, each entity will have a different way of 'doing business' that sets the stage for heightened dissatisfaction on both sides. Moreover, improper understanding of the organization's mission / disbelief in its mission, or products & services fosters disengagement, and implicitly, a low level of contribution.
Solution
GET TO KNOW YOUR PEOPLE. Engage people on the long term: find out from the first day one's personal development objectives / help them identify them and draft corresponding career map to transform their working experience into a rewarding venture (draw a 'treasure map' and a quest with tangible milestones and rewards). Perceive the employee in a holistic manner, inside and outside the company's doors: involve life partners in supporting major employee's decisions (on employee's approval basis) such as employee's recruitment, national or international mobility, promotion; in difficult economic contexts help employees to overcome stressful situations by providing benefits like company loans, psychological support, financial counseling. Work-life balance: encourage your employees to harness their hobbies - flexible work arrangement, office facilities, scholarships.
INVOLVE YOUR EMPLOYEES IN BUILDING THE BUSINESS STRATEGY. Design the objective setting process as a two way street between Employees and the Organization.
Employees --> Organization: Provide your employees the big picture of the organization's strategy and objectives and explain their role in achieving them, before setting the individual performance objectives. When setting the individual ones, use the top down cascading method, to reinforce importance of their role and to obtain buy-in.
Organization --> Employee: Collect employees' developmental needs and commit to creating the environment for achieving them, by adding a 'people objective' to the business objectives. Convey the message that people are important and that you value their expertise by involving them in the strategy defining stage: in a wide open forum, obtain their feedback for the company's strategy and integrate it in a way that shows their voice is being listened to and considered. E.g. 'strategy day' - a one day open event dedicated to discussing the strategy.
Offer stocks to employees with high performance to create a sense of partnership and increase interest in the company's status (offer periodical information regarding stocks).
For involving employees in the strategic decision making and for growing attachment, let them try out the company's products/services and request their feedback in try-out programs with registration. Moreover, reward their contribution based on the quality and feasibility of their inputs.
INVOLVE YOUR EMPLOYEES IN BUILDING THE BUSINESS STRATEGY. Design the objective setting process as a two way street between Employees and the Organization.
Employees --> Organization: Provide your employees the big picture of the organization's strategy and objectives and explain their role in achieving them, before setting the individual performance objectives. When setting the individual ones, use the top down cascading method, to reinforce importance of their role and to obtain buy-in.
Organization --> Employee: Collect employees' developmental needs and commit to creating the environment for achieving them, by adding a 'people objective' to the business objectives. Convey the message that people are important and that you value their expertise by involving them in the strategy defining stage: in a wide open forum, obtain their feedback for the company's strategy and integrate it in a way that shows their voice is being listened to and considered. E.g. 'strategy day' - a one day open event dedicated to discussing the strategy.
Offer stocks to employees with high performance to create a sense of partnership and increase interest in the company's status (offer periodical information regarding stocks).
For involving employees in the strategic decision making and for growing attachment, let them try out the company's products/services and request their feedback in try-out programs with registration. Moreover, reward their contribution based on the quality and feasibility of their inputs.
Practical Impact
Business: value added contribution from employees - fresh & pertinent perspectives, alignment in scope, business knowledgeable and skilled work force, high retention thus knowledge retention and business continuity.
Employees: high level of motivation, sense of ownership & appreciation, business understanding, high level contribution
Employees: high level of motivation, sense of ownership & appreciation, business understanding, high level contribution
First Steps
Select strategy ambassadors to promote the current company's strategy among employees through workshops, printed media, promotional materials, contests
Know your people: build a mentoring program first for high potential employees, oriented both on professional and personal development with managers as mentors (to also strengthen the bond between the two parties)
Launch the 'Try-out' program for employees (to obtain feedback on the company's products/service and reward involvement & contribution to optimization/ improvement)
Know your people: build a mentoring program first for high potential employees, oriented both on professional and personal development with managers as mentors (to also strengthen the bond between the two parties)
Launch the 'Try-out' program for employees (to obtain feedback on the company's products/service and reward involvement & contribution to optimization/ improvement)
Credits
DANONE & HP cultures and people
Images
January 29, 2011 at 6:52am
People are the real value of any company. Great job, girls!
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January 25, 2011 at 5:06am
Without people- there is no Gold, without loyalty to the businesses who have the people, the tools and infrastructure to make gold , there is still none. Get the balance right and there is more than enough for everybody!
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January 24, 2011 at 7:34pm
Maybe it is because we are coming from the same country, but for me what you stated is really powerful and makes a difference.
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January 24, 2011 at 7:38pm
We are glad to have opened a useful door. Insights are always great starting points for step changes. Keep in touch.
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January 23, 2011 at 10:31am
Intuitively, (both of) you and I…we stand on a same platform… and it doesn’t come as a surprise – because of the European background – we all share. On the other hand…”I like it a bit softer”… But, I liked the way you choose to “paint the picture” you presented. I liked your choice of dialogical touch, also.
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January 24, 2011 at 7:17pm
Thank you for your comment, even though it will take us a while to decrypt it :)
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