RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
I was at a session recently at which the latest Gallup State of the Global Workplace 2017 statistics were discussed – it was pretty depressing hearing the numbers.
· Only 11% of UK workers are fully engaged at work
· 68% of UK workers are not engaged
· 21% of workers are actively disengaged
These stats make worrying reading as they translate to 1 in 5 employees working against your business and only 1 in 11 working for it.
Leaders are fundamental to making a shift in team member’s feelings and actions. I’ve been pondering the stats and have been reflecting on my 20+ years of experience in various countries, workplaces and sectors and have come up with my thoughts around the fundamental steps that need to be taken to shift colleague mindsets and motivate them to become real advocates of the company in which they work:
A clear and compelling vision (the why), strategy (the what) and values (the how) that are integrated into everything a company does. There’s no point in having a vision, strategy and values that are articulated once a year at a leadership event or a town hall by the CEO or the Exec team. It’s about consistency and recognition for achievements aligned to them. It’s also about hard-wiring them into all people processes and initiatives, whilst also giving employees the freedom to make the vision, strategy and values their own.
How do the vision and values translate into the recruitment approach, induction process, strategic objectives and priorities, performance management and reward and recognition to name but a few? Only by consistent integration and joining the dots can a culture with the right behaviours and focus start to evolve and move the company in the right direction to realise its vision and strategic objectives.
Once the vision, strategy and values narrative have been shared with colleagues in the right way – and a lot of thought and consideration needs to be given to this – it’s important to carry out team sessions in which colleagues can figure out for themselves, supported by their leaders, how to make the vision meaningful to them and their role. Colleagues come to work wanting to contribute, but sometimes along the way disillusion can set in. Empowering colleagues to consider and then take control of the way they work and perform is important. When colleagues can clearly see how they are personally contributing to the vision and strategic priorities, it's all powerful and incredibly motivating. 'Making it meaningful' team sessions are a must!
Role modelling from the top is self-explanatory but it’s worrying how often this isn’t done. If the top team aren’t going to ‘walk the talk’, why would they think that colleagues will take it and them seriously.
The top team should also stay in direct touch with different levels of the organisation. Hearing it from the horse's mouth is insightful and keeps the CEO and his team in the ‘real world’ and enables them to be balanced in their decision making. I’ve often thought how challenging for CEOs not to be swayed by the colleagues they deal with on a day-to-day basis, who may be biased, out of touch or have political agendas. Regular, relatively intimate sessions with colleagues from across the business at different levels can help the top team stay in tune with what's going on throughout the business.
The right leaders who champion the vision, strategy and values and have the right skillset, attitude and collaborative and inclusive approach, help bring their teams on a united journey with them. Leaders who support rather than alienate are critical to organisational success. I’ve talked to a lot of Senior Leaders who have said that they wish they’d upskilled the full Leader population sooner rather than later. As we’re all aware from the stats, most employees leave an organisation because of their Line Manager – just think how many more talented colleagues you could retain by developing great Leaders with the right skills, strategic approach and emotional intelligence.
Communication is the cornerstone of an engaged workforce. A culture of high engagement requires a consistent flow of communication from top to bottom and back up again. Connecting colleagues to the organisation, leaders to colleagues and colleagues to each other, makes for a productive, informed and valued workforce.
In a recent published State of the Sector report from Gatehouse, 56% cited poor communication skills in their Line Managers as the biggest barrier to their success. It’s a Line Managers role to have meaningful conversations with their teams; provide context for corporate decision making; help colleagues to see how they play a part in delivering the bigger picture and inspiring, motivating and recognising them for their actions.
There are more elements that contribute to having an engaged workforce, but these are the ones that stick out for me. The Burke-Litwin Model of organisational performance and change, cites 12 factors. The research states that external factors, vision and strategy, leadership and culture must be central to achieving transformational change. Only tweaking and restructuring the other 8 areas is not directional enough to bring about large-scale change.
Food for thought....