By Linda Keefe
The Warning Signs of Organizational Indifference
Do these phrases sound familiar? “That’s
not my job.” “I can’t help you; talk to my boss.”
“That’s just how we do things around here.” “Someone
else was supposed to do that.” Organizational indifference occurs
when your employees no longer care about the company’s success.
They’re simply working for a paycheck, doing only what it takes
to not get fired and not looking for opportunities that will help the
organization thrive. Unfortunately, no company is immune from organizational
indifference. It exists in firms of all sizes and in all industries. And
it impacts the bottom line.
What percent of your workforce is plagued by organizational
indifference—10%, 25%, maybe even 75%? Unfortunately, no matter
what percent you perceive, the reality is usually much greater. When you
consider all the labor costs involved in recruiting, hiring, training
and paying benefits, even one organizationally indifferent person is too
many.
When you rid your team of organizational indifference,
your employees are eager to express new ideas and genuinely want to help
clients. They are excited to come to work because they know their contributions
matter, and they have a definite purpose in the organization. As a result,
customers enjoy doing business with the company, and revenue and profits
increase. Additionally, your operating expenses and turnover decrease
as employees take a more active role in the company. Productivity soars
as each employee strives to make a positive impact on the bottom line.
How to Determine the Level of Organizational Indifference
To analyze where your team is on the indifference scale
and begin to fill any gaps that exist, rate how well your employees perform
each of the following tasks:
1. Communicate the organization’s vision
The company’s vision is more than words on paper. It’s an
explanation of the company’s goals and how the organization wants
to be perceived by the world. While senior-level executives may strive
to uphold the company’s vision, front-line employees may have
only a vague idea of the vision.
When your employees know and embrace the vision, they’ll
have a newfound purpose for their everyday activities. They’ll
have a sense of the “big picture” and will be able to understand
how their actions contribute to the company’s goals. Studies show
that when people believe that their contributions matter, they want
to do their best and to take an active leadership role in their jobs.
Walk around your organization and ask the employees
if they know the company’s vision, what it means and how their
actions contribute to it. If they are unable to answer all three parts
of the question, it’s time to explain the vision in detail and
exemplify it from the top down.
2. Possess the tools they need to do an excellent
job
To perform well, employees must have the latest, best and most relevant
tools. Furthermore, employees who know that they are being provided
with the highest quality appropriate tools and training feel a sense
of value and commitment from the organization. For IT people, that means
having—and knowing how to use—the most cutting-edge computer
programs available.
People involved in research must have appropriate
technology and tech training made available to them, along with training
in the latest benchmarking techniques. Employees responsible for sales
or marketing should receive continual training in their disciplines,
along with technical training as needed.
No matter how much you invest in technology or how
many training sessions you send your people to, you’ll never know
if your employees are using the technology effectively unless you measure
their performance. Find out where your people are in terms of their
technological skills as well as where you want them to be. This may
necessitate bringing in an outside consultant.
3. Give frequent praise and recognition
For an organization to thrive and for employees to feel valued, there
must be a company-wide focus on praise and recognition. An ideal environment
is one where not only does management praise and recognize employees,
but employees praise and recognize each other and the management team.
Any team endeavor is enhanced when the members encourage each other’s
efforts. Conversely, when team members have a negative attitude towards
each other, the team won’t function well and may even fall apart.
In order to create an environment of praise and recognition,
CEOs and senior managers must lead by example. Answer this: Have you
given praise and/or recognition to your employees in the last seven
days? Do your employees know what is expected of them? Do you give your
employees opportunities to learn and grow? If you answered “no”
to any question, then you need to pay more attention to your praise
and recognition efforts. Establish avenues for employee recognition,
such as company newsletters, postings on bulletin boards or even with
handwritten thank-you notes from management. Show your employees that
they’re valued and they in turn will value the company.
4. Know when they have the authority to take action
on behalf of the organization—and do it
Many company leaders talk about empowering their employees, but they
don’t follow through when it comes time for employees to exert
their authority. Too many executives fail to realize that empowerment
is a three-fold process that builds trust between the employees and
the corporation.
First, empowered employees know precisely how much
latitude they have in any given situation. They don’t have to
second-guess themselves when they make decisions because managers have
detailed what each person can do. Second, when empowered employees have
reached the limit of their authority, they know the steps to take to
find out additional information or to make suggestions. Finally, empowered
employees are not afraid to think outside the box or offer new ideas
because they know they have management’s support and that the
senior executives want their input. They feel that the company values
their ideas and so they strive to devise new ways to help the organization
perform better.
Proven Results
When employees know what the organization is about,
how to use their technology effectively, how to instill team motivation
and what their empowerment processes are, there is an effective groundwork
for eliminating organizational indifference. When employees care about
the organization and are excited about their work, they’ll solve
more problems, serve customers better and contribute to the company’s
overall success. It’s the combination of these four elements that
moves the organization forward and unifies people with the entrepreneurial
spirit that leads to long-lasting results.
Are your employees indifferent or involved? Here’s
a quick quiz to find out.
If you would like further insight into this topic, consider
the following AMA seminars:
Click here for a complete
listing of AMA seminars.
Author Bio: Linda Keefe is a speaker
and consultant and is CEO of Shared Results International, a business
focused on helping companies achieve faster growth and higher productivity.
She can be reached at (888) 689-8077 or lindakeefe@sharedresults.com
|
