| How well an organization's business processes work is | | | | survey, balancing the demands of personal and work |
| a major factor in determining how well it produces | | | | lives was the number one issue, ahead of job security |
| results. Experience tells us that the effectiveness of | | | | and salary. This is more than just a time issue. The |
| these processes will directly influence an organization's | | | | mental, physical, social, family, financial/career, and |
| results. That's why I am a major supporter of | | | | spiritual elements of an individual's life will affect |
| continuous improvement of business processes. We | | | | productivity on the job. Conversely, an issue at work |
| also know that motivated, committed and skilled people | | | | can affect the personal side. Skills in this can be |
| are even more valuable because they can often | | | | developed. The organization needs to promote the |
| make things work despite less than perfect systems. | | | | development of holistic personal and business goals. |
| I have come to understand more than ever that the | | | | An individual's personal goals are not for sharing with |
| answer to higher productivity lies in a larger investment | | | | others unless they want to do so. It is more important |
| in creating committed people. This idea is not new, but | | | | that this work is being done and that it shows up in job |
| it is difficult to put it in place when in the environment of | | | | performance. Businesses also need the benefit of |
| 24/7 competition, an uncertain economy, and heavier | | | | employees who have an adequate amount of time |
| workloads. Let's also not forget that the new visibility | | | | away from the job to reenergize their personal power |
| of management evildoing, has created more than a | | | | supplies. Impossible to achieve in a 24/7 world? Maybe |
| few skeptics. Skeptics are less likely to feel fully | | | | not - how about insisting that employees get away? |
| committed. | | | | How about sharing organizational learnings on how to |
| So, how do leaders and employees make this | | | | plan for away time so that there isn't an |
| investment? What investments need to be made? | | | | unmanageable backlog of work when they return? |
| What is the role of leaders? What is the role of | | | | The idea would be that there are not extended |
| employees? The answers to these questions are not | | | | periods of time when personal and work life is out of |
| always simple. | | | | balance. The business gains because employees are |
| The optimum solution combines proven principles with | | | | more rested and focused and the |
| a non-traditional approach. The principles have been | | | | - Establish a set of higher values and live by them. If |
| proven during years of experience in creating high | | | | the company's leaders behave consistently with a |
| performance organizations. The non-traditional | | | | more lofty purpose than just profits, it can develop a |
| approach is simply to trust these principles without first | | | | deep sense of pride. When the organization is known |
| requiring proof from the usual business metrics. | | | | as a contributor to the community, it begins to take on |
| Six Principles for a committed workplace: | | | | a dimension of humanness that most people can |
| - Establish the philosophy that personal development | | | | readily relate to. And, if the company has an |
| means business. Put in place an active program to | | | | outstanding reputation of treating other businesses |
| develop each employee's skills related to their job. One | | | | ethically, it attracts more customers. If leadership's |
| benefit goes to the employee and the other benefit is | | | | actions do not match their words, it will be a source of |
| returned to the business in the form of greater | | | | mistrust. |
| contribution by the employee. This investment should | | | | - Foster Attitudes that serve the business and the |
| include developing skills such as creativity, leadership, | | | | individual. Attitudes are habits of thought that influence |
| communications, decision making and management, as | | | | behavior. Helping people to Understand the linkage |
| well as technical skills. | | | | between attitudes about one's self, place of work, and |
| - Become A Change Organization - Change is related | | | | results are often difficult to exactly substantiate These |
| to innovation and innovation is all about improving | | | | do not have to be serious activities - in fact making it |
| results. An innovative culture and mindset is one that | | | | fun, an adventure that everyone is involved in and |
| encourages new ideas, positive attitudes and learning. It | | | | counted on |
| can create a more dynamic environment that | | | | Before these principles can be applied effectively, |
| stimulates growth. Organizations that learn to embrace | | | | there two requirements: first, do not think about |
| change as a way of life create new capability to | | | | investment in its traditional context - money. Not all of |
| respond positively to business challenges. Diversity of | | | | these factors require money but many require a |
| thought, background and culture is a catalyst. | | | | process of sharing important learnings and skills across |
| - Create ownership and involvement by the total | | | | the organization. Think about it as a focus of people's |
| organization. People perform better when they feel like | | | | time, attention, and sometimes, money. Secondly, if the |
| they are an important to the success of the | | | | organization does not have a clear vision, a sound |
| organization. This is one of the core practices in Total | | | | strategic plan and goals, it must create them. If these |
| Quality. A powerful way to do this is to make sure | | | | are not in place, the foundation is missing some blocks |
| that the entire organization has an opportunity to | | | | and will not support the kind of environment that you |
| understand the vision, the state of the business and | | | | are trying to build. |
| how well the company is living up to its goals. When | | | | I have tried unsuccessfully to directly and numerically |
| employees are encouraged to participate in an | | | | correlate these principles to traditional measures like |
| organized way to design solutions to business | | | | ROI, and the truth is that it is not possible, there are |
| problems, it creates a sense of ownership. Finally, | | | | simply too many variables involved to do it accurately. |
| having a way for employees to participate in the | | | | There is plenty of evidence though from organizations |
| financial growth of the company creates even | | | | that begin to operate more effectively when attention |
| stronger incentives. | | | | is paid to these principles. I have also found that you |
| - Learn to balance personal and work life. In a recent | | | | simply have to trust them. |