Creating a Culture of Smarter Thinking

Innovation has always been a business necessity.  How many times have you worked with individuals or teams that work really hard, but not always in the most effective way.  I am sure you heard the mantra “work smarter, not harder”.  Art Markma, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas and director of the Human Dimensions of Organizations program recently published a book “Smart Thinking”.  In the book he discusses several straightforward things leaders can do to help everyone in an organization think more effectively. The more you know about the way your mind works, the more that you can improve the thinking of the people around you. Here are some things you can do to get the ball rolling toward a smarter organization.

• Stamp out multitasking. This is one that has been debated quite a bit and we are all guilty of it,   virtually everyone today does some type of multitasking.  Markma says “The human mind simply isn’t designed to do more than one kind of complex thinking at a time”. When people are working on complex material, give them permission to ignore the phone, shut off the e-mail and shut down instant messaging. When you bring everyone together for a big meeting, get them to “be here now.” Ban smartphones and Internet browsing during meetings.
• Encourage openness. You never know where the next good idea is going to come from. So encourage people to try on new ideas for size before deciding whether to pursue them. Too often, people assume that the fiercest critic in the room is the one who looks smartest. But if you criticize before deeply understanding an idea, you won’t be able to use that knowledge later when you need it. Set an example by focusing first on the positive parts of a new proposal before finding potential flaws.
• The company succeeds when “we” succeed. Our culture is one that prizes individualism. Ultimately, we reward people who make important contributions. Credit and publicity tend to go to particular individuals who make important contributions. History rewards great people, but rarely great groups. But an organization cannot succeed without a group contributing deeply to that success. Lead by promoting the value of group success and reward groups for their achievement. In the long run, that provides everyone with the incentive to learn and grow.
• Create desirable difficulties. We use technology to make things easier for us. And, of course, there are lots of things that ought to be easy. It is wonderful that we can send documents across the globe in seconds and that we can get research papers with the click of a link. But technology cannot make learning easier. Gaining true understanding of complex situations requires effort. Don’t just provide summaries of key concepts to group members. If there is something that people need to understand, encourage everyone to dig in and work on it.
• Support smart habits. There is a lot that we do mindlessly each day. We don’t have to think about where the light switch is in our office or how to find the gas and brake pedals in the car. Those habits are smart, because they allow us to focus our mental energy on more important matters. Similarly, don’t disrupt the habits of people in your organization without careful planning. Open workspaces, for example, don’t allow people to develop habits for where their desk supplies are and can cause disruption. Changes in internal websites and forms cause people to think about tasks that should be mindless. And remember change for the sake of change costs more time and mental effort than it is worth.

This book provides simple yet valuable advice that can be applicable to anyone and any situation. I would recommend it to anyone with a curiosity and desire for living a smarter and more efficient life.

Where are Company decisions made?

I think everyone who has ever worked, especially in some type of corporate environment can tell you a story or two about terrible meetings they have attended.  There are also many, many examples of meetings that, while not awful, are far from productive. One of the reasons for these experiences is that meetings are not often a place where decisions are made effectively – or even made at all.

Meetings, of course, aren’t the only place where decisions can and should be made, but in the context of meetings is one way to talk about how decisions can be made.

That discussion must start with the leader. The leader must consciously (better) or unconsciously (far too often) determine how a decision for any specific situation will be reached. The basic choices are:

An independent decision – one made by the leader alone. These decisions may be announced at a meeting, but by definition they don’t require any input from others; a meeting isn’t required to make them.

• A decision with input - the leader wants input from others before making the decision; a perfect reason for a meeting.
• A collaborative decision – more than just a bit of input, in this approach the group deliberates on the facts and other factors before a decision is made.
• A consensus decision – a decision where the leader themselves isn’t making the decision, but truly the full group comes to the decision collectively.

Each of these decision-making types, including all of the nuanced versions of them, are valid and valuable in the right situation.

Next week I am going to provide readers with the best meeting approach for your situation. Your answers to certain questions will help you create better and more open decision-making processes, and in the meantime help you create more effective and productive meetings.

Oh and one very important reminder:

If you have already decided which direction to go, or which course of action to take, do NOT ask for input.

It damages trust, wastes people’s time and is a dangerous manipulation.  I have seen this far too many times.  You know who you are……

To be continued…..

Manage company growth more effectively

It turns out the online promotion was not being honored at the store.  In talking to one of the sales people about my options he told me he could pull some strings and get me the same deal.  I took it home, plugged it in, and it worked great.  I was a happy customer.  That is until the bill came.  I noticed I was being charged an additional service fee for the store purchase.  What happened next was what really got me thinking about growing pains companies and their customers experience when they are not prepared for rapid growth or expansion.  I called customer service.

The support representative was nice enough, but after explaining the situation several times she could find only one solution.  I needed to take the device back to the store, return it. I would then need to go online, sign up for the deal and wait for exactly the same device to be mailed to me.  No way.  What an enormous waste of time and money for everyone involved.

I decided to prod a little so I could better understand the internal workings and maybe get a different resolution.  With a few questions, I found out she herself was frustrated with the sales person.  She was frustrated with the company software she was using as it physically wouldn’t let her apply the promotion to my account even if she wanted to.  She was even more frustrated that she had never heard of the online deal, before I called.  I sympathized with her and explained how I could definitely see how poor planning and communication, and not having the tools and autonomy needed to do her job could be stressful.

There are a few things I see here that are symptomatic of a company that has a widening gap between infrastructure and growth:

Poor communication – When companies grow quickly they undergo many changes in a short period of time.  Information becomes siloed and lines of communication between groups break down.

Poor planning - Strategic planning is a must in any change initiative and especially when dealing with plans for expansion.  It’s important to take a systematic approach and consider all of the aspect of the change (including customer experience) not just financial considerations.

Lack of clear job roles – As roles expand or are created, the situation turns to one in which people do what they want to do and say that the remaining tasks are “not my job.”  This was very evident in my encounter.  The support person said a number of times that “this is a store issue” or “I can’t help with store related problems.”  To me, the customer, the company has one face.  Internally that didn’t appear to be the case.

Lack of resources - Employees need to have the tools that will be required to support growth.  In this case the support person felt her “hands were tied.”

I wonder if senior leadership of this company are truly aware of the issues their employees and customers are facing.  In a press release, they describe their growth last year as “phenomenal,” reporting sales doubled in Q3.  They anticipated by the end of 2011 they would see double what they expected in terms of a customer base.  Surely, they have a lot on their plates.  How much better would the situation be if they were armed with feedback from their employees?

If I had to make one recommendation to this company, it would be to pay attention to what is happening on the front lines.  It’s so important to give employees a voice and support them in supporting your customers.  Employees have an understanding what is and is not working in day-to-day activities.  They want to know their opinions count and can shed light on things leaders can’t see.  In order to truly leverage employees’ experiences, leaders must listen, let employees know what they are hearing, and show employees how their feedback has created real and meaningful change.

By the way, in case you are wondering, I did get the support person to find a work-around to remove the fee, but the company could have had this one employee handle about 5 more calls in the hour she spent trying to find a solution for me without much support.

Keeping you remote team focused and engaged

Employee engagement is at an all-time low, which means managers are at risk for lower productivity, higher turnover and spending more time putting out fires. When that team is scattered all over the place, it’s even harder to keep your team focused and engaged. What are some of the things we need to be thinking about?

Chester Elton and Adrian Gostick are the authors of “The Orange Revolution- How One Great Team Can Transform an Entire Organization.” Using research from some of the best companies in the world, they have identified some tips for managers of remote teams.

During a recent interview on The Cranky Middle Manager Podcast, the perpetually upbeat authors answered some questions specific to managing remote teams:

What are the challenges of trying to build teams remotely and why does it matter that we get it right?

First, remember that managing remote employees is not a recent phenomenon. Leaders have been trying to inspire and provide direction to remote followers since ancient times. Genghis Khan quite effectively led a team spread across thousands of miles, and he did it without telephones, the Internet, or even a Facebook page (imagine!). We have less excuses than past generations to do this right, and many more tools at our disposal.

Now, with that said, we work with enough companies to know the challenges. First, remote employees feel isolated, undervalued and out of touch with what matters most at Corporate. Remote leaders feel their employees on the fringes don’t listen to them, don’t follow directions, and have too much latitude in how they deal with clients or in the hours they work. But for managers who get this right there are tremendous benefits for both sides: retaining and getting the most out of talented employees who work in diverse parts of the country or world.

What are some proven ways of recognizing employees when they only know each other virtually?

How long does it take for a manager to connect with a remote employee who has done something wrong? About a minute. How long does it take for that manager to connect with a remote employee who has done something right? Maybe never. The most important way for a manager to begin the process of recognizing great work is to shoulder the burden.

Great managers send handwritten notes to employees, they recognize their people via Social Media, they bring remote people together often and when they do they present tangible awards to those who have done above-and-beyond work. These managers also ensure teammates have online ways to send thanks to each other—ecards for instance—and also provide each person with a stack of simple recognition notes and other inexpensive awards to send to each other.

What is the same or different about remote teams versus co-located teams?

Remote teams are similar to other teams in that they can provide tremendous value if we engage them appropriately. The sad truth is, however, that remote employees can do more harm than good to the company’s reputation if they are not living the company’s values. Thus, it takes much more training and conscious effort to help remote workers understand and live your values every day.

Can you share a couple of unique, real-life approaches you’ve seen work?

A few great things we’ve seen to get remote teams to feel more like a team (and if we remember, the places we heard them): 1) A virtual bulletin board online where remote employees can chat, post cartoons or pictures, and stay in touch. 2) A happiest remote employee of the week award (Budget Rent A Car), where employees nominate co-wokers and vote on the winners every Friday. 3) Bring the entire team together for training, and invite their families to come along (Pella). 4) Guess the Oscar winners for a prize (KPMG). 5) Play work bingo together online by filling in a square each time a team member completes a task.

The authors make a very simple point: great teams care, and great leaders care about their teams by making the effort to keep them in touch with the organization and each other.

Share your successes in keeping your remote team engaged and productive.

Organizational Culture and Recruiting

It’s one thing to articulate organizational culture, it’s another to live and breathe it.

One of the exciting aspects of being an external business partner is the ability to peer into the inner workings of client organizations. One can almost predict the eventual success of a new employee based on his/her fit within the established culture. When a company “walks the walk” their true working culture matches the messages they send to their internal and external markets.  They will encourage engagement between candidates and many different people within the organization. The search process doesn’t just focus on the group with whom the successful candidate will be working with, but also with those with whom the candidate will need to engage, depend on, persuade, etc. If the company’s true culture is spread throughout the organization, the search process will act as a sieve to not only highlight candidates who can do the job, but those who will fit in and be cultural representatives for the organization. The search process may take a little longer, but the outcomes will likely lead to choosing the right person.

“Our company’s greatest asset is our people!”

How many times have you heard this?  It’s a nice saying, but it’s meaningless without introspection and application. And the truth is, people aren’t your greatest asset, unless they’re in position to leverage their greatest strengths – those things they do well consistently and energetically.

Years of research have proven that individuals and teams playing to their strengths significantly outperform those who don’t in almost every business metric. In fact, the single best predictor of a consistently high-performing team is the answer to this question: “At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?” Teams with individuals who do, massively outperform teams with people who don’t.  They are more profitable, more productive, less likely to quit, less likely to have accidents on the job and the list goes on.

That’s compelling, but this is confounding: Research reveals that only 12% of people in the workplace play to their strengths “most of the time.” Could it be we take strengths for granted?

At a time when organizations are trying to do more with fewer people, it’s critical to engage each person’s strengths, and do it at all levels across the organization. The strengths movement isn’t about making people happier; it’s about making organizations more productive. It’s about yield. The best companies are made up of great teams. And those teams have individuals who know their strengths, take them seriously and offer them up to the organization.

Guidelines for resolving intergenerational conflict

I’ve heard from many employers and employees lately about the conflict diversity places in the work force today.  However, they are not talking about gender or race, they are speaking of different generations working side by side in todays workforce.

For the first time in history, there are five generations working side by side: the Traditional Generation (born pre-1945), Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964), Generation X (born 1965-1980), Generation Y (1981-1995), and the Linkster Generation (born after 1995). Since conflicts often arise in a multigenerational environment, it’s helpful to have some understanding of the differences between employees of distinct generations.

Each has been influenced by the major historical events, social trends, and cultural phenomena of their time, shaping their ideas about expectations and perceptions about what the working environment will provide, as well as company loyalty and work ethic.  All generations bring different values to an organization and those leaders who cultivate those differences will place themselves ahead of the crowd when it comes to recruiting and retention in the coming years.

Here are some guidelines for resolving intergenerational conflict:

• Look at the generational factor. Is this conflict generational, or is there something else going on? For example, Traditionals and Baby Boomers don’t like to be micromanaged, while Gen Yers and Linksters crave specific, detailed instructions about how to do things and are used to hovering authorities. There is almost always a generational component to conflict; recognizing this offers new ways to resolve it.

• Consider the generational values at stake. Each generation is protecting a distinct set of values, and conflict may threaten these values. For example, Baby Boomers value teamwork, cooperation, and buy-in, while Gen Xers prefer to make a unilateral decision and move on — preferably solo.

• Air different generations’ perceptions. When employees of two or more generations are involved in a workplace conflict, they can learn a great deal by sharing their perceptions. For instance, a Traditional may find a Gen Yer’s lack of formality and manners offensive, while a Gen Yer may feel dissed when this older employee fails to respect her opinions and input. Have each party use “I” statements to avoid potentially negative confrontations.

• Find a generationally appropriate fix. You can’t change people’s life experience. But you can work with the set of workplace attitudes and expectations that come from it. So, for instance, if you have a knowledgeable Boomer who is frustrated by a Gen Yer’s lack of experience coupled with his sense of entitlement, turn the Boomer into a mentor. Or you may have a Gen Xer who is slacking off and phoning it in. Instead of punishing him, give him a challenging assignment, the fulfillment of which is linked to a tangible reward.

• Find commonality and complements. When we study generations, some common and complementary characteristics emerge — and these can be exploited when dealing with conflict between them. For instance, Traditionals and Generation Y employees both tend to value security and stability. Traditionals and Boomers tend to resist change–but both crave training and development. Gen X and Gen Y employees place a high value on workplace flexibility and work-life balance. Boomers and Linksters are most comfortable with diversity and alternative lifestyles. Gen Y and Linksters are technologically adept and committed to socially responsible policies.

• Learn from each other. Each generation has valuable lessons to teach the next. For example, Traditionals and Boomers have a wealth of knowledge and tricks of the trade that younger workers need. Generation X employees are widely known for their fairness and mediation abilities. Generation Y workers are technology wizards. And Linksters hold clues to future workplace, marketing, and business trends.

How do you manage generational differences in the workplace?

This was posted in Smart Briefs by Mary Ellen Slayter.   Larry and Meagan Johnson, the father-daughter team behind John Training Group, co-authored “Generations, Inc.: From Boomers to Linksters — Managing the Friction Between Generations at Work.”

Creating a productive culture during tough times

During tough times, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep yourself and others focused. Our brain’s reaction to fear kicks in and we pursue a variety of options just in case.  Despite our brain’s insistence that we look at multiple opportunities and constantly explore new things, tough times are not the time to diffuse your energies. Focus, focus, focus!

Get clear on what excellence looks like for the next six months.  Define it, so all employees can relate to it and can make the right decisions moment to moment.  Once you have gotten yourself focused on the right things including prioritizing where you should spend your time and other resources, there are some core things you can do to keep employees engaged and aligned. To start, at the company or team level, make sure you have reconsidered the culture necessary to achieve quality based on the changes around you. Culture helps people know what to do and how to act. Remember that actions speak much louder than words, so it is the apparent behaviors that get translated into beliefs and drive behavior throughout the organization.  If you say one thing to employees, yet your action represents the opposite, you hinder a successful culture.  An aligned and positive culture can contribute significantly to an organization’s success and even more so in tough times. The behaviors of everyone can contribute to moving forward and reaching your destination points or they can slow you down at the worst possible time. An unaligned (usually unintentionally developed) culture gets in the way. 
 
Cultures poorly aligned to the elements of your strategic framework (why do we exist, how will we behave, what is our value to key stakeholders, where are we going, where are we today, where will we focus our energies) can be damaging and distracting. For instance, when a company needs all employees to become obsessive about excellent customer service due to tighter markets, increased competition or ever higher customer expectations, the culture has to support the employee behaviors necessary to achieve this obsession. This includes building policies and practices that allow employees to make decisions and take risks about satisfying customer requests immediately. For example, if a customer service agent is only allowed to operate ‘by the book’ in addressing customer requests, she/he risks losing a customer when they have a unique need and it requires three levels of approvals to have that need met. 
 
Leaving culture changes to chance is like abandoning one half of your strategic planning framework. It is like pretending that those darn employees and the way they get things done do not really matter to achieving success. There are some core practices and beliefs that drive high performance cultures:

• Clearly define what winning looks like at your company
• Measure what matters and what employees can relate to
• Develop an ownership mentality
• Enable and reward educated risk taking by employees that satisfies and retains customers
• Nurture trust, by involving your employees

These are just a few.  I’d like to hear what your company does to create a culture of success during tough times.