In many instances, the way we have made our operations more cost-effective has been to lay off workers-based on the simple notion that people equal costs. Unfortunately, we fail to realize that the success of cost cutting comes at the price of serious motivational problems for the remaining employees. The workforce is burdened with new responsibilities, and at the same time, must cope with the uncertainty of further job cuts. Employee loyalty disappears. In a recent survey conducted by The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) of companies that went through downsizing shows that employee morale declined in 86 percent of those companies. This leads to a long term vulnerability for many of the restructured corporations.
In their mission statements, many corporations affirm that "people are our most important asset." Admittedly there are numerous examples of sincere efforts to promote participatory management and people involvement, encourage teamwork, and otherwise draw on the assets latent in human energy and talent. And more and more companies share ownership with their employees in the hope of setting higher levels of productivity. However, we often do not comprehend that the task of turning employee involvement into competitive advantage requires profound changes in the role and philosophy of management, corporate values, organizational hierarchy, and labor relations. If these changes are not in place and, consequently, decisions are still handed down from the top, employee motivation suffers and productivity remains at low levels.
We need a different approach to unlock people's productivity. this may be an opportune time to revisit the principles of motivation, to see what really energizes people and lets them take ownership of their jobs. Since the 1950s and 1960s, when Abraham Maslow, Frederick Herzberg, and David McClelland developed their theories of motivation, we have made significant advances in our understanding of what energizes people in the workplace. For example, we now focus on the difference between "extrinsic" and "intrinsic" approaches and we understand how people "self," their way of being, influences their motivational orientation.
Having said so, let's try to develop a profile or a perspective for a good employer, i.e. a good place to work for; how such a place would look like? And what are the core values that attract people to work for such a company and make them want to stay on board? I can think of the following characteristics:
Employees are in control. workers not only have he power to run day-to-day operations, but also the opportunity to participate in designing manufacturing processes for greater efficiency. Once the labor content of a product is determined, company leaders and workers cooperatively figure out the best ways to cut product costs. Of course this evolves employees participation in the planning process related to each function in the organization.
A simple, clear bonus system. Any organization can compare the actual cost of labor with the estimated cost. If the actual cost is less than the estimate, the difference between the two could be paid as a bonus to the employees who contributed in fulfilling such saving. Likewise, the bonus is significantly reduced if a poor-quality product reaches the customer. This helps prevent high-volume production at the expense of quality.
Team problem solving. The value of the workplace can be enhanced where employees take responsibility for more than their own job. Employees in each area would operate as a cohesive group to maximize output and solve problems if they trust their management and were empowered by them to become accountable.
Leaders emerge as needed. Natural leaders do emerge naturally in the workplace, only of we create an environment that help employees reach their potentials. When problems arise, we can see leaders around us trying to help solve them. Those are employees who have the ability to influence others, and with the right investment in developing their skills they make great leaders.
Management takes on a new role. Self-autonomy is the name of the game here. mature employees should be enabled and empowered to 'manage' their own jobs. They assume responsibility and become accountable about the results. Management role becomes more focused on 'what gets done', but 'how it is done' could certainly be decided by the job holders as long as they work within the organizational context and observe its ethical conduct and abide by the quality standards in what they do.
To conclude, I found that the most important assets that contribute to both high morale and high productivity could be summarized as:
True autonomy where employees run their shop.
Management confidence that employees can grow and develop as needed by the organization.
A cooperative, caring environment and a willingness to stand by each other through good times and bad.
Creating a Better Place to Work - To learn more about this author, visit Dr. Fathi El-Nadi's Website.
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Vwodek Wojczynski
Business Coach and Consultant Vwodek Wojczynski (pronounced Voy-chin-ski) brings fun, awareness, accountability and fresh perspectives based on his diverse experiences in life and business.
Born in Poland and educated in Greece and Canada, he is trilingual with 8 years experience in business development with clients in Canada, USA, Switzerland and Poland.
His approach is systematic and process-driven. He fuses the know-how of proven business methods with his commitment that entrepreneurs experience satisfaction and joy based on their values, motivations and strengths. He believes that businesses succeed based on their ability to generate value by providing what’s needed and wanted.
Ultimately, he trains executives and true business owners - people who work less, produce more, own businesses that run automatically after a while and make a difference globally.
His current research focus is the development of intelligent business systems and the application of emerging artificial intelligence technologies in business.
He is also an avid traveler, spoken word performer and visual artist. He resides in Toronto, Canada. - Visit Vwodek Wojczynski's Website |
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Dianne Crampton
Dianne Crampton is an Executive Leadership Coach and Team Building Consultant and creator of the TIGERS team development model. For the past twenty years she has helped leaders and teams achieve goals with high levels of collaboration and teamwork.
Crampton is a published author. Her contribution to Working Together: Diversity As Opportunity was endorsed by Stephen Covey. She has written for trade magazines. Merrill Lynch nominated her business for Inc. Magazine’s regional small business and entrepreneurial awards. Her work with Native Americans was recognized at a United Nations sponsored conference in 1994.
The TIGERS model passed two rigorous validation studies in 1992 and 1994. The TIGERS Survey is able to measure and track team development over time.
Dianne is also the creator and distributor of the TIGERS Team Wheel game. This game helps groups identify behaviors that build collaborative groups and behaviors that cause conflict, morale problems, production failures, and misunderstandings.
For more information, or to subscribe to TigerTracks, a free monthly leadership and team newsletter go to http://www.corevalues.com - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
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Dr. Fathi El-Nadi
(Visit Dr. Fathi's Website)
Certified Crosby College TQM Instructor;
Management & HR Development Senior
Consultant to a number of Egyptian & Arab
enterprises across the Middle East. -
Rated by The Society for Human Resources
Management (SHRM) as Senior HR
Professional due to his significant
contributions to prominent Multinationals
in the US, The Gulf, and Egypt. - Had held
senior Management, HR, and Training
positions in SOM, Johnson Wax, General
Motors, and Bristol Myers Squibb. -
Currently teaching Management, HR,
Strategic Management, and OB at a member
of prominent private universities in
Egypt. - Management & HR Development
consultant to USAID, CIDA, DANIDA & IFC on
development projects in Egypt. -
Professor, Strategic Management & HR
Development (The Arab Academy for Science
& Technology / AUC) - Consultant & Member,
The National Committee for Faculty &
Leadership Development Project (FLDP), a 7
year World Bank Funded project to enhance
the quality of Higher Education in Egypt.
- Consultant to a number of Egyptian State
universities on Strategic Planning &
Quality Improvement projects.
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