In today’s economy the way we manage people needs to be a high priority. Is it important to create a need satisfying work environment? The answer is “yes”. So often we become wrapped up in the day to day operation of our business and lose sight of our most important customer, our employee. If the employee does not feel valued this will very quickly be transferred to the customer.
Have you ever gone shopping to a retail store and been treated poorly? The person behind the counter or on the floor are more interested in talking to their friends on their cell phone or some other behaviour than they are interested in serving you the customer. Have you walked away feeling totally unimportant and undervalued? Employees who are feeling unimportant or undervalued and have no joy or ownership in their work they will do just enough work to get the pay check, often minimum wage.
How often do we enter an establishment and feel like we are the number one person there? You are served with a smile and no matter how many questions or demands you may have you are always treated with respect. It seems like such a happy place yet we know that most are working for minimum wage.
How can two places be so different. I believe it has to do with the way we manage people. Are you a “ Boss or Lead Manager? Let me explain. Our workplaces have high employee turnover because of a bossing management tradition. “ Bosses take charge of the workers and they can decide whether to reward or punish the behaviour of the employee. Workers often do not trust the manager because of the way authority is handled...Boss management contains four elements: 1. The boss sets the task and the standards for what the workers are to do usually without consulting the workers. Bosses do not compromise. Instead the worker has to adjust to the job as the boss defines it or suffer the consequences as determined by the boss 2. The usually tells rather than shows the workers the task and rarely asks for their input as to improving the product or service. 3. The boss, or someone he designates, inspects the work. Because the boss does not involve the workers in this evaluation, the workers do only enough to get by.. They rarely even think of doing what is required for quality and efficiency. 4. The boss uses coercion and punishment to try to make any resistant worker do the task their way. In doing so, the boss creates a workplace in which the workers and managers are adversaries. Bosses think that this adversarial situation is inevitable and the way it has to be to make a profit. ( Lead Managing on Purpose, 2007)
“ We now have extensive research to prove that Boss Management is much less effective than Lead Management.” ( Ken Pierce, Lead Managing on Purpose, 2007). The four elements of Lead Management are: 1. Lead managers engage the workers in an ongoing, honest discussion of both the cost and the quality of the work needed for the company to be successful. 2. The Lead Manager, or his designate, shows or models the job so that the worker hwo is to do the job can see exactly what the manager expects. 3. The Lead Manager eliminates most inspectors and inspections. He or she teaches the workers to inspect or evaluate their own work for quality with the understanding they know a great deal, almost always more than anyone else, about what high quality work is and how to produce it economically. 4. The Lead Manager continually teaches and models for the workers that the essence of quality is constant improvement. To help them, he makes it clear that he believes his main job is as a facilitator, which means he is doing all he can to provide the best tools and workplace as well as a respectful, supportive, non-coercive, non-adversarial atmosphere in which to work. ( Lead Managing on Purpose, 2007)
So often it is the system itself that creates problems....it is management’s responsibility to work on the system. It is the employees’ responsibility to work in the system. Workplace relationships are key to quality products, employee retention, satisfaction and quality customer service.
If you would like to learn how to make such changes in your work environment or learn more about these ideas. Contact your “ Choice Theory®Coach”........maureen@monctonrealitytherapy.ca
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Maureen Craig McIntosh "I am a former health care professional who coaches individuals to experience healthy and successful relationships". Full Profile & Contact Information...
