{"id":1263,"date":"2018-08-27T22:31:37","date_gmt":"2018-08-27T22:31:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.realworldconsulting.kiwi\/rwc\/?p=1263"},"modified":"2018-08-27T22:53:52","modified_gmt":"2018-08-27T22:53:52","slug":"hatching-and-nurturing-a-positive-workplace-culture-the-only-true-catalyst-for-improving-commercial-outcomes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.realworldconsulting.kiwi\/rwc\/rwc-blog\/hatching-and-nurturing-a-positive-workplace-culture-the-only-true-catalyst-for-improving-commercial-outcomes\/","title":{"rendered":"Hatching and Nurturing a Positive Workplace Culture &#8211; the Only True Catalyst for Improving Commercial Outcomes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Many businesses focus the lion\u2019s share of their available time, energy, effort and financial resources on pursuing very defined\/ articulated commercial\/ financial objectives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">While the necessity to achieve and sustain a viable business is well understood, <strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">business owners often overlook the development of their workplace culture as being a major contributing factor to realizing financial success.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">In 2015 I was asked by the Chairperson of the Napier Rotary Club (New Zealand) to present to members on any topic of my choosing. I willingly and happily accepted this invitation, and in so doing prepared a PowerPoint presentation to serve as the \u201cbackbone\u201d of what I wanted to say about how to evolve an organization. For those who are interested, this presentation in its entirety can be viewed in my LinkedIn profile found here: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/peterdalexander\">https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/peterdalexander<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">In my opinion and continually evolving experience, the rate\/ speed at which an organization will evolve (become better\/ stronger\/ larger) very much depends on:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Factor 1:\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Its Culture<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Plus<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Factor 2:\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Its Resources and How It Allocates Its Resources\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Plus<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Factor 3:\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0The Competencies and Capacities of Its People\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Plus<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Factor 4:\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Its Structure<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Plus<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Factor 5:\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0The Level of Desire\/ Will to Change That Is Evident Among Stakeholders<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">This relationship can be expressed by the equation:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">\u201ce\u201d = Factor 1 + Factor 2 + Factor 3 + Factor 4 + Factor 5<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">\u2026where \u201ce\u201d means the \u201cSpeed of Evolution\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #ff0000;\">By maximising\/ optimising each of the 5 x Factors above, you are causing the &#8216;Speed of Evolution&#8217; of your organisation to be optimal.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">If you do not have a business environment which is characterised by cultural principles such as \u201ccooperation\u201d, \u201ccollaboration\u201d, \u201cempowerment\u201d and \u201cinclusivity\u201d then your business is more than likely <u>not<\/u> a happy and (intrinsically) rewarding place for people to work\u2026and unhappy people equates to less-than-optimal productivity and creativity; and can reflect in a relatively high staff turnover rate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Example of an outstanding positive business culture:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">High level of collaboration<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">High level of camaraderie<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Commonly agreed upon decisions are still supported by the opposing minority<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Ready exchange of ideas<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Example of an undesirable business culture.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Poorly communicated stakeholder expectations<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Low level of trust amongst internal stakeholders<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Low level of cooperation and collaboration<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Over the years I have observed that the most successful businesses spend time, effort and money on <u>fostering<\/u> a \u201cgreat place to work\u201d feeling amongst their team. In such a workplace, people feel:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Included on the journey.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">They can apply their individual strengths\/ characters in their role with a good amount of autonomy and without fear of being judged harshly.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Naturally drawn to want to help their colleagues.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">That they want to share their honest ideas\/ opinions openly.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>In my opinion and experience I believe that the extent to which people in positions of authority exert their authority through enforcing legal agreements to try and achieve compliance has a considerable adverse influence on the culture of an organization.<\/strong><\/span> As a CEO of a national franchise in New Zealand, the culture of that company was such that I recall only a few instances during my 12 year term in that role when (with Board authorization) I moved to protect the interests of other shareholders by enforcing the provisions of the relevant Shareholder Agreement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">I have found over the years that <strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">the least productive way to foster a desirable workplace culture is by threatening a party with the enforcement of a legal agreement<\/span><\/strong>. In fact, I regard such a style of management as being immature and compensatory for a lack of people management skills apparent in the person performing the threat.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">I have found that it is <u>far more<\/u> positive and productive to manage the activities and behaviours of other people through <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><u>managing expectations<\/u><\/strong><\/span> versus enforcing some legal agreement. <u>Talk<\/u> with your people\u2026<u>often.<\/u><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">In managing other people who you are leading, <strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">set them up to win<\/span><\/strong>\u2026equip them with a solid understanding of <u>what you expect them to do<\/u> (and how) from the outset, and <strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">keep talking with them to keep guiding them in their pursuits<\/span><\/strong>. Think about the life of a parent. A parent repetitively guides the behaviour of their developing children in order for the desired behaviour to eventually become ingrained, and from there natural practice for the child. The same can be said for school teachers teaching any level of student that you care to think about. So why should it be any different in the case of business leaders ?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">I have three \u2018Golden Rules\u201d when it comes to managing the activities of other people:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Rule #1:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Never reprimand another person in front of others, and when doing so point out what the individual has been doing that has been <u>right<\/u> (i.e. in accordance with expectation) \u2013 over and above discussing what their unacceptable behavior was that warranted the chat between you and them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Rule #2:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Be constructive in all feedback\/ guidance that is provided to the incumbent. (when warranted) Encourage a positive change of behavior\/ attitude in the incumbent \u2013 show how this can be achieved.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Rule #3:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Look for opportunities to praise and reward people who are clearly applying themselves to the best of their ability.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">I often ponder why it is that as children we receive praise and reward for when we (for example) do a good job of something, help someone else achieve something, achieve something of merit, etc\u2026yet when we become adults such praise and reward\/ recognition is seldom seen or heard ?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Having coached kids in junior sport I have seen the positive difference it makes for a child to be told they \u201ckicked a great goal\u201d or they \u201chad a superb game\u201d; compared to other coaches who constantly snarl at and criticize players for not achieving what the coach thinks they\u2019re capable of achieving.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">As a leader (business owner\/ manager) it is important to remember that each individual has their own strengths\/ weaknesses and a unique ability to perform. In my view, what matters most is that people strive to be the best they can be at what they do\u2026and <strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">the people who are responsible for encouraging performance duly recognize and reward individuals when they consider that the individual is in fact applying themselves to the best of their ability<\/span><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">It is surprising to see the number of businesses where employees still operate in \u201csilo\u201d situations. This is where an employee operates virtually in isolation of their colleagues \u2013 concentrating exhaustively on performing the work scope that is reflected in the given Job Description; and has no predisposition to work collaboratively. I have seen this culture in organizations that pride themselves on having a \u201cflat structure\u201d as well as in relation to vertically structured organizations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">I have found that workplaces which encourage \u201csilo\u201d situations are generally not happy workplaces to work in, and the businesses concerned generally don\u2019t evolve at the same rate as those which encourage a more collaborative, cooperative and inclusive dynamic to exist between internal stakeholders.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Another major contributing reason as to why organizations fail to evolve at a commendable rate is that the people who are in positions of authority attempt to <u>control<\/u> the people who they are appointed to manage the activities of.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>It is absolutely detrimental to human relationships (in all aspects of human life) for one person to try and control the thoughts and actions of another person.<\/strong><\/span> Such controlling behavior will only result in frustration and resentment\u2026and if it perseveres, the breakdown of a functional relationship.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Overbearing control can most certainly cause people to feel suppressed, oppressed, and hamstrung. Often fear develops in the subordinate, causing them to be distracted from doing a good job by the fear that has been instilled within them. <strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Control is <u>counterproductive<\/u> to people becoming the best that they can be \u2013 it strips people of their sense of individuality, and dampens enthusiasm, creativity, flair, innovation and imagination &#8211; and will often cause people not to contribute ideas towards the advancement of the given organization.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">From what I have experienced as a senior manager to date, I rate induced anxiety\/ fear as the #1 reason why organizations don\u2019t progress\/ evolve to realise their potential. Fear is a \u201chandbrake\u201d that will stifle the forward movement of any organization.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">\u201cControlling\u201d other people is not an effective management style\/ practice. Rather, it is more about a demonstration of power in my view.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">The opposite can be said about <u>empowerment<\/u>. <strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">If you want to bring the best out of any person \u2013 for them to win at their pursuit, in my opinion there is no more powerful way of achieving this than by empowering the individual with as much discretion and autonomy to decide and act as you can (still with you guiding them <u>if\/ when<\/u> they ask for it, or as\/ when you can see they need your input).<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">As a result of doing so you should see the empowered individual:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Show more pride and dedication towards their pursuit.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Achieve a higher quality and\/ or greater result.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Want to pursue more\/ other\/ new tasks\/ activities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Want to take on greater responsibility.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Display greater trust and respect towards you.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">My final \u201cwords of wisdom\u201d that I\u2019d like to offer on the topic of building a desirable workplace culture is that as a leader (business owner\/ manager) encourage <u>genuine<\/u> views\/ contributions to come forward from your team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">I have seen some businesses slow down due to the owners being somewhat dictatorial in their management style \u2013 to the extent that the stakeholders who reported to them became anxious about stating their honest opinions to them for fear of reprisal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">If something doesn\u2019t work \u2013 for whatever reason, then it is in the best interests of the organization (as a whole) for the person in the relevant position of authority to be told that this is the case; so the issue can be resolved and the organization can move forward.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many businesses focus the lion\u2019s share of their available time, energy, effort and financial resources on pursuing very defined\/ articulated commercial\/ financial objectives. While the necessity to achieve and sustain a viable business is well understood, business owners often overlook the development of their workplace culture as being a major contributing factor to realizing financial success. In 2015 I was asked by the Chairperson of the Napier Rotary Club (New Zealand) to present to members on any topic of my&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.realworldconsulting.kiwi\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1263"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.realworldconsulting.kiwi\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.realworldconsulting.kiwi\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realworldconsulting.kiwi\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realworldconsulting.kiwi\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1263"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.realworldconsulting.kiwi\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1263\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1266,"href":"https:\/\/www.realworldconsulting.kiwi\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1263\/revisions\/1266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.realworldconsulting.kiwi\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realworldconsulting.kiwi\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realworldconsulting.kiwi\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}