We're glad to try to help people via email if your issues are not too complicated (free advice) so feel free to send us your comments or questions.
President: Darcy Hitchcock darcy@axisperformance.com 503 288-7704
CEO: Marsha Willard marsha@axisperformance.com 503 284-9132
We hosted a think tank on sustainability because we wanted to learn more about it. We'd heard the term and try to keep abreast of emerging business trends. In that think tank, we realized that by showing our clients how to be more productive, we had taught them how to deplete the world's resources better, faster, cheaper. Ooops. So we've been on a journey ever since to learn how we can contribute to a sustainable economy (as opposed to the unsustainable one we have now).
Not in our view. First, sustainability focuses not just on having a healthy environment but also a healthy economy and society. We need all three because they are intimately connected. Also, business people tend to think of the environment as a cost (add a scrubber or filter). But sustainability is a strategic business issue, not something you leave to your environmental engineer. Just like the quality movement caught businesses by surprise and upended winners and losers (remember when "Made in Japan" meant junk?), so to will this movement.
Sustainability provides you a way to look into the future and foresee problems you're likely to encounter: new regulations, supply problems with raw materials, customer pressure, etc. Especially with long-term business decisions (designing a new product, building a new facility, etc.) it's nice to have a strategic planning framework based on hard science, that is as reliable to plan around as demographics. The bonus is, once you begin to look at your operation through the lens of sustainability, you find waste and inefficiencies that were invisible before. Any your employees get really excited about coming up with innovative ways to move forward.
Use teams when you need additional quality, creativity or perspective. Not all tasks require these things. Teams take time so use them where you'll get the biggest return.
Most of the time, when teams aren't working well, it's not because the people aren't trying. It's usually because you've made a mistake in the design of the team or surrounding support systems. One of the most common mistakes is to form a team when they have no real reason to work together. Or to hold long, drawn-out meetings when not everyone needs to be there. Another common problem is asking for teamwork when all your business systems (e.g., performance appraisals, rewards, etc.) scream "Look out for yourself!"
Even the most skilled people sometimes need to step aside and let someone else facilitate their meetings. Use this checklist to help you identify when to ask for help.
When not to facilitate your own meeting:
If you checked any of the statements, then we recommend looking around for someone else to facilitate you meeting. Contact us or your HR department to find a qualified facilitator to help you.
Many business movements appear to die out, but what really usually happens is that they get integrated into the everyday practices of the business. Like learning a new habit, once you know it, you don't need the crutch of quality circles, self-directed work teams, etc. Nowadays, quality and employee involvement are taken for granted, the entrance fee to operating in a global economy.
Performance problems come in three flavors: skill (they don't know how to do it), motivation (they don't want to) or systems problem (something is making it difficult). In the OD field, we talk with tongue in cheek about the "Smith and Wesson" test for skill problems. (If you put a gun to the person's head, can they do it? If so, it's not a skill problem so don't send them to training.) With all the violence in the workplace, this is probably in really bad taste, but you get the idea. If it's a skill deficiency, training and coaching are in order. If it's a motivation problem, examine the positive and negative consequences of doing it and not doing it. Often people are in the wrong job; they can do it but don't enjoy it. It's also quite common to have a systems problem: not enough time, conflicting goals, etc. Root these out and fix them. Notice that "being a lazy bum" is not one of the three problems. We have found that even the most disgruntled employee will shine if given the right job, training and encouragement.
Actually, you can't motivate someone else. All you can do is put in place systems that encourage them to motivate themselves. Key to all this is involvement in decisions which affect them. People are far more likely to support something if they've been involved in discussing it, even if it's not what they wanted. Treat them with respect; ask their opinions and act on what they say; let them know how much you appreciate and care about them; give them timely feedback (heart-felt acknowledgement, not the vapid "nice job"); model the highest ethical standards. You can also help people discover and tap into their deeply held passions. (See the Team Booster on Intention Setting as an alternative to goal setting.)