 |
Morale Problem? Look in the Mirror
By Jim Clemmer
Many organizations are experiencing deep and debilitating morale crises,
just as they're trying to cope with a challenging business climate. Companies
are finding that a large number of their workers, supervisors, managers
and executives have quit their jobs - but they're still coming in to work
every day.
Because dissatisfied employees can't produce satisfied customers, service
levels suffer. And uninspired people don't make improvements to work processes.
At management seminars and workshops, I am frequently asked how to motivate,
renew or revitalize employees. One senior manager complained bitterly
about "the declining work ethic" and how nobody takes pride
in his or her work any more.
This manager - like so many others - was searching for the "motivational
magic button." He wanted to discover some program or technique that
would recharge people in his organization like so many dying batteries.
His own organization had embarked on an internal "sloganeering"
campaign. But despite well-managed internal communications - including
videos, newsletters and snappy slogans on coffee cups and T-shirts - service
quickly returned to its former mediocre level.
This search for the motivational Holy Grail is a classic case of treating
symptoms rather than root causes. Managers searching for the reasons for
plummeting morale and low motivation levels need to take a look in the
mirror.
Quality guru W. Edwards Deming points to the common cause of the problem:
"The supposition is prevalent the world over that there would be
no problems in production or in service if only our production workers
would do their jobs in the way they were taught. Pleasant dreams. The
workers are handicapped by the system, and the system belongs to management."
Motivation is an inside job. A manager alone can't motivate or revitalize
people, just as a gardener can't grow plants without the right soil or
weather. But a manager can create the conditions for self-motivation.
Conditions affecting morale are varied and complex. If you are wrestling
with this issue you should find guidance by answering these questions:
| • |
Look at your performance appraisal system. Does it hold people accountable
for results that depend on a bigger process than they control? |
| • |
Is everyone in your organization well-trained, informed, and involved? |
| • |
Do reward systems encourage and reinforce high performance? |
| • |
Do you aggressively measure and manage those factors with the highest
impact on customers, employees, and production and service processes?
|
| • |
Are accounting and management information systems designed to make
it easier for customers and those serving customers, or are they designed
for the managers only? |
| • |
Similarly, are front-line employees serving their internal and external
customers - or just managers? |
| • |
Are you hiring highly self-motivated people? |
| • |
Are supervisors, managers, and executives acting as effective coaches
and team leaders? |
| • |
Are people skills and leadership ability key criteria in all promotions?
|
| • |
The most important question of all is - how do you know? |
Get the people whose motivation and morale you're concerned about to
provide the answers to these questions. One company tackled this task
through a "dumb rules and forms" committee. Led by a vice-president,
the group's mission was to search out and destroy all the demeaning and
useless bureaucratic busywork that complicated the organization and turned
people off.
The work ethic is not dead. Studies show workers want to take pride in
their work, belong to a winning team, and be part of an organization they
can believe in. It is wrong to ask: why don't people want to work any
more? More to the point, why don't people want to work for you?
|
Originally appeared in Jim's column in The Globe & Mail. Jim
Clemmer is a bestselling author and internationally acclaimed keynote
speaker, workshop/retreat leader, and management team developer
on leadership, change, customer focus, culture, teams, and personal
growth. During the last 25 years he has delivered over two thousand
customized keynote presentations, workshops, and retreats. Jim's
five international bestselling books include The VIP Strategy, Firing
on All Cylinders, Pathways
to Performance, Growing
the Distance, and The
Leader's Digest. His web site is www.clemmer.net. |
top of page |
 |
