Bringing
Corporate Philosophy Alive
If the philosophy doesn’t fit, can the
organization atrophy? Here are some ways to avoid a
corporate philosophic misfit.
If the Shoe Doesn’t Fit?
Imagine this: a company has a promising and fashionable
philosophy about customer service. What are the
implications of it in the workplace? Nobody knows. Like
footwear that doesn’t fit, no one can try them out.
Many companies invest a lot of time and resources to
develop corporate philosophies (corporate mission,
vision, and value statements), but employees don’t
buy into them because they just don’t fit the
actual job. In fact, some employees find these corporate
philosophies loose and irritating. Why?
Often mission, vision, and value statements are
ambiguous. Imagine you are a new employee and the
organization you work for tells you to believe in certain
philosophies (like your mother made you wear certain
shoes). Yet you look around and you are not sure even the
manager believes in or understands them. It’s not
clear how these polished philosophies relate to your job,
yet you know they are important. This ambiguity can cause
a lot of stress. You want to get your shoe in the door,
yet there is this massive void in your soul because you
feel uneasy that your organization constantly tells you
what to believe.
Pitfalls to Philosophizing
How much damage can corporate philosophies do? Here are
some of the drawbacks:
- Ambiguous philosophies are hard to
apply.
- They are often created by a small group of
employees and enforced on others.
- Many employees resent being told what to
believe.
- Philosophy is theory. Business is a day-to-day
hands-on activity.
- Employees make things happen and need to be an
integral part of the philosophy.
In
many cases it’s not so much the corporate
philosophy that is the problem, it’s how we apply
it. Because employees are at the forefront of business
activity, they need to understand a philosophy in order
to apply it in different situations. If employees
aren’t engaged and included in the process, an
ambiguous statement turns them off from their work. We
apply a philosophy by engaging employees in it.
How to Engage Employees in Corporate
Philosophy
Most successful organizations have mission statements;
most individuals do not. Like organizations, employees
need a purpose for their work, a guiding mission that
provides meaning to daily activities. Employees must come
before philosophy. So, before engaging employees in a
corporate philosophy, first help them uncover their own
sense of purpose in their work.
Corporate Culture Defines Expectations That Affect
Performance
This is why we need to help employees to identify and
strengthen their own sense of purpose before selling
corporate expectations to them. Employees must define
themselves outside of the expectations of others. They
must define what is purposeful about the work, what they
enjoy, and what success looks like to them to enhance
their sense of individual purpose. Employees with a
strong sense of purpose are more accountable,
self-motivated, and have more initiative.
Strategy—here are some tools to help
encourage individual purpose in others:
- Get employees thinking about why they are in the
job in the first place (besides to pay the
rent).
- The core of individual purpose comes from really
getting a hold of the question, “What do you care
about in your work?”
- The good manager will create conversations about
things that matter to employees, at the same time
creating for them a sense of identity. When employees
have their own sense of purpose they have defined a
purpose for themselves that not even a change in
management, a change in the job, or other
employees’ negative opinions can take
away.
- The mission test: Ask personnel at every level
what the company mission is and how it affects their
job. If you don’t get an accurate or consistent
response, the mission may need
rewording.
- Tie everyday tasks and roles to the bigger picture
like contribution to customers, the company, and the
overall community.
From Individual Needs to Collective
Purpose
As employees are asked what they care about in their jobs
the answers move away from individual concerns toward
helping others in building collective purpose. Employees
must take care of individual needs before they can spare
enough energy to contribute to others. Through coaching
and follow-up, managers can help employees care for their
own needs so they can free up their energy for the group
good. As Maslow’s hierarchy suggests, employees
need to satisfy lower-order needs like food and shelter
(paycheck) and social needs (interaction) before higher
order needs like purposeful work will prevail. As Maslow
suggests, employees are most motivated by their strongest
needs, so find out what those needs are and motivate
employees accordingly.
Consistently use the strategies above and turn your
polished corporate philosophies into a fit for the job.
Remember, employees are the resource that makes things
happen, thus it is essential to get their buy in.
JODY URQUHART is the author of All
Work & No Say Takes the PASSION Away, Create a
Passionate & Committed Workplace. To order a copy
or to discuss having her speak at your next meeting,
please send an e-mail to ido@idoinspire.com
.
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April 2002 News for a Change
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