Archive for corporate consulting
Employee Engagement
Posted by: | CommentsHave you ever lost your phone and felt that you lost a part of yourself? Tuesday I lost my phone and I never knew how much I depended on it until I lost it. That whole “never knew what you had until you’ve lost it” adage. I am extremely dependent on my phone as are most people that I felt I couldn’t go on with my day without a phone.
I frantically searched every place I had encountered in the time I had my phone until the time I realized it was gone. It was nowhere to be found. I had the sinking realization that it was most likely in the cab I had taken for less than 3 minutes while downtown. Did I remember the cab number or even the cab company? Of course not. Every cab company I called hadn’t had a phone matching my description show up so off to the phone store I went to purchase a new phone. Grrr!
Losing a really valuable employee is analogous to losing your really valuable cell phone. All the resources and contacts and knowledge saved on that phone are now lost and will never be retrieved. Workers changing jobs frequently and downsizing are regular occurrences in the workforce today. Companies want to keep the best talent and get the most productivity out of this talent. The knowledge and resources key employees possess make a company succeed. These knowledge and resources are lost when that employee leaves.
The question is: How do companies keep the employees with the knowledge and resources on which the company depends from leaving?
Increasing employee engagement has been shown to increase loyalty and productivity and decrease turnover and absenteeism. Every company wants to increase productivity and decrease turnover. These two concepts combined equals more money coming into the company and less going out.
Several elements are involved in increasing employee engagement. They are as follows:
· Employee autonomy
· Employee goals linked to organizational goals
· The cognitive level of the job
· Availability of employee development
· Team members
All of the above can greatly impact employee engagement which then impacts company profits. The best way to start increasing employee engagement is to survey employee attitudes and then make changes according to the results of the survey. The elements of employee engagement will depend on the culture of your company.
Employee engagement can be a very beneficial change to make to any organization. The United States has an increasing number of individuals with greater than a high school education. This increase in cognitive skills lends to a workforce invested in autonomy and employee engagement. Meeting the needs of employees is becoming a highly sought after goal of organizations. Is your organization ready for the challenge?
Single vs Multi-Source Performance Appraisals
Posted by: | CommentsEveryone has had one of those performance appraisals that neither the manager nor the employee wanted to have. The company thinks that performance appraisals are a good idea for many reasons but doesn’t disseminate them to the rest of the organization. The company doesn’t train the managers on how to conduct appraisals either. Wouldn’t it be nice if appraisals were something employees and managers didn’t dread? There are several types of performance appraisals out there. Each has its strengths and weaknesses.
The question is: Which type of performance appraisal should your organization use?
There are two distinct approaches to performance appraisals: single source and multi-source. Both approaches have strengths and weaknesses. Single source appraisal systems are less time consuming than multi-source. The appraisal only has to have the input of one person i.e., the manager.
The single source approach can be especially useful with a manager who has a lot of observation time with his/her subordinates and in more bureaucratic organizations. It also has the benefit of the manager knowing the job. The manager already supervises the subordinate and therefore should have information on the subordinate’s performance. The manager also generally helps to determine goals with the subordinate. It has a natural flow from top to bottom of the hierarchy. It is accepted that supervisors rate subordinates. All of these benefits of single source make it a popular approach to performance appraisal.
The downside of single source deals with the lack of variety in input. Because the manager is the only input for the appraisal, it can lead to skewed and incorrect information. The manager may not know every aspect of the job and may attribute more power to inconsequential tasks than larger more important tasks. This misattribution can lead to skewed ratings and other types of bias. Sometimes the manager is not even in the same location. This lack of contact and observation can make it difficult for the manager to accurately rate the subordinate’s performance.
Multi-source appraisal systems were originally developed due to the constant dissatisfaction with performance appraisals. They have many benefits but are not the best option for all organizations. Multi-source appraisals help counteract the problem single source appraisals have with limited single perception input. More input creates a more well rounded picture for the employee.
Managers may not always have a clear understanding of all aspects of a job. With multiple sources of information, a better understanding of the job is created. Peers and customers of the employee will be more likely to rate the employee accurately when the appraisal strives for anonymity. Since these appraisals will not directly affect the employee’s pay, peers can be more accurate with no fear of consequence.
The downside of multi-source appraisals is the utility in all organizations. In very bureaucratic organizations employees and managers would not be comfortable with using multi-source appraisals. This appraisal does not follow the natural flow of highly bureaucratic organizations. Some employees may not feel comfortable with evaluating their peers and supervisors.
The important take away is that the type of performance appraisal chosen depends on the organization in question. Each type is better suited to a different organization. The best choice for your organization may not be the same for another organization. In essence, choose the appraisal that suits your organization and don’t choose one just because it is quoted to be “the best.”
Adult Learning Part 2
Posted by: | CommentsTen employees are sitting in a classroom at 9:00am waiting for the trainer to arrive and begin a training that is scheduled until 5:00pm. I look around the training room and everyone looks bored and ready to leave. If polled, most employees in the training would respond that they had better things to do. Most wonder how this training will benefit them and will not have this question answered by the end of the training.
I have sat through a training where I was explicitly told that this would not be used in my department. I am sure that many employees have had similar experiences in training. What benefit does this training have for organizations and employees? What would be a better approach to training?
Considering that most employees are adults, andragogy would be a vital piece of knowledge for organizations to have. The design of a training program for adults would look a lot different than the design for a group of children. Experiential learning is the preferred way for adults to learn. They like to learn by doing the task themselves. Give the participants a chance to practice the newly learned skill. This is especially helpful with a complex task. Allow time in the training after each new skill to practice. Conclude the training with a practice session that combines all of the skills learned.
Adults also like to know how the training benefits them. They like to know that the training will not be a waste of time. Tell participants how this training will be useful as soon as they leave the session. Give them reasons other than that it is required by the organization. Show them how it can be beneficial in their everyday tasks.
Adults like to have control over how they learn. If your organization has several ways to conduct training (traditional classroom, online e-learning, discussions boards), then allowing adults to choose which way they learn will increase their engagement. It will also be cost effective to allow employees to use e-learning rather than traditional classroom learning.
Adults prefer multiple methods of training. The tell, show, do method can be very beneficial. This method involves telling participants what is going to be taught, showing them how to do it, and then allowing them to do the skill. A small lecture followed by a demonstration and then a practice session. This is three methods combined to create a form of training that will engage adult learners.
So the next time your organization decides it needs training, look to Malcolm Knowles theory on adult learning. Employees will be more engaged and appreciative of the training method. Engaged employees are happier and more productive employees. Employees engaged in training will learn more and be able to utilize this training faster and better.To learn more about Malcolm Knowles andthe theory of andragogoy click on the link below:
The Compilation of 12 Adult Learning Presentations Part 1
Posted by: | Comments“Western managers need to get out of the old mode of thinking that knowledge can be acquired, taught, and trained through manuals, books, or lectures. Instead, they need to pay more attention to the less formal and systemic side of knowledge and start focusing on highly subjective insights, intuitions, and hunches that are gained through the use of metaphors, pictures or experiences.” I. Nonaka and H. Takeuchi, The Knowledge-Creating Company (excerpt from Life at the Edge of Chaos by Mark Youngblood)
After sitting in class for three hours through 12 presentations on the same topic, I think I have a much better understanding of adult learning. There are two distinct learning theories: andragogy and pedagogy. Pedagogy is the oldest theory of learning. It stems from the process of teaching children. Andragogy was introduced in the early 20th century and is focused on how adults learn. The difference between the two theories is that adults have experience to draw from and prefer to use this experience to link to new knowledge. Children don’t have as much experience and therefore don’t have insights to share with a teacher.
Malcolm Knowles is credited with introducing adult learning theory. He introduced 5 principles of adult learning which are shown in the figure below.
Adults have experience to draw from, they are internally motivated, ready to learn, self-directed in their learning, and problem-oriented. All of these prinicples should be taken into account when designing training for adults.
Question: How can an organization benefit from the knowledge of the difference between andragogy and pedagogy?
Talent Management Part 2
Posted by: | CommentsI’m sure that you are all dying to know the answer to yesterday’s cliffhanger. Well here it is. Talent management is not something that companies stumble upon in their recruiting effort. It is also not just recruiting but encompasses much more than that.
Talent management starts with recruiting. In this aspect of talent management companies make sure that they are attracting the right people for the company and for the position. If a company does not recruit to the right people, they will never hire the right people.
Retention is the next step in the talent management process. Once a company hires good people it has to retain them. It is not beneficial to the company to just keep hiring good people only to lose them soon after. Companies will want to devise a strategy for how to retain employees. This retention can be achieved by benefits or incentives. A support system for employees will also aid in retention.
Having an employee development program shows employees that the company is interested in helping them grow. A good employee development program will also help the company achieve greater performance and productivity from their employees. It’s a win-win situation for both the employees and the company.
Leadership development is another key aspect of talent management. Companies will achieve greater success if they identify employees with leadership potential early and can then develop those employees for leadership roles. Again the company and the employees benefit. The company benefits by having leaders ready for open positions who know the company well and are invested in its success. Employees benefit by gaining valuable leadership skills.
A performance management system is an integral part of an effective talent management system. Employees need to know how to perform their jobs well. They will require feedback in order to achieve high performance. Performance management systems can be used for both employee development and administrative decisions but it is most beneficial to focus on employee development when it is part of a talent management system. In this way employees will view the performance appraisal as a development tool and not just a way to get their raise every year.
The last two aspects of an effective talent management system are more abstract. Workforce planning is looking ahead and planning for any workforce changes such as the aging workfoce and the amount of baby boomers who will be retiring soon and leaving a skill shortage within companies. The idea behind business culture is to have a culture that supports and encourages all aspects of the talent management process. If the business culture does not support the talent management process then this process will not succeed.
All of the above aspects are great for an effective talent management system. An important detail that is often forgotten is alignment. In order for a talent management system to be successful, all aspects from recruiting to the business culture need to align with each other as well as the business strategy.
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