Are You Asking the Right Questions?

We all do it: We all ask questions day in and day out. But have you ever wondered if you are asking the right questions?

A few days ago I stumbled across a book I hadn’t read in years, QBQ! The Question Behind the Question, written by John G. Miller as an aid for reframing questions in order to generate more personal accountability, which in turn results in a shift in attitude and resulting behaviors.

As I thumbed through the book, I reread his guidelines for creating a QBQ:
1. Begin with "What" or "How" (not "Why," "When," or "Who").
2. Include an "I" (not "they," "them," "we," or "you").
3. Focus on action.
You get it. Not "When are they going to do something about this?", but rather "What can I do?"

Sounds simple until you start putting it into practice in difficult situations where you’d like to blame someone else. By using the model you’ll find yourself taking some personal accountability for the solution that is needed. Isn’t that what our bosses are looking for today? Employees with creativity and a willingness to take risks in order to make a difference?

So when the book opened to the short chapter (it’s only two pages) entitled, "The Risk of Doing Nothing" I saw the conundrum our workplaces are dealing with having one foot in old school practices and beliefs and one in the new, yet to be defined. We’re asking employees to avoid failure, but at the same time be creative problem solvers. How can we expect new solutions and new thinking if we’re not prepared to applaud mistakes?

Is Inaction a Viable Alternative?

Some people will avoid taking a risk at any cost. This avoidance is usually fueled by fear. A fear of failure, of losing credibility, of stepping into the spotlight, or worse, a fear of making a mistake and losing a job as a result. But in today’s highly-competitive market, can anyone afford to allow fear to hold them back?

We all recognize that no job comes with a guarantee of job security – just look at the unemployment statistics. And it may seem like not rocking the boat will afford smooth sailing, but the counterintuitive reality reveals that the fear of taking initiative because of the perceived risks that may be involved could just land you in the unemployment line tomorrow. As Miller writes, "Taking action may seem risky, but doing nothing is a bigger risk!"

Organizations that have embraced lean manufacturing and Six Sigma methodologies recognize the importance of taking action through a process of asking the right questions. The right questions come from examining processes with the primary goal of maximizing customer value while minimizing waste.

When organizations encourage and nurture cultures where employees can safely step outside their comfort zone and take actions that have an element of associated risk, those employees are:

• Learning and growing. Inaction on the other hand leads to stagnation and the inability to deal with change.
• Discovering new solutions to old problems. Inaction is focused on the past, not the future.
• Demonstrating courage and leadership. Inaction speaks volumes about fear.
• Building confidence. Inaction shines a beacon on self-doubt.

As Miller writes, "It’s better to be one who is told to wait than one who waits to be told." Which behavioral style is your organization seeking?

So What’s Next?

Many organizations are still built on models of competitiveness and reprimands for failures. Performance management systems that rank employees against their peers. Reward and recognition programs based on the success of "established" processes, regardless of their current value to customers. It’s time for HR and OD leaders to take risks – to step out of the box and embrace bold changes. Inaction in this global, fast paced environment could cause the organization to stagnate and die.

I believe it’s time for leaders to develop organizational transition plans geared at shifting cultures. We need to embrace collaborative and supportive environments where individuals are encouraged to share knowledge and information, working together to find new solutions to organizational problems - and that means getting comfortable with failure. Did you know that Henry Ford, known today for his innovative assembly line and American-made cars, failed in early business attempts that left him broke five times before he founded Ford Motor Company? Making mistakes is an important part of the growth process. As information evolves and is transmitted so quickly, we need organizations filled with employees willing to share knowledge, not hang on to it because they want to be promoted over their colleagues.

It’s also time to re-evaluate our performance management systems and move toward continuous recognition of individuals for their strengths and contributions, as well as how they partner and work with others to improve workplace performance, profitability and customer satisfaction. In an environment where knowledge and ideas must be shared across disciplines and business lines in order to survive, it just doesn’t make sense to support old HR processes that undermine teamwork. The old "forced ranking" system that American businesses came to love as a result of its success at GE appears to be fading. A recent report published by the Institute for Corporate Productivity indicated the percentage of "high-performing" companies using forced ranking systems has plummeted from 49% to 14% in just two years.

Successful organizations are realizing that it’s not only time to ensure we have the right individuals doing the right work, but we need to be asking the right questions. A one-size-fits-all approach to operational and people management isn’t practical. These organizations are recognizing the value of cultivating a solid approach to organization development planning and implementation. They know there is no magic bullet or short-cut to good management practices of people, and ultimately the management of the business. It’s not about ranking or the numbers, it’s about dialogue.

So, are you and your business leaders asking the right questions? As you prepare for your fall retreats and strategic planning events for the coming year, I encourage you that this might be the most valuable question you can ask.

As always, I welcome your comments to my article. Please share your thoughts below. If you found this article helpful, I appreciate you sharing it with others. Have a great week.


This article was written by Deborah A. King, SPHR, CEO and Sr. Organizational Effectiveness Consultant with Evolution Management, Inc. Debbie and her team are passionate about change and embracing the organizational designs and needs for a successful future. Contact Debbie for more information: Debbie@evolutionmgt.com or 770.587.9032.

Andrew Sobel – The Skill of Asking the Right Questions

To Be Successful, Manage Your Morning

Breakfast Crepes with Berries Recipe

I don’t know about you, but when the calendar turned to July 1st, I was asking, "What happened to May and June?" And does anyone else feel like you just get your day started and the next thing you know it’s time for dinner? What’s happening to make our days spin by so quickly?

Obviously it has nothing to do with the changes in nature. The earth is still spinning at the same speed – 24 hours. The problem seems to be with how well or poorly we are managing our time. Our expectations for a 9-to-5 work life, with weekends spent relaxing with family or a good book seem to have all but vanished. Instead, our expectations have morphed into an addictive world of 24/7/365 information and connectivity and an illusion that with all this information and technology we can do more. I refer to an illusion because even with all the gadgets we can surround ourselves with, the clock still ticks 60 times for every minute. Other things may be changing, but the human capacity element of this equation is still the same.

Is it Time to Reassess Your Time Management Practices?

Since I offer time management workshops to my clients, I’m very careful to not be a hypocrite; on one hand espousing great techniques for managing balance and order in your schedule, while on the other spinning out of control trying to catch up with my own commitments and projects. But every now and then even the doctor has to take a step back and check on healthy habits.

Recently Fast Company.com published an article by Laura Vanderkam, a nationally recognized journalist and author of the book, What The Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast. I’m sure all of us have attended a time management workshop at some point, and have tried to develop and incorporate new habits into our lives based on the techniques shared. Changing habits can be a difficult task. Like with any behavioral change, it’s easy, especially when stressed, to fall back into old routines. So as Laura suggests, periodically monitoring how you’re doing is a good practice to maintain in order to sustain the changes you are interested in.

When I saw Laura’s article I was intrigued, because clearly I needed to take time to assess what I’ve got going on if I’m missing entire months! And she’s right: For most people the early morning hours are a great time to get things done. Mornings usually offer the best window of opportunity for time with minimum interruptions – which we know is a major derailer of our efforts to manage our time.

Personally, in an ideal world, I like to get my 4-mile walk started about 6:30 a.m. This works for me because it allows me time to get in my exercise before some ‘emergency’ wakes up, it provides me a guilt-free schedule that doesn’t cut into my work time, and I get the added benefits of ‘quiet time' - being with nature, renewed energy, and an opportunity to think about how I will organize my day when I do get to my desk. But as we all experience, the world doesn’t always offer the ideal.

In the past I’ve written about time management and suggested techniques such as:

• Turn off your email pop-up feature when you’re working on your computer so you aren’t inviting interruptions.
• Put an ‘away message’ on your phone and computer to help others manage their expectations of when you’ll get back to them.
• Schedule ‘out of the office’ time to work on major projects or chunks of work where you need to be totally focused due to content or schedule.
• Be mindful that more hours worked does not equate to better productivity; in fact, at some point overtime hours transform into less productive time.
• Multi-tasking doesn’t make us more efficient; in fact, studies are confirming what we intuitively experience, all those tasks are really interrupters for each other. Best to do one thing at a time.

Here are a few additional points from Laura to help you, if you are interested in reassessing how you start and manage your day:

• Track your time – To improve how you’re spending your time you have to know what you’re doing with it right now. Be aware of the decisions you are making and the reasons behind what you think you have to do.
• Picture the perfect morning – As you are visioning how to spend possibly the best hours of the day, consider what you would enjoy doing, as well as utilizing some of this time for personal and professional growth.
• Think through the logistics – Create the plan and assemble what you need for success.
• Build the habit – Laura’s 5-step process to optimize a behavioral change: start slow, monitor your energy, attempt one habit at a time, and reward yourself.
• Tune up as necessary – This is an important step, not to be overlooked. As you step back and reflect on what’s working and not working with your time management practices, be willing to let go of the rituals that no longer work and replace them with others that fit your current life.

So What’s Next?

Change is continuously happening and that change is impacting the way we work and play. We can’t assume the routine that worked for us last year or last week for that matter, is the optimal routine of what we should be doing tomorrow.

In organizational planning, we conduct assessments of the current requirements, consider the needs for the future, and work on plans to close the gaps between the points in time. The same process works for personal change. Consider what you’re doing now, what’s working and not, and how you vision using your time in the future. Once you’ve got a handle on what needs to change, the appropriate actions will become apparent.

If you’d like to read more specifics about Laura’s tips, check out her Fast Company article. Healthy living requires a balance of time for work, play, spirituality, family, friends, ourselves and community - not in any particular order. It’s a constant tug-of-war to find the ‘time.’ However, initiating and monitoring good habits can make it possible.

As always, I welcome your comments to my posting. Please share your thoughts below. If you found this article helpful, I’m very happy for you to pass it along to others. Have a great week.



This article was written by Deborah A King, SPHR, CEO and Organizational Effectiveness Consultant with Evolution Management, Inc. Debbie and her team are energized about changing individual and workplace practices and can help you navigate a plan for successful change. Contact Debbie for more information: Debbie@evolutionmgt.com or 770.587.9032.

Larry Lewis
(Article or MP3 Options)

Knowledge Workers Require a Non-Traditional Manager

Recently I’ve been noticing a trend in organizations requesting assessments to determine what’s impacting the abilities of their teams to work together in a healthy and productive way. Often the anticipated solution is teambuilding. But what’s really driving dissention in so many cases are organizational ‘dinosaurs’ – managers clinging to traditional management approaches that no longer are effective in current workplace cultures and environments, and certainly don’t align with the needs of our 21st century workers. For these situations the recommended solution is most likely executive coaching or leadership training.

The last time I remember hearing managers referred to as ‘dinosaurs’ was about 20 years ago when organizations were moving into a workplace environment that required a computer on every desk Many managers couldn’t see the need, didn’t want to learn how to use one, and certainly didn’t want to support their staff transitioning to this operating standard they considered to be unnecessary. It was a classic case of ‘changeitis’ – trauma brought on by the evolving globe. Well I hate to say it, but a new generation of dinosaurs has been discovered, and one or more of them may be located in your organization. It seems to me our workplaces are once again at a significant crossroads - change or become extinct.

So what has to change? This time the out–of-date thinking has to do with management practices. It was in the industrial era that our ‘traditional management practices’ were developed. Most of the workers at that time were factory workers. Take a moment to contrast today’s workers with those of the industrial era. Today, most of our workers are knowledge workers, defined as workers who talk, text, and network. These are workers who use creativity and thought processes to accomplish their tasks. And most likely, these workers are responsible for making decisions on their own or collectively in a group. Are you beginning to see the disconnects? What was needed then versus now is impacted by so many things including: the work environment, job competencies, empowerment, technologies and innovation.

The command-and-control style of the 1950’s doesn’t work in the 21st century. Knowledge workers need to collaborate, communicate, and be creative in the manner in which they solve problems. The "I’m in charge so do what I say" approach just doesn’t work any longer. Now, I can almost hear some of you saying, "Well everyone knows that. That’s not new." But the reality is, not everyone has realized this yet, and it’s creating organizational chaos and hostile work environments.

So What’s Next?
We need to ensure that our current managers, those in the pipeline, and those we consider for future hires are aware that ‘command and control’ management practices are no longer applicable and that they employ management approaches grounded in accountability and collaboration, demonstrating a participatory, respectful and open management style. We need to offer training, mentoring and executive coaching to aid in transitions for those experiencing difficulty with the shift.

In addition to re-educating our leaders, we also need to change and foster workplace cultures that inspire and reward collaborative processes – environments valuing commitment and accountability, not compliance.

As we move faster towards virtual workplaces, managers will not be able to watch over their staff in the traditional sense of what we know that looks like. Employees will need to agree to goals and be accountable for achieving those goals together with their peers. Work will be accomplished at the location that makes the most sense for the work and the worker. As long as everyone knows the mission, vision and goals and is committed to doing a quality job, work should be able to be accomplished. Policies and procedures will need to be in place to support the transformations of our organizations.

It’s time to help the dinosaurs evolve. Create a strategy to educate managers and employees about changing times and the need to change workplace expectations and practices. Help them see the benefits of shifting from a compliance regiment to one of accountability and engagement. Have employees share their stories about the productivity benefits of working with managers who practice collaborative and participatory approaches. After all is said and done, you may still need a cultural assessment to help you develop next steps; I’d be delighted to help you. Contact me at 770.587.90320.

My point: Learn from the growing pains other organizations are experiencing. Don’t allow your organizations to get hung up and paralyzed by managers trying to force a square peg in a round hole. Many of the ‘traditional’ practices of the past are not relevant or appropriate in today’s environment. Eliminate the ones that no longer apply to your situations and replace them with practices that are more supportive and flexible, a better fit in today’s market. Don’t be left in the dust – embrace change, collaboration and team versus individual work units. For further reading on this topic consider Mark Addleson’s new book, Beyond Management: Taking Charge at Work.

As always, I welcome your comments to my posting. Please click below. If you found this article interesting I’m very happy for you to pass it along to others. Have a great week.



This article was written by Deborah A. King, SPHR, CEO and Sr. Organizational Effectiveness Consultant with Evolution Management, Inc. Debbie and her team are energized by change and can help your organization navigate the human and operational pathways to the future. Contact us for more information:  www.evolutionmgt.com; 770.587.9032.

Charlie Todd

The Future of Training

A few months ago I wrote an article, What Should Your Business be Focused On?, summarizing some of the exciting and new topics I learned about when I attended the SHRM Atlanta Conference. One of the most interesting presentations was entitled Future Skills 2020, presented by Dr. Tracey Wilen-Daugenti. In her presentation, Dr. Daugenti talked about the need to develop skills for creating computer games to train new employees on various aspects of their jobs. According to an article in the May issue of Delta’s SKY Magazine, the future may already be here.

The article by Dan Heilman illustrates how companies like Cold Stone Creamery are using games to teach store employees how to do their jobs and, as a result, are improving the company’s bottom line. By teaching employees through a game how to serve just the right-sized scoop of ice cream, they are avoiding the mistake of oversizing scoops which, when served thousands of times a year, could significantly impact the company’s ability to be profitable. But it’s not just ice cream stores. What about the medical device manufacturer training physicians on the proper way to use a new surgical robot? One company developed a simulator that was connected to a high-definition 3-D screen and awarded doctors points and a new level of gaming with every training module they mastered, putting an incentive and some fun into the learning process.

The future of immersive learning or "serious games" is growing. However, as Dan points out in his article, using games to teach is nothing new. Polo, for example, was invented for the purpose of training cavalry forces. Today games are proving to be an inexpensive and effective training tool, easily repeated and definitely engaging to a workforce comfortable with game technologies.

According to Stanford University professor Byron Reeves, "training is often boring and companies spend substantial money on videos and other materials that don’t get as much us as they desire or as they anticipate. The promise of games is that using consumer sensibilities and ingredients of great games can increase engagement with the materials." Seems like it’s a win/win for everyone.

So What’s Next?

I believe Dr. Daugenti’s assessment that the future will require competencies for designing training using gaming techniques is right on. In addition, here is what some other experts are saying about the future of training design and delivery:

"Companies will start doing what the U.S. Army does, requiring you to spend hundreds of hours in a simulator before you actually command a tank in battle – except it will be on a desktop computer as an avatar in a virtual environment and learning best practices about whatever environment you’re in." Bryon Reeves, Stanford University

"It will all go online. With teams and workers geographically dispersed, clearly face-to-face training is logistically challenging. Training will be a virtual world." Kate Hixson, Person Learning Solutions

"What seems like game play now will just be a part of your job, and it will be ongoing. It won’t be such anovert case of ‘Play this game, then go do your job.’ It will be more a situation of interacting with game mechanics every day as part of your job." Aaron Dignan, Undercurrent

Although we can see the influence technology is having on training, I think we also need to pay attention to the advice Google CEO Eric Schmidt gave students in his recent commencement address, "Take one hour a day and turn that thing off [referring to technology]," Schmidt told graduates at Boston University. "Take your eyes off that screen and look into the eyes of the person you love. Have a conversation, a real conversation." Mr. Schmidt is singing my song. There are lots of opportunities to teach new skills and techniques using games and the latest technologies but let’s not overlook the importance of also learning how to connect person to person, communicate with compassion, resolve conflicts in a positive manner, and celebrate the learning, successes and dreams of the people we live and work with.

So what types of training could you take on line? What about some of your technical training, regulation updates, customer service skills, on-boarding, soft skills, or supervisory skills? Once you start investigating what other organizations are doing, it may be easy to come up with a training portfolio and format that allows each module to build on the other – and perhaps build on the characters or the gaming objectives. Be creative and have fun. Check out the examples available on my whiteboard below.

HR professionals have a challenging future – balancing people interactions with computer learning. It’s an exciting time and I look forward to hearing your thoughts about our changing role. If you found this article interesting I’m happy for you to share it with friends and colleagues.

This article was written by Deborah A. King, SPHR, CEO and Sr. Organization Effectiveness Consultant with Evolution Management, Inc. Debbie and her team are ready to assist with organizational change to improve effectiveness, efficiencies and the overall workplace experience for employees. If you’re interested in learning more about our services, please contact us: www.evolutionmgt.com or 770.587.9032.

Examples of Training Games

Department of Continuous Renewal – Striving for a Holistic Approach to Change

Should organization's view change as a program, or as an event? This was the topic of an interesting conversation I recently had with a colleague responsible for guiding his organization through successful change. As a result of that thought-provoking exchange, I thought it might be helpful to my readers to explore ‘change’ and the field of ‘organization development’ since we’re all dealing with some kind of change.

In 1965 John W. Gardner, writing about change, speculated that perhaps what was needed in a world dealing with so much change was a "department of continuous renewal that could view the whole organization as a system in need of continuing innovation." Gardner, along with management consultants including McGregor and Argyris, was trying to identify a workable solution for dealing with the magnitude and complexity of change occurring in our country at the time in politics, society, and workplaces, as well as in relationships between different generations and races.

Gardner’s idea for the Department of Continuous Renewal does exist in many organizations today. It may or may not be titled Organization Development (OD) Department but that’s what the assigned staff is responsible for. However, almost 50 years after Gardner brought attention to the need for managing continuous change the OD profession, as well as the organizations in which we work, continue to struggle in clearly defining what organization development is and how to intentionally apply it.

Primary Characteristics of OD

OD is often defined as an educational strategy adopted to bring about a planned organizational change. With that said, be aware that the strategies designed and implemented can differ enormously from one situation to another. In some cases the need may be focused on assessing and understanding the organizational culture in order to make intelligent and well-informed recommendations about ways to improve performance. In others, the need may be helping employees adjust to the dynamics of working with peoples that are different from each other – in traditions, backgrounds, gender, years, education, work styles, etc. Yet another example might be helping a team impacted by a merger or acquisition realign with a new mission, vision and goal. Whatever the strategy, OD almost always concentrates on the values, attitudes, relations, and client – the ‘people side’ of business.

Secondly, the focus of the change work is directly linked with the demands the organization is facing, which vary in intensity and can be as extreme as changes required for the organization to survive.

OD relies on that educational strategy mentioned above to emphasize experienced behavior. Utilizing assessment, feedback, training, meeting facilitation, and other experience-based methodologies, the OD professional is able to generate publicly-shared information and experiences needed for adequate action planning.

Most often, the individuals guiding change - ‘change agents’ - are external to the organization. Certainly internal OD consultants do great work. I’m not declaring that they don’t. What I am suggesting however, is that external consultants have the benefit of bringing an innocence, or unbiased perception, when observing the organization and clarifying surfaced problems. Having experience working internally and externally, I find that there is usually, rightly or wrongly, a real or perceived notion that the ‘external’ consultant is bringing more experience to the engagement, which often aids in gaining executive commitment to change.

OD implies a collaborative relationship between the consultant and the client system, and that’s where my passion lies. The word collaboration can mean a lot of different things. As you consider the word, what does it mean to you? For me, it involves working with people jointly committed to a goal, working in a way that demonstrates mutual trust and influence. It’s a way of coming together where no one is alone.

OD leaders of change share a set of values about the world in general, and human organization in particular, which influence their strategies, interventions and responses to client system behaviors. We believe that bureaucratic and impersonal values reduce organizational effectiveness while values supporting human factors, open communications and trust lead to healthy and productive organizations.

And last, but not the least OD professionals are guided by a set of goals which include:

• Improve interpersonal competence.
• Shift values so human factors and feelings are considered legitimate.
• Develop an increased understanding between and within working groups in order to reduce tensions and improve efficiencies.
• Develop effective teams.
• Develop better methods of conflict resolution.
• Share and develop an understanding that the organization is an organic system; not a mechanical machine.

So What’s Next?

Considering these characteristics of OD, it’s easy to see that a program, or holistic approach to change, is one that can be more efficient and effective in producing and sustaining change across an organization rather than approaching it in small and random pockets dependent on the leader’s willingness to deal with change.

What difference would it make to your organization if the change program was managed by the ‘Department of Continuous Renewal’? What impact could an orchestrated change plan, with at least the following eight components, working simultaneously in concert with each other have on the success of your requirements for change? Noted below is a brief overview of EMI’s Holistic Change Model.^©

I.   The foundation of the change program is built on the desired vision, mission, goals and culture, intentional values, performance objectives, behavioral standards, leadership expectations.

II.  Surrounding the core foundation are eight gears working in harmony with each other:

1. Strategic Change Planning – including a Transition Plan, Communication Plan, clarification of language and definitions, structure and chartering of change team
2. Individual Check-In – opportunities and tools for employees to identify where they are now, where they are going, what they need to let go of, as well as acquire, training needs, and chances for collaborating and participating in change initiatives
3. Team Realignment and Development – understanding restructuring and impact of change, individual contributions, re-engagement, performance metrics and training
4. Leadership Assessment and Development – clarification of leadership styles needed for organizational impact and goal achievement, assessment of competencies, attitudes, skills and passions, executive coaching and development
5. Stakeholder Integration – assessment of needs, clarification of expectations, opportunities for collaboration and involvement with change team
6. Performance Expectations – modified position descriptions, updated development plans, relationship building (internal and external), continuous performance management feedback and development
7. Communications – frequent updates, two-way (horizontally, vertically and diagonally engaging employees) dialogues, integration of technologies and social media, effective planning and facilitation of meetings, easy to understand messages, attention to WIIFM (What’s In It For Me?) questions, town hall/brown bag opportunities for staff and management to dialogue
8. Change Metrics and Plan Modification – periodic check-ins, alignment of change plan with other internal and external impacts, celebration of achievements, program modifications

III.  Surrounding these eight dynamic components is a Program Management team to ensure:

• Knowledge sharing occurs between the Change Team, organizational leaders and internal and external change consultants
• Timely follow-up on action plans and open items
• Barriers to change are addressed and resolved
• Future needs are anticipated and planned for as the organization shifts

So often I observe an organization focused on an individual OD intervention, such as meeting facilitation, or executive coaching. It’s excellent that leaders understand there is a need. However, my observation is that the time and investment made in that one engagement would have a much better ROI if it was integrated into a more holistic approach to organizational change.

As you think about how change is occurring in your organization, I hope this glimpse of a holistic approach is helpful to you. As always, I welcome your comments to my posting; please click below. I also appreciate your sharing a copy of this article with others you believe will find it interesting. Have a great week.

This article was written by Deborah A. King, SPHR, CEO and Sr. Organization Effectiveness Consultant with Evolution Management, Inc. Debbie and her team are ready to assist with organizational change to improve effectiveness, efficiencies and the overall workplace experience for employees. If you’re interested in learning more about our services, please contact us: www.evolutionmgt.com or 770.587.9032.

Tom Orths

The Workplace Civility Toolkit

More than once today I witnessed an interpersonal exchange between two people and wondered, "Whatever happened to extending basic courtesies?" I’m finding myself thinking about this question more and more these days. I’m also finding my clients are suffering from this growing epidemic – disrespectful behaviors in the workplace. Issues are surfacing in the form of:

• Low morale and disengagement
• Negative impact of conflicts on productivity and efficiencies
• Lost management hours spent counseling and re-counseling co-workers
• Declining customer satisfaction based on encountering ‘rude’ employee behaviors
• Lost revenues as a result of customers taking their business where they are treated with respect
• Increase in financial penalties resulting from EEOC and harassment claims.
 

So what’s fueling this increase in disrespectful behaviors? There probably are a lot of things. Let’s face it, life has become more stressful. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about doing more with less at work, or looking for a job, or trying to keep up with technology or protecting ourselves from the uncertainty of global financial issues. Plus, as more components of our society are accepting and promoting rude behaviors as ‘cool,’ it reinforces that it’s ok. But don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t give anyone a license to be rude.

I think we’re at a critical point where organizations, families, and communities need to reintroduce the idea of ‘civility’ into personal and professional engagements. When I think about civility, I’m envisioning more than just polite courtesies. The word ‘civility’ is derived from the Old French and Latin term for ‘good citizen,’ and translates to living respectfully in a community. Civility is an essential component of human sustainability, enabling people not only to survive, but to thrive. So beyond focusing on stress and anger management training and counseling, what can we do to return our workplaces to a more civil environment?

Best Practices

It’s important for organizations not only to ‘talk the talk’ of civility, but also to demonstrate it. Along with the leadership’s demonstrated commitment to respectful living, they also need to hold workers accountable for the same standards of civil engagement. Here are a few ‘tools’ or best practices that can help employees do their part to improve workplace relationships and ultimately retention and productivity, while reducing the risk of lawsuits:

1. Make a habit of practicing kindness, generosity and gratitude. Not only does this make a positive impact on morale and productivity, but research has shown that people who approach life from this perspective live longer, are healthier and are happier.
2. Create spaces for employees to nurture social relationships in order to know each other as people as well as co-workers. Make sure employees understand the importance of balancing ‘on line’ relationships with face-to-face conversations. Email and text messaging is not always a reliable form of communication and often results in misunderstanding.
3. Offer training and coaching to leaders, managers and employees to help them build and strengthen their communication skills with options for respectfully approaching difficult conversations, dealing with different work styles, and resolving workplace conflicts.
4. Offer assistance to managers and co-workers who are struggling with resolving a conflict on their own. The longer the conflict lingers, the harder it will be for the employees to resolve, and the more negative an impact it will have on the office environment as a whole.
5. Commit to a zero tolerance for workplace vulgarity, as well as harassing and bullying behaviors. I realize that identifying harassing and bullying behaviors can be subjective, but if an employee perceives behaviors as disrespectful, that should be enough of a reason to ask the co-worker to stop the behavior.

So What’s Next?

Creating working communities that practice civility isn’t hard. Employees just need to be reminded of the simple guidelines and performance expectations for monitoring their own behaviors. As employees realize management is serious about improving the workplace culture, they’ll also see the benefits of everyone doing their part. Ignoring this disturbing trend by doing nothing to improve the level of respect shared between co-workers and stakeholders is not a viable strategy. The choice to take no action will only result in a workplace filled with more troubled relationships and give competitors an advantage.

As always, I welcome your comments to my posting; please share your thoughts below. I appreciate your sharing a copy of this article with others you believe will find it interesting. Have a great week.

This article was written by Deborah A. King, SPHR, CEO and Sr. Organization Effectiveness Consultant with Evolution Management, Inc. Debbie and her team are ready to assist with organizational assessments, team development, training and the integration of a message of civility into human resource policies, practices and workplace culture.

If you’re interested in learning more about our services, please contact us at www.evolutionmgt.com or 770.587.9032.

Corninne Gregory

Is Your Workplace Harassment Free?

Is your organization "aware enough" to sustain a harassment-free workplace without periodic reminders? If your answer is yes, you might want to reconsider as it appears that even in 2012 it’s still necessary to advocate for dialogues and training about respecting others.

To be honest, this topic continues to be important because there are people among us that:

1. don’t know how to properly handle the power of their authority.
2. aren’t comfortable with people that are different from them.
3. don’t have the benefit of years of work experience and development of collegial relationships with people who have different traditions, customs, languages, and beliefs from the ones they were brought up with.
4. aren’t knowledgeable about improving interpersonal skills by increasing their Emotional Intelligence.
5. have problems with anger management and may not realize its potential impact on co-workers.
6. aren’t properly managing their stress, anxiety, depression, or even addiction.

Do you have any people in your workplace with these types of issues? Judging by the news reports, EEOC claims and increasing employment lawsuits each year, it’s very likely you do.

We see it everywhere: the world has become smaller, more integrated, and workplaces are global. That means a greater workplace mix of customs, accents, holidays, skin color, work and life traditions, religion, belief systems, cooking, music, sexual orientations, physical challenges… I could go on and on. The point is, everyone in the organization, from the CEO down, has a responsibility to RESPECT the person they are dealing with, internally or externally. And, because we are all human, sometimes we need a little reminding of what that really means.

Leadership Actions

HR and business leaders can best serve their organizations by assessing and building a strategy to address specific cultural needs. However, here are a few general guidelines every organization can benefit from. Consider including these in your strategy to promote civility, respect and engagement in the workplace:

Offer mandatory, updated training each year – the issues involved with respect in the workplace continue to expand. There are compliance requirements for training topics such as sexual harassment. However, a topic like workplace bullying is just as important, but not yet required. Make sure your training is inclusive of all the issues of diversity being experienced today.

Incorporate an interpersonal skills competency standard into the hiring model. Not many of us are filling jobs that are successfully performed in isolation of co-workers, vendors, agencies, customers, or distributors. Ensure your hiring model includes a component for assessing communication and interpersonal skills, and include questions regarding interpersonal relationships when completing references. Hiring the "right" skills sets can help to reduce and eliminate problems down the road.

Coach new managers on the proper use of new authorities. Businesses often assume individuals know how to be a supervisor or a leader once they receive the title, and you know what they say about assuming. Establish a coaching program based on specific leadership competencies and values and help new managers build the right foundation for respecting differences from the start of their new careers. A program like this could also be offered to existing managers struggling to adjust to the range of workplace differences they may be encountering.

Offer coaching to managers, leaders and employees struggling with workplace change or conflict – change isn’t natural. Humans are creatures of habit. Be aware of conflicts between co-workers or employees struggling to implement healthy changes to support updated business strategies. Offer coaching assistance to help them work through the changes before their frustrations become drivers for unhealthy, disrespectful behaviors.

Promote the benefits of assistance offered by healthcare and Employee Assistance Programs. Employees usually read through their healthcare benefits at enrollment time, and perhaps when they need a physical, dental, or vision procedure. But they may not remember, or be too embarrassed to ask, about assistance with stress, anger, or depression.

Continuously promote the organization’s core values. Tie the core values to everything the organization is doing through hiring models, performance goals, position descriptions, mentoring opportunities, and performance recognition. Aligning with these values should be an easy way to ensure respectful dealings with others.

Ensure job designs and performance goals are realistic. Do not unintentionally impose impractical expectations that cannot be achieved by ethical, respectful, and reasonable practices. We’re all operating in a mindset of "leaner and meaner" and sometimes we don’t realize that cliché may be delivering more than we intended. If the goal is to treat each other with respect, start by making sure the organization is demonstrating respectful practices with each of its employees, so they can pass it along.

Help workers with workplace etiquette expectations and standards. Just by virtue of the explosion of social media, instant messaging, texting, and smart phones, individuals are becoming more comfortable typing out a message rather than verbalizing it. Most workplace environments need an appropriate mix of both. Provide training and coaching to help employees be successful in both types of communication.

What’s Next?

April, I just learned, is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Sexual assault is a very disturbing and real problem, an issue we should all be aware of and committed to eliminating. Thinking about this brought up considerations of other issues that are just as important, such as workplace bullying, and sexual harassment. Analyzing these types of workplace problems, it becomes clear that they all involve a common message – RESPECT.

The work world will continue to get smaller, meaning that we will become more and more aware of things and people who are different from us. Building a business case for zero tolerance of any act of disrespect is imperative to sustaining best business practices in areas such as recruitment, retention or sales strategies.

According to a recently updated article by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), "Employers today must have programs that focus on prevention and correction for acts that involve harassment, bullying, violence, etc. While not expressly mandated by any federal law, courts, the EEOC and many state and local laws have made anti-harassment policies, complaint procedures and workforce training a necessity for employees to successfully minimize and defend against liability arising from workplace harassment." Organizations do not have the option to wait until the government mandates training for each type of harassment. The time to ensure a sustainable zero-tolerance strategy is now.

Build a strong zero-tolerance platform that is sustainable through future refinements and updates. Consider the various types of media available for distribution of your training and zero-tolerance messages. Be clear with performance expectations, as they relate to zero-tolerance from candidates, employees, vendors and customers. If everyone is aware and is doing their part, the negative impact to your organization should be minimal to none. The "none" is our target.


As always, I welcome your comments to my posting; please share your thoughts below. I appreciate your sharing a copy of this article with others you believe will find it interesting. Have a great week.

This article was written by Deborah A. King, SPHR, CEO and Sr. Organization Effectiveness Consultant with Evolution Management, Inc. Debbie and her team are ready to assist with organizational assessments, design, development and facilitation of zero-tolerance policies, procedures, and training, and the integration of a zero-tolerance message into existing human resource practices and workplace culture.

If you’re interested in learning more about our services, please contact us at www.evolutionmgt.com or 770.587.9032.

Civility, Respect and Engagement in the Workplace