equipping managers to engage: getting connected

Equipping Managers to Engage: Getting Connected

3rd Employee Engagement Course

Vancouver, April 23-24, 2009Jitka Holt, Holt Communications Inc.

Agenda

• Assess the organization• Define the manager’s role: getting connected• Create conditions

– Across the organization: lead and communicate – For individual managers: let lead and

communicate

• Provide ongoing development and support• Case studies

Equipping managers to engage: getting connected

Assess the organization

Provide ongoing support

Define the role: building

connections

Organizational

Individual

Create conditions

Assess the system

Three types of organizations• Totally stable (ice)• Edge of Chaos (water)• Chaotic (gaseous stream)

Source: Dave Snowden, On Innovation, 2007

Edge of chaos is the place to beTotally Stable Edge of Chaos Chaotic

Too rigid, no novelty Balance? Too disorderly, novelty overload

Couch potato Moving around/exploring Headless chicken

Stuck in the past Lives in the present Obsessed with the future

No innovation Constant flow of innovations

Innovations conceived, not delivered

Change doesn’t occur Constantly adapting Change cannot be co-ordinated

Little flow of relevant info

Constants flow of relevant info

Info overload

Static mental models Lots of single-/double-loop learning

Learning disconnected from reality

Ossification certain Survival chances are high Disintegration inevitable

Source: Dave Snowden, On Innovation, 2007

A healthy organization is alive

... and interconnected





connections

Organizational

Individual

Create conditions

The manager’s roleDo you want your managers stay within their box....

... or move around the organization?

To engage, managers build connections at three levels

Cognitive Affective

Behavioural

E

Source: ISR, 2006

What do you thinkabout your company?

What do you feel about your company?

What do you do in relation to your company?

To engage, managers build connections at three four levels

Cognitive Affective

Behavioural

E

What do you thinkabout your company?

What do you feel about your company?

What do you do in relation to your company?

SpiritualWhat does your work mean for you?





connections

Organizational

Individual

Create conditions

Create conditions for managers to engage

You want to set your managers up for success at two levels:

• Organizational• Individual

"You figuring it out doesn't mean anything until something changes

in the hearts and minds of the people in the organization.”

– Ron Heifetz, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government

Create conditions for managers to engage at two levels:

Organizational level: create conditions for managers to engage

At the individual level…

... give each manager the tools to engage

Make strategic decisions

At the organizational level: lead ...

Involve people

Engage

Communicate

Lead

Lead and engage

Make strategic decisions

Involve people

• Create a dialogue• Agree on values• Have a vision and

determine strategy• Keep the line of sight• Walk the talk• Hire for talent and fit• Listen and check reality

• Ongoing feedback loop

• Inclusive decision-making

• Shared processes• Valued input

Engage

...listen and do a reality check...

Seven drivers of engagement - people:• Trust senior management• Are asked for their ideas and opinions on important

matters• Clearly understand the organization's vision and

strategic direction• Trust their supervisors• Receive recognition and praise for good work• Have a clear say in decisions that affect their work• Perceive their supervisors as caring and considerate

of their wellbeingSource: Warren Shepell, 2006

37 %

33 %

42 %

<50%34%

45%

<50 %

Communication mattersOut of the seven drivers of engagement, four are

directly influenced by communication:• Trust senior management• Are asked for their ideas and opinions on important

matters• Clearly understand the organization's vision and

strategic direction• Trust their supervisors• Receive recognition and praise for good work• Have a clear say in decisions that affect their work• Perceive their supervisors as caring and considerate

of their wellbeingSource: Warren Shepell, 2006

Reality check: communication and performance

From 2000 to 2004, companies with effective communication increased shareholder return by 57%

Source: Watson Wyatt, 2005/06

Communication effectiveness is a leading indicator of financial performance:

100% +57%

2000 2004

Reality check: communication, performance and engagement

Companies with effective communication are 4.5 times more likely to report high levels of employee engagement

Effective communications create engaged employees create loyal customers who in turn create bigger profits

Source: Watson Wyatt, 2009

4.5x

Engagement levels

Reality check: barriers to communicating effectively

• Managers do not see communication as part of their day-to-day job

• Managers have not developed their communications skills

• Communications channels are absent , inappropriate or oversubscribed

• Communication around corporate citizenship is disjointed

Source: Andy Parsley, Management Issues, 2005

Engage

At the organizational level: create conditions to communicate and

engage

Develop a common language: define what communication is

Leverage your HR and communications functions

Keep a clear line of sight: agree on the manager’s role and competencies

Provide a relevant infrastructure

Maintain direct dialogue with senior leadership: provide specific and timely information

Agree on what communication is

• Information is not communication• Communication is behaviour • Communication changes behaviour• There is no such state as ‘no communication’• Communication must be two-way: listen and listen and talk

and listen• Communications is a process: it’s never complete• Simple communication doesn’t mean easy communication

“ If the communication changes behavior, it’s good communication; if it doesn’t, it’s bad communication.”

-- T.J. Larkin

At the individual level: give managers the tools to engage and

lead• Link engagement with

vision and values• Let managers get to

know their leadership style

• Let managers build on their strengths

• Walk the talk: e.g., give managers time

• Use personality assessments

• Empower managers to focus on few development areas

• Give, receive and build on feedback

• Keep engagement relevant

Let managers get to know their leadership style

Let managers get to know their leadership style and build on it. Some elements:

• Building a vision• Communication• Facilitation• Problem solving• Decision-making

• Team building• Conflict-resolution• Stress response

(grip)• .... it’s really about

the basics

• Listening• Asking effective questions• Giving and receiving feedback• Delivering negative messages• Developing own presentation style• Selecting the right tools and media• ....

Let managers build on their strengths

There are countless skills – and very few basics





connections

Organizational

Individual

Create conditions

Provide continuous development and support

• Provide opportunity for ongoing dialogue and feedback with leadership

• Incorporate engagement skills development into the overall career plan

• Provide various venues for development– Provide training– Establish a mentoring program– Establish a coaching program

• Establish a variety of feedback channels• Acknowledge progress: celebrate

More on mentoringMentoring is a process by which “experienced people who go

out of their way to help you clarify your vision and personal goals and build skills to reach them.” -- Dr. Linda Phillips-Jones

Source: International Association of Business Communicators, 2009

In recent years, an increasing number of public sector agencies and more than 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies have established and sustained a wide variety of structured mentoring systems.

More on coaching“Coaching is partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and

creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.” – International Coach Federation

External

Manager-to-employee

Personal development

Internal

Peer-to-peer

Professional skills only

Organizational coaching options include::

:

:

...“boosting employee engagement” is cited by about 41% of respondents as the purpose for which their organizations use coaching. – American Management Association, 2008

More on coaching

Coaching is a convenient and cost-effective way to support behavioural change and accelerate human and organizational evolution. Training increases productivity by 22.4%, while training with coaching increases productivity by 88%.

Source: International Personnel Management Association

22.4%

88%

Training

Coaching

Discussion

Jitka HoltHolt Communications [email protected]+604.724.4597

http://www.holtcommunications.ca/

mailto:[email protected]