Team Accountability – Workshop 7 (Communicating the Plan)
The Appleton Greene Corporate Training Program (CTP) for Team Accountability is provided by Mr. Teschner MBA BA Certified Learning Provider (CLP). Program Specifications: Monthly cost USD$2,500.00; Monthly Workshops 6 hours; Monthly Support 4 hours; Program Duration 12 months; Program orders subject to ongoing availability.
If you would like to view the Client Information Hub (CIH) for this program, please Click Here
Learning Provider Profile
Mr. Teschner is a transformational Leadership Coach and Trainer and Founder & CEO of VMax Group. VMax Group is a St Louis-based Leadership Development company specializing in teaching accountable leadership and high-performing teamwork to businesses across the globe. VMax Group has centered much of its signature training around the proper practice of Accountability. Real Accountability—positive, forward-focused Accountability centered around the process of taking Absolute Ownership for the outcomes the team achieves—is something Mr. Teschner and his team lived during their collective time as member of high-performance military teams. Now they’ve made it their mission to teach what they know to those who need to learn it.
A decorated graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Air University, and the National War College, Mr. Teschner is also both a Distinguished Graduate and former F-15 Instructor at the USAF Weapons School – the Air Force version of “TOP GUN”. It was there that he honed his craft of teaching accountable leadership to the top practitioners in the world. Additionally, Mr. Teschner was privileged to command an operational F-22 “Raptor” squadron, flying America’s most advanced air supremacy platform. Mr. Teschner was ultimately honored to be promoted to the rank of full Colonel but retired early as a result of a battle with colon-rectal cancer. Mr. Teschner has over 20 years of hands-on leadership experience in High-Performance, High-Reliability Organizations and brings all of that experience with him wherever he speaks, teaches or coaches.
Mr. Teschner has a special way of connecting with his audiences, blending high-impact stories of fighter aviation and personal humility to achieve the intended outcome. In addition, his story of his personal fight with cancer serves as the launch pad for talks about humility, growth, motivation, and constant improvement. Mr. Teschner is the author of the #1 bestselling book, Debrief to Win: How High-Performing Leaders Practice Accountable Leadership, and released his newest bestselling book Aiming Higher: A Journey Through Military Aviation Leadership, a book co-authored with 4 other former Air Force pilots, in May of 2022. His next book, Building Resilience, is due out in the Spring of 2023.
MOST Analysis
Mission Statement
This module is our communications module. Here the team will lean the art of pre-mission briefing, communicating the plan to their teammates. Outcome: the ability to tell the story of how we’ll achieve success. Desired Learning Objectives: We understand the tenets of communicating for effect. We understand the basic components of the “BRIEF” methodology. We know how to use BRIEF to effectively communicate a plan.
BRIEF stands for:
• B: Briefly provide an overview of the mission, objectives and plan outline, from end state to how we’ll achieve it
• R: Review the “behavioral focus of the day,” as well as any individual highlights that deserve a focus
• I: Inspire the team by highlighting who is going to do what by when
• E: Effectively communicate potential challenges to our success, as well as how we’ll identify and address those challenges
• F: Finish on a high note by verifying comprehension, addressing questions, and explaining why you’re confident in the team’s ability to win!
Objectives
01. Framework: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
02. Create Urgency: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
03. Communicate The ‘Why’: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
04. Storytelling: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
05. Insights: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
06. Ambassadors: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
07. Communication Obstacles: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. 1 Month
08. Media: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
09. Celebrate Successes: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
Strategies
01. Framework: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
02. Create Urgency: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
03. Communicate The ‘Why’: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
04. Storytelling: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
05. Insights: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
06. Ambassadors: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
07. Communication Obstacles: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
08. Media: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
09. Celebrate Successes: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
Tasks
01. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Framework.
02. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Create Urgency.
03. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Communicate The ‘Why’.
04. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Storytelling.
05. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Insights.
06. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Ambassadors.
07. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Communication Obstacles.
08. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Media.
09. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Celebrate Successes.
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Introduction
Getting Your Business On Board With Strategic Planning Using Communication
Will your strategic plan have any effect if no one knows about it? The prognosis, in our opinion, is not promising. This is due to the fact that a plan is only as effective as its execution.
In other words, if you want to be successful, you must learn not only how to develop a strategic plan for your company, but also how to successfully communicate that plan.
It’s much easier said than done.
Use the following suggestions to improve strategic plan communication and gain employee buy-in from the bottom up.
Why Is It Critical To Convey Your Strategic Vision Effectively?
Companies spend a significant amount of time developing a strategic plan or vision for their company. All of your time and resources, however, will be wasted if you are unable to effectively communicate your vision to the rest of the company.
Not only is the initial investment wasted, but if you can’t strategically align your business, you’re basically leaving every team to guess what work is critical, which problems or goals to prioritize, and what their ultimate purpose is.
Misalignment between departments and across the company is a sure recipe for misalignment in strategy.
This misalignment can lead to confusion and inefficiency, rivalry between teams and divisions, and employee burnout and disengagement.
In other words, the company cannot move forward effectively or efficiently without a well-communicated strategic plan.
How to Deliver a Strategic Plan
Use the following tips and best practices to successfully communicate your strategic plan and get everyone on the same page.
Organize An All-Hands Meeting.
First, make your vision known at an all-hands meeting for the entire company. Ideally, you will communicate your plans several times over the next few months through different meetings and formats. However, it is critical to first communicate your plans to the complete organization so that everyone receives the same messaging.
Informing everyone at the same time will help to prevent misunderstanding or misinformation from spreading through the rumor mill and ensure that no one is left out.
It also allows you to respond questions and receive preliminary feedback from the group. Make time during your meeting to answer questions and solicit input. Addressing those concerns together can relieve managers of the burden of answering difficult questions and ensures that everyone receives the same answers from the same trustworthy source.
Then, as you continue to roll out communication and implementation across departments, you can build on the initial feedback and handle more detailed questions case by case and team by team.
Explain your “why.”
Don’t forget to describe why things are changing as you explain what is changing. Change is difficult. When you introduce a new strategic plan, you are likely to disrupt your workers’ work processes and approaches.
Assume your new strategy involves technological updates or the implementation of new systems. While you may be able to see how those changes will make your employees’ jobs easier or more efficient in the long run, they will have to bear the brunt of learning a new system, changing well-worn processes that “worked just fine” before, and dealing with the growing pains of a learning curve—which may include lower productivity and even upset customers at first.
Respect your employees by recognizing what you’re truly asking them to do and explaining why it’s critical to move forward with the new plan.
Make two points as you explain the “why” behind these changes:
1. Create a sense of urgency
Why make a shift now? What’s the hurry? You must create urgency for why these changes are happening now as you describe the purpose behind the new plans. What motivates the need for change?
This will help people comprehend why you’re making the changes and will instill in them the same sense of urgency in carrying out your plans effectively.
2. Explain what’s in it for “me.”
High-level strategy can appear disconnected from the day-to-day work or processes that teams and individuals perform. When communicating your future goals and vision, make sure to connect the purpose and benefits directly to your employees.
How will the new plan improve their working environment? What are the advantages for their group or department? For instance, if the new strategic vision will result in happier customers, describe how this will convert into easier customer service calls or higher sales quotas.
When people believe that change will benefit them (rather than just a vague bottom line), they will be more invested in making those plans a success.
Create A Framework For Teams To Follow In Order To Align Their Work With The Company’s Plan.
Create a company-wide structure for implementing the new strategy and keeping everyone’s work aligned to take the guesswork out of alignment. Creating objectives and projects based on the strategic plan is a simple but effective approach.
OKRs assist you in organizing your goals around a strategy and tracking key results at the conclusion of the measurement period. This process not only helps teams and individuals align their objectives and goals, but it also clarifies ownership and accountability.
When everyone is working from the same framework, it is simpler to execute company strategy broadly and consistently, ensuring that everyone is on the same page.
In Future Interactions, Reinforce The Strategic Plan.
Maintain the momentum behind your new strategy plans by following up and following through. Too often, leaders make the error of launching a new strategy without ensuring consistent communication throughout the rest of the year and beyond.
Remember that communicating your strategy plan should not be a one-time event.
It requires time to build adoption and align your company with a new vision or goal. Make your strategy a part of your company meetings, newsletter, employee reviews, and one-on-one talks to reinforce your message.
Celebrate Your Accomplishments Along The Road.
Implementing a new strategy plan is not as easy as crossing items off a to-do list. There will be questions to answer, issues to resolve, and individuals to persuade. This requires time and will not always be easy. That is why it is critical to recognize and reward individual, team, and organizational accomplishments along the road.
In team and business meetings, highlight these individual and collective victories. Recognizing successes as your business transitions to a new strategy will increase engagement and adoption, leading to greater ownership and responsibility across the board.
Visuals Can Help You Clarify Your Point.
Strategic plans typically include a plethora of terms, forecasts, and components. However, if you don’t communicate clearly, these details can rapidly become lost in translation. By visualizing crucial information, you can keep your audience engaged and on board.
Visuals are a simple but effective way to supplement your presentation and clarify your messaging so that everyone knows your future vision. To clarify new processes, responsibilities, and accountability, use visuals such as flowcharts, graphs, product roadmaps, and organizational models.
Use visuals to improve alignment within and across teams as teams begin to execute the new strategy.
Simple collaboration features allow team members to provide feedback or clarify concerns about group projects.
Visual collaboration and communication from the top down and within teams will assist your business in understanding and implementing your new vision more quickly and effectively.
Many organizations overlook one thing when implementing a Balanced Scorecard or any type of strategic plan: no matter how effective your strategy is, it won’t work if your employees don’t know how to align with it, or worse, if they don’t know about it. As a result, your internal communication strategy can genuinely make or break your efforts.
Given the importance of communication in strategic success, you may find it useful to create a communication plan to ensure information is effectively disseminated at all levels. In this section, we’ll explain the objectives and key components of a strong strategic communication plan, as well as how you can surmount some of the most common obstacles you’ll face as you work to get everyone on the same page.
What Precisely Is A Strategy Communication Plan?
A strategic communication plan is a written plan that outlines how your organization’s goals will be communicated to your team. This plan is deliberate, with messages and tactics used to help connect employees with your strategy and drive your organization’s performance success.
Objectives in Common
Consider your rationale for making a plan before you begin. What is your marketing strategy’s overarching goal? Is it intended to:
• Raise knowledge of the Balanced Scorecard or strategic plan throughout the organization?
• Educate all audiences on important Balanced Scorecard concepts?
• Increase the project’s important stakeholders’ engagement and commitment?
• Encourage process participation?
• Raise awareness of the Balanced Scorecard and strategy plan?
• Ensure that team outcomes are quickly and effectively disseminated?
Case Study: Nova Scotia Power’s Communication Objective
“To present the concepts of the Balanced Scorecard to the key constituents involved in both sponsoring and providing input to the implementation, and to provide all involved with regular updates regarding the team’s progress during the implementation.”
This goal specifies who should receive communication and what the content should say, both of which will serve as guidelines for all future strategy-related communications.
Important Elements of Your Communication Plan
Determine the essential elements of your communication plan: who, why, what, when, and where.
Who refers to both the communicator and the intended audience. You should define the right groups to be involved in the process based on the scope of your implementation. Your intended audience is made up of these groups. Following the identification of the target audience, each group should be assigned a communicator tasked with successfully disseminating the message.
The why and what in this equation represent the goal or message. The goal of the communication strategy is to communicate the original goal of implementing the plan. This could take the shape of a common goal, such as “generate key stakeholders’ engagement and commitment to the project.” What are we doing and why are we doing it? We are putting the communication strategy into action in order to generate engagement and commitment from important stakeholders.
When should you deliver the message? The frequency of communication required will be determined by the requirements of your target audience. If you are unsure about the quantity of communication required, it is always better to overcommunicate. According to John Kotter in his essay “Leading Change,” “without credible communication, and a lot of it, employees’ hearts and minds are never captured.”
Where and how should you communicate? Effective communication often necessitates a significant quantity of effort, and the message must frequently be repeated several times. Dr. Robert Kaplan recommends communicating the plans “seven times in seven ways” to ensure that employees fully grasp the strategy and how they can contribute to success. This could include using brochures, speeches, newsletters, videos, a business website or intranet, workshops, and so on. Any medium capable of reaching the target audience could be used; it could even take the form of internal blog entries at your company.
Communication is a two-way street, so don’t neglect to solicit and provide feedback from others. Remember to communicate efficiently and frequently.
Communication Technique: Five Key Lessons
Here are a summary of lessons which you can use to avoid some of the early hiccups when developing your own strategic communications strategy.
Lesson 1: Don’t rely solely on written communication
The strategic plan should be presented in a variety of methods.
Each of your employees processes knowledge in a unique way. Therefore, if some of your workers aren’t visual learners and you only use posters to communicate your communication strategy, they won’t be impacted. Employees who regularly disregard lengthy emails won’t be impacted if you only send one email outlining the plan. As an example, make sure to present your strategic plan in a variety of methods. To ensure that each employee can learn about the plan in the manner that is most effective for them, you should use a combination of video, audio, visual, and written strategy communication.
Be imaginative in how you communicate your strategy.
For instance, “Strategy in Action: Canon Americas’ Strategy Playbook” was produced by Canon USA. This playbook was created by a graphic designer who had previously worked for USA Today and included a color-coded rendition of the company strategy map. If you want to put a special spin on your marketing strategy, think about doing something similar in your company.
Lesson 2: Make Sure That Your Content Is Clear And Pertinent
Set up your strategy vocabulary.
Consider defining it explicitly, for instance, if “customer” is one of the key words in your strategy. In other words, don’t presume that your staff is fully aware of your target audience and the purpose of your marketing efforts.
Use language that is very simple.
It might seem “smarter” or “easier” to use industry-specific acronyms, but the reverse is true. Attempt to eliminate any ineffective, jargon-filled terms like “leveraging talent” or “optimizing strategy.”
Keep two-way dialogue going, is the third lesson.
Lesson 3: Create Platforms For Bottom-Up Dialogue
Do your staff members understand that you want their feedback? They most likely don’t if you don’t have any designated spaces for this bottom-up strategy planning communication. Or, at the very least, they are unsure of how to give you that input. Based on your organizational structure, think about the best channel for constructive criticism and set it in place as soon as you can.
Lesson 4: Embrace The Vision Of The Workforce
Be receptive to advice from the staff.
Having a strategic plan is one thing, but understanding how it is affecting your workers is quite another. The leadership team will be more open to new and improved solutions to issues if they can place themselves in the position of lower-level workers and observe the strategy in action from their point of view.
Be adaptable.
After creating your strategic plan, you must be prepared to modify it as needed. Keep track of what is and isn’t functioning well, and be aware that you might need to take a step back and change your strategic plan in response to the feedback you’re receiving.
The final instruction comes from our own experience and is as follows:
Lesson 5: Making Your Progress Evident
In order to maintain audience attention and engagement, provide a steady stream of information. Even once every three months, or once every six months, is insufficient to discuss strategy. Instead, continually put it up front. To review KPIs and talk departmental strategy in relation to the organization’s overall plan, encourage departmental teams to meet once per week. Try to gather as a group once a month.
Ensure simplicity.
You can’t expect people to spend hours every week analyzing Excel spreadsheets, so the more frequently you communicate findings, the simpler your communications should be. (And you don’t want to be making them in a loop either!) Make use of a software instrument for streamlining strategies. You’ll be able to share visually appealing dashboards that provide quick access to the most crucial KPI statuses, as well as delegate the laborious task of producing reports to the software, which does so automatically and does so in accordance with a preset schedule.
a ClearPoint plan map illustration
With the help of all those tools, you can make strategy knowledge accessible to and transparent for everyone within your company—the basis for effective communication. You’ll achieve far more strategic success if you make it simple for your staff to obtain the information in your strategic plan and offer you helpful criticism.
Executive Summary
BRIEF stands for:
• B: Briefly provide an overview of the mission, objectives and plan outline, from end state to how we’ll achieve it
• R: Review the “behavioral focus of the day,” as well as any individual highlights that deserve a focus
• I: Inspire the team by highlighting who is going to do what by when
• E: Effectively communicate potential challenges to our success, as well as how we’ll identify and address those challenges
• F: Finish on a high note by verifying comprehension, addressing questions, and explaining why you’re confident in the team’s ability to win!
Chapter 1: Framework
The power of a consistent approach, a framework that helps the team achieve alignment — A key element is ensuring all stakeholders are present for the BRIEF.
When cross-functional teams and individual team members work toward the same vision, they grasp their individual and team goals, and they can see how their contributions matter to the larger organizational purpose. Simply stated, team alignment is the process of reaching a common understanding.
What Does Team Harmony Entail?
It is critical that you understand how to align your team so that you can receive the benefits for your company. When people agree on what needs to be done and how it will be done, things can progress more quickly and easily. A cohesive team has its act together, with all team members working together to accomplish success. Here are some characteristics of a well-aligned squad.
• Commitment: Team members are committed to and passionate about the general success of the organization. Members are also dedicated to assisting their teammates in achieving collective achievement.
• Content is clear, consistent, and concise when teams are aligned and concentrated. Communication is effective, and the business strategy is known at all levels of the organization; team members also understand their role in accomplishing goals.
The Significance Of Team Alignment
When you want to scale, team alignment becomes even more essential. This is due to the fact that new systems and structures will be required to manage the complexity that comes with development.
Team alignment is essential to ensuring that all members comprehend the end goals and the strategies being used to achieve them. The achievement rate rises as the team becomes more aligned. Team alignment has a significant effect on your company’s overall success. According to ClearCompany, 97% of employees and executives concur that a lack of alignment has a negative impact on the outcome of a job or project. When your staff is aligned, you reap the following benefits:
• Improved collaboration and communication
• Improved communication among team members
• An increase in ingenuity
• Increased confidence among team members
• Increased efficiency
• Better efficiency
• Improved drive and morale
• Lower employee turnover rates
• The ability to make critical choices quickly
• Adaptability to a changing industry
The Advantages of Aligning Executive Teams
In today’s uncertain business climate, executive teams are critical. They must handle more complex and time-constrained transformations than ever before, leading by example, with strong alignment, and engaging the rest of the organization around a shared purpose. Executive team alignment entails not only agreement on strategy and business priorities, but also a strong personal connection and a common understanding of the behaviors and dynamics that they wish to adopt. The executive team can take its success to the next level by increasing its commitment and accountability.
How Does The OKR Structure Aid In Team Alignment?
When considering how to align your team, don’t forget about the OKR method. The OKR framework is a powerful tool that helps people and teams align with shared company goals by driving focus and clarity. Alignment is a critical component of an OKR framework because it ensures that everyone is moving in the same direction and using the same rhythm to maximize performance effect and business success. OKRs can align executives all the way down to individual teams; in fact, many organizations use OKRs because they want different teams within the business to be more aligned with the overall company direction.
Setting OKRs has the primary goal of increasing clarity and alignment for individuals and teams, allowing them to see how their work contributes to the larger picture. When your staff can change tracks to realign with the company’s direction, they are more likely to feel engaged.
Chapter 2: Create Urgency
Outline what the major mission elements are—to include, defining the actual mission, defining the mission objectives, and quickly explaining the plan in broad brush strokes: — Think as if you only have 2 minutes to cover all of the major elements before the fire alarm goes off and the meeting is adjourned — Create a sense of urgency by confidently explaining how the plan coming together will enable the achievement of mission success.
Why is Urgency Important?
The importance of urgency cannot be overstated because real organizational change cannot occur without the cooperation of the affected stakeholders. This is why leaders must first create a sense of urgency for required change in order to obtain management and employee cooperation.
Leaders instill a sense of urgency in organizational stakeholders by both selling the value of a future state and making the status quo a dangerous place for the stakeholders to stay. In effect, senior leaders craft a compelling narrative that explains to stakeholders why the organization’s current condition is not in their best interests.
This is frequently accomplished through candid talks about current market and competitive realities, the sharing of relevant financial and customer data, and the discussion of opportunities and crises confronting the organization. Communication is essential, and communications about the pressing need for change must be truthful. A fabricated sense of urgency will soon be exposed for what it is, dooming a change attempt to mediocrity.
Why Is It Essential To Instill A Sense Of Urgency?
Creating a sense of urgency on your team has numerous advantages for productivity and morale. Although each team has its own culture, pace, and goals, having a sense of urgency is essential for completing tasks and progressing as a group. Some of the most important reasons to keep urgency in the workplace are:
• Meeting deadlines: It is easier to meet and surpass deliverable deadlines when everyone on a team has an internal sense of motivation and urgency.
• Making long-term plans for projects: Having a culture of urgency enables you to schedule your time and make long-term plans for projects.
• Increasing productivity: Developing patterns of urgent behavior increases productivity and efficiency in job completion.
• Improving problem-solving abilities: Having a strong sense of urgency allows you to spot potential problems quickly, giving you more time to develop solutions.
• Building a reputation: Being able to respond to clients quickly and produce content quickly is critical for establishing a positive reputation in your business.
How to Instill a Sense of Urgency in Your Team
There are several actions that leaders can take to instill urgency and gain the support of managers, employees, and other stakeholders.
Among them are the following:
• Demonstrating leadership commitment to the upcoming shift by eliminating obvious waste;
• Informing the organization of bad tidings;
• Requiring managers and workers to speak directly with dissatisfied suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders on a regular basis in order to comprehend their concerns.
• Disseminating data throughout the company to support the claim that change is required; and
• Ensuring that organizational choices and management actions are consistent with change communications.
The first move leaders must take to lead a change effort and gain the cooperation of necessary stakeholders is to generate a sense of urgency. It necessitates direct and honest dialogue that creates a sense of urgency rather than doom. Leaders greatly improve their chances of gaining the support of organizational stakeholders for a necessary change effort by painting a compelling picture of a desired future as well as the dangers of accepting the status quo.
Chapter 3: Communicate The ‘Why’
Why The Why Is Important For Team Alignment
Consider the following elements of a simple and successful project plan:
1. What we are changing (vision for change)
2. The rationale for the change – why is it necessary to make that change
3. List of related projects and efforts – how will we bring about change?
Most of us can describe what we’re doing and how we’re going about it, but we either skip over or struggle to explain why it matters. Because organizations do not change – individuals do – explaining why must be personalized.
Furthermore, individuals do not oppose change, but they do oppose being changed. Leaders must engage their followers in defining the why and carrying out the change. These endeavors necessitate a great deal of communication. It’s also not enough to simply send a message; you must also test to see how the message was received and adapt as required.
Unfortunately, skipping this effort is what differentiates people who support the change because they feel obligated to and people who support the change because they want to. This distinction is the deciding element in the success of change initiatives.
People who comprehend and emotionally identify with the change’s rationale feel inspired rather than manipulated.
Employees who feel compelled to act generally feel like victims and will expend the least amount of effort and creative energy to produce new results.
Employees who comprehend and emotionally connect with the rationale for the change – why it is essential to the organization and to them – feel inspired rather than manipulated, and will do everything in their power to creatively support and implement the target change.
A more effective method to explain why
When leaders attempt to communicate the rationale for change, they frequently focus on why the change is essential to them rather than why the team needs it. They overlook a crucial component known as WIIFM: what’s in it for me?
Reverse-engineer your current engagement strategy
The best advice is to reverse-engineer your current communication process. Begin with the desired outcome. For example, it could be staff enthusiasm and dedication to bringing about organizational change. Then, determine what the team presently thinks about the situation. They may believe, for example, that “going to a managed services provider means I’ll lose my job.”
Determine what they must believe in order to wholeheartedly support the change. “For example, once we outsource our infrastructure support to an MSP, I will be retrained to improve my infrastructure engineering skills and learn how to implement DevOps. My job will become more interesting and less stressful, and my market value will skyrocket.”
Finally, consider the gap between what your audience presently thinks about the change and what they need to believe about it, and design your communication messages and engagement process to bridge that gap.
Chapter 4: Storytelling
Another key element is that the mission lead takes the plan that was developed and refines it into the form of a story…a story of how we’re going to win as a team — This requires personal preparation on the part of the mission lead. Harness the power of storytelling to communicate for effect — Be mindful of tone—> It needs to be positive — Be mindful of language—> I needs to be appropriate — Be mindful of pacing—> It needs to be slow enough to be understood, but fast enough to be effective and not boring — The intent is to inspire the team by virtue of how the story is told to get buy-in and performance.
How Often Have You Been Captivated By An Excellent Story?
Maybe you remained up late reading a novel you couldn’t put down or watching a movie you couldn’t stop watching? Perhaps you pushed yourself harder because you heard about a colleague’s success, or you altered your mind after reading a heartbreaking story in the newspaper?
Stories have the power to alter how we think, behave, and feel. They have the power to break down barriers and turn bad circumstances around, and they can form the foundations of an entire workplace culture. Stories have the ability to capture our imaginations, illustrate our ideas, arouse our emotions, and inspire us in ways that cold, hard facts do not always.
Stories can be extremely effective business tools, and effective leaders use them to engage their employees. So, if you want to successfully motivate others, you must learn how to tell a good story.
In this article, we’ll look at business storytelling – when to use it and what kind of story you could tell to get the outcomes you want.
What Exactly Is Business Storytelling?
Employees, customers, colleagues, partners, suppliers, and the media all use business stories to share and connect with one another. Business stories are distinct from other types of stories in that they are told with an aim, goal, or desired result in mind, rather than for entertainment.
When you share a good story, you can forge an intense, personal bond between your audience and your message. Effective stories can change our minds, inspire us to accomplish goals we never thought were possible, and show us how we can make things better.
Improves staff productivity and engagement.
Employees are the heart of the business; they are the company’s most valuable asset, and a business can only thrive if its employees succeed. However, research indicates widespread disengagement; for example, Gallup’s research indicates that 70% of US workers are either not engaged or actively disengaged from their jobs.
Using storytelling, you can cultivate the correct culture at work. This goes beyond simply sharing a successful vision; instead, share tales about the company’s history, challenges, values, goals, and so on. Share the important information with your employees and explain what it implies for them. This will offer them something to believe in, and as a result, they will believe in the company, increasing their motivation to work.
Making your employees a part of the company’s larger story gives them a better sense of purpose and meaning. Allow your workers to share their own stories to expand on this.
Decision-making
People use stories to make choices. For example, when considering purchasing a product, you look at reviews, which are basically stories rather than facts and features. This is also true when looking at businesses: when people ask themselves, “Why should I get involved with this business?” they are looking for reasons, so they look for tales.
Whether they are targeting customers, prospective employees, or stakeholders, every company must use storytelling to answer the simple question, “why should people care?”
Stories provide meaning and motivate people to take action.
Stories offer the audience a reason and a reason to act. Wharton School of Business, for example, discovered that when participants were asked to collect donations in a call center, those who were told how the money would improve the lives of others earned more than twice as much as those who were told how the money would improve their own lives. The sense of purpose led to the first group earning more, so tell tales to elicit action.
To summarize
Today, it’s challenging to find a successful brand that doesn’t have a compelling backstory. Stories provide meaning, context, and a feeling of purpose. Most humans prefer stories to facts or statistics because stories help us relate, empathize, and recall. As a result, more companies are recognizing the value of storytelling.
Chapter 5: Insights
Have a system to highlight the “Debrief to Win” core values whenever we give a mission brief. Have a short set of behavioral highlights that we can use to quickly highlight how we’ll use one of the six core values in the conduct of this particular mission — The DTW Core Values — Vulnerability — Collaboration — Empathy — Self Awareness — Humility — Ownership — Think as well on whether or not we need to focus on something in particular this mission that everyone could benefit from us covering.
According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace survey, 85% of workers worldwide are disengaged. If any of your staff members fall into this category, your business is much more likely to experience high employee churn, poor output, and disgruntled clients. However, truly engaged staff members feel more a part of the company, are more satisfied with their jobs, are more likely to stick around longer, and create higher-quality work.
Organizations from all over the world invest billions of dollars each year in events and initiatives meant to raise morale and increase employee engagement. These one-time or seasonal efforts do produce some results, but they are frequently transient and may disappear entirely a few weeks after the program’s end.
A thorough grasp of employee engagement and effective, ongoing communication with your employees are essential for achieving long-lasting results. Utilizing data and analytics (more specifically, behavioral data) to guide and verify the creation and implementation of your engagement strategy is one impartial and reliable way to achieve this.
Because it enables you to see the true effects of your engagement efforts based on how employees work as well as how they work together, behavioral data is essential to creating a truly engaged workforce. The three most effective methods behavioral data can help you increase employee engagement are covered in the sections below.
Measuring What Counts Most
Using behavioral data, management is better able to understand what drives different workers, pinpoint how they operate at their most productive, and develop natural connections with each team member based on needs and engagement drivers.
Additionally, behavioral data can highlight areas where workers’ day-to-day performance could be improved, such as the proportion of workers who meet with their supervisors one on one each week. (for coaching, mentoring, and collaboration). By indicating whether employees are sufficiently connected to and supported by their direct managers, these insights can encourage improved leadership and employee support behaviors. It can also track data related to after-hours work, such as how much time staff members spend communicating with one another via calls, emails, meetings, and instant messaging. This assists organizations in identifying possible burnout risks and the teams that are most vulnerable to it.
Creating Engagement Tactics That Are Data-Driven
Business leaders can better decide where to spend time and money on engagement efforts to produce better results by using these behavioral workplace insights. For instance, by allocating specific team members recurring time slots with line managers, HR leaders could make adjustments to enhance workplace culture and encourage mentoring between management and teams.
Additionally, where behavioral data indicates that inter- or intra-team collaboration is missing or ineffective, they could implement strategies to improve it. Using these analytics, HR staff can find the skill sets and behaviors that will boost team output or efficiency across the entire company while also enhancing the working environment for employees.
Chapter 6: Ambassadors
Highlight how to identify those events or things that will move us from the main plan to one of our contingency plans — Inspire the team by effectively explaining HOW they will know WHEN to move into a contingency plan, and explain HOW that plan will enable success.
Departmental Conflict
Political ambassadors prevent wars between countries, and a team ambassador can prevent departmental battles in the business context by proactively shaping how their team works with other teams and ensuring positive team interactions.
Departments in businesses are similar to various countries in that they each have their own workplace culture, values, and priorities. And, just like two nations, two departments can have unresolved issues that come to a head.
This is an old story: Marketing believes that sales is squandering excellent leads. Sales believes that marketing is not providing enough prospects. Instead of being irritated by trade deals and military bases, teams within your company become agitated when they feel unproductive while collaborating with other teams.
Fortunately, armed conflict is not how teams settle their disagreements; however, this does not mean that teams do not go to war. Backstabbing, sluggish collaboration, and finger pointing are the bullets fired between teams, and while there is no bodily damage done, your company’s employee morale, retention, and performance all suffer as a result. Your business can ensure that cooler heads prevail and everyone remains productive by utilizing team ambassadors.
The Function of a Team Ambassador
A team ambassador is an employee who represents their team in issues involving interaction with other teams. The individual does not need to be a manager or have authority over key choices. Some jobs, such as Sales Coordinator, easily fall into this category. (virtually anyone with “Coordinator” in their title).
A team ambassador’s main job, similar to that of a nation’s ambassador, is to convey messages back and forth that keep teams informed, aligned, and out of conflict. They must be someone who both teams believe can be trusted to do the correct thing with candid information, or their messages will be ignored.
A Sales Coordinator, for example, acts as a team ambassador when he or she tells the marketing team that the sales reps believe the product one-pager is outdated and poorly designed. The sales team is confident that the Sales Coordinator will deliver the message in a non-dramatic manner, rather than an updated one-pager that meets their requirements. Similarly, if the marketing team has a worry, they can address it diplomatically through the sales team’s ambassador. It’s easier to receive bad news from someone who is already on your side.
Team ambassadors are particularly useful when both teams have strong personalities that clash. Let’s face it: not everyone gets along, and everyone in the business usually knows who doesn’t. Your company cannot afford to wait for personalities to soften, so employing a team ambassador with the necessary soft skills ensures that projects continue to move forward even when relationships are strained.
Having said that, a team ambassador should never be used to cover up genuinely dysfunctional team dynamics. He or she should not be used to settle genuine disagreements between workers who should be communicating with one another. The team ambassador’s task is to convey messages from another team to their team that do not have a natural recipient.
Appointment of a Team Ambassador
Before choosing a team ambassador, keep in mind that this is a chance for an employee to learn new management skills. Choose someone with leadership potential and, especially, good communication skills, but with enough experience at your business to be familiar with internal team dynamics. It is essential to have someone with a positive demeanor who is more helpful than combative. A smart strategy is to have each team member nominate their own ambassador.
Following the selection of your team ambassador, you must identify the team(s) that should be contacted for proactive engagement. It’s recommended that you select no more than four teams so that your ambassador can engage with various teams each week of the month.
To ensure the success of a team ambassador, he or she will frequently spend at least one day per week embedded within another team where alignment is essential. Make sure you have approval from other team leaders and, if possible, desk space. This makes sense, because, similar to having an embassy in a country, the team ambassador working within a team sees issues develop firsthand and is easily available to discuss issues in a proactive and constructive manner.
Once embedded, provide your team ambassadors with employee engagement tools to gather an aggregated list of issues and ideas from the teams with which they interact each month. Continue in this manner, and your company will discover new and underlying issues quicker, preventing them from harming your business.
Chapter 7: Communication Obstacles
Ineffective communication can be disastrous in any partnership. Poor communication at work can have a financial impact. Employees who don’t have access to the right channels for constructive workplace communication feel underappreciated, disengaged, and are less likely to go above and beyond to be a visionary for your business. There are several telltale signs that a business has a communication problem, but fortunately there is a treatment.
Definition of Communication Barriers
Anything that stops or hinders communicators from getting the right message to the right person at the right time—or from receiving the right message at the right time—can be considered a communication barrier.
Effective communication can be difficult due to 3 major categories of communication barriers.
• There are actual physical barriers to communication, such as social distance, remote work, deskless work, closed workplace doors, and others.
• Emotional Communication barriers caused by negative feelings like fear and mistrust.
• Language communication barriers, which include both vocal and nonverbal conversation.
These barriers to communication, however, only give a broad overview of the reasons why dialogue is ineffective. Let’s examine some of the most prevalent communication challenges that employers today encounter in more detail.
Communication Difficulties
Although they can take many different shapes, information-sharing or information-receiving barriers are at the heart of all communication barriers. Barriers to dialogue, for instance, might be:
Team members working on different schedules and in different time zones; team members using or favoring various platforms for communication; team members not knowing where to look for written information; differences in language or workplace jargon; lack of in-person interaction between remote team members.
Due to the covid pandemic, communication barriers have gotten worse for many companies as their workforces moved to remote work. These obstacles won’t go away, as more than half of knowledge workers say they want to continue working online after the pandemic. Leading companies are tackling these issues head-on, though, to make sure that workers can communicate successfully wherever they are.
Techniques for Surmounting Communication Barriers
Team members can now interact face-to-face even when they are not physically present thanks to video conferencing tools like Zoom. However, it’s also crucial for businesses to offer asynchronous collaboration tools when workers begin to experience Zoom fatigue or must communicate while working on various schedules. When real-time input is not required, you could, for instance, permit team members to record and share videos of their project updates, or subject matter experts could answer commonly asked questions by writing them down and sharing them on the company’s knowledge management platform.
By stating clearly how various channels should be used, you can help prevent communication issues brought on by team members depending on various channels of communication or being unaware of where to find documented information. By compiling a glossary of terms commonly used in the workplace and business, you can further reduce terminology-related confusion. Employees can discover information even if they don’t know the exact terms the author used by selecting a knowledge management platform that allows synonym searching (search results will take into account both common synonyms and exact match keywords).
Chapter 8: Media
Consider whether there is media that would help pain the picture effectively, helping the team to both comprehend and generate buy-in.
The Social Animal
Whether you like it or not, social media has infiltrated every cubicle, inspiring the most fundamental shift in the way we work since the introduction of the Apple IIe. Longtime SAS CEO Jim Goodnight has stated that his “chief assets drive out of the gate every day.” At the end of the day, business is about people, and social media provides the best tools today for connecting them to each other and the company.
Whose responsibility is it to identify, adopt, and manage these new social-media-powered platforms within organizations? You have one chance.
Humans, communication, and work–all of this makes HR the perfect place to harness this shift in work habits for the benefit of the business. A digital flood of products is on the market to assist human resources in meeting the new demands of employees and companies. But which HR platforms will genuinely help build a modern workplace by enhancing, rather than hindering, the way we want to do our jobs?
Why Have Things Changed?
The four most important social media-powered changes in the way we work, the opportunities they present, and some credible tools to help modern HR pros transform their workplace and grow their company are listed below.
1. People are impatient.
Technology has conditioned us to not only accept but also expect constant feedback.
2. We want to be in charge.
We manage our lives from the comfort of our screens, from travel plans to medical consultations.
3. We will express ourselves.
And very noisily. If an employee enjoys their work, they will tell their followers about it. However, if a manager repeatedly disappoints, this is also broadcast on Twitter.
What Is The Definition Of A Social Media Staff Engagement Strategy?
Nowadays, almost every company has a social media presence. Having one is critical because it enables you to connect with your customers in ways that were previously impossible. However, having a social media profile isn’t just for marketing and sales. It’s also an excellent method to engage employees and foster a sense of community within a company. Social media employee engagement has grown in popularity in recent years, so we’ll go over some strategies for engaging your team on social media to help you remain ahead of the curve.
A social media employee engagement plan is intended to boost morale and strengthen the relationship between employers and employees. It entails developing content that encourages meaningful conversations, disseminating business news and updates, engaging followers through polls, surveys, or competitions, and recognizing employees’ achievements. Furthermore, social media provides organizations with an effective channel for collecting employee feedback, allowing them to better understand their employees’ needs and guarantee their support.
Overall, a well-executed social media engagement plan can foster a positive workplace culture while connecting employers with the larger community. Furthermore, it creates a platform for open communication, which increases trust between both sides. This is critical for maintaining positive connections in any organization. Companies can maximize their influence on employee wellbeing while showcasing the positive values of their brand by implementing such strategies consistently and creatively.
Chapter 9: Celebrate Successes
Be ready to highlight successes from the past that apply to this iteration, driving confidence in the teams’ ability to WIN. End on an extremely positive note — Ensure everyone understands what they need to do — Address questions in a positive way, even if the question is basic and the answer was clearly covered — Highlight confidence in the team’s ability to WIN!
Celebrating accomplishments is crucial. However, it is simple to forget how far we have come and what we have accomplished in a world that constantly encourages us to strive higher and higher while constantly seeking the next goal.
You can guarantee that you mark the turning points in your personal development journey by taking the time to celebrate your accomplishments, no matter how big or small.
What landmarks you choose to commemorate and how you choose to do so are very personal decisions. We must each decide for ourselves what constitutes success and how to establish our goals. This page examines a few of the variables that could influence those choices and why it’s important to recognize achievement.
Why Celebrate Success?
There are primarily two justifications for achievement.
• First, because we construct success upon achievement.
Many people discover that their success motivates them to set even greater and more ambitious goals. Each task well done, each pay increase, or each promotion motivates them to work toward the next objective.
They are driven by having something to strive for, and they find it helpful to celebrate when it is accomplished while looking ahead.
Success enables individuals to realize that they can achieve success once more. Therefore, celebrating achievement is a crucial component of boosting self-assurance and self-belief.
• Secondly, because it’s important for us to gauge our progress.
We are typically propelled “onwards and upwards” by the process of personal growth.
We are urged to regularly assess our objectives to determine whether they have been accomplished. If we accomplish them, the tendency is to establish new goals that will push us further and inspire us to accomplish more. In other words, we look at what needs to be done rather than what has already been accomplished.
However, doing so only motivates us to climb higher on the peak of personal growth. There is always more you can do, more you can learn, and another advancement you can work toward. Our continuous search for more often leaves us unsatisfied.
Sometimes we need to take stock of our progress for the benefit of our emotional health. We must acknowledge the distance we have come and the accomplishment that this is in and of itself.
The various checkpoints along the route are also important because the journey itself is important.
We can become more resilient when we experience setbacks by being ready to look back and enjoy the victories because we understand that each setback is only momentary.
Success Should Be Celebrated For Physiological Reasons As Well
Celebrating and feeling happy actually alters the way our bodies chemically react. It causes our brains to produce feel-good endorphins. Success is then reinforced, which increases our desire to try it again. Therefore, celebrating success is intrinsically motivating, particularly if we do it the right way.
Specifying Success Criteria and Goals
What you consider to be success largely relies on your personal definition of success, which in turn depends on your life goals.
Your personal vision for your future self and your aims may be more or less formal; some people are very specific about their objectives, while others favor a more open-ended strategy. At various points in your existence, you will have different goals and aspirations. But almost everyone has objectives of some kind.
Curriculum
Team Accountability – Workshop 7– Communicating the Plan
- Framework
- Create Urgency
- Communicate The ‘Why’
- Storytelling
- Insights
- Ambassadors
- Communication Obstacles
- Media
- Celebrate Successes
Distance Learning
Introduction
Welcome to Appleton Greene and thank you for enrolling on the Team Accountability corporate training program. You will be learning through our unique facilitation via distance-learning method, which will enable you to practically implement everything that you learn academically. The methods and materials used in your program have been designed and developed to ensure that you derive the maximum benefits and enjoyment possible. We hope that you find the program challenging and fun to do. However, if you have never been a distance-learner before, you may be experiencing some trepidation at the task before you. So we will get you started by giving you some basic information and guidance on how you can make the best use of the modules, how you should manage the materials and what you should be doing as you work through them. This guide is designed to point you in the right direction and help you to become an effective distance-learner. Take a few hours or so to study this guide and your guide to tutorial support for students, while making notes, before you start to study in earnest.
Study environment
You will need to locate a quiet and private place to study, preferably a room where you can easily be isolated from external disturbances or distractions. Make sure the room is well-lit and incorporates a relaxed, pleasant feel. If you can spoil yourself within your study environment, you will have much more of a chance to ensure that you are always in the right frame of mind when you do devote time to study. For example, a nice fire, the ability to play soft soothing background music, soft but effective lighting, perhaps a nice view if possible and a good size desk with a comfortable chair. Make sure that your family know when you are studying and understand your study rules. Your study environment is very important. The ideal situation, if at all possible, is to have a separate study, which can be devoted to you. If this is not possible then you will need to pay a lot more attention to developing and managing your study schedule, because it will affect other people as well as yourself. The better your study environment, the more productive you will be.
Study tools & rules
Try and make sure that your study tools are sufficient and in good working order. You will need to have access to a computer, scanner and printer, with access to the internet. You will need a very comfortable chair, which supports your lower back, and you will need a good filing system. It can be very frustrating if you are spending valuable study time trying to fix study tools that are unreliable, or unsuitable for the task. Make sure that your study tools are up to date. You will also need to consider some study rules. Some of these rules will apply to you and will be intended to help you to be more disciplined about when and how you study. This distance-learning guide will help you and after you have read it you can put some thought into what your study rules should be. You will also need to negotiate some study rules for your family, friends or anyone who lives with you. They too will need to be disciplined in order to ensure that they can support you while you study. It is important to ensure that your family and friends are an integral part of your study team. Having their support and encouragement can prove to be a crucial contribution to your successful completion of the program. Involve them in as much as you can.
Successful distance-learning
Distance-learners are freed from the necessity of attending regular classes or workshops, since they can study in their own way, at their own pace and for their own purposes. But unlike traditional internal training courses, it is the student’s responsibility, with a distance-learning program, to ensure that they manage their own study contribution. This requires strong self-discipline and self-motivation skills and there must be a clear will to succeed. Those students who are used to managing themselves, are good at managing others and who enjoy working in isolation, are more likely to be good distance-learners. It is also important to be aware of the main reasons why you are studying and of the main objectives that you are hoping to achieve as a result. You will need to remind yourself of these objectives at times when you need to motivate yourself. Never lose sight of your long-term goals and your short-term objectives. There is nobody available here to pamper you, or to look after you, or to spoon-feed you with information, so you will need to find ways to encourage and appreciate yourself while you are studying. Make sure that you chart your study progress, so that you can be sure of your achievements and re-evaluate your goals and objectives regularly.
Self-assessment
Appleton Greene training programs are in all cases post-graduate programs. Consequently, you should already have obtained a business-related degree and be an experienced learner. You should therefore already be aware of your study strengths and weaknesses. For example, which time of the day are you at your most productive? Are you a lark or an owl? What study methods do you respond to the most? Are you a consistent learner? How do you discipline yourself? How do you ensure that you enjoy yourself while studying? It is important to understand yourself as a learner and so some self-assessment early on will be necessary if you are to apply yourself correctly. Perform a SWOT analysis on yourself as a student. List your internal strengths and weaknesses as a student and your external opportunities and threats. This will help you later on when you are creating a study plan. You can then incorporate features within your study plan that can ensure that you are playing to your strengths, while compensating for your weaknesses. You can also ensure that you make the most of your opportunities, while avoiding the potential threats to your success.
Accepting responsibility as a student
Training programs invariably require a significant investment, both in terms of what they cost and in the time that you need to contribute to study and the responsibility for successful completion of training programs rests entirely with the student. This is never more apparent than when a student is learning via distance-learning. Accepting responsibility as a student is an important step towards ensuring that you can successfully complete your training program. It is easy to instantly blame other people or factors when things go wrong. But the fact of the matter is that if a failure is your failure, then you have the power to do something about it, it is entirely in your own hands. If it is always someone else’s failure, then you are powerless to do anything about it. All students study in entirely different ways, this is because we are all individuals and what is right for one student, is not necessarily right for another. In order to succeed, you will have to accept personal responsibility for finding a way to plan, implement and manage a personal study plan that works for you. If you do not succeed, you only have yourself to blame.
Planning
By far the most critical contribution to stress, is the feeling of not being in control. In the absence of planning we tend to be reactive and can stumble from pillar to post in the hope that things will turn out fine in the end. Invariably they don’t! In order to be in control, we need to have firm ideas about how and when we want to do things. We also need to consider as many possible eventualities as we can, so that we are prepared for them when they happen. Prescriptive Change, is far easier to manage and control, than Emergent Change. The same is true with distance-learning. It is much easier and much more enjoyable, if you feel that you are in control and that things are going to plan. Even when things do go wrong, you are prepared for them and can act accordingly without any unnecessary stress. It is important therefore that you do take time to plan your studies properly.
Management
Once you have developed a clear study plan, it is of equal importance to ensure that you manage the implementation of it. Most of us usually enjoy planning, but it is usually during implementation when things go wrong. Targets are not met and we do not understand why. Sometimes we do not even know if targets are being met. It is not enough for us to conclude that the study plan just failed. If it is failing, you will need to understand what you can do about it. Similarly if your study plan is succeeding, it is still important to understand why, so that you can improve upon your success. You therefore need to have guidelines for self-assessment so that you can be consistent with performance improvement throughout the program. If you manage things correctly, then your performance should constantly improve throughout the program.
Study objectives & tasks
The first place to start is developing your program objectives. These should feature your reasons for undertaking the training program in order of priority. Keep them succinct and to the point in order to avoid confusion. Do not just write the first things that come into your head because they are likely to be too similar to each other. Make a list of possible departmental headings, such as: Customer Service; E-business; Finance; Globalization; Human Resources; Technology; Legal; Management; Marketing and Production. Then brainstorm for ideas by listing as many things that you want to achieve under each heading and later re-arrange these things in order of priority. Finally, select the top item from each department heading and choose these as your program objectives. Try and restrict yourself to five because it will enable you to focus clearly. It is likely that the other things that you listed will be achieved if each of the top objectives are achieved. If this does not prove to be the case, then simply work through the process again.
Study forecast
As a guide, the Appleton Greene Team Accountability corporate training program should take 12-18 months to complete, depending upon your availability and current commitments. The reason why there is such a variance in time estimates is because every student is an individual, with differing productivity levels and different commitments. These differentiations are then exaggerated by the fact that this is a distance-learning program, which incorporates the practical integration of academic theory as an as a part of the training program. Consequently all of the project studies are real, which means that important decisions and compromises need to be made. You will want to get things right and will need to be patient with your expectations in order to ensure that they are. We would always recommend that you are prudent with your own task and time forecasts, but you still need to develop them and have a clear indication of what are realistic expectations in your case. With reference to your time planning: consider the time that you can realistically dedicate towards study with the program every week; calculate how long it should take you to complete the program, using the guidelines featured here; then break the program down into logical modules and allocate a suitable proportion of time to each of them, these will be your milestones; you can create a time plan by using a spreadsheet on your computer, or a personal organizer such as MS Outlook, you could also use a financial forecasting software; break your time forecasts down into manageable chunks of time, the more specific you can be, the more productive and accurate your time management will be; finally, use formulas where possible to do your time calculations for you, because this will help later on when your forecasts need to change in line with actual performance. With reference to your task planning: refer to your list of tasks that need to be undertaken in order to achieve your program objectives; with reference to your time plan, calculate when each task should be implemented; remember that you are not estimating when your objectives will be achieved, but when you will need to focus upon implementing the corresponding tasks; you also need to ensure that each task is implemented in conjunction with the associated training modules which are relevant; then break each single task down into a list of specific to do’s, say approximately ten to do’s for each task and enter these into your study plan; once again you could use MS Outlook to incorporate both your time and task planning and this could constitute your study plan; you could also use a project management software like MS Project. You should now have a clear and realistic forecast detailing when you can expect to be able to do something about undertaking the tasks to achieve your program objectives.
Performance management
It is one thing to develop your study forecast, it is quite another to monitor your progress. Ultimately it is less important whether you achieve your original study forecast and more important that you update it so that it constantly remains realistic in line with your performance. As you begin to work through the program, you will begin to have more of an idea about your own personal performance and productivity levels as a distance-learner. Once you have completed your first study module, you should re-evaluate your study forecast for both time and tasks, so that they reflect your actual performance level achieved. In order to achieve this you must first time yourself while training by using an alarm clock. Set the alarm for hourly intervals and make a note of how far you have come within that time. You can then make a note of your actual performance on your study plan and then compare your performance against your forecast. Then consider the reasons that have contributed towards your performance level, whether they are positive or negative and make a considered adjustment to your future forecasts as a result. Given time, you should start achieving your forecasts regularly.
With reference to time management: time yourself while you are studying and make a note of the actual time taken in your study plan; consider your successes with time-efficiency and the reasons for the success in each case and take this into consideration when reviewing future time planning; consider your failures with time-efficiency and the reasons for the failures in each case and take this into consideration when reviewing future time planning; re-evaluate your study forecast in relation to time planning for the remainder of your training program to ensure that you continue to be realistic about your time expectations. You need to be consistent with your time management, otherwise you will never complete your studies. This will either be because you are not contributing enough time to your studies, or you will become less efficient with the time that you do allocate to your studies. Remember, if you are not in control of your studies, they can just become yet another cause of stress for you.
With reference to your task management: time yourself while you are studying and make a note of the actual tasks that you have undertaken in your study plan; consider your successes with task-efficiency and the reasons for the success in each case; take this into consideration when reviewing future task planning; consider your failures with task-efficiency and the reasons for the failures in each case and take this into consideration when reviewing future task planning; re-evaluate your study forecast in relation to task planning for the remainder of your training program to ensure that you continue to be realistic about your task expectations. You need to be consistent with your task management, otherwise you will never know whether you are achieving your program objectives or not.
Keeping in touch
You will have access to qualified and experienced professors and tutors who are responsible for providing tutorial support for your particular training program. So don’t be shy about letting them know how you are getting on. We keep electronic records of all tutorial support emails so that professors and tutors can review previous correspondence before considering an individual response. It also means that there is a record of all communications between you and your professors and tutors and this helps to avoid any unnecessary duplication, misunderstanding, or misinterpretation. If you have a problem relating to the program, share it with them via email. It is likely that they have come across the same problem before and are usually able to make helpful suggestions and steer you in the right direction. To learn more about when and how to use tutorial support, please refer to the Tutorial Support section of this student information guide. This will help you to ensure that you are making the most of tutorial support that is available to you and will ultimately contribute towards your success and enjoyment with your training program.
Work colleagues and family
You should certainly discuss your program study progress with your colleagues, friends and your family. Appleton Greene training programs are very practical. They require you to seek information from other people, to plan, develop and implement processes with other people and to achieve feedback from other people in relation to viability and productivity. You will therefore have plenty of opportunities to test your ideas and enlist the views of others. People tend to be sympathetic towards distance-learners, so don’t bottle it all up in yourself. Get out there and share it! It is also likely that your family and colleagues are going to benefit from your labors with the program, so they are likely to be much more interested in being involved than you might think. Be bold about delegating work to those who might benefit themselves. This is a great way to achieve understanding and commitment from people who you may later rely upon for process implementation. Share your experiences with your friends and family.
Making it relevant
The key to successful learning is to make it relevant to your own individual circumstances. At all times you should be trying to make bridges between the content of the program and your own situation. Whether you achieve this through quiet reflection or through interactive discussion with your colleagues, client partners or your family, remember that it is the most important and rewarding aspect of translating your studies into real self-improvement. You should be clear about how you want the program to benefit you. This involves setting clear study objectives in relation to the content of the course in terms of understanding, concepts, completing research or reviewing activities and relating the content of the modules to your own situation. Your objectives may understandably change as you work through the program, in which case you should enter the revised objectives on your study plan so that you have a permanent reminder of what you are trying to achieve, when and why.
Distance-learning check-list
Prepare your study environment, your study tools and rules.
Undertake detailed self-assessment in terms of your ability as a learner.
Create a format for your study plan.
Consider your study objectives and tasks.
Create a study forecast.
Assess your study performance.
Re-evaluate your study forecast.
Be consistent when managing your study plan.
Use your Appleton Greene Certified Learning Provider (CLP) for tutorial support.
Make sure you keep in touch with those around you.
Tutorial Support
Programs
Appleton Greene uses standard and bespoke corporate training programs as vessels to transfer business process improvement knowledge into the heart of our clients’ organizations. Each individual program focuses upon the implementation of a specific business process, which enables clients to easily quantify their return on investment. There are hundreds of established Appleton Greene corporate training products now available to clients within customer services, e-business, finance, globalization, human resources, information technology, legal, management, marketing and production. It does not matter whether a client’s employees are located within one office, or an unlimited number of international offices, we can still bring them together to learn and implement specific business processes collectively. Our approach to global localization enables us to provide clients with a truly international service with that all important personal touch. Appleton Greene corporate training programs can be provided virtually or locally and they are all unique in that they individually focus upon a specific business function. They are implemented over a sustainable period of time and professional support is consistently provided by qualified learning providers and specialist consultants.
Support available
You will have a designated Certified Learning Provider (CLP) and an Accredited Consultant and we encourage you to communicate with them as much as possible. In all cases tutorial support is provided online because we can then keep a record of all communications to ensure that tutorial support remains consistent. You would also be forwarding your work to the tutorial support unit for evaluation and assessment. You will receive individual feedback on all of the work that you undertake on a one-to-one basis, together with specific recommendations for anything that may need to be changed in order to achieve a pass with merit or a pass with distinction and you then have as many opportunities as you may need to re-submit project studies until they meet with the required standard. Consequently the only reason that you should really fail (CLP) is if you do not do the work. It makes no difference to us whether a student takes 12 months or 18 months to complete the program, what matters is that in all cases the same quality standard will have been achieved.
Support Process
Please forward all of your future emails to the designated (CLP) Tutorial Support Unit email address that has been provided and please do not duplicate or copy your emails to other AGC email accounts as this will just cause unnecessary administration. Please note that emails are always answered as quickly as possible but you will need to allow a period of up to 20 business days for responses to general tutorial support emails during busy periods, because emails are answered strictly within the order in which they are received. You will also need to allow a period of up to 30 business days for the evaluation and assessment of project studies. This does not include weekends or public holidays. Please therefore kindly allow for this within your time planning. All communications are managed online via email because it enables tutorial service support managers to review other communications which have been received before responding and it ensures that there is a copy of all communications retained on file for future reference. All communications will be stored within your personal (CLP) study file here at Appleton Greene throughout your designated study period. If you need any assistance or clarification at any time, please do not hesitate to contact us by forwarding an email and remember that we are here to help. If you have any questions, please list and number your questions succinctly and you can then be sure of receiving specific answers to each and every query.
Time Management
It takes approximately 1 Year to complete the Team Accountability corporate training program, incorporating 9 x 6-hour monthly workshops. Each student will also need to contribute approximately 4 hours per week over 1 Year of their personal time. Students can study from home or work at their own pace and are responsible for managing their own study plan. There are no formal examinations and students are evaluated and assessed based upon their project study submissions, together with the quality of their internal analysis and supporting documents. They can contribute more time towards study when they have the time to do so and can contribute less time when they are busy. All students tend to be in full time employment while studying and the Team Accountability program is purposely designed to accommodate this, so there is plenty of flexibility in terms of time management. It makes no difference to us at Appleton Greene, whether individuals take 12-18 months to complete this program. What matters is that in all cases the same standard of quality will have been achieved with the standard and bespoke programs that have been developed.
Distance Learning Guide
The distance learning guide should be your first port of call when starting your training program. It will help you when you are planning how and when to study, how to create the right environment and how to establish the right frame of mind. If you can lay the foundations properly during the planning stage, then it will contribute to your enjoyment and productivity while training later. The guide helps to change your lifestyle in order to accommodate time for study and to cultivate good study habits. It helps you to chart your progress so that you can measure your performance and achieve your goals. It explains the tools that you will need for study and how to make them work. It also explains how to translate academic theory into practical reality. Spend some time now working through your distance learning guide and make sure that you have firm foundations in place so that you can make the most of your distance learning program. There is no requirement for you to attend training workshops or classes at Appleton Greene offices. The entire program is undertaken online, program course manuals and project studies are administered via the Appleton Greene web site and via email, so you are able to study at your own pace and in the comfort of your own home or office as long as you have a computer and access to the internet.
How To Study
The how to study guide provides students with a clear understanding of the Appleton Greene facilitation via distance learning training methods and enables students to obtain a clear overview of the training program content. It enables students to understand the step-by-step training methods used by Appleton Greene and how course manuals are integrated with project studies. It explains the research and development that is required and the need to provide evidence and references to support your statements. It also enables students to understand precisely what will be required of them in order to achieve a pass with merit and a pass with distinction for individual project studies and provides useful guidance on how to be innovative and creative when developing your Unique Program Proposition (UPP).
Tutorial Support
Tutorial support for the Appleton Greene Team Accountability corporate training program is provided online either through the Appleton Greene Client Support Portal (CSP), or via email. All tutorial support requests are facilitated by a designated Program Administration Manager (PAM). They are responsible for deciding which professor or tutor is the most appropriate option relating to the support required and then the tutorial support request is forwarded onto them. Once the professor or tutor has completed the tutorial support request and answered any questions that have been asked, this communication is then returned to the student via email by the designated Program Administration Manager (PAM). This enables all tutorial support, between students, professors and tutors, to be facilitated by the designated Program Administration Manager (PAM) efficiently and securely through the email account. You will therefore need to allow a period of up to 20 business days for responses to general support queries and up to 30 business days for the evaluation and assessment of project studies, because all tutorial support requests are answered strictly within the order in which they are received. This does not include weekends or public holidays. Consequently you need to put some thought into the management of your tutorial support procedure in order to ensure that your study plan is feasible and to obtain the maximum possible benefit from tutorial support during your period of study. Please retain copies of your tutorial support emails for future reference. Please ensure that ALL of your tutorial support emails are set out using the format as suggested within your guide to tutorial support. Your tutorial support emails need to be referenced clearly to the specific part of the course manual or project study which you are working on at any given time. You also need to list and number any questions that you would like to ask, up to a maximum of five questions within each tutorial support email. Remember the more specific you can be with your questions the more specific your answers will be too and this will help you to avoid any unnecessary misunderstanding, misinterpretation, or duplication. The guide to tutorial support is intended to help you to understand how and when to use support in order to ensure that you get the most out of your training program. Appleton Greene training programs are designed to enable you to do things for yourself. They provide you with a structure or a framework and we use tutorial support to facilitate students while they practically implement what they learn. In other words, we are enabling students to do things for themselves. The benefits of distance learning via facilitation are considerable and are much more sustainable in the long-term than traditional short-term knowledge sharing programs. Consequently you should learn how and when to use tutorial support so that you can maximize the benefits from your learning experience with Appleton Greene. This guide describes the purpose of each training function and how to use them and how to use tutorial support in relation to each aspect of the training program. It also provides useful tips and guidance with regard to best practice.
Tutorial Support Tips
Students are often unsure about how and when to use tutorial support with Appleton Greene. This Tip List will help you to understand more about how to achieve the most from using tutorial support. Refer to it regularly to ensure that you are continuing to use the service properly. Tutorial support is critical to the success of your training experience, but it is important to understand when and how to use it in order to maximize the benefit that you receive. It is no coincidence that those students who succeed are those that learn how to be positive, proactive and productive when using tutorial support.
Be positive and friendly with your tutorial support emails
Remember that if you forward an email to the tutorial support unit, you are dealing with real people. “Do unto others as you would expect others to do unto you”. If you are positive, complimentary and generally friendly in your emails, you will generate a similar response in return. This will be more enjoyable, productive and rewarding for you in the long-term.
Think about the impression that you want to create
Every time that you communicate, you create an impression, which can be either positive or negative, so put some thought into the impression that you want to create. Remember that copies of all tutorial support emails are stored electronically and tutors will always refer to prior correspondence before responding to any current emails. Over a period of time, a general opinion will be arrived at in relation to your character, attitude and ability. Try to manage your own frustrations, mood swings and temperament professionally, without involving the tutorial support team. Demonstrating frustration or a lack of patience is a weakness and will be interpreted as such. The good thing about communicating in writing, is that you will have the time to consider your content carefully, you can review it and proof-read it before sending your email to Appleton Greene and this should help you to communicate more professionally, consistently and to avoid any unnecessary knee-jerk reactions to individual situations as and when they may arise. Please also remember that the CLP Tutorial Support Unit will not just be responsible for evaluating and assessing the quality of your work, they will also be responsible for providing recommendations to other learning providers and to client contacts within the Appleton Greene global client network, so do be in control of your own emotions and try to create a good impression.
Remember that quality is preferred to quantity
Please remember that when you send an email to the tutorial support team, you are not using Twitter or Text Messaging. Try not to forward an email every time that you have a thought. This will not prove to be productive either for you or for the tutorial support team. Take time to prepare your communications properly, as if you were writing a professional letter to a business colleague and make a list of queries that you are likely to have and then incorporate them within one email, say once every month, so that the tutorial support team can understand more about context, application and your methodology for study. Get yourself into a consistent routine with your tutorial support requests and use the tutorial support template provided with ALL of your emails. The (CLP) Tutorial Support Unit will not spoon-feed you with information. They need to be able to evaluate and assess your tutorial support requests carefully and professionally.
Be specific about your questions in order to receive specific answers
Try not to write essays by thinking as you are writing tutorial support emails. The tutorial support unit can be unclear about what in fact you are asking, or what you are looking to achieve. Be specific about asking questions that you want answers to. Number your questions. You will then receive specific answers to each and every question. This is the main purpose of tutorial support via email.
Keep a record of your tutorial support emails
It is important that you keep a record of all tutorial support emails that are forwarded to you. You can then refer to them when necessary and it avoids any unnecessary duplication, misunderstanding, or misinterpretation.
Individual training workshops or telephone support
Please be advised that Appleton Greene does not provide separate or individual tutorial support meetings, workshops, or provide telephone support for individual students. Appleton Greene is an equal opportunities learning and service provider and we are therefore understandably bound to treat all students equally. We cannot therefore broker special financial or study arrangements with individual students regardless of the circumstances. All tutorial support is provided online and this enables Appleton Greene to keep a record of all communications between students, professors and tutors on file for future reference, in accordance with our quality management procedure and your terms and conditions of enrolment. All tutorial support is provided online via email because it enables us to have time to consider support content carefully, it ensures that you receive a considered and detailed response to your queries. You can number questions that you would like to ask, which relate to things that you do not understand or where clarification may be required. You can then be sure of receiving specific answers to each individual query. You will also then have a record of these communications and of all tutorial support, which has been provided to you. This makes tutorial support administration more productive by avoiding any unnecessary duplication, misunderstanding, or misinterpretation.
Tutorial Support Email Format
You should use this tutorial support format if you need to request clarification or assistance while studying with your training program. Please note that ALL of your tutorial support request emails should use the same format. You should therefore set up a standard email template, which you can then use as and when you need to. Emails that are forwarded to Appleton Greene, which do not use the following format, may be rejected and returned to you by the (CLP) Program Administration Manager. A detailed response will then be forwarded to you via email usually within 20 business days of receipt for general support queries and 30 business days for the evaluation and assessment of project studies. This does not include weekends or public holidays. Your tutorial support request, together with the corresponding TSU reply, will then be saved and stored within your electronic TSU file at Appleton Greene for future reference.
Subject line of your email
Please insert: Appleton Greene (CLP) Tutorial Support Request: (Your Full Name) (Date), within the subject line of your email.
Main body of your email
Please insert:
1. Appleton Greene Certified Learning Provider (CLP) Tutorial Support Request
2. Your Full Name
3. Date of TS request
4. Preferred email address
5. Backup email address
6. Course manual page name or number (reference)
7. Project study page name or number (reference)
Subject of enquiry
Please insert a maximum of 50 words (please be succinct)
Briefly outline the subject matter of your inquiry, or what your questions relate to.
Question 1
Maximum of 50 words (please be succinct)
Maximum of 50 words (please be succinct)
Question 3
Maximum of 50 words (please be succinct)
Question 4
Maximum of 50 words (please be succinct)
Question 5
Maximum of 50 words (please be succinct)
Please note that a maximum of 5 questions is permitted with each individual tutorial support request email.
Procedure
* List the questions that you want to ask first, then re-arrange them in order of priority. Make sure that you reference them, where necessary, to the course manuals or project studies.
* Make sure that you are specific about your questions and number them. Try to plan the content within your emails to make sure that it is relevant.
* Make sure that your tutorial support emails are set out correctly, using the Tutorial Support Email Format provided here.
* Save a copy of your email and incorporate the date sent after the subject title. Keep your tutorial support emails within the same file and in date order for easy reference.
* Allow up to 20 business days for a response to general tutorial support emails and up to 30 business days for the evaluation and assessment of project studies, because detailed individual responses will be made in all cases and tutorial support emails are answered strictly within the order in which they are received.
* Emails can and do get lost. So if you have not received a reply within the appropriate time, forward another copy or a reminder to the tutorial support unit to be sure that it has been received but do not forward reminders unless the appropriate time has elapsed.
* When you receive a reply, save it immediately featuring the date of receipt after the subject heading for easy reference. In most cases the tutorial support unit replies to your questions individually, so you will have a record of the questions that you asked as well as the answers offered. With project studies however, separate emails are usually forwarded by the tutorial support unit, so do keep a record of your own original emails as well.
* Remember to be positive and friendly in your emails. You are dealing with real people who will respond to the same things that you respond to.
* Try not to repeat questions that have already been asked in previous emails. If this happens the tutorial support unit will probably just refer you to the appropriate answers that have already been provided within previous emails.
* If you lose your tutorial support email records you can write to Appleton Greene to receive a copy of your tutorial support file, but a separate administration charge may be levied for this service.
How To Study
Your Certified Learning Provider (CLP) and Accredited Consultant can help you to plan a task list for getting started so that you can be clear about your direction and your priorities in relation to your training program. It is also a good way to introduce yourself to the tutorial support team.
Planning your study environment
Your study conditions are of great importance and will have a direct effect on how much you enjoy your training program. Consider how much space you will have, whether it is comfortable and private and whether you are likely to be disturbed. The study tools and facilities at your disposal are also important to the success of your distance-learning experience. Your tutorial support unit can help with useful tips and guidance, regardless of your starting position. It is important to get this right before you start working on your training program.
Planning your program objectives
It is important that you have a clear list of study objectives, in order of priority, before you start working on your training program. Your tutorial support unit can offer assistance here to ensure that your study objectives have been afforded due consideration and priority.
Planning how and when to study
Distance-learners are freed from the necessity of attending regular classes, since they can study in their own way, at their own pace and for their own purposes. This approach is designed to let you study efficiently away from the traditional classroom environment. It is important however, that you plan how and when to study, so that you are making the most of your natural attributes, strengths and opportunities. Your tutorial support unit can offer assistance and useful tips to ensure that you are playing to your strengths.
Planning your study tasks
You should have a clear understanding of the study tasks that you should be undertaking and the priority associated with each task. These tasks should also be integrated with your program objectives. The distance learning guide and the guide to tutorial support for students should help you here, but if you need any clarification or assistance, please contact your tutorial support unit.
Planning your time
You will need to allocate specific times during your calendar when you intend to study if you are to have a realistic chance of completing your program on time. You are responsible for planning and managing your own study time, so it is important that you are successful with this. Your tutorial support unit can help you with this if your time plan is not working.
Keeping in touch
Consistency is the key here. If you communicate too frequently in short bursts, or too infrequently with no pattern, then your management ability with your studies will be questioned, both by you and by your tutorial support unit. It is obvious when a student is in control and when one is not and this will depend how able you are at sticking with your study plan. Inconsistency invariably leads to in-completion.
Charting your progress
Your tutorial support team can help you to chart your own study progress. Refer to your distance learning guide for further details.
Making it work
To succeed, all that you will need to do is apply yourself to undertaking your training program and interpreting it correctly. Success or failure lies in your hands and your hands alone, so be sure that you have a strategy for making it work. Your Certified Learning Provider (CLP) and Accredited Consultant can guide you through the process of program planning, development and implementation.
Reading methods
Interpretation is often unique to the individual but it can be improved and even quantified by implementing consistent interpretation methods. Interpretation can be affected by outside interference such as family members, TV, or the Internet, or simply by other thoughts which are demanding priority in our minds. One thing that can improve our productivity is using recognized reading methods. This helps us to focus and to be more structured when reading information for reasons of importance, rather than relaxation.
Speed reading
When reading through course manuals for the first time, subconsciously set your reading speed to be just fast enough that you cannot dwell on individual words or tables. With practice, you should be able to read an A4 sheet of paper in one minute. You will not achieve much in the way of a detailed understanding, but your brain will retain a useful overview. This overview will be important later on and will enable you to keep individual issues in perspective with a more generic picture because speed reading appeals to the memory part of the brain. Do not worry about what you do or do not remember at this stage.
Content reading
Once you have speed read everything, you can then start work in earnest. You now need to read a particular section of your course manual thoroughly, by making detailed notes while you read. This process is called Content Reading and it will help to consolidate your understanding and interpretation of the information that has been provided.
Making structured notes on the course manuals
When you are content reading, you should be making detailed notes, which are both structured and informative. Make these notes in a MS Word document on your computer, because you can then amend and update these as and when you deem it to be necessary. List your notes under three headings: 1. Interpretation – 2. Questions – 3. Tasks. The purpose of the 1st section is to clarify your interpretation by writing it down. The purpose of the 2nd section is to list any questions that the issue raises for you. The purpose of the 3rd section is to list any tasks that you should undertake as a result. Anyone who has graduated with a business-related degree should already be familiar with this process.
Organizing structured notes separately
You should then transfer your notes to a separate study notebook, preferably one that enables easy referencing, such as a MS Word Document, a MS Excel Spreadsheet, a MS Access Database, or a personal organizer on your cell phone. Transferring your notes allows you to have the opportunity of cross-checking and verifying them, which assists considerably with understanding and interpretation. You will also find that the better you are at doing this, the more chance you will have of ensuring that you achieve your study objectives.
Question your understanding
Do challenge your understanding. Explain things to yourself in your own words by writing things down.
Clarifying your understanding
If you are at all unsure, forward an email to your tutorial support unit and they will help to clarify your understanding.
Question your interpretation
Do challenge your interpretation. Qualify your interpretation by writing it down.
Clarifying your interpretation
If you are at all unsure, forward an email to your tutorial support unit and they will help to clarify your interpretation.
Qualification Requirements
The student will need to successfully complete the project study and all of the exercises relating to the Team Accountability corporate training program, achieving a pass with merit or distinction in each case, in order to qualify as an Accredited Team Accountability Specialist (APTS). All monthly workshops need to be tried and tested within your company. These project studies can be completed in your own time and at your own pace and in the comfort of your own home or office. There are no formal examinations, assessment is based upon the successful completion of the project studies. They are called project studies because, unlike case studies, these projects are not theoretical, they incorporate real program processes that need to be properly researched and developed. The project studies assist us in measuring your understanding and interpretation of the training program and enable us to assess qualification merits. All of the project studies are based entirely upon the content within the training program and they enable you to integrate what you have learnt into your corporate training practice.
Team Accountability – Grading Contribution
Project Study – Grading Contribution
Customer Service – 10%
E-business – 05%
Finance – 10%
Globalization – 10%
Human Resources – 10%
Information Technology – 10%
Legal – 05%
Management – 10%
Marketing – 10%
Production – 10%
Education – 05%
Logistics – 05%
TOTAL GRADING – 100%
Qualification grades
A mark of 90% = Pass with Distinction.
A mark of 75% = Pass with Merit.
A mark of less than 75% = Fail.
If you fail to achieve a mark of 75% with a project study, you will receive detailed feedback from the Certified Learning Provider (CLP) and/or Accredited Consultant, together with a list of tasks which you will need to complete, in order to ensure that your project study meets with the minimum quality standard that is required by Appleton Greene. You can then re-submit your project study for further evaluation and assessment. Indeed you can re-submit as many drafts of your project studies as you need to, until such a time as they eventually meet with the required standard by Appleton Greene, so you need not worry about this, it is all part of the learning process.
When marking project studies, Appleton Greene is looking for sufficient evidence of the following:
Pass with merit
A satisfactory level of program understanding
A satisfactory level of program interpretation
A satisfactory level of project study content presentation
A satisfactory level of Unique Program Proposition (UPP) quality
A satisfactory level of the practical integration of academic theory
Pass with distinction
An exceptional level of program understanding
An exceptional level of program interpretation
An exceptional level of project study content presentation
An exceptional level of Unique Program Proposition (UPP) quality
An exceptional level of the practical integration of academic theory
Preliminary Analysis
Online Article
By Talula Cartwright and David Baldwin,
Leadership in Action,
August 2007.
“Seeing your way: Why leaders must communicate their visions
A vision has to be shared in order to do what it is meant to do: inspire, clarify, and focus the work of the organization. One part of a leader’s job is to create commitment to the organization’s vision. To do this, leaders must communicate the vision effectively in ways that will help others understand it, remember it, and share it.
Leaders in today’s organizations face issues of growth, change, customization, globalization, and technology that force them to create new pathways toward success and sustain-ability. But a newly blazed strategic trail cannot itself create the focus, the underlying tactics, and the foresight necessary for long-term growth and deep impact. Many organizations that falter have failed to effectively communicate their strategies. As a result, employees do not understand their role in implementing the organization’s mission and strategy.
Leaders can adopt many tactics for coordinating messages and creating alignment among employees, whether at the unit, team, or organizational level. One effective tactic is to transmit strategic intent through a vision—an imagined or discerned future state that clearly captures the organization’s direction and defines its destination.
What is a vision? It describes some achievement or future state that the organization will accomplish or realize. It inspires, clarifies, and focuses the work of an organization for a specific time. A vision differs from goals, which express the steps of a plan for accomplishing an objective. A vision differs from a mission statement, which explains an organization’s reasons for existence or for seeking its objectives. Whatever your organization’s vision may be, communicating it is a unique challenge. Employees may disagree about organizational values or may be unwilling to change or to be influenced in a particular direction. They may misunderstand the leader’s intent or have trouble imagining the future state expressed in the vision. Effective communication of the vision is vital.”
If you would like to know more, Click Here
Online Article
By Ulrich Thy Jensen, Donald P. Moynihan, Heidi Houlberg Salomonsen,
PAR,
Feb 2018.
“Communicating the Vision: How Face-to-Face Dialogue Facilitates Transformational Leadership
Abstract
For public managers facing political and structural constraints, transformational leadership promises to meaningfully improve outcomes by communicating an inspiring vision of the organization. But this promise rests to a great degree on the communication skills and behaviors of the leader. A better understanding of how transformational leadership functions in organizations therefore requires a deeper application of theory from the field of communications. This article explores the question of what communication behaviors facilitate transformational leadership. A media richness framework is applied to propose that transformational leaders will be most effective when employing a face-to-face dialogue approach to communication. Using a multisource longitudinal research design, the authors find support for this proposition in an empirical test of 256 Danish tax units, lower and upper secondary schools, child care centers, and bank branches. The findings also show that size matters, with diminishing effectiveness of face-to-face dialogue in larger organizations.
Transformational leadership is attractive in public settings for a number of reasons. For scholars, it aligns well with the public service motivation approach that dominates public management accounts of motivation. For the world of practice, transformational leadership promises that the right type of inspiring leader can improve performance without investing extra financial resources or engaging in politically difficult structural reorganizations. Whether such promises are fulfilled is an empirical question, however, demanding better evidence on whether and under what conditions transformational leadership makes a difference.
The promise of transformational leadership, to a greater degree than other leadership strategies, rests on the communication skills of the leader. While the transactional leader relies on the use of objective punishments and rewards, and the servant leader succeeds by visibly supporting followers, the transformational leader is expected to engage in an alchemy of exceptional change through the communication of an idealized portrait of what the organization aspires to achieve (Carton, Murphy, and Clark 2014 ). This vision, in turn, increases employees ’ attraction to their organization ’ s purpose, which, ultimately, is expected to be important for performance because employees invest greater energy and effort toward goals they perceive as meaningful and significant. But this causal chain of theorized behaviors is halted if the leader fails to communicate the vision, since “an organization ’ s mission can only inspire those who are aware of its existence, and understand its importance” (Moynihan, Pandey, and Wright 2014 , 95).”
If you would like to know more, Click Here
Online Article
By Siti Nur Syahirah Mohd Adnan, Raju Valliappan,
International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management,
March 2019.
“Communicating shared vision and leadership styles towards enhancing performance
Introduction
This study aims to explore the effects of leadership between shared vision and performance among the leaders in the science and technology industry. Generally, this study will focus on the probability that performance has a certain level of intervention between leadership styles of the leaders and the holistic vision that is incorporated. All of the leaders or head of organizations exhibit their own learning behavior, motivation, goals and leadership styles. Hence, the leaders take all these factors to drive the organizations for their own and organizational performances and employees betterment. The leaders need to grow their competence in terms of their abilities to continuously develop and deepen their skills, positive attitude and knowledge to efficiently build and maintain the organizations (Vikineswaran, 2017). This study will also discuss on the leadership styles, relevant theories, relationship between the impact of leadership styles on shared vision attributes and performance of the science and technology industry.
1.1 Definition of vision
Vision is a mental model of the leaders as they define it based on their choices and actions (Kantabutra, 2009). Other terms such as goals, mission, values, philosophy and strategy might have similar definition to vision and are often used interchangeably (Kantabutra and Avery, 2006). Having a vision is a perspective concept that can be described as having or positioning ones objective, goal or purpose toward developing or improving capacity and capability as motivations. Having a vision is self-evidently thought of as the portion of the cognitive life of the people (Kaplan and Maehr, 2007).
There are four aspects that are focused on affecting vision, which are development, communication, articulation and implementation (Kantabutra, 2008). The leaders need to develop their visions, actively communicate them, model their visions via actions and motivate and empower the team members to act together on achieving the shared visions (Kantabutra and Avery, 2010). The chosen shared vision attributes that will be discussed in the study are brevity, clarity, future orientation, stability, challenge, abstractness and ability to inspire (Kantabutra and Vimolratana, 2009).”
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Online Article
By Avrahami et al,
CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems,
April, 2020.
“Celebrating Everyday Success: Improving Engagement and Motivation using a System for Recording Daily Highlights
Abstract
The demands of daily work offer few opportunities for workers to take stock of their own progress, big or small, which can lead to lower motivation, engagement, and higher risk of burnout. We present Highlight Matome, a personal online tool that encourages workers to quickly record and rank a single work highlight each day, helping them gain awareness of their own successes. We describe results from a field experiment investigating our tool’s effectiveness for improving workers’ engagement, perceptions, and affect. Thirty-three knowledge workers in Japan and the U.S. used Highlight Matome for six weeks. Our results show that using our tool for less than one minute each day significantly increased measures of work engagement, dedication, and positivity. A qualitative analysis of the highlights offers a window into participants’ emotions and perceptions. We discuss implications for theories of inner work life and worker well-being.
Introduction
Achieving and recognizing one’s own progress and success is a critical ingredient for a positive outlook, motivation, engagement, and a sense of purpose. Conversely, neglecting to recognize progress and accomplishments can lead to lower morale and motivation, higher stress, and a higher risk of burnout. Yet, the demands of daily work offer few opportunities for capturing and recognizing personal accomplishments, big or small.
In a diary study exploring what influences inner work life (emotions, perceptions, and motivations workers have towards their work), Amabile & Kramer found that a worker’s best days are distinguished by a sense of making progress in their work [1]. They claim when workers have a more positive inner work life, they do better work, are more intrinsically motivated to do good work, approach their work with more creativity, and have better well-being.
However, in the workplace, focus is placed primarily on tasks that remain to be done rather than those that were accomplished. In fact, work, once completed, can be easily forgotten, displaced instead by an endless queue of new tasks. In collaborative work, common for knowledge workers, the needs of the team emphasize a constant forward outlook. Consider, for example, the “Stand-up Meeting”, a common practice in development teams. These meetings involve team members reporting on tasks completed and tasks remaining, but are focused mostly on resolving barriers to move forward. This forward-oriented mindset can make recognizing progress elusive. Instead, we propose that providing workers with daily opportunities–even brief ones–to record and evaluate positive highlights from their day can brings about significant positive outcomes to workplace well-being.”
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Course Manuals 1-9
Course Manual 1: Framework
Your Team Needs Organizational Alignment In Order To Succeed
Most businesses are full of decent individuals who want to utilize their skills to the fullest and contribute to projects that are successful. And yet, despite all of their best efforts, nothing seems to move the scale. There is a great deal of action, but no notable outcomes. The business could perform better. Resources are being misused, and confidence is plummeting.
You might be pondering what the crucial component is as an executive. Organizational alignment is the process that holds the key to getting teams to move in the same direction, along with a well-placed strategy and resources.
You’ve come to the right spot if you want to discover how to achieve company alignment and make it routine business in your organization. Learn how to attain organizational alignment by reading on.
Organizational Alignment: What Is It?
Organizational alignment is the process of setting up a company’s various components—from strategy to departmental segmentation and procedures—in the most effective way possible to achieve the company’s goal.
With the help of organizational thinkers David Nadler and Michael Tushman, alignment theory made its debut in the management field in 1988. In order for businesses to be successful, they created the congruence model, which claims that labor, teams, organizational structures, and culture must all mesh.
These are the various elements of corporate alignment, in accordance with this theory:
• Culture
• Work
• Structure
• People
When everyone, from the CEO to the newest employee, is aware of the long-term objectives and their role in achieving them, team alignment produces a blissful state. And it takes some time before they begin producing excellent outcomes.
Why Is Organizational Alignment So Important?
Worldwide research has demonstrated that unity is more than just a pretty face on paper; it also has practical applications. For instance, highly aligned businesses generate 58% more income and are 72% more profitable. Additionally, people are 2.8 times more likely to be highly engaged at work when objectives and accountabilities are crystal clear.
Organizational alignment leads to overall company growth and success. Everyone is working together toward the same goal and is fully aware of their roles and responsibilities within the business. When your employees work together and support one another in achieving their objectives, the whole company benefits and produces improved outcomes.
On the other hand, a business that isn’t aligned can cause chaos and disarray. Operations issues can cause teams and departments to work in silos despite having clear long-term goals, which is ineffective and counterproductive.
Case Study: Alignment during the Pandemic
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s National Cabinet is an illustration of an efficient centralized team for reacting to the coronavirus pandemic. The prime minister, along with all of the premiers and chief ministers of the states and territories, make up the National Cabinet. In a quickly changing environment with a dearth of information to begin with, this centralized team forged a bipartisan response to the crisis and came out with uniform policies and messaging for combating the pandemic across the nation.
According to news reports, the outcomes have been so encouraging that the prime minister declared in May that the National Cabinet will continue past the present crisis.
In the meantime, Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai personally informed staff members of its strategy plans during the pandemic. For instance, a 26 May email to staff members detailed the company’s plans to open offices and a $1,000 stipend each employee would receive to be used to purchase the tools and office supplies required to continue working from home.
And Unilever CEO Alan Jope informed staff members of the organization’s travel restrictions and requirements for staff members having cold or flu-like symptoms in a feature article on the company website in March.
Benefits Of Organizational Alignment And What They Imply For Your Business
We talked about how crucial corporate alignment is to the success of your business. Let’s examine the advantages of corporate alignment and how they can support the expansion of your business.
Improved Duties And Obligations
When a business is balanced, each employee is given the duties that are most appropriate for their skill set. Additionally, they are aware of the bigger image and their place in it.
An Increase In Team Cooperation
Alignment can help people speak more effectively, come to agreements, and cooperate to accomplish shared objectives.
Greater Accountability And Openness
Teams that are aligned are aware of their roles and responsibilities within the organization, how their actions impact other divisions, and the intended results of initiatives.
Less Waste Of Materials
Careful planning results in more efficient resource management and reduced job overlap. This method reduces the likelihood of the job being doubled, saving everyone time and money.
Accelerated Decision-Making
Teams are better able to make strategic decisions because knowledge is centralized rather than siloed.
Better Workplace Conditions
By working toward the same objectives, you can improve workplace morale, boost participation, and lessen conflict.
The majority of businesses, however, are not linked and do not receive any of these advantages. In reality, 97% of team members and executives think that internal divergence affects the way their projects turn out.
It is easy to infer that not having everyone in your business will incur high costs. And since you’re reading it, you’re presumably already paying for it.
Alignment Frameworks And Techniques For Organizations
Frameworks and methods are employed for purposes other than merely assessing corporate alignment. They ensure that businesses and their employees are all pursuing the same goal. Let’s look at some of the most popular models for organizational alignment:
Goals and Key Results (OKRs)
With a maximum of five goals and five key results for each, OKRs are a goal-management structure that is typically used for a fixed period of three months. (most companies will use quarters).
They serve as a tool for connecting the company’s vision and actuality. This framework is used to track everyone’s progress toward the desired state, not to evaluate individual performance, but rather to make sure that everyone is aligned and working toward the same objectives.
Model 7-S of McKinsey
According to the McKinsey 7-s model for organizational alignment, seven internal variables must be strengthened and aligned for a business to thrive. These variables are made up of three “hard” elements and four “soft” elements (common values, abilities, and staff). (strategy, structure, and systems).
The four soft elements can be challenging to evaluate, whereas it is easier to quantify the hard components. In order to determine how well-aligned your company is and where work still needs to be done, each of these elements can be examined in the context of the others.
Four Disciplines of Execution (4DX)
Another strategy for achieving organizational alignment and business objectives is The Four Disciplines of Execution.
Four categories are provided by 4DX to aid teams in concentrating their efforts:
1. Concentrating on the extremely essential;
2. Executing on the lead measures;
3. Keeping an eye-catching scoreboard; and
4. Establishing a rhythm of accountability.
This strategy’s main advantage is its clear illustration of the steps that must be taken in order to achieve an objective. To get there, though, takes a lot of dedication and willpower.
How To Get Your Staff To Align Organizationally
The foundation of organizational alignment is a strong strategy plan. Despite all the work put into it, this is the simple portion.
The majority of businesses then battle to implement and cascade plans across departments while keeping everything current. The lack of powerful Departments of Accountability further complicates things.
However, this is where your role as a leader is crucial. You can adopt the following leadership alignment activities in your business:
Establish a goal.
Get everyone on board by identifying a common goal if you want to promote alignment in your team. You must make sure that everyone in the company understands it if you want to accomplish that.
Start by considering how your company strategy contributes to the realization of your purpose, vision, and core values. When you can clearly demonstrate how your business goals advance the mission, employees are more likely to follow you.
Set both personal and group objectives.
After making sure that everyone is aware of the shared objective, you must convert the frequently aspirational language of a strategy paper into team-specific OKRs.
Your team will flourish and achieve new milestones if you make all the information accessible to them and reiterate it in meetings. Putting getting everyone on the same page first will help you establish a high-performance environment that will lead to both short-term and long-term results that are sustainable.
Promote ownership.
Everyone must take responsibility for their goals in order for the organizational alignment plan to be successful. It will be simpler to spot obstacles and gauge how everyone is doing when your employees are responsible for their individual goals and comprehend how they fit into the organization’s bigger goals.
Promote cooperation.
An extremely well-coordinated effort from teams, departments, and workers at all levels is necessary for organizational alignment. While it’s critical to assume accountability for and ownership over particular tasks, a supportive workplace also requires employees to feel they can depend on one another.
Use the appropriate instruments.
You don’t have to go it alone in this digital era. You have access to all the frameworks and assistance you require thanks to technological platforms with track records of success.
This level of awareness of your team’s objectives is doable.
Strategic priorities are visible thanks to tools for strategic alignment. The organizational structure can be clearly represented with the appropriate tool, allowing each employee to see how their efforts add to achieving business objectives.
We Urgently Require Greater Alignment And Transparency
The Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) framework is a potent tool for setting and effectively distributing goals throughout the company. By fostering clarity and focus, OKRs empower teams and individuals to identify their priorities, align with the shared business objectives, and ultimately produce quantifiable results. A key component of an OKR framework is alignment, which ensures that everyone moves in the same direction and adopts the proper pace to maximize performance effect and business success.
Organizations favor developing a more manageable collection of common objectives for a specific time period, which could be monthly, quarterly, or yearly. This ensures that every goal is given the appropriate level of priority and brings a clear focus to what matters most. Additionally, quarterly or monthly OKRs are simpler to evaluate, which broadens the opportunity for each employee to perform better at work. Overall, the OKR framework fosters a culture where everyone works to fulfill the company’s purpose and takes action to produce better outcomes.
Check-ins
Fostering communication through check-ins is one of several procedures that organizations must implement in order to establish alignment and promote transparency with the OKR framework.
Building communication is a crucial step in ensuring alignment between the organizations. When a business establishes OKRs at the start of a quarter, it is crucial to evaluate whether the goals were achieved by measuring the results at the end of the quarter. Regular check-ins to maintain alignment are one method to evaluate OKRs. The best ways to ensure that everyone is on the same page, connected, and moving in the correct path are through regular team status updates, one-on-one conversations with the managers, and OKR review meetings.
Establish cross-functional team OKRs.
Through cross-functional OKRs, the effective framework for establishing employee goals also aids in fostering alignment. For instance, companies can include common goals that are equally important for the Sales vertical when drafting objectives for the Marketing department. This fosters a spirit of cooperation and raises engagement between the teams, assuring the accomplishment of the company’s ultimate objective.
Two-way communication is essential to adapt to change.
The third crucial factor is making sure managers evaluate OKRs transparently and communicate any changes to company-level OKRs. Employees must frequently inquire about their general development and whether the anticipated results are being met during weekly or monthly check-ins. In order to keep everyone on the same page and focused, supervisors can use this time to evaluate OKRs, update current ones, and convey changes at the corporate level.
In a nutshell, businesses use the OKR framework to promote alignment and openness while achieving their goals. Companies can make sure that general goals are met and that results are timely tracked by adhering to the aforementioned best practices.
Exercise 7.1: So who are you? The mock pirate ship exercise
Goal:
Instructions
– Ask each participant to consider which image best embodies them in connection to the subject.
– Request that participants share the number of the individual who best represents them along with a brief explanation.
– Hold a group debriefing.
Course Manual 2: Create Urgency
“Instilling a sense of urgency” is a job frequently assigned to managers in the business world or listed on an organization’s people strategy for the upcoming year. However, what exactly does the term “sense of urgency” mean, and how can it be developed within a company without exhausting your staff?
What Does The Phrase “A Sense Of Urgency” Mean?
A feeling of urgency in business refers to taking prompt action and doing so with the goal of achieving efficiency and effectiveness. A feeling of urgency refers to taking action without waiting for approval and in the most thorough manner possible in order to bring about change. Along with sales and marketing roles, the setting in which this expression is most frequently used is in leadership.
Why Is Fostering A Feeling Of Urgency For Change Important?
Undoubtedly one of the most significant corporate change drivers is instilling a sense of urgency. Employees must be creative, ambitious, and efficient in order to foster a culture of urgency — three crucial traits for igniting change. Furthermore, a feeling of urgency makes it necessary for employees to work independently and with confidence, increasing their independence and streamlining processes to produce better individual results.
Three Levels Of Employee Engagement
In most American companies, there are three tiers of employee engagement, according to Gallup’s 2017 State of the Workplace report. Managers can diagnose their employees’ engagement levels by being aware of these tiers and can create a feeling of urgency in those who need it the most. As for the tiers:
1. Engaged employees
Employees who are constantly involved in improving their workplace are engaged. They care about enhancing their job and workplace, so they naturally have a sense of urgency. They accept accountability for their own performance as well as that of their squad. Only about 33% of American workers, according to Gallup, are actively involved at work.
2. Not engaged employees
Employees who aren’t involved show up to work only to punch the clock. They perform the task, but without enthusiasm or vitality. Employees who aren’t engaged frequently require a boss who encourages a sense of urgency in order to produce their best work. About 51% of American workers fell into this category, according to Gallup.
3. Workers who are actively disengaging
Employees who are actively disengaged don’t just detest their jobs; they actively work to undermine the accomplishments of their engaged coworkers. Actively disengaged workers may demotivate others to put forth their best effort, make duties more challenging for coworkers, or otherwise undermine the organization. These types of workers require supervisors who can motivate them, or they need to be fired. According to a Gallup report, 16% of Americans are intentionally disengaging at work.
4 Ways to Express a Sense of Urgency to Support the Success of Your Business
Before we can discuss how to convey a sense of urgency, we must first look at the factors that led to this need for urgency: dissatisfied workers, a high turnover rate, lost income, a murky mission statement, inaction, and a failure to transform and get out of the slump. In other terms, a sleepy group. A sleepy business is also not a successful one. A feeling of urgency makes it possible to experience growth from within. In other words, it motivates you, your team, and your company to thrive.
In business, the term urgency has been transformed from what is typically seen as negative to positive by a professor at Harvard Business School. The aforementioned scholar John Kotter and Kotter International’s founder John Kotter put forth the notion that business urgency can cause a change in business as usual. Kotter describes an 8-stage change model in his book Leading Change; however, for the purposes of this manual, it will be reduced to these 4 stages:
You Win Some. You Win Some.
There is no such thing as a small win. Simply put, a win is a triumph. Lessening triumphs make failures more apparent. A company’s internal dialogue can serve as the starting point for creating a feeling of urgency. Redefining negative words can occasionally be the most effective strategy for motivating workers.
In fact, according to Words Can Change Your Brain, a book written by Andrew Newberg, M.D., director of research at the Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Medical College, and Mark Robert Waldman, professor of communication at Loyola Marymount University, our brains are word-receptors with targeted reactions to positive (and negative) speech.
Further, it is claimed in an interview with Dr. Newberg and Salon that the impacts are scientific and not just emotional:
People’s brains are shaped by the words they hear beginning in childhood, so training kids to use positive words is thought to aid in emotional regulation and even lengthen their attention spans. Their book provides a fascinating overview of the most recent research on speech and neuroscience as well as a description of “compassionate communication,” a technique they think can help people express themselves more effectively.
Therefore, in terms of science, there is no such thing as a minor triumph!
Bid farewell to old luggage.
You don’t want a complacent employee “anchoring” everyone down; you want a company anchored in its purpose statement and future plans. It’s detrimental to business, not just to the morale of the workers who do feel a sense of urgency and enthusiasm for the organization.
According to a recent Gallup poll, “[…] bad employees cost the United States $450 billion to $550 billion in lost productivity annually.” Additionally, according to the same survey, these workers are not only less effective but also more likely to steal and work against the interests of the business. Managers, owners, or executives who believe that terminating these underperforming workers would be troublesome or inconvenient should reconsider their position.
Not mission statements, but mission actions.
Honestly, the phrase “think outside the box” has been overused. When you hear this, it’s usually coming from someone who doesn’t consider or act outside the box. Consider acting outside the box rather than thinking outside the box, which is to say that action is everything. People who believe that their intentions define who they are are abdicating their responsibility because intentions don’t signal urgency; on the contrary, they do the exact reverse. Plans and objectives, also known as goal statements, can serve as a justification for inaction.
Since action does begin with an intention or an idea, don’t disparage those who have good intentions. Your company’s goal statement, however, ought to be more than just words or intentions. Without a feeling of urgency, a mission statement risks becoming too vague, general, and full of filler. Acting authentically is the best way to convey a feeling of authenticity, and it’s crucial to stick to your mission statement.
Case Study: Kodak
It’s wise to develop the practice of urgency. It is essential to motivating employees and completing tasks. Despite being competent, complacent organizations ultimately fail. Kodak is among the most well-known instances. The market leader in photography, with an estimated 75% worldwide market share for photographic film, was unable to keep up with the development of digital photography. It was sure that its clients would continue to be devoted.
Despite being cognizant of the new technology, Kodak didn’t feel any pressure to adapt. When that feeling of urgency first emerged, Kodak was lagging behind its competitors in the market. Too late now. After a while, Kodak withered and perished as a result of its own laziness and lack of urgency.
The response is always yes.
Yes is a phrase with action. No, is not. So look for methods to encourage a spirit of willingness within your organization. Building great businesses involves more than just physical structures; it entails creating something lasting through both large-scale and minute-scale efforts. One three-letter word may seem insignificant, but it’s anything but.
In the words of a well-known “yes man,” Eric Schmidt, executive head of Google,“[…] Even if it’s a bit edgy, a bit out of your comfort zone, saying yes means you will do something new, meet someone new and make a difference in your life, and likely in others’ lives as well. … Yes is a tiny word that can do big things. Say it often.”
Final thoughts
Clarification: Urgency is not the same as frantic, nervous energy. Instead, it is a lively, motivating, individualized introduction to a struggling or subpar company. Even successful businesses should constantly and consistently foster a feeling of urgency. Success is an entity that is constantly changing, so your company must do the same.
How To Instill A Feeling Of Urgency In Your Team Without Making Them Anxious
Anxiety is not the same as urgency. Here are some strategies for leaders to use to instill a feeling of urgency about necessary change without driving your best employees out the door.
How To Instill A Sense Of Urgency In 7 Methods
1. Create an atmosphere of urgency before it is necessary.
According to Dr. Deb Kirby, founder of Imaginal Wisdom, a leadership development and culture-building consultancy, “the time to create urgency is prior to a situation or problem reaching a critical stage.” It may seem counterintuitive, but developing an organizational culture where employees constantly monitor how people, policies, procedures, and/or technology are responding regardless of the original intent or design fosters awareness and sensitivity for spotting potential issues before they have a chance to develop into critical or urgent issues.
According to Kirby, creating a climate of healthy urgency will increase team members’ propensity to foresee and identify problems in the early phases of change efforts.
2. Inform everyone about the importance of necessity
One of the most crucial actions in encouraging a feeling of urgency in the organization can also help to quell any potential unease. The founder of CXO Transform, which provides a framework for digital transformation, Rob Llewellyn, counsels, “ensure executives and teams understand why urgency is so important for the initiative”.
People need to understand that you are not simply requesting that they run more quickly for the sake of running.
People need to understand the goals that urgency is intended to accomplish, not just that you’re asking them to move more quickly for the sake of moving faster. Llewellyn emphasizes how crucial it is for executives to be clear about the business repercussions of delays.
Those who deal closely with CIOs and other C-suite executives should “talk about the vision and benefits of making forward progress,” advises Mindy Bostick, global people and change lead at North Highland Worldwide Consulting. “Your workforce’s energy will be unleashed by excitement and possibility.”
3. Personalize it
Paint a picture for the employees of how the circumstances might adversely affect their work and jobs if not handled, and how it can enhance their jobs when the situation is successfully handled.
4. Act calmly but urgently around others and frequently.
To show decisive action for their companies, Bostick advises CIOs to “prioritize, plan, and take action in a rapid and public way.”
5. Leaders, take a deep breath.
Make sure that everyone can still chuckle while you keep it light.
In addition to moving forward, it’s important to keep a constant, composed, and positive attitude. Unsure of how to convey a feeling of calm development? Martin Henley, senior vice president of Globality’s technology services sector division, advises keeping things light and ensuring that people can still laugh. He previously had to instill a sense of urgency as an executive during the onslaught of managed care requirements. Make sure staff members are aware of how important deadlines are, but emphasize that the team will flourish because everyone is working toward the same goal. Exercising mindfulness is also beneficial.
6. Encourage workers to produce
Fostering an environment of urgency requires leaders to give up their sense of top-down control and send accountability out into the organization — both vertically and horizontally, wherever the expertise lies to address a situation early.
When people are working hard to meet a schedule, asking for updates frequently only serves to increase frustration.
Empowering people to make choices and to feel accountable and responsible for their success reduces anxiety. Direct reports should not be ridden or micromanaged by executives. Let individuals finish their work. When people are working hard toward a deadline, asking for updates frequently only serves to increase frustration and is usually useless. Trust them, and let them concentrate on their work.
7. Remain with your group
You might discover that while you’re not working on any deliverables, your staff is. Even if your actual contribution to the process is minimal, it is always worthwhile to remain late with your team or to work alongside them on the weekends. You can stay engaged and keep things moving forward in a calm manner while keeping a sense of urgency by being visible.
Exercise 7.2: Dumbest Idea First
The brief:
Instructions:
Course Manual 3: Communicate The ‘Why’
Don’t Just Inform Employees That There Will Be Changes; Explain Why
Large organizational changes are reportedly having an impact on employment, according to workers everywhere. There appears to be ongoing unrest in the workforce as a result of changes in leadership and organizational restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, regulation changes, and more. However, a survey of more than 500,000 U.S. employees found that nearly one-third don’t comprehend why these adjustments are taking place.
This could be harmful for any business attempting to initiate change. Employees’ lack of comprehension of the reasons behind changes can hinder the development of ownership and commitment and even lead to pushback or opposition. And one of the main reasons why so many change transformations fail is workers’ resistance to change.
Executives and those in charge of driving change cannot rely on workers to comprehend their justifications. You must take the time to outline the alterations and their significance. Experience assisting organizational change initiatives has taught that there are four essential components to assisting employees in understanding change, fostering commitment, and eventually enhancing your success.
Case Study
Presenting A Compelling Future Idea Will Inspire People
People going through transition want a clear understanding of the road ahead during uncertain times. Sharing what you know, including what is altering, when, and how, is crucial. But for the majority of change efforts, it is also beneficial to begin with a narrative or story that plainly states the “big picture” — the significance of change and how it will benefit the organization in the long run. Moving forward, use this as the framework for your communication strategies regarding the shift.
Your story must begin with the organization’s primary goal before presenting a compelling and inspiring future vision in order to be effective. How are the adjustments you make today assisting you in realizing your future goal is the question you want to respond to.
Case Study
For instance, FMC Corporation was getting ready to buy a sizable chunk of DuPont’s Crop Protection business in 2017. If successful, this deal would make FMC the fifth-largest crop protection firm in the world. They created a unified internal communications campaign dubbed the “Nature of Next” as part of their change story to explain the rationale and goals behind the acquisition.
The marketing campaign described how FMC would gain a wider product portfolio, a larger global presence, and full-discovery R&D capabilities — all of which help them realize their goals of assisting clients in providing sustainable food for a growing population. Even though the integration process is still in progress, the campaign raised awareness of the purchase among the staff and is still used to convey the potential of the new FMC.
Events of change are frequently unpredictably unpredictable, stressful, and dangerous. But having a distinct meaning or objective for the shift will help you make your case. Employees will also develop a better grasp of the business strategy if you can explain this case in detail.
Maintain Staff Awareness By Communicating Frequently
Maintaining employee awareness of the change process is something you must do at every stage; change communications is never a one-time occurrence. Continuous communication is a key component of a transformation’s effectiveness, according to studies. Keep the following in mind when deciding how to communicate:
Be precise and reliable: All of your interactions should be based on the story you created, reinforcing the need for change and outlining an inspiring future.
You won’t know every solution: You won’t always have all the responses that workers are seeking, and this can cause stress and uncertainty. It’s crucial to concentrate on your knowledge while being open about your lack of it. Say so if you don’t have a response. When this happens, it’s critical to let staff members know you’re dedicated to open and honest communication and that you’ll follow up as soon as you have more information.
Remember to explain “What’s in it for me?” What’s in it for me? is one of the most crucial expressions you might hear when communicating change. Your employees are more likely to embrace and own the change if they know what’s in it for them directly. Having trouble explaining “what’s in it for me” will only make things harder for you.
Educate And Equip Managers And Executives To Navigate Change
Employees must frequently be asked to adopt particular behaviors or skill sets in order for major changes or transformations to be effective. Additionally, transformations have a five times greater chance of success when top leaders model the desired behavior changes.
In addition to having the right tools and resources, leaders must also have the confidence to navigate change. This can be particularly difficult because there is increased pressure on leaders to help their teams and offer better solutions. However, how your leadership responds to change will trickle down and have an effect on your managers, who in turn will have an effect on your workers’ engagement.
Executives and change leads should educate managers and leaders on the basics of change, such as how to lead effectively during times of change, how people respond to and manage change, and how to deal with obstacles or areas of resistance.
Look For Innovative Methods To Involve The Workforce In The Change
It’s crucial to involve people in the planning process when preparing for significant shift events. Employees are more likely to back and even champion the change as a result, helping to create a sense of ownership in the change.
Case Study
More than 150 FMC workers were selected by leaders to join the Change Champion Network in advance of FMC’s crop protection transaction with DuPont. The group was formed to involve colleagues, respond to inquiries, and excite staff members about the company’s future. The group was a vital source of information for other workers and acted as a conduit for leadership to receive two-way input.
Recognizing those who are embracing the change and acting in the desired ways is another way to engage workers and foster commitment. Being able to successfully lead change within your company is essential because it has a greater impact on both your culture and your financial results. Three and a half times as likely are businesses with highly effective change management to greatly outperform industry competitors.
Your company’s change initiative will be compromised if you assume that employees comprehend the changes that are taking place. Therefore, the next time you’re planning a change initiative, be sure to consider how you can effectively lead your business into the future by engaging and inspiring your most influential ambassadors.
Clear communication is more crucial and challenging during an ongoing crisis than it is when everything seems routine. Because customers and employees are clamoring for information, we are tempted to put together presentations quickly and speak without careful thought. But if we give a presentation without responding to the fundamental what, how, and why queries of our audience, we’ll create more confusion than clarity.
So why do you ask why?
Let’s put it this way: What would be your first response if your boss approached you and said, “I need you to take on this additional project on top of your current work load.” Setting an alarm, rearranging your schedule, or coming up with another plan for how you’re going to complete the additional task are probably not related. The first thing you typically ask when someone asks you to change a behavior is “why?” Because unless you are motivated to do something, you won’t attempt something new or challenging.
Your target market is the same. They won’t be inspired to assist you if they don’t understand why a new action is required. Thank you very much, they’ll keep acting in their familiar ways.
For two main reasons, communicators frequently skip giving explanations:
• They believe that describing what and how works best to persuade their audience.
• They believe the reason why is so obvious that it doesn’t need to be explained.
Consider a challenging circumstance where it is essential for people to unite and coordinate. Something modest like a team-defining internal project or something significant like getting out of the current economic crisis. Let’s assume that you are certain that your business will survive if your audience follows your strategy. You’re capable of doing it. Your presentation is passionate as you incorporate all those ideas. After a brief round of applause, nothing occurs.
Have you ever visited? You’ve invested time and effort into explaining “what” must happen and “how” to do it. You’ve worked through your scenarios, planned ahead, done your study, and validated it. You left feeling let down by the dearth of response from the very people whose lives would be better if they would just follow your instructions.
Let’s analyze this illustration in more detail.
Leaders provide an explanation of their thoughts and how to use the information. The majority of speakers handle their topics in this way, particularly those who are profound subject matter experts. They concentrate on the information they want to spread. Because it seems so clear to them and they assume that everyone else must also see it, many leaders fail to even take the audience’s point of view into account.
For example, “We can reduce secondary infection rates by 40%, saving thousands of lives” or “We can reach more people and help them advance their careers if we release our content for free” would be strong reasons to include in your presentation. When you answer “why,” you frequently find a human being who will gain from the action you’re asking others to take. It is now important.
Your reason probably won’t be as obvious as the one in the previous case. So, here are three techniques to assist you in your next presentation get to the core of the why.
Pose some thoughtful what-questions.
You might have to entice the solutions to why out of your subconscious because they frequently hide there. Sometimes, you can figure out why by posing a few excellent “what” questions, like: What are the consequences of doing or not doing this? What will the future hold if we accomplish this? What would happen to humanity if we either did this or didn’t? Having someone else question you “so what” until you are unable to respond is another strategy for discovering why. You’ll discover the “why” when you do that.
Finish with “because”
You must express the why in detail; just contemplating the why is insufficient. Consider the action you’re requesting your audience to take before adding “because” after it.
“We need to improve our process because ___,” for instance. If there is a “we need to ______, because _______,” then there is a rationale. The answer to the “why” query will be whatever that second blank is.
Give alternative viewpoints.
By addressing the possible viewpoints you’ve discarded, address skeptics and resistance. You can better persuade an audience by sharing ideas you’ve abandoned and, you guessed it, “why” you’ve eliminated them. It might seem counterintuitive to disclose anything other than the action you’re influencing them to take. You can show that you have examined all options by outlining the concepts that you have thought about, investigated, tested, and then rejected.
In addition to adding a layer of persuasion to your interactions, responding with “why” is an act of empathy. People are much more apt to comply when they understand why they are being asked to do something.
You have a special chance to guide your customers and employees forward in these uncertain times. Your customers and employees need your wisdom and leadership now more than ever. Don’t neglect to include the why as you try to encourage and motivate them to take the next right action.
Exercise 7.3: Listen Only
Course Manual 4: Storytelling
Using Stories to Move Audiences
The core of business action is persuasion. Customers must be persuaded to purchase your company’s goods or services, staff members and coworkers must be persuaded to support a new strategic plan or reorganization, investors must be persuaded to purchase (or not to purchase) your stock, and partners must be persuaded to execute the next contract. Nevertheless, most executives struggle to communicate, let alone inspire, despite the crucial significance of persuasion. They frequently get lost in the accoutrements of corporate talk, such as dry memoranda, PowerPoint slides, and hysterical letters from the corporate communications department. Even the most meticulously thought out and considered efforts are frequently met with skepticism, laziness, or open rejection.
Motivating others to accomplish goals is a significant portion of a CEO’s work. He or she must appeal to their feelings in order to achieve this, and story holds the key to their hearts. There are two methods for persuading others. The majority of executives are educated in conventional rhetoric, which is the first strategy. It’s an intellectual process, and in the business world, it typically takes the form of a PowerPoint slide presentation where you state, “Here is our company’s biggest challenge, and here is what we need to do to succeed,” and support your assertion with data, facts, and quotes from experts. However, language has two issues. First of all, each individual you speak with will have their own set of leaders, figures, and experiences. They are debating you in their minds as you attempt to convince them. Second, even if you are successful in convincing them, it will only be intellectually. That is insufficient because people are not motivated to behave solely by reason.
The other method of persuasion—and eventually the most effective method—is to link an idea with an emotion. Telling a gripping story is the most effective method to accomplish that. When you tell a story, you not only incorporate a lot of information, but you also pique the interest and feelings of your audience. Using a tale to persuade is challenging. Anyone with a little intelligence can sit down and create lists. In order to construct a case using conventional rhetoric, rationality is required but not much creativity. But in order to present a concept with sufficient emotional impact to be memorable, one must have sharp insight and storytelling prowess. You can get people to stand up and applaud you if you can use your imagination and the fundamentals of a well-told tale, as opposed to yawning and getting no response from them.
How Does A Businessperson Become A Storyteller?
Businesspeople must not only comprehend the history of their organizations, but also predict the future. And what about the future do you see? as a tale. You imagine scenarios of potential future events in your mind in an effort to predict how your business or your personal life will develop. Therefore, if a businessperson is aware of the natural tendency of his or her own mind to interpret experience as a narrative, the key to affecting an audience is to embrace this urge by crafting a compelling story instead of fighting it.
What Characteristics Distinguish An Excellent Story?
You most definitely don’t want to recount the entire story of how the outcomes met your predictions. This is dull and uninteresting. Instead, you want to highlight the ugly conflict between expectation and actuality.
Case Study
Consider the CEO of a biotech startup firm, Chemcorp, who needs to convince some Wall Street bankers to invest in the business. He could inform them that Chemcorp has found a chemical compound that stops heart attacks and present a number of slides outlining the market size, the business strategy, the organizational structure, and other details. The bankers would think of all the other businesses that were better positioned in Chemcorp’s market while nodding respectfully and holding back yawning.
The CEO could also tell a tale instead of making a pitch, starting with a close family member, like his father, who passed away from a heart attack. Therefore, the CEO as protagonist must first beat nature itself. The narrative might go as follows: In his sorrow, he realizes that his father’s demise might have been avoided if there had been some chemical sign of heart disease. His business identifies a protein that is prevalent in the blood just before heart attacks and creates an affordable, simple-to-use test for it.
But the FDA has emerged as a fresh foe. There are many risks and dangers involved in the approval procedure. When fresh data shows that the test works even better than anticipated, the FDA approves a second application after initially rejecting the first. A crucial associate leaves Chemcorp as it runs out of money and leaves to found his own business. Chemcorp is currently engaged in a fierce trademark competition.
The presence of so many enemies makes for exciting tension. The protagonist has planted the thought that the story might not have a happy conclusion in the bankers’ minds. They are on the edge of their seats by this point as he declares, “We won the race, we got the patent, we’re poised to go public, and save a quarter-million lives a year,” and the bankers just keep throwing cash at him.
People will applaud wildly instead of yawning and ignoring you if you can harness their imagination and the fundamentals of a well-told tale.
A Story That Embraces Darkness Can Produce A Positive Energy In Listeners
We follow those whom we have faith in. Producers and directors have adjusted to the grim reality. Instead of using spin doctors to communicate, they direct their actors and crews through the conflict of a setting where the chances of having the movie made, released, and bought by millions of moviegoers are 1,000 to 1. They value the fact that the people who work for them enjoy their jobs and strive for the smaller victories that add up to the bigger victories.
Similar to other leaders, CEOs must lead their organizations through turbulent economic times and fierce rivalry while seated at the head of the table or in front of the microphone. They will pay attention to you if you look your audience in the eye, outline your terrifying challenges, and then say, “We’ll be lucky as hell if we get through this, but here’s what I think we should do.”
If you have a broad perspective on life, you can recognize all of its intricate facets and honor them in a narrative. A great CEO is someone who understands their own mortality and has empathy for others as a consequence. Stories give expression to this kindness.
Case Study
Do You Need To Be A Good Storyteller To Be A Successful Leader?
Not necessarily, but if you comprehend the fundamentals of storytelling, you undoubtedly have a solid grasp on who you are and what makes people tick, which improves your chances.
The foundation of all excellent storytelling is self-awareness. By posing the question, “If I were this character in these circumstances, what would I do?,” a storyteller creates all characters from the self. Good leaders possess self-awareness, self-respect, and doubt in equal measure. Great storytellers and great leaders are doubters who are aware of both their own and other people’s masks, and this awareness humbles them. They are sympathetic but practical when dealing with others because they recognize their humanity. That contrast makes for a great boss.
Exercise 7.4: Tell us a Story
Course Manual 5: Insights
The Building Elements For Enhancing Organizational Culture Are Provided By Behavioral Insights
In many fields, behavioral observations are being used. They are used in a variety of initiatives, from encouraging greater compliance among taxes (by letting people know what percentage of people pay on time) to assisting people in making better choices at supermarkets. (by featuring straight-forward nutritional information).
However, behavioral insights can also be a potent instrument for creating the ideal organizational culture.
Employee actions and choices are at the core of any organizational culture shift. Behavioral insights provide a wide range of tactics for assisting staff in making decisions about their conduct that are consistent with the intended culture and values of an organization.
Culture is dynamic and complicated. It is crucial to take into account the prejudices present in any program aimed at improving or changing the culture, both for an individual employee and for the entire workforce. Experimental testing of potential remedies is encouraged by behavioral insights to determine which approaches are effective, where, and under what conditions.
A cultural change effort can be made more appealing, tenacious, and deserving of celebration with the aid of behavioral insights strategies, much like a grain of sand forms the center of a brilliant pearl.
In this manual we’ll discuss three factors that affect employee behavior. Each of these factors produces three behavioral insights strategies that can support the success of your cultural development efforts.
Bounded Rationality: Accurate Knowledge Is Necessary For Sound Decision-Making
Employees will make decisions based on the knowledge at hand, even if it is unreliable or unclear, according to the concept of bounded rationality. Therefore, during a cultural improvement endeavor, employees need accurate information to make wise decisions about how to behave and where to devote their time. That is why it is crucial to communicate knowledge.
How can we effectively promote cultural change and improvement by working with bounded rationality?
1. Give workers accurate information:
Senior executives typically set the tone for information flow, making managers at all levels crucial. Toolbox talks, all-staff stand-ups, CEO or vice chancellor blogs on an intranet, and manager guidance programs are examples of effective information-sharing platforms. The goal is to provide information to workers at each step of the cultural change journey rather than overloading them with information. For instance, a company concerned with its internal culture may discover that, in the absence of information, workers mistakenly believe that there has been an increase in staff turnover. This misconception can be eliminated by consistently reporting actual turnover compared to goal turnover.
2. Clarify your points of view:
Too much information can hinder cultural change because staff members lack the time and cognitive capacity to process it. Each week or every two weeks, the transformation team should decide on a collection of key messages and customize them for teams. People find it difficult to recall more than five key messages, so there shouldn’t be more than that. Since these are the ones that are most likely to be recalled, place the most crucial messages first and last.
3. Make information appealing:
People are more likely to spend time on things that catch their attention, such as things that are personalized, colorful, or have pictures. Invest in posters and other marketing materials that outline the intended culture or strategy. Instead of distributing generic messages to the entire organization, customize key messages to people, teams, or divisions before distribution. Simply adding a worker’s name to a group or company communication will personalize it.
Social Conventions: One Can Only Be What One Sees
The successful transformation of societal norms is essential to cultural change. Social norms, or simply what other people do, have a significant impact on how each individual employee behaves, so they must be expressly considered in any strategies or interventions.
How can social norms be used to promote positive societal change and advancement?
1. Concentrate on desired behavior:
You must concentrate on the desired behaviors if you want to accomplish them. Recognize obstacles, but emphasize desired behaviors rather than undesirable ones. Leaders run the risk of unintentionally reinforcing undesirable or troublesome behavior if they concentrate on it.
2. For maximum impact, demonstrate that the majority of individuals exhibit the desired behavior.
When discussing engagement data, for instance, phrase it positively: “Nine out of ten of your coworkers behave respectfully.” Showcase and honor groups of individuals who exhibit the desired behavior.
3. Turn organizational values into concrete deeds.
Value statements by themselves may be useful for establishing a shared grasp of organizational values and deeds, but they frequently have little meaning for employees. By converting the intended organizational values into particular behaviors, you can assist teams and employees in making the organizational values relevant.
Bias For The Status Quo: Better The Devil You Know
Resistance to change, which is frequently seen as a roadblock to effective culture change, can be intimidating for practitioners of organizational design and leaders of organizations. People’s innate preference for the present condition over accepting change may be a key factor in perceived resistance.
Employee opposition should not be considered a side effect of ineffective change management. Instead, behavioral observations imply that we should prepare for employee resistance by anticipating it.
How can we get past our tendency to favor the status quo and encourage positive societal change?
1. Assist team members in planning their personal responses:
When introducing new values and behaviors or launching a cultural strategy, make sure you have a procedure in place to assist team members in planning their responses and turning good intentions into actions. One organization recently conducted a launch day for its cultural strategy, breaking people into smaller groups to determine what they as individuals needed to stop doing, start doing, and continue doing as a result of the desired culture. Then everyone made their own action plans. Action planning for values or behaviors can be done on an individual or collaborative basis.
2. Clearly define core and aspirational values:
It’s crucial to recognize and state which values are core and which are aspirational during cultural transformation. Aspirational values are those that the organization will eventually need but do not yet have, whereas core values are those that are already ingrained in the organization and govern acceptable behavior. To fight status quo bias, it’s crucial that employees comprehend the difference and are given this expectation.
3. Make dedication tools available to employees:
Employees who use commitment tools are more likely to implement desired behaviors and adhere to behavioral objectives. Other effective commitment tools in cultural change include “values and behaviors” coffee catch-ups, a virtual or physical commitment board where individuals post weekly actions, email-free days to foster collaboration, and scheduling meetings close to the office to improve wellbeing. Performance appraisal processes already in place give people a way to commit to key behaviors.
Although none of these tactics by themselves are likely to result in an effective cultural improvement, taken together, they can support the removal of obstacles. Using these methods will enable you to transform a particle of sand into a beautiful pearl.
Building Healthy Behavioral Insights Units: Three Recommendations
We have observed numerous successes based on our research and hard-earned experience working with a diverse range of behavioral groups in governmental, commercial, and non-profit organizations. However, we have also witnessed our fair share of instances where the units wished they had done things differently, including units with promising pilots that didn’t scale well, units that tried to please everyone, units that jumped to solutions too quickly, units that became overly fixated on one methodology, and units that were hasty to offer advice without considering the situation in which it will be applied.
Three recommendations that are essential to creating an effective behavioral unit are listed below. We believe the guidance will assist behavioral units, both new and old, in finding their way to success.
Recommendation 1: Avoid getting too fixated on the answers.
Many prospective partners contact behavioral units with an idea of the result they hope to achieve. For instance, businesses frequently think that a new communication program, a website redesign, an app, or a text messaging plan will solve their problem of behavior change. It can give the appearance of efficiency, so it is tempting to tackle a problem with a specific solution in mind.
However, focusing on a remedy restricts thinking and draws attention away from a part of the issue that may not be the main one.
Case Study
For instance, in one project, the team had decided very early on that using a smartphone app would be the most effective and scalable method to deliver their interventions. After making significant expenditures in the creation, testing, and piloting of an app, they discovered that it didn’t function as intended. In retrospect, they understood that the intervention required the recipient to give a certain amount of attention, which the app did not support. The group erred by focusing too quickly on a solution.
The team did not query (or test for) the appropriateness of an app as the carrier of the interventions because it was early on anchored as the solution to scaling. Additionally, they expedited the effort to comprehend the “first principles” of the issue.
Use a My behavior change challenge (myBCC) statement, a thorough user journey mapping, a thorough investigation of any potential frictions to the desired behavior, and lastly a How might we (HMW) statement to combat this solution-fixation. Below are templates for the myBCC and HMW accounts. We only offer suggestions for how the unit should begin considering possible solutions after clearly defining the behavior change challenge.
Recommendation 2: Delay implementing behavioral remedies.
The majority of organizational challenges are related to behavior change, but these problems may not always have behavioral answers.
For instance, systemic problems (such as excessively intricate procedures or perplexing information) may be to blame for end users’ failure to exhibit the desired behavior rather than psychological factors. No amount of psychological interventions will be helpful if processes are innately sluggish.
We advise that units collaborate with all accountable parties to make sure that procedures are as effective as feasible and that the behavioral pipelines are kept clear and sludge-free before considering any behavioral interventions.
Recommendation 3: Do create a precise positioning statement for your business.
Many behavioral units lack a strong positioning statement, which is an essential component of the go-to-market plan. We’ve seen a naive assumption that other stakeholders will justifiably embrace the research. However, as we’ve discovered through our study and experience, the value we produce might not always be obvious to other people.
The greatest teams have a concise description of how they add value to the company. They make it very obvious how they differ from other organizational units that might be considered to be behaviorally informed (such as marketing and sales or market research), what they can do that other units cannot, and who their internal target market is. Units can better convey their value to stakeholders, stay focused on where they can add the most value, evaluate the impact of their work, and pivot as necessary with the aid of a clear positioning statement. They are useful for identifying non-core tasks that the unit shouldn’t spend too much time on and for finding more effective ways to deliver value.
Units can create marketing statements for the various goods or services they provide. (see sample positioning statements below). Depending on what other capabilities they presently possess and what their main contribution to the organization is, a unit’s proper positioning will vary across different organizations.
Exercise 7.5: Stepping Forward
These are the stages in this exercise:
2. Explain that the exercise’s goal is to learn about and comprehend everyone’s goals for the day.
3. Ask each individual to step forward (further into the ring) and share their expectations for the day as you go around the circle one at a time. Be aware that what people say can differ greatly (for example, whether they intend to have fun, acquire new skills, or get to know the team better. And that’s okay because the point is to be straightforward, honest, and receptive to being heard.
4. Request that everyone take one more step into the circle if they share the same expectations for the session.
5. They can ask more questions if they want to better grasp the expectation.
6. Before re-forming the circle, the group is requested to check to see if anyone else shares the expectation.
7. Once everyone has had a chance to speak, the procedure repeats with the following person.
Course Manual 6: Ambassadors
Four Characteristics Of An Office Ambassador
The hiring process places a strong emphasis on a candidate’s unique skills, talents, and strengths as well as how they can add to the workplace and carry out the job for which they are being hired. What is frequently forgotten is how crucial it is for candidates to get along with the existing team and assess their compatibility with the workplace atmosphere. While teamwork encourages the use of unique talents, it also necessitates effective communication, collaboration, and teamwork among all team members.
One of the responsibilities of HR staff is to ensure that each employee gets along with the others on the team, but this process is made simpler when there are also staff members who are adept at fostering connections among their coworkers and uniting the team. An office ambassador assists in facilitating negotiations between coworkers and divisions, much like international ambassadors, whose job it is to facilitate negotiations between nations.They are knowledgeable about office dynamics and events and are in charge of keeping lines of communication open.
Here are four of the qualities that make excellent office ambassadors.
1. Powerful problem-solving abilities
The office ambassador maintains composure in the face of difficulty when others may become anxious, assisting their coworkers in accurately assessing the situation, carefully weighing all of their options, and engaging in efficient problem solving. They can then engage in diplomatic and strategic negotiations to find answers.
2. Remaining on track
Office ambassadors have a solid work ethic that carries over well when confronted with difficulties. They are able to concentrate on issues, rank what needs to be done, and use innovative methods to find the best answer. No matter how long it takes, office representatives keep trying to find solutions until a satisfactory conclusion is reached.
3. Self-assurance and optimism
When others might retreat, feel overburdened, or become frustrated, an office ambassador approaches even the most difficult issues with confidence and a can-do attitude. They are better able to engage in problem solving, stay the course, and deal with new challenges because of their positive outlook and conviction that a solution is attainable.
4. Personal Relationships
The ability to unite individuals and teams so they can communicate and solve problems better is perhaps the office ambassador’s greatest strength. Office ambassadors need to be adept at diplomacy, communication, and interpersonal interactions to accomplish this. They frequently have the ability to observe the type of communication occurring within the team and can spot communication roadblocks, guiding the team in the right path. They manage to accomplish this without taking on an intrusive role, allowing all workers to participate and be heard.
It should be noted that HR managers would be well served to identify and use their office ambassadors to enable open discussions and aid the company in cooperating to achieve its goals when working through workplace issues, challenges, or times of change.
Your Plan Will Be Realized By Your Workforce, But How Do You Bring Them On Board?
Your company has a fresh plan, and you depend on your team to implement it. A slideshow alone won’t bring about change, regardless of how good your presentation abilities are. Instead, you need a committed team of employee ambassadors to make the necessary changes and engage others.
Many organizations are already aware that strategies need to be actively implemented, moving them from the plans of the management team to each employee’s daily tasks. Each employee can be viewed as their own media platform in a contemporary expert organization where leadership and communication are integral parts of everyone’s work.
Nevertheless, it can be simple for managers to forget that leadership and communication take place in the regular job that your employees do. Only when your people actively debate and put strategy into practice on a daily basis will it become a reality. So, what are people in your business chatting about? How do they communicate?
Employee Ambassadors Help To Realize Your Strategy
With a little assistance from so-called employee ambassadors, you can improve leadership and collaboration. They can convey to the complete organization the message of your organization’s mission and useful objectives. This is possible both internally and publicly to the organization. The edelman trust barometer (2021) will support the claim that the most reliable spokespersons are your company’s own subject matter specialists who can connect with the audience.
Although there are numerous methods to serve as an employee ambassador, one thing is for certain: you cannot make your staff members do it. Benefits and awards will only help you in the short run. And we’ve got bad news if you’re expecting to somehow persuade every member of your staff to become change agents: it’s probably just a pipe dream.
The best outcomes will come from inviting and mentoring chosen individuals who have been deemed qualified for the ambassador position.
So how do you utilize staff ambassadors effectively?
Here are four essential guidelines:
1. Connect the ambassadors’ responsibilities and goals to your organization’s vision and drive for good.
2. Pick candidates who exhibit enthusiasm in the position and internal motivation for it.
3. Encourage your emissaries’ independence and remove any obstacles that might stand in their way.
4. Provide your ambassadors with real-world examples, training, time, and specific job goals.
Ambassadors As Internal Developers
The organization’s plan serves as a guide for the work of internal developers. They support the practical implementation of the organization’s purpose, beliefs, and strategic decisions. By connecting it to the larger strategy, the ambassadors hope to assist their coworkers in finding meaning in their job. Working on meaningful projects helps employees develop as people, teams, and as an organization as a whole.
The ambassadors are chosen or recruited from among the workforce and will serve as role models for the type of behavior that other employees should adopt. These employees’ attitudes should reflect the change that the organization wishes to bring about. They are a diverse collection of individuals who are familiar with the struggles and day-to-day operations of the organization. For themselves, their colleagues, and ultimately their clients, they want to make a difference by improving and inspiring their work. The same feeling of purpose serves as the foundation for each of these.
Employee advocates must be encouraged and trained in order to succeed. Offering them a variety of tried-and-true tools, such as those on how to positively influence others and how to show gratitude and presence to others, is something we advise. They are also encouraged to think of innovative methods to effect the desired change.
The ambassadors are primarily responsible for implementing the concept in their teams and communities, but in the best case situation, they are also involved in co-creating the content and methods for an internal training concept. Scripts, communicative components, and tools like workbooks, facilitation tools, and videos are typically included in a training idea. However, the ambassador’s own enthusiasm, example, and place as a relatable role model are the concept’s most powerful tools.
Case Study: Praktiker
Shared objectives and tasks must be supported by all of the tools at our disposal for an ambassador program to be effective, and team and individual effort must be rewarded with ongoing feedback and recognition. After a genuinely fruitful and collaborative project, this is not difficult.
Praktiker arranged a donation drive at the start of the academic year, and it was a success! Every job carried out with the ambassador team was extremely successful. Leaders emphasized that they also secure personalized benefits for colleagues in addition to the acknowledgement and year-end bonuses. They always grant them complete creative control over their ambassador work; in fact, they’re planning a photo shoot right now because they want to use images of their own employees in their internal and external communications. In addition to making team members’ t-shirts with special designs, they strive to give them an experience, involve them in project planning and decision-making, and turn them into “insiders” at the business.
In addition to creating a video about the ambassador team for Praktiker to share internally and eventually publicly, they also purchased personalized t-shirts. “We want to identify them among the team members, award them with national recognition within Praktiker’s framework, involve them in ideation, and motivate them to produce their own material. As the program evolves, we’d also like to expand the awards system.”
Executives claim that witnessing the fusion of ingenuity and enthusiasm brings them the most joy.
Exercise 7.6: Organizing Groups
Course Manual 7: Communication Obstacles
5 Barriers to Strategic Alignment (And How A Communication Plan Can Overcome Them)
Have you ever overheard (or been asked directly) at work, “Why are we doing this project?” or “Why did we stop focusing on this activity?” These appear to be innocuous queries, but as a strategy manager or executive leader, you may become concerned. The answers are in your strategic plan, and whether it was just released last week or is a three-year-old plan, your team should be using it as a resource for these types of questions rather than working in the dark.
If this sounds similar, it’s time to take a step back and assess whether everyone is on the same page with your strategic plan. Here are five potential roadblocks to getting your teams to understand and implement your strategy, as well as suggestions for how to surmount them.
Obstacle 1: There Is No Interaction With The Business Strategy
How many people in your business could name the main themes or priorities in your strategic plan without consulting the intranet? If the response is only a few, you may not be doing enough to raise awareness among employees.
Teams typically learn about a strategic plan through an orientation workshop or executive memo, which occurs only once a year or quarter. Most employees have no interaction with the strategy or knowledge of it beyond this communication, making it simple to forget.
To improve team interaction with the strategy, try the following:
• Create business cards with your five strategic plan topics. Request that people take it with them—this is known as a “pocket strategy.”
• Focus internal communications on specific themes and objectives. Post your five themes in the break room, share success stories in meetings, and focus on individuals and projects that represent important areas of the strategic plan.
• Create a strategy map similar to the one shown below and display it on the intranet and on the office walls. (perhaps in the shape of a house or other recognizable, catchy graphic). Software can assist you in publishing your findings on your intranet on a consistent basis.
Obstacle 2: No Relationship With The Business Strategy
Employees may engage with strategic initiatives on a daily basis, but this does not imply that they understand how their position relates to the strategy itself. If team members can’t connect their daily work to the organization’s five-year vision, they won’t comprehend or recall much of the strategic plan.
To assist employees connect with the strategy:
• Using the business cards from your pocket strategy, ask teams and departments to circle and write how they add to the most important themes. Distribute these cards at internal gatherings.
• Request that your senior leaders showcase the contributions of one team or department per month, highlighting work that directly supports the strategy.
• Establish explicit connections between work plans, budgets, and strategies. This will link your department’s actions to the strategic plan. (It’s not easy, but here’s a link to an article that can assist.)
Obstacle 3: Inadequate Connections Between Current Activities And Future Strategy
Strategies are usually five-year visions of an organization’s future. Should you rethink your strategy at the conclusion of those five years? Obviously not, but some groups find themselves in this situation due to a lack of foresight. If you are not constantly connecting what your organization is doing now with your long-term vision for the future, your strategic plan will lose relevance.
To help connect current activities with future plans, try the following:
• Develop and debate Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and objectives. Begin with a five-year goal and work backward to develop KPIs for each year (including the present one), sharing metrics and results as you go.
• Describe how projects relate to your overall plan. For example, if you are investing in infrastructure modernization, explain how recent innovations relate to the plan.
• Hold regular meetings and discuss progress results in real time.
Obstacle 4: A Lack Of Motivation To Participate In Company Strategy
Sometimes simply discussing a plan isn’t enough—you have to sell the concept to get buy-in. Your executives may be pumped after lengthy strategy discussions, but anyone who wasn’t engaged in the higher-level thinking may need some persuasion to get on board. You’ll need to discover ways to get everyone involved and excited about making the plan a reality.
The following strategies can help motivate your workers to carry out your strategy:
• Discuss and put in place metric-based rewards. A group that meets KPI goals, for example, may be rewarded with bonus pay or an office celebration.
• Encourage ownership by delegating responsibility for updating and reporting on different elements or components of your plan.
Obstacle 5: The Inability To Offer Suggestions For Improving The Plan
Leadership teams develop strategic plans, but employees are the ones who execute everyday tasks. Give everyone the chance to respond, ask questions, and offer feedback in order to obtain their buy-in and keep it. You may also learn some important insights that your leaders hadn’t considered.
• Update them frequently on results to keep them informed. For instance, receiving weekly emails to remain informed about the status of the strategy.
• Request input during team sessions. The people who work for you are best positioned to understand why things are proceeding as they are.
Sharing Your Plan With Your Biggest Doubters
But what do you say to those people if they require an additional “nudge”?
1. Complex Charlie
Charlie enjoys making procedures much more complicated than they need to be. Charlie likes to feel relied upon and gets a sense of accomplishment when he completes a challenging report or procedure.
What can I say to Charlie to make his procedures more straightforward?
You might think about pre-reading your reports to avoid frustrating or confusing management with complex information during a conference. Additionally, you’ll need to remind Charlie that the main objective of strategy reporting is to give the management team the clear, pertinent information they need to make choices. Tell him that the details he gives must be accurate, reliable, and relevant. Explain to him, for instance, that data tables shouldn’t have an excessive number of sections or rows and that charts shouldn’t take more than 5 to 10 seconds to understand. You might also want to assign Charlie a straightforward standard to follow depending on what he is in control of. That alone might avoid needless complication.
2. Doubtful Deb
Deb frequently raises her doubts about the data being presented and never feels at ease with it, which makes it challenging for everyone in the department to remain on the right path.
What should I say to encourage Deb to believe the data?
By presenting data as consistently as feasible, Deb might be able to compare results from month to month and feel more assured all around. It’s time to switch roles and start questioning Deb before your next report if, despite this, she still has doubts about your data or findings. Take Deb away and request that she explain some of the metrics that she finds questionable. Bring up any of her well-thought-out suggestions from prior sessions and explain that you want to make sure your data is accurate. You might also want to establish some guidelines for when someone can express questions about the veracity of the data. Tell Deb, for instance, that it is acceptable to voice concerns prior to the conference but not during.
Deb will either be satisfied and accept the validity of your data after you’ve described where it came from, or you’ll gain insight into her actual concerns about the validity of your data. Deb might say, for instance, that she doesn’t believe you because your data sources aren’t accessible to everyone in the company. In that situation, you might want to think about how to make your data more transparent.
3. Forgetful Frank
When Frank promises to help with an initiative, he never follows through, which makes it very challenging for everyone else to do their jobs well.
What should I say to encourage Frank to finish his work quickly?
Frank must be held responsible for completing the job that was given to him. Explain to Frank why accountability is such an important component of a successful strategy implementation the next time he misses a deadline or “forgets” he was assigned to a specific project or endeavor. If this problem continues, you might want to think about putting software in place that will assign ownership of actions and tasks. Frank might be able to finish his job sooner as a result of this.
4. Siloed Sandra
Sandra struggles with teamwork and doesn’t see the benefit of collaborating with other divisions.
What should I say to encourage Sandra to get along with other people?
By forming cross-functional teams, Sandra may be able to venture outside her comfort zone. Give her some instances where collaborating on a cross-functional team enhanced a procedure or assisted a department or organization in coming up with a fresh concept. If you’re a municipality, for instance, describe how someone in parks and leisure collaborated with a member of the police force to create a system for communicating which parks require maintenance for problems that could pose a risk to public safety. Or, if your company offers software as a service, you undoubtedly have a tale about how a member of the development team assisted in automating a solution to a challenge your sales team was facing.
Exercise 7.7: What Would X Do ?
The brief:
Instructions:
2. Each participant should tackle the challenge from the perspective of their chosen famous person. What alternatives would they think about? What would they do about it?
3. This enables everyone to examine options they may not have initially considered when overcoming an obstacle.
Course Manual 8: Media
Social Media Has Been Shown To Increase Worker Engagement
Without a question, over the past ten years, social media has altered how people behave. According to studies, 81% of Americans have a social media presence, and the typical user spends two hours per day on social media. While businesses don’t use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and the like to interact with their workforces, many are incorporating the advantages of these platforms into their internal learning and communication systems.
For each program or course they roll out, internal communication and training professionals need to foster employee buy-in and engagement. After all, a motivated workforce frequently leads to higher employee morale, increased productivity, and enhanced customer satisfaction, improving top- and bottom-line outcomes.
Tens of thousands of companies have adopted turnkey platforms in the last few years to engage their workforce. The tools below demonstrate contemporary uses of reward, social networking, and gaming platforms.
Gamification
While most people’s jobs aren’t all fun and games, many businesses have embraced gamification tools to increase worker productivity, inspiration, and involvement. Employees are more involved at work the more often their employers celebrate them.
Case Study
One of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world, Novartis, employs gamification to teach staff about its line of products and to reinforce its core values. The business has been utilizing gamification for a few years, including games, tasks, badges, and leaderboards. They have been running a distance learning program for 600 employees worldwide aimed at collaborating on actual challenges for the past three years. After one year of implementation, Novartis claims a 12% rise in employee satisfaction.
The gamification market offers a wide range of goods, such as Badgeville, Bunchball, and GamEffective. Though relatively new to the market, Workplace Arcade is making a name for itself with its Slack-like communication tool that transforms employee, department, and corporate goals into competitions, recognizing and rewarding successes in real time. Businesses can organize teams, specify scoring criteria, start challenges, announce winners, and present tangible prizes.
Socialization
Nielsen reports that 92% of people place a higher value on earned media, such as suggestions from their peers, than all other types of media. This is one of the factors contributing to Facebook’s popularity. Facebook introduced Workplace a year ago in an effort to expand its popularity in the business world.
Workplace is a designated area where employees can interact, communicate, and work together on projects relevant to their jobs. Anyone who is acquainted with Facebook tools like Messenger, live video streaming, and trending stories can immediately start interacting in a similar way at work. Workplace is simple because it has the same features and user interface as Facebook, a platform used by over two billion people globally. Other products on the market include Slack, Yammer, and G Suite. A person’s accounts cannot be combined, and all content in Workplace is held by the employer, which is the only distinction between Facebook’s consumer platform and the business platform.
Case Study
Workplace is regularly used by Volkswagen Ireland, a 125-person division of the global automaker, across numerous passenger and commercial brands. Despite operating in the same building, there was little employee collaboration prior to the use of Workplace. Their leadership made the decision to implement Workplace and show the organization as a whole how important it is to participate in the digital dialogue as they work to create the Volkswagen Group of the future. Today, Workplace is used for communication and collaboration by over 95% of their workplace. Both their productivity and communication usage are up.
Other companies, like Starbucks, Columbia Sportswear, and Hello Fresh, report that more than 80% of their invited workers use the platform on a daily basis.
Rewards
Peer recognition is a fundamental component of any successful business culture. Recognition frequently goes unnoticed in organizations because management is responsible for more workers and initiatives than they can effectively control. It’s simple to give and wonderful to obtain recognition. Remembering to do it in real time is the most difficult aspect of expressing gratitude.
Peer recognition for employees can take many different shapes. Use of Bonusly, a platform for recognition and rewards aimed at enhancing employee involvement, is widespread and includes organizations like Oracle, Pointroll, and ZipRecruiter. These businesses claim an average employee adoption rate of around 80%.
Although Bonusly is an excellent offering, it is not the only one targeted at this market. Numerous businesses, such as Recognize, You Earned It, and Tap My Back, place the power of recognition in the hands of those doing the work. Employees can openly recognize a colleague with praise and significant rewards using any of these platforms.
It can be challenging to choose a platform for staff engagement. However, it’s a worthwhile investment if you want to enhance employee communication, teamwork, incentives, rewards, and a ton of user analytics. It all comes down to figuring out what product will work best for your business and what your long-term company objectives are. Recognizing workers shouldn’t be left to HR in the always-connected world we now inhabit; it’s essential to the success of your business.
Case Study: Hang Seng
One of the finest cases to study when it comes to involving employees in the twenty-first century is a local Hong Kong bank by the name of Hang Seng.
Hang Seng was successful in conceptualizing a plan of action that would not only keep workers productive but, more importantly, keep them involved by acknowledging them as a key stakeholder group. For instance, the “You Matter” Programme was launched, emphasizing the various pillars of the bank’s core values, including excellent customer care, inclusion, and ingenuity. The initiative also provided forums, town-hall meetings, and conversations with upper management. Overall, the “You Matter” program gave employees across the Hang Seng hierarchy the chance to have a say in how the bank is run while also empowering them to offer their all at work.
Hang Seng not only took part in numerous volunteer endeavors but also released the H@SE smartphone app in 2019, which served as an internal social media platform. Employees could make comments, vote on different issues, and receive updates about the bank through the app. The program was so well-liked that an activation rate of 85% was attained just two months after its release. All in all, this contributed to the development of an open, vibrant corporate culture where everyone was working toward the organization’s overall success.
It is rather obvious from the procedures in place that Hang Seng has taken almost, if not all, of the contemporary engagement techniques into account. In fact, the bank has catered to the preferences of their staff through active participation at every level of the organization, involvement in the community, and personal empowerment. Therefore, it makes sense why the bank has continuously been regarded as one of Hong Kong’s top few financial institutions.
How To Increase Employee Engagement Through Social Media
Maximizing employee engagement is highly valued in every company. You can anticipate greater commitment to the task from your employees as there is greater employee engagement. By doing so, they can continue working in a setting they appreciate while producing work of higher quality. The longer workers remain with your business and continue to contribute to its success, the more likely it is that they will stay for longer periods of time.
These days, social media is frequently used to raise employee involvement. Your strategy can be enjoyable and fun for your workers as you attempt to involve them in activities outside of their primary workstream. Here are a few strategies for utilizing social media to raise staff engagement:
1. Identify the social media channels that are appropriate for your company.
Several platforms, including Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn, can be used to promote a variety of material and connect with various audiences:
• LinkedIn: In general, professionals in the workforce will be active on the platform, enabling businesses to co-opt and produce content catered to their employees and industry peers.
• Facebook: Employers can provide employees with exclusive access to special announcements, new initiatives, and business updates by showcasing their culture on Facebook. Joining groups, starting your own, and sharing posts and updates are all excellent uses of Facebook.
• Twitter: You can help maintain motivation levels even when staff members are remote by tweeting about daily tasks and accomplishments. Twitter can be a fantastic resource for finding fresh talent.
• Instagram: This social media site is great for increasing engagement through visuals, from making aesthetically pleasing posts about business events to staff achievements or employee recognition, as well as sharing office vibes with the world.
• TikTok: This relatively new platform is a great way to advertise entertaining videos or events that showcase your company’s culture and values.
No matter which platforms you decide to use, bear in mind that maintaining an open line of communication with your workforce is important for fostering a truly collaborative environment.
2. Produce a ton of valuable and pertinent content
Posting a lot of educational and practical material that your employees can use is one of the simplest ways you can contribute to increasing employee engagement. It might be a report on the company’s successes or changes, or it might include any workplace advice that your staff can use while working in your office. Allowing your post to be connected to current events will help you get as many responses from your workers.
Make sure to strategically share your useful content throughout the day when you write a ton of it. You might want to schedule your post so that it will be automatically shared to your account so that you don’t have to go to social media every few hours and hit the “post” button. You will be able to concentrate on producing more worthwhile material for your social media page because you will have saved time and effort.
Additionally, make the title more enticing to urge your staff to read and engage with them.
3. Honor the contributions of standout team members.
Being promoted and telling everyone about it is the best sensation there is. After all, the outcomes of their labor were excellent.
You could make a professional social media post about the elevation of one of your team members to show them how much you value and appreciate them. This would show people that you appreciate them and encourage their friends to congratulate them.
You should acknowledge your workers for any accomplishments and the like in addition to promotions. It might be receiving favorable comments from your customers or completing projects for your company quickly and well. These modest gestures would boost your workers’ self-esteem and motivate them to work harder and more effectively for your business. Additionally, their coworkers can thank them for a task well done.
4. Hold corporate competitions
You should think about holding an open online contest if you’re looking for the best methods to increase employee engagement rates on social media for your business. In this manner, you can permit your staff to participate in online voting and contests on your social media accounts. You could even nudge their loved ones and acquaintances to cast votes for them so they can win the competition.
There are numerous competitions you could hold for your staff. Everybody could participate in a singing, dancing, or artistic competition. You should carefully plan the duration of each competition and make it possible for more people to participate to ensure maximum engagement. You can set the contest’s criteria so that likes and comments will count for 50% of the criteria, and your skill judgment will count for the remaining 50%. You can encourage people to promote your contests in this manner so that they receive as much exposure as possible.
Exercise 7.8: Social Media Platforms
• Divide the group into smaller groups of two or three.
• Give each group a social media platform, e.g facebook, and ask them to discuss the pros and cons of using them as a communication tool in the workplace.
• After 5-10 minutes ask the groups to share their thoughts on their chosen platform.
• Reflect on whether some platforms are more appropriate than others depending on the type of industry/company.
Course Manual 9: Celebrate Successes
The Reasons Why Leaders Should Celebrate Success
Are you taking the time to recognize the achievements in your company? Is acknowledging achievement a secondary concern in your daily life?
As senior leaders, it’s simple to move on to the next task before celebrating our successes and accomplishments, particularly the little victories. Celebrations pay homage to completed work and express appreciation for the laborers. Don’t overlook the success party! It’s crucial!
By acknowledging our accomplishments, we strengthen the drive that will help us complete the next goal. This is crucial for both your business and you personally. Authentically acknowledge the effort that was expended to achieve that significant success or even a small victory. You’ve undoubtedly witnessed celebrations at work that are merely “going through the motions” and garner more rolled eyes than genuine pride. Make sure to rejoice right away and in a heartfelt manner. Be precise in describing what was completed, how it contributed, and why it is significant.
Don’t forget to honor traits and routines in addition to statistics. When you notice someone doing something correctly, send a handwritten note. It doesn’t require much work, but people find it to be very important. Have fun; it’s a celebration, after all!
What Justifies Celebrating Work Success?
In the past, it has been challenging for pros to recognize their achievements. We frequently link sacrifice to a fulfilling job and joy to our personal lives or free time. We may be able to congratulate others on their promotions or significant sales, but we struggle to recognize the weekly small victories that help us maintain steady development.
Humans are social creatures, so it’s not shocking that cooperation is a key component of how we operate in organizations and businesses. One way we connect with others and experience a sense of community is through celebration. Try upping your celebration game if you want devoted workers and a solid workplace atmosphere.
Case Study: MonetizeMore
As the CEO of the ad-tech firm MonetizeMore, Kean Graham oversees full-time employees who are geographically dispersed. And when the business’s gross sales surpassed $10 million in 2017, he didn’t think twice about organizing a company retreat in the Philippines for this March. The retreat will give the team members a chance to get to know one another better, form bonds, and, of course, rejoice together, according to Graham.
Flying nearly a hundred individuals to a tropical island in Southeast Asia is it expensive? Sure. Does it merit it? Without a doubt, states Graham.
“While these are expensive, the return is immense,” he explains. “The chance to have non-day-to-day conversations is often the spark to great ideas, builds company loyalty and increases morale and motivation. After each retreat, each team member is fired up and the company is equipped with several new innovations which improve the direction of the company.”
What Does Professional Celebration Of Success Look Like?
Champagne toasts and company-wide gatherings may spring to mind when we think about celebrating success. While there’s no denying that these are enjoyable methods to commemorate a significant occasion, they might not always be suitable or practical.
Employee appreciation can be done in a variety of methods at work. A task well done can be celebrated, but so can a problem well resolved. Even if an action didn’t produce noticeable results, you could commend someone for trying it bravely.
There are numerous additional methods to acknowledge professional achievements. Here are some suggestions:
• Give public shout-outs on social media;
• Acknowledge successes in team meetings;
• Give workers extra time off; bring in breakfast or lunch for the team;
• Have a themed day or dress-down day;
• And acknowledge accomplishments.
The celebration of success is an ongoing process rather than the start of an end.
Success is so much more than just moving forward from one place to another, despite what many people believe. Finding a system or working method that promotes creativity and self-fulfillment will also help you WANT to move forward constantly. Think of achievement as a well-designed wheel rather than a straight line going from Point A to Point B.
Instead of waiting for their employees to arrive at a specific destination, leaders should recognize their team members’ accomplishments along the route.
Case Study: Black n Bianco
It might take a village to raise a child, and it definitely requires one to build a prosperous company. Black n Bianco’s CEO, Lisa Chu, is completely aware of this and makes it a point to personally thank each employee for a job well done.
Chu gave each team member a hand-written letter and a performance bonus as a token of her gratitude for their devotion and hard work when the online seller of children’s formal wear recently won a sizable purchase order from an international retailer—a deal that took more than six months to complete. No one’s input to this success is overlooked, she says. “My employees are the heart and soul of my company, and I always go above and beyond to ensure their emotional well-being.”
Along the way, Chu has also learned that this emotional fulfillment not only makes her workers happy, but also increases their productivity.
Chu, who held a celebration with staff members and their families to mark the new order, says that sharing this success with his staff members and their families “helps maintain a healthy and happy relationship with everyone in my company.” “I go out of my way to recognize my employees because I care about them. When my employees feel their company truly cares about their wellbeing they are more productive, efficient, and motivated to succeed. It’s a two-way relationship where both parties benefit.”
Ten Reasons Why It’s Important to Celebrate Success at Work
Because there are so many advantages to routinely celebrating success at work, many businesses encourage it and plan celebrations for their teams. Celebrating accomplishments can be a powerful way to raise spirits, foster teamwork, and encourage enjoyment at work. Understanding the value of honoring at work may help you organize and promote them more effectively in your workplace.
In this piece, we outline 10 justifications for why acknowledging achievements at work is crucial.
Why It’s Essential To Recognize Accomplishments At Work
A business should celebrate workplace accomplishments for the following reasons:
1. It can foster teamwork
Celebrating triumphs at work fosters teamwork and enables employees to form friendships and productive working relationships with their coworkers. Team sports and other socializing exercises that encourage cooperation among teammates can be a part of celebrations. For instance, during a business party, the team might plan a trivia game that requires cooperation from all participants.
2. It might promote optimism
It’s crucial to acknowledge accomplishments at work to maintain workers’ pride in the company and their work. Celebrations may encourage optimism because they may give team members a chance to take a vacation from work and concentrate on things that bring them joy. For instance, a business may decide to honor a team member who has contributed greatly to the company by giving them the opportunity to organize an hour-long party with food and drink for their coworkers.
3. It can enhance corporate ethos.
In order to unite a business culture and to promote a sense of belonging and connection with others in the workplace community, celebrating accomplishments at work is crucial. By enabling team members to gather together, engage in enjoyable activities, and experience a sense of community within the workplace, celebrations can help a company’s culture. Employees may exchange personal information and establish personal connections, for instance, at a company celebration.
4. It can help staff members feel valued.
Regardless of their job title, celebrating at work is crucial to recognizing and rewarding all workers. Examples of rewards include money, gifts, acknowledgement from the CEO or business owner, or compliments from their boss. For instance, when a brewery achieves a particular sales goal, the entire company might party to honor the hard workers from each section.
5. It can increase output.
Increased success celebrations at work could result in more output. This is due to the possibility that workers may believe they are needed and appreciated by the company. For instance, a business might throw a party for celebrations where staff members are welcome to invite pals. Due to the party atmosphere and the success of their team, workers may be more motivated to work harder, which could increase productivity.
6. It could enhance collaboration.
If there are celebrations and reward ceremonies at work, team members may feel more at ease speaking with management and other team members. Due to increased familiarity among team members and greater faith in leadership skills, team members who socialize and unwind together may communicate better than others within a company. For instance, a team working on a challenging issue might feel more at ease sharing their ideas if they are a part of a familiar team because of celebrations.
7. It can increase work satisfaction and employee retention.
It’s critical to recognize achievement at work in order to keep crucial personnel. Celebrations and award presentations encourage team members to remain with their current employer by enhancing their enjoyment of the workplace. For instance, when an employee receives recognition from their manager at a celebration, they might feel valued and inspired to remain at their current company.
8. It encourages internal drive
Employees may be more intrinsically motivated to complete their tasks and reach their objectives while at work if they receive support in their careers and feel appreciated for the work they do. An employee might, for instance, direct a team-building exercise to increase their sense of gratitude at work.
9. It can enhance the company’s image.
Celebrating achievements at work is crucial for establishing and preserving a good image. This is so that a happy workplace atmosphere can be fostered and employee morale can be raised. Employees who receive praise, for instance, might be more inclined to forge connections and improve the company’s standing with clients.
10. It can promote innovation and inventiveness
Celebrations of success can help team members feel appreciated and encouraged at work, which can help them be more inventive and creative. This is due to the possibility that happy employees are more likely to express themselves and carry out tasks that advance the business. For instance, after several team members celebrated at work, a group of people might come up with a fresh concept for a product.
Exercise 7.9: Anecdotes
-What were you celebrating?
-How benefitted from the celebration?
-How did the celebration impact productivity, of at all?
Project Studies
Project Study (Part 1) – Customer Service
The Head of this Department is to provide a detailed report relating to the Communicating the Plan process that has been implemented within their department, together with all key stakeholders, as a result of conducting this workshop, incorporating process: planning; development; implementation; management; and review. Your process should feature the following 9 parts:
01. Framework
02. Create Urgency
03. Communicate The ‘Why’
04. Storytelling
05. Insights
06. Ambassadors
07. Communication Obstacles
08. Media
09. Celebrate Successes
Please include the results of the initial evaluation and assessment.
Project Study (Part 2) – E-Business
The Head of this Department is to provide a detailed report relating to the Communicating the Plan process that has been implemented within their department, together with all key stakeholders, as a result of conducting this workshop, incorporating process: planning; development; implementation; management; and review. Your process should feature the following 9 parts:
01. Framework
02. Create Urgency
03. Communicate The ‘Why’
04. Storytelling
05. Insights
06. Ambassadors
07. Communication Obstacles
08. Media
09. Celebrate Successes
Please include the results of the initial evaluation and assessment.
Project Study (Part 3) – Finance
The Head of this Department is to provide a detailed report relating to the Communicating the Plan process that has been implemented within their department, together with all key stakeholders, as a result of conducting this workshop, incorporating process: planning; development; implementation; management; and review. Your process should feature the following 9 parts:
01. Framework
02. Create Urgency
03. Communicate The ‘Why’
04. Storytelling
05. Insights
06. Ambassadors
07. Communication Obstacles
08. Media
09. Celebrate Successes
Please include the results of the initial evaluation and assessment.
Project Study (Part 4) – Globalization
The Head of this Department is to provide a detailed report relating to the Communicating the Plan process that has been implemented within their department, together with all key stakeholders, as a result of conducting this workshop, incorporating process: planning; development; implementation; management; and review. Your process should feature the following 9 parts:
01. Framework
02. Create Urgency
03. Communicate The ‘Why’
04. Storytelling
05. Insights
06. Ambassadors
07. Communication Obstacles
08. Media
09. Celebrate Successes
Please include the results of the initial evaluation and assessment.
Project Study (Part 5) – Human Resources
The Head of this Department is to provide a detailed report relating to the Communicating the Plan process that has been implemented within their department, together with all key stakeholders, as a result of conducting this workshop, incorporating process: planning; development; implementation; management; and review. Your process should feature the following 9 parts:
01. Framework
02. Create Urgency
03. Communicate The ‘Why’
04. Storytelling
05. Insights
06. Ambassadors
07. Communication Obstacles
08. Media
09. Celebrate Successes
Please include the results of the initial evaluation and assessment.
Project Study (Part 6) – Information Technology
The Head of this Department is to provide a detailed report relating to the Communicating the Plan process that has been implemented within their department, together with all key stakeholders, as a result of conducting this workshop, incorporating process: planning; development; implementation; management; and review. Your process should feature the following 9 parts:
01. Framework
02. Create Urgency
03. Communicate The ‘Why’
04. Storytelling
05. Insights
06. Ambassadors
07. Communication Obstacles
08. Media
09. Celebrate Successes
Please include the results of the initial evaluation and assessment.
Project Study (Part 7) – Legal
The Head of this Department is to provide a detailed report relating to the Communicating the Plan process that has been implemented within their department, together with all key stakeholders, as a result of conducting this workshop, incorporating process: planning; development; implementation; management; and review. Your process should feature the following 9 parts:
01. Framework
02. Create Urgency
03. Communicate The ‘Why’
04. Storytelling
05. Insights
06. Ambassadors
07. Communication Obstacles
08. Media
09. Celebrate Successes
Please include the results of the initial evaluation and assessment.
Project Study (Part 8) – Management
The Head of this Department is to provide a detailed report relating to the Communicating the Plan process that has been implemented within their department, together with all key stakeholders, as a result of conducting this workshop, incorporating process: planning; development; implementation; management; and review. Your process should feature the following 9 parts:
01. Framework
02. Create Urgency
03. Communicate The ‘Why’
04. Storytelling
05. Insights
06. Ambassadors
07. Communication Obstacles
08. Media
09. Celebrate Successes
Please include the results of the initial evaluation and assessment.
Project Study (Part 9) – Marketing
The Head of this Department is to provide a detailed report relating to the Communicating the Plan process that has been implemented within their department, together with all key stakeholders, as a result of conducting this workshop, incorporating process: planning; development; implementation; management; and review. Your process should feature the following 9 parts:
01. Framework
02. Create Urgency
03. Communicate The ‘Why’
04. Storytelling
05. Insights
06. Ambassadors
07. Communication Obstacles
08. Media
09. Celebrate Successes
Please include the results of the initial evaluation and assessment.
Project Study (Part 10) – Production
The Head of this Department is to provide a detailed report relating to the Communicating the Plan process that has been implemented within their department, together with all key stakeholders, as a result of conducting this workshop, incorporating process: planning; development; implementation; management; and review. Your process should feature the following 9 parts:
01. Framework
02. Create Urgency
03. Communicate The ‘Why’
04. Storytelling
05. Insights
06. Ambassadors
07. Communication Obstacles
08. Media
09. Celebrate Successes
Please include the results of the initial evaluation and assessment.
Project Study (Part 11) – Logistics
The Head of this Department is to provide a detailed report relating to the Communicating the Plan process that has been implemented within their department, together with all key stakeholders, as a result of conducting this workshop, incorporating process: planning; development; implementation; management; and review. Your process should feature the following 9 parts:
01. Framework
02. Create Urgency
03. Communicate The ‘Why’
04. Storytelling
05. Insights
06. Ambassadors
07. Communication Obstacles
08. Media
09. Celebrate Successes
Please include the results of the initial evaluation and assessment.
Project Study (Part 12) – Education
The Head of this Department is to provide a detailed report relating to the Communicating the Plan process that has been implemented within their department, together with all key stakeholders, as a result of conducting this workshop, incorporating process: planning; development; implementation; management; and review. Your process should feature the following 9 parts:
01. Framework
02. Create Urgency
03. Communicate The ‘Why’
04. Storytelling
05. Insights
06. Ambassadors
07. Communication Obstacles
08. Media
09. Celebrate Successes
Please include the results of the initial evaluation and assessment.
Program Benefits
Production
- Work measurement
- Labor efficiency
- Constraints management
- Workload balance
- Methods standardization
- Manufacturing reporting
- Changeover completion
- Personnel assignment
- Cost reduction
- Capacity utilization
Operations
- Interactive research
- Project execution
- Quality management
- Continuous improvement
- Performance analysis
- Cost effective
- Time effective
- Process improvement
- Performance improvement
- Process decentralization
Human Resources
- Improve engagement
- Improve retention
- Mitigate burnout
- Foster wellbeing
- Human flourishing
- Inclusive environment
- Recover morale
- Inspire workforce
- Reduce absenteeism
- Employee satisfaction
Client Telephone Conference (CTC)
If you have any questions or if you would like to arrange a Client Telephone Conference (CTC) to discuss this particular Unique Consulting Service Proposition (UCSP) in more detail, please CLICK HERE.