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The Levers for Change: Creating a Constructive Culture By Natasha Loughlin, Business Development Manager (Consulting), Human Synergistics The culture of the average Australian and/or New Zealand organisation is primarily defensive. It has been 18 months since this culture research was released by Human Synergistics - enough time for CEO's, HR Officers and other Senior Executives to digest the information and ask:
Identifying the Problem
The research examines 31 causal factors that drive and shape the average Australian/New Zealand organisational culture and the impact and outcomes of this culture. Importantly, it highlights the factors the average Australian/New Zealand organisation needs to focus on in order to increase constructive behaviours and create a high performance culture. Research Results The research highlights the three levers that will have the most impact on shifting a defensive culture to one that is more constructive:
OEI Levers for Change: gaps
between Research and Development by Robert A Cooke, Ph D © Human Synergistics International Interpreting the Results Compared to an international historical average, Australian and New Zealand organisations are performing poorest in their Use of Rewards (28% below the historical average). This means organisations are not spending enough energy noticing and reinforcing good performance in positive ways. Interestingly, the results show that organisations notice errors and mistakes much more frequently than a job well done. This finding is observable in the commonly held belief that good performance is a consequence of external factors, such as 'good processes' or following 'appropriate procedures', but poor performance is due to internal factors and is thus the fault of the individual employee. When managers find fault but do not praise success, they create a fear of failure rather than attraction to success. A simple but effective way to increase constructive behaviour is to reward success and reinforce the belief that personal effort counts and, when mistakes are made, work with people to solve the problem. Low scores in Goal Emphasis (24% below the historical average) tell us that managers are not effectively establishing and communicating expectations for excellence. Many managers attempt to drive performance by pointing out the consequences of not 'reaching the target', rather than the challenge of 'going for the target'. With this motivation method anxiety is produced and people see the goal as an obstacle, not a challenge. One way to change this focus is for managers to articulate the goal, the standard, the envisioned outcome at every given opportunity by using expressions such as "what we are working to achieve is", or "our goal is", or the "standard is". A lack of Articulation of Mission (22% below the historical average) is another factor contributing to defensive norms in organisational cultures. The research shows that organisational mission statements are not clearly defined or well communicated by management, nor understood by employees. From a motivational perspective, people need to function within an environment where they can see meaning and see themselves doing something meaningful. Managers who are focused on day-to-day performance and offer no 'meaning to life' can be guaranteed their team will suffer a reduced sense of significance, reflected directly in individual, group and organisational performance. Although managers put considerable effort into talking about vision, mission and values, they need to expend greater effort in rewarding and reinforcing behaviours consistent with those values. Natasha Loughlin is the Business Development Manager of Consulting in Human Synergistics' Sydney office.
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