CEOs will often say they don't have time for people-centric initiatives as they're too busy concentrating on the business. This common argument against cultural development has genuinely unseen roots in fear. Being afraid to succeed is as demotivating as being afraid to fail - type "Fear of Success" into a Search bar!. It's this kind of fear that can hold a leader back from stepping outside the traditional box and giving everyone a real chance to enjoy being part of the company.
Horribly obviously, leaders raised on (and liking) a diet of 'my way or the highway' are unlikely to relish the prospect of setting autonomy free, even if that runs against new protocols demanded of them by advancing market trends and social values. And maybe they worry about the consequences of an empowered, engaged workforce, having been taught that 'those people' (at the baseline of the pay scale) lack intelligence, can't be trusted, and only ever want to get more money out of the company. What risks could be attached to giving them greater worth? Perish the thought.
Grass-roots employees want Excellence for the company, just like the management team; loyal and proud of the brand, not stressed and depressed about coming in to work. Like the management team, they'll be at a loss on where to start improving things & how to gain traction sustainably. So they worry about raising heads above parapets, fear the consequence of making valid suggestions in a cultural environment that traditionally favours "shut up and do as you're told" type edicts, and have no idea where to begin in changing their attitude or anyone else's.
Industrial cultures are particularly prone to this problem, yet paradoxically have the most effective platform to solve it swiftly - a triangulation of shop floor, office and executive teams. Given the traction of knowing where to start, forming a strategy, developing initiative and allowing for innovation, the speed with which this pyramid can strengthen is positively amazing. Bright sparks lead the company to find itself, by nature, to be a place full of loyalty and trust waiting for a safe space in time to be appreciated.
This link is chock-full of articles pointing to the facts and formulas for success;
Productivity, as is now known, relates directly to the mental condition of the workforce. People can't honestly perform to their best unless they're happy in the environment that surrounds them, but they're very happy to put best feet forward in creating an atmosphere that's fit for purpose. Innovation Groups immediately prioritise working conditions, from paint jobs in the canteen to renovating smoking sheds. Easy wins; some can be easily achieved (with a little camaraderie and a decent lunch) for the cost of basic materials, others can be factored in relation to performance targets.
Bringing your working environment to life necessitates, as a CEO pointed out recently, a will to take the necessary action and the will of the management team to act appropriately; engaging with innovation and making leaps of faith in commitment to autonomy. In any advancing organisation, Autonomy has to be non-negotiable - people need self-belief in order to engage with a mission of any kind. Beam me up, Scotty!
