Knowing how important it is for industrial companies to maintain impetus in keeping pace with social demand, there's a lot of history to get over since the days of iron and steam. We live in a world of paradox, where good intentions are fraught with dangers and trust in leadership fades faster than cooling coal.
Tip: review operational practices objectively, eliminating bias and bypassing control mechanisms in the process.
People want to live their best lives, love their workplace and be active in creating reality, aware that Life is in our hands and there is much more we could do with it, given the opportunity. The pressure's on to stand for excellence and step up to the plate in personal welfare. While we busily seek out the best, we're increasingly prepared to put cards on the table, understanding that making positive changes to the things we do means making the most of what we have.
Tip: give employees a chance to talk through their perspectives in groups.
All this said, those in power may be disconcerted by revolutionary rumblings underfoot, still intent on harvesting 'low-hanging fruit' and keeping the proles in order. Traditions die hard - the hard line being what most shop-floor managers were taught to take as they came up through the ranks, clutching to its rails against the swell of better practice. Given this tide of potential resistance, new ways of thinking can be fun to adopt, given the right encouragement, and easy to implement, given the right kind of ground.
Tip: introduce operational workshops to bring collective experience to light.
Higher productivity proves to be synonymous with happy people, profitability thus depending on the health of a company's culture.
70% of Corporate Change strategies go to the wall before reaching the culture, for reasons given above. The more things stay the same, the more a lot of people seem to like it. Fear of change spells resistance in the ranks of seasoned professionals, apprehensive of new approaches to old problems; it's an awkwardness endemic in the engineering sector that needs to be overcome. Filled with bright sparks wanting to shine, company cultures wait in abeyance... new recruits look for great places to work while dissatisfaction with corporate edicts leads to spiralling levels of attrition.
Tip: review your induction process. Is it warm, inviting and exciting? First impressions count, and if your company creates a positive one, staff will be more inclined to live up to higher expectations.
Waiting for engagement to take off on a wing and a dictum is like trying to fly a kite in light breeze while standing still. A few feet up, it'll crash back down again. You have to impart energy by covering a bit of ground! Employee engagement takes time and impetus; in other words, motivation from within. People have to see personal benefit from giving their personal best. That's why WorldLine programmes score way above average uptake responses - with evidence of improvement mounting experientially, who would want to go back to the way things were before?
Tip: create a powerful strategy that includes your own development in the review-and-advance cycle, thus founding a sustainable pathway to excellence.
Directorships need to put motivational investment into things that matter to employees. People need trust, respect and autonomy demonstrated real-time to raise morale, and for initiatives to stick when it comes to cultural commitment. We have to admit that progressive responsibility is a real priority, for benefits to be realised in a future that promises only to be different from the past.
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