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Operationalizing
Values…Check Your Assumptions
Empowerment
has been embraced as a business practice de jour. Both managers and
employees "know" what empowerment means. Or at least they
think they do. And assume everyone shares their meaning.
Recently I was facilitating employee meetings as a part of a post merger integration project. The company's value statement read they "…empower their employees…."
During our discussion one employee commented how she appreciated working with her manager on scoping out projects and assignments. The manager would set the context, boundaries and expectations. The employee was confident she would deliver what was needed.
At this point another employee broke in, loudly claiming "That's not being empowered!"
When asked what empowerment meant to him, he replied "I'm empowered when I get to decide what to do and how to do it." When probed on how he decided what to do, he said he did what his gut suggested.
Later that month, in another employee meeting, on the other side of the country, an employee complained that the executives said employees were empowered, but that they really weren't.
She went on to explain she'd often have to call in her manager to help her in tough situations. If she were really empowered, she wouldn't need help.
Three different employees. Three totally different meanings and practices. All of which were defined as empowerment.
The management team was surprised when I reported the different interpretations for the company values. "Everyone knows what empowerment means," they assured me. And then went on to uncover significant difference in their understanding too.
This lack of consensus on corporate values was quickly seen as the underlying factor in multiple misunderstandings, intra group conflicts and inter functional disconnects.
When the executive team asked me what they should do to prevent this kind of confusion, I suggested the following steps to take, especially during times of corporate change.
- Go slow so you can go fast. Take time to discuss what values mean and translate them into actions and activities.
- Help employees explore the implications and consequences of behaviors and values. Use examples, current issues and concerns as the context in values clarification conversations.
- Pull together cross-level and intact groups to check out how values behavior at one level impacts effectiveness at another level.
- Encourage cross-functional employee values conversations Aim for understanding how functional groups interrelate on values issues and activities.
- Encourage mangers and supervisors to take time for values conversations with their teams on a regular basis.
Values are understood and operationalized with multiple repetitions. Strengthen your teams and your organization by focusing on what it means to do good work.
__________
Since 1986, Patricia Wiklund, Ph.D. has helped some of America's largest, and smallest, organizations resolve expensive and troublesome people problems and conflicts by leveraging the strategic power of soft skills®. A former mental health professional, she is as comfortable on the front line, as on the shop floor, or in the corporate executive suite, and also works effectively in government and educational settings. Call her today at 415 641-5997, or email her at pat@patwiklund.com to discuss how she can help you put your people and organizations back on track.
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Copyright © 2005 Patricia Wiklund, Ph.D. All rights reserved.