Part 1. The best steps I envision for developing performance best practices across all areas of the organization.
Human Resources: Adding an appropriate portion of Individual Performance Evaluation in the salary structure.
Step 1. In the light of compensation policy (Galbraith, 2014), redesigning the salary structure and adding individual performance evaluation is imperative for human resources.
Due to the feature of a state-owned business, the organization I am working for keeps the traditional salary structure: the salary is solely associated with the positions, and employees on the same hierarchy get the identical wage. This policy has long dissatisfied the bottom staff. I have heard the colleagues complaining of the unfair pay since the daily routine might change and each faculty has a different job description. Therefore, it would be a significant improvement if the salary structure contains an individual performance evaluation as the reward or compensation to the staff who has more duty in hand.
Step 2. Form teams with distinctively specific main tasks to supervise the implementation of the new policy.
The new salary structure with individual performance evaluation might greatly cause different reactions among employees. Also, the details of the new salary policy need adjustments according to the reality of implementation and feedback of the lower level staff. There will be a lot of uncertainties, and “the greater the uncertainty, the greater the need for teamwork” (Cameron & Green, 2015, p. 64). For example, the Human Resource department could resort to the supervision team, feedback gathering team, and strategic planning team to collect and analyze information to improve the new salary policy.
Corporate Identity: Seeking a strategic partnership to win a community-friendly reputation.
The energy-supplying company I am working for is not only a national organization but also a monopolized industry in China. Naturally, society has biasedly criticized the company for being aggressive. The firm has regularly donated books or cared elders for charity, and the media also helps us reporting the event. However, it seems the company needs to invest more to gain the expected reputation. Therefore, I would suggest the organization build a long-term collaborative relationship with another charitable institution, such as an orphanage or a nursing home. First, building and maintaining the community-friendly reputation is one of the long-term goals of the company. Second, establishing a healthy conversation with the community which should be one of the stakeholders will help the firm receive a higher valuation (Ungerer, Ungerer, & Herholdt, 2016).
Organizational Culture: Including team learning in the organizational culture
One potential pitfall of the new salary policy mentioned above is the internal competition and negativity among employees. The staff with more duties and higher performance will get more salary than before. On the contrary, the ones who use to be freeloaders will not get as much as the old days. Senge articulates “It is crucial for the workforce to consider its colleagues as team members instead of rivals” (Zeeman, 2017, para 8). Hence, the organization should place great emphasis on promoting teamwork and team learning in the culture. Furthermore, the learning culture could greatly ensure the sustainable competitive advantage for the organization (Hughes, Beatty, & Dinwoodie, 2014) and also align with the company’s vision of becoming “a world-class enterprise” (State Grid, 2018).
Part 2. Some of the negative organizational renewal, execution and design challenges in the organization.
I have identified two negative aspects regarding organizational renewal and execution. First, from the big picture, the promotion policy is too rigid to help the company becoming innovative. Second, from my professional perspective, the leadership training courses designed under the company’s requirement and promotion policy are basically meaningless.
The promotion policy in my organization is “following the order, taking turns”. To be more specific, this policy implies that the positions of the lower level in the management hierarchy are occupied by the staff sequentially according to the length of the employment. This policy is set to protect and respect the senior employees, but there is hardly any chance for young employees with an innovative mindset to be leaders and apply creative ideas to gaining better organizational performance. In the publicly-knowing candidates’ situation, the leadership training courses which only open to candidates have been unimaginative all the time.
To shift these negative impacts and help the organization thrive, I have prepared three steps.
Step 1. Initiating a Pre-promotion Questionnaire based on the main factors of transformational servant leadership
This Pre-promotion Questionnaire is designed for all the staff in one division to take before the promotion. The results can help the leaders in the higher level to reassess the capacity and ability of the candidates before making the decision. Choosing the right managers for the positions can significantly facilitate the development of the organization. Also, the questionnaire could contribute to building a fair competitive culture and offer more chance to junior workers.
Step 2. Redesigning and Reorganizing the leadership courses for all the staff
I believe one of the main reasons for the existing execution gap is the lack of employee involvement in decision making (Lepsinger, 2010). The leadership courses solely serving senior managers seem to create benefit for them, but the managers also lose the chance to build a shared mental model with employees. This will result in the discrepancy between how employees understand the decisions and strategic plans and how managers construe them. It is not only time-consuming but also creates conflicts. From a long-term perspective, acknowledging the leadership mindset will help staff view the problems from the leaders’ perspective and gain a further understanding of the decisions made by managers.
Step 3. Creating a supportive environment
Building on step 1 and step 2, a supportive environment can help people feel comfortable to try new behaviours or take risks (Lepsinger, 2010). Leaders should encourage junior staff with innovative moves, provide appropriate support to build a learning culture. Also, a supportive environment will build confidence in workers. Once they feel they are allowed to voice their thoughts and needs, they are willing to execute the plans and help the company overcome setbacks.
Part 3. What’s more.
To promote positive renewal, execution and organizational design principles,
1. I will regularly visit and learn from other companies to improve my training methods and content.
2. I will measure every aspect of the training process, such as target trainees, the content of the courses, and training effectiveness evaluation.
3. I will gather feedbacks from three perspectives including managers, my team members, and trainees to close the strategic execution gap.
To promote the negative practice of these principles,
1. I will not be biased.
I believe one of the essential virtues of being a teacher or a trainer is treating every student or trainee equally. Also, judging or forming an impression about the staff will set a barrier in front of gaining higher performance (Lepsinger, 2010).
2. I will not hide information to my team members.
The information exchange will greatly facilitate the growth of the whole team and reinforce the decision-making process.
3. I will not be dominant.
My Birkman report has pointed out I might be dominant when under pressure. I understand things will not always go well. Self-awareness is crucial for transformational servant leadership (Northouse, 2016), and I will intentionally adjust my status and show appreciation to my team members when they notice me of going too far.
To correct behaviours not conducive to my career health and the principles required to promote the healthy strategic practice,
1. I will find effective ways to communicate with managers, team members, and trainees.
The effective communication could diminish misunderstandings and reduce conflicts. Besides, how to effectively deliver the knowledge to trainees and maximize the training results has always been critical for trainers.
2. I will respect others’ perspectives.
Only focusing on several perspectives will create a biased understanding of the whole picture, and the desired long-term results will suffer. Moreover, a transformational servant leader will empathically listen to other people and consider more perspectives into the decision-making process (Northouse, 2016).
3. I will lead by example.
Leadership is the process of influencing (Northouse, 2016), and the most powerful way to affect my trainees is to show them what to do and how to behave. Also, leading by example puts me into the scrutiny and help me become a better person. In turn, I could convince my trainees to promote healthy practice.
References
Cameron, E., & Green, M. (2015). Making sense of change management (4th ed.). Croydon, Great Britain: KoganPage Limited.
Galbraith, J. R. (2014). Designing organizations: Strategy, structure, and process at the business unit and enterprise levels. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Hughes, R., Beatty, K. & Dinwoodie, D. (2014). Becoming a strategic leader: Your role in your organization’s enduring success. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Lepsinger, R. (2010). Closing the execution gap: How great leaders and their companies get results. John Wiley & Sons.
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice. Los Angeles, Calif: SAGE.
State Grid. (2018). State Grid. Retrieved from http://www.sgcc.com.cn/ywlm/aboutus/value/index.shtml
Ungerer, M., Ungerer, G., & Herholdt, J. (2016). Navigating strategic possibilities : Strategy formulation and execution practices to flourish. Randburg: KR Publishing.
Zeeman, A. (2017). Senge’s Five Disciplines of Learning Organizations. Retrieved from ToolsHero: https://www.toolshero.com/management/five-disciplines-learning-organizations/