Response to BT1-Brittany
Hi Brittany,
I resonate with so many of the things you wrote about your organization. I too feel that not enough attention is given by top leadership to the “human” factor in both strategy creation and the day to day running of organizations. Your comment about commitment is very true. Employee turnover is such a huge loss to any company, in time, money and moral. As you suggested, measuring and monitoring committee would be very good. But how? I have been in organizations where people leave very quickly, whether because of issues in the company or because of the structured turnover for other reasons. I have seen how commitment to an organization is often based on two options: loyalty to the cause of the organization or loyalty to a person or group of people in the organization. Organizations that are based on a “cause” such as various non-profit or charity organizations (animals, poverty, a particular nation, etc.) or military organizations (loyalty to nation, good vs evil) draw people who are already committed to this cause and see the organization as a way to live out their convictions. In other organizations where the cause isn’t as clear (many business organizations), people often remain committed because of a particular person they work with, which makes it worth it or even healthy and positive to work for the organization that might otherwise be less than nice to work with. This is the “if you go, I go” mentality. It seems to me that commitment of employees is largely based on the “human” factor you are addressing. If employees feel valued if their voices are heard, and at the end of the day if they feel respected in the organization, they are much more likely to remain committed to it and to give it their best. They are more willing to stay through difficulties the company may go through.
The issue in this is that employee commitment to the organization in this way is so many times determined by an individual who is caring, respectful and goes out of their way to make the work environment a healthy one. How can this be built into the organization so that if that leader leads the organization will remain the same? I have heard many times from people who say “So and so left, and after that things broke down. Now I am leaving’. It seems very difficult for an organization to carry on the legacy of a person after they are gone. This will show that the human element needs to be more recognized but can only be recognized if there is wide-spread buy-in in the organization’s management. How can this be worked into a strategy? I think there would be some resistance to working in the human element into an organizational strategy because many managers would feel uncomfortable with the unquantifiable side of building trust and commitment. Building rapport between employees and also with leaders takes time and can feel forced. That is why it takes a special person to build it.
David