At a time when government seems to be overrun by “political” roadblocks, remember the same issues that cause problems there – selfishness, greed, petty bickering, lust for power – can creep into your company’s culture and interfere with productivity.
So what is the cure for the politically hampered organization? Your best bet is to transform your company into the kind of organization in which politics can’t take hold and thrive – a Vibrant Entrepreneurial Organization or VEO.
Rhode Island's Market Has Changed. Developers, Builders, Investors and Sellers Must Change With It.
By Emilio DiSpirito IV License Partner | Engel & Völkers Oceanside Leader | The DiSpirito…
Learn More
A VEO is made up of employees who feel that elusive sense of ownership that drives them to innovate constantly, execute relentlessly and work with passion. It has five characteristics:
* It shares the “big picture” that people need to take personal risks and hold themselves accountable.
* It inspires and nurtures employee loyalty.
* It supports high productivity while minimizing stress.
*It produces a winning tradition.
* It elevates communication to an art form.
To transform your company into a VEO, you must recognize the signs of an overly political organization. Here are the symptoms and remedies:
Gridlock: Your company is at a standstill because no one can agree what to do.
Remedy: Start by getting a consensus of the goals of your top leaders, and find the common elements.
Bureaucracy: People are so bogged down that their progress is hindered.
Remedy: It is helpful for leaders to clarify which decisions individuals can make on their own, for which they need input, and which to defer to others. You also might formulate task teams to review processes andÊlevels of approval that can be reduced and streamlined.
Grandstanding/brown-nosing: People pay lip service to leaders’ ideas to flatter and curry favor, but have no real commitment to implementing them.
Remedy: Hold people accountable for following through on assigned actions. Insist on a detailed action plan with hard due dates and specific people charged with getting specific things done. If individuals are held accountable for getting things done – and reporting to their peers and managers about progress – they are more committed to follow through.
The two-faced two-step: People say what they think people want to hear.
Remedy: Leaders, it’s your job to set the stage for honesty in the workplace. Whenever possible, adopt the devil’s advocate role to encourage employees to share bad news.
And don’t “kill the messenger.” Make sure you aren’t punishing people for bringing up bad news or offering constructive criticism.
Passing the buck: People are always shifting blame to someone else.
Remedy: Chronic blame-shifting is often a signal that employees operate in silos rather than working together. Help people “connect the dots.” Make sure Sylvia in accounting understands how her job affects Paula in marketing, and vice versa.
Laziness, clock-watching and low work ethic: People are just “putting in face time” until they can go home.
Remedy: Find out about employees’ likes, dislikes, interests, talents, hopes and dreams. Share your enthusiasm and vision. Find ways to set realistic but challenging goals related to their interests and skills. And don’t forget to coach them. Provide ongoing feedback on what they do well and ask them for ideas on how things could be done better.
Indirect communication: Instead of talking to coworkers directly with a problem, they complain to supervisors.
Remedy: A VEO is completely transparent. Encourage individuals to ask questions. Remember, gossip, rumors and back-biting thrive in a closed-door work environment. When there are no secrets or off-limit conversations, the rumor mill starts to dissipate.
Pork-barreling: Influential employees push through expensive projects that serve only one small part of the company.
Remedy: Communicate the overall vision and goals of the organization, and provide criteria for budget allotments and selection of projects.
Corruption: People are engaging in unethical/illegal behavior.
Remedy: Upholding ethical standards is a “must-do.” Leaders state the ethical code and hold people accountable.
When you address these problems, the entire culture of your organization begins to shift.
Why? Because the steps you take to defuse the political environment are the same ones that make your company more successful.
Once employees start seeing positive results, they won’t need the distractions. They will be fulfilled by their work.
Joanne G. Sujansky is the founder and CEO of Key Group, a human resource/organizational structure business consultancy.
