Now is the time to invest in your employees!

At some level, creating a workforce of actively engaged employees is as much about managing perception than anything else. Creating an atmosphere where employees FEEL valued can often create a culture where employees provide value. Although there are many, many ways in which an organization can manage perception, one of the most effective is to invest in employees' futures.

I would argue that NOW is the time to invest in the future of your top employees. WHY? Because the ROI on your investment today is worth much more than one year ago. Spending a dollar when times are tough is worth much more than spending ten when times are good. The perception capital that you will gain by investing in an employees' future today will pay dividends long after the current economic situation turns around!

Measuring Employee Development

A few months ago I was asked to provide an independent assessment of an employee training initiative. In speaking with the people in charge of the training efforts, I learned that they were aware of, and roughly using Kirkpatrick's four levels of evaluation.

They had created a typical "smile sheet" (an evaluation that asks if people liked the training - level 1) and managed to collect feedback from every training session. They did not, however, have a solid method for measuring whether or not the training sessions were actually moving people towards changes in behavior (level 3) and subsequently wholesale organizational change (level 4).

I decided to conduct my own assessment of the training efforts to determine to what level the training was leading to true development. Through a series of interviews, focus groups, and surveys I learned that the training was not leading to effective organizational change. We are working on that problem now.

There has been an interesting trend however. During the same time that we are measuring the effectiveness of the training, we are also looking at overall employee engagement. Like most organizations, this organization has about 20-25% of its employees who can be classified as highly engaged - - the rest fall into the categories of slightly disengaged, to fully disengaged.

Here is the kicker! During the latest engagement survey 72% of the employees ranked in the categories related to disengagement. At the same time, the latest training assessment shows that 72% of the employees are not moving past level 1 in regards to the training efforts. So, the same percentage of employees who are disengaged are also not gaining nor providing value from the training, in essence training dollars are being wasted on nearly 3/4 of the employees. This seems like common sense, however, there are rarely connections like this made in organizations and it could mean a tremendous savings in costs associated with employee development.

This is a study in progress - - I have added a few more organizations into the mix to see if the numbers are similar. I will report the results as the become available.

What is OD?

Here is a short PDF explaining Organizational Development.

What is OD?

Change, Change, Change

We have heard a lot about change during this election year. Heraclitus is credited with stating "there is nothing permanent except change." Change is fine to talk about on the election trail, the reality however is that the process of change within an organization can be a very touchy and tricky process. One of the services that we provide at Evans Organizational Development is assisting organizations work through times of change. Although we utilize a variety of strategies when working with change, one of most popular strategies is Kotter's Eight Step Method. This is a good way start to thinking about the change process and some of the complexities surrounding the process.

The 8-Step Process of Successful Change

SET THE STAGE

1. Create a Sense of Urgency.
Help others see the need for change and the importance of acting immediately.

2. Pull Together the Guiding Team.
Make sure there is a powerful group guiding the change—one with leadership skills, bias for action, credibility, communications ability, authority, analytical skills.

DECIDE WHAT TO DO

3. Develop the Change Vision and Strategy.
Clarify how the future will be different from the past, and how you can make that future a reality.

MAKE IT HAPPEN

4. Communicate for Understanding and Buy-in.
Make sure as many others as possible understand and accept the vision and the strategy.

5. Empower Others to Act.
Remove as many barriers as possible so that those who want to make the vision a reality can do so.

6. Produce Short-Term Wins.
Create some visible, unambiguous successes as soon as possible.

7. Don’t Let Up.
Press harder and faster after the first successes. Be relentless with instituting change after change until the vision becomes a reality.

MAKE IT STICK

8. Create a New Culture.
Hold on to the new ways of behaving, and make sure they succeed, until they become a part of the very culture of the group.

OD in Healthcare 30/60/90

The healthcare industry today is a prime example of how efforts in the area of organizational development can make gains in employee retention, employee engagement, positive recruiting efforts, strategic planning, and change leadership. In this series I will discuss organizational development (OD) tips and techniques that can have tremendous impacts within all areas of your organization.

1. The 30/60/90 plan

Within most organizations the recruiting effort stops exactly where it is needed the most. Getting the right employee in the door is just the first step, now it is time to go to work to make sure that person will develop into a viable and vital associate. The 30/60/90 plan does not take a lot of time, but it is absolutely critical that, once started, it continues without fail.

Around 30 days after the new hire in brought on board, it is time for HR or OD to sit down with them and discuss whether or not the employee's expectations are being met, if they have the correct resources to do their job, and if they feel that they have the ability to make contributions in their current situation. At this point the employee should have enough information and experience on the job to have opinions and answers to these questions, but there is still time to make adjustments as needed.

At 60 days an additional orientation program should be provided. This can be done on an individual basis or as a group of employees with around 60 days worth of experience on the job. This orientation should focus on skill development necessary for achievement of organizational goals, i.e. communication training, customer service, work-life balance, etc. This is a very important step on a number of levels, first it does provide an opportunity for employee skill development, but also it serves as a psychological affirmation for the employee that the organization does care and is committed to helping them succeed.

At 90 days, the employee should sit down with their manager and develop goals for the next 9-12 months. This is not intended to be a formal review, but more of a discussion and further clarification of expectations.

The first 90 days are critical to ensuring the right employees stay with the organization for longer periods of time. With a bit of planning and unwavering follow through you can turn newly hired employees into long tenured superstars in your organization!

www.evansod.com

I am in the process of developing a website aimed at providing more information about organizational development in general, and specifically what role we can play in improving your organization. The site can be found here:

www.evansod.com

Why Did You Leave?

Many of us have been in the position of having a trusted employee come into our office and announce that they will be leaving the organization. After an initial moment of shock, an inevitable question always comes next: WHY? Here is a partial list of why people leave organizations: (after reason #1, the rest are in no particular order)

1. People leave managers, not organizations
2. Perceived lack of advancement opportunities
3. Lack of training
4. Poor Communication
5. Pay/Compensation
6. Compensation other than pay
7. Perceived lack of organizational vision/poor senior leadership
8. Workload - - too much/not enough
9. Poor organizational reputation
10. Lack of tools and resources
11. Poor teamwork

The positive side of the above list is the fact that most can be addressed before they become a major source of employee turnover.

What is Organizational Development?

Organizational Development is a process; a process in which organizations continuously strengthen their abilities to achieve their goals and missions. Generally, this falls into a few different categories:

1. Strategic Planning - - Utilizing data, market conditions, and organization abilities to set a course of growth, development, and change management.
2. Employee Development - - Assisting with overall employee development systems that allow for greater adaptation, higher retention, and greater levels of employee satisfaction.
3. Data Collection - - Utilizing vital and relevant methods to collect meaningful data that allows for solution creation.
4. Organizational Reflection - - Assessing if the current organizational direction will remain a viable option in the future.
5. Change Management - - Assisting organizations navigate through times of change and growth.
6. General Organizational Consultation
   

Some people have used a physician/patient analogy to help explain the relationship that an organizational development consultant has with their clients. An OD consultant should spend a significant amount of time and effort "diagnosing" their client. They do this by collecting data, engaging in assessments, interviewing stakeholders, and working to get an overall feel for the organization and their situation, mission, and goals.

This blog will engage in issues surrounding Organizational Development.

An empowered organization is one in which individuals have the knowledge, skill, desire, and opportunity to personally succeed in a way that leads to collective organizational success.

Stephen Covey, Principle-centered Leadership