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Engage First, Change WIll Happen
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By LILY LAU
editor@leaderonomics.com
T
HE most difficult component
of an organisation to manage
is its people. Many change
initiatives have failed because
This article is
available at www. companies underestimated
leaderonomics. how critically the human factor can
com, where you
can download the determine success or failure during a
PDF version. time of change. After weather, people
are the most unpredictable element!
In my involvement of doing cultural
change initiatives, the people element
is the most crucial factor to pay atten-
tion to. You must ensure they feel good
and secure when you announce your
new initiatives. They must be enticed
to agree that management are doing
things with them.
If your organisation is planning to
undergo a cultural shift, whether in a
form of merger and acquisition (M&A),
business process re-engineering, cul-
tural transformation or any form of
change, businesses must then have
strategies to manage employee engage-
ment during these changes.
Such initiatives involve complex and
multi-layered planning. In my experi-
ence, it is always easier to manage
changes that are tangibly measurable,
such as learning to operate a new
machinery, IT system or production
processes.
WHAT IS EMPLOYEE
ENGAGEMENT?
Employee engagement is the emo-
tional commitment employees feel
towards their organisation and the
actions they take to ensure the organi-
sation’s success; engaged employees
demonstrate care, dedication, enthusi-
asm, accountability and a result focus.
Since human beings are emotionally
self-serving, they need to be emotion-
ally connected to how they can person-
ally succeed “through” the organisation
they work in. Putting their trust in lead-
ers whom they believe can bring them
success, play the fundamental emotion
in their hearts.
Based on a survey by Gallup (2011 –
2012) (Refer to Figure 1) on worldwide
employees’ engagement, it is shock-
ing to see only 13% of employees are
engaged! Worldwide, about 63% of
employees are not engaged while 24%
are actively disengaged.
In summary: Actively disengaged
employees outnumbered engaged
employees nearly two to one.
Engaged employees work with pas-
sion and feel an emotional connection
to their company. They drive innovation
and move the organisation forward.
n Lily Lau is a They are characterised as being loyal,
trainer who aims committed and productive, and they
to inspire people deliver results.
to reach their Unengaged employees come to work
potential through and do what is asked of them but have
self-discovery little energy or passion for their work.
of personal They feel no meaningful attachment to
talents. She is their job or company. They can easily be
Masters Certified tempted by job vacancies elsewhere.
for Directive Actively Disengaged employees are
Communication not just unhappy at work; they actively
Psychology and show their unhappiness. These employ-
has conducted ees demonstrate negative, uncoopera-
many trainings on tive and sometimes hostile behaviours
this topic. and attitude. They undermine their
To engage her for teams and company business.
your organisation, The above statistics and findings
e-mail people@ prove that not managing employee
leaderonomics.com engagement during a cultural change
Managing people first can help smoothen
any transition or change initiative
Worldwide, Actively Disengaged Employees
Outnumber Engaged Employees by Nearly 2-1
2011-2012 results among employed residents,
aged 18 and older, in 142 countries and areas
Actively disengaged 27% 24%
Not engaged 62% 63%
Engaged
Figure 1. Gallup Survey on employee engagement (2011-2012). Source: Gallup
initiative will guarantee the failure of
the transition.
8 EMOTIONAL DRIVES
In Directive Communication
Psychology, an area of psychology devel-
oped by Arthur Carmazzi, humans are
motivated by eight emotional drives.
They are:
l Love and Belonging – Connection
from being with others, or with self.
l Security and Control – To maintain
security and control in our lives.
l Diversity and Change – Having a
variety and excitement in our lives.
l Recognition and Significance –
Acknowledging of our virtues and
l
achievements, being noticed.
Achievement – The need to make
progress in our plans, to finish things.
Challenge and Growth – Learning,
l
growing and personal development.
l Excellence – Self-satisfaction and
pride in the things we do.
l Responsibility and Contribution – The
need to contribute to others.
Each of these is based on a human
psycho-emotional need. While each of
these drivers is present in everyone, they
do not have equal importance for every
individual and are achieved in differ-
ent ways by different individuals. Also,
every individual has a different order of
importance for these eight drivers.
We are constantly responding to
these drivers – sometimes in positive
ways and sometimes in neutral and
negative ways. The order of priority
for these drivers within us can change
with time, based on our environment,
experiences, and especially traumas.
These drivers can also be cultivated,
either positively or negatively, by our
environment, culture, parents, teachers
and peers.
By understanding the eight emo-
tional drives, we can analyse human
behaviours such as why some people
are motivated and don’t mind going the
extra mile whereas some are calcula-
tive and will only do things if they know
they can get something in return, and
others are just not bothered.
Let’s take a case where a person is
highly engaged. We assume his top
three emotional drives are Challenge
and Growth; Diversity and Change; and
Achievement. His current job requires
him to expand a new market for a prod-
uct he is selling. He will find it exciting
because he gets to travel and explore
new areas. Being an achiever, he will
strive to achieve targets.
On the contrary, if this person is put
in an environment where there is no
2009-2010 2011-2012
11% 13%
learning and his work is routine, he will
feel bored and probably end up being
a mediocre performer. Over time, his
motivation level drops and he becomes
disengaged.
Engagement will happen when the
environment supports the emotional
needs the person is looking to meet.
Whether at work or at home, every indi-
vidual will look for emotional fulfillment
through their actions and behaviour.
Being uncooperative or disagreeing
can also be a way to fulfil an emotional
drive. From that person’s perspective,
he feels like he has achieved or has been
recognised, albeit in negative ways.
People who are not engaged or
actively disengaged therefore behave
in a negative manner to satisfy their
needs. Under normal circumstances,
their actions and behaviours will not
support the change or the direction the
company is aiming for.
In our process of facilitating culture
change, we identify the positive and
negative key influencers within an
organisation. Both are equally powerful
and can play the leading role in either
supporting or preventing change.
We work with the positive influenc-
ers to multiply the engagement effect.
For the negative influencers, we assess
whether the problem stems from a mat-
ter of attitude or skill. If it stems from
attitude, we analyse their emotional
drivers to find the root of the mismatch
that leads towards the negative influ-
ence. If it is a skills issue, wherein the
individual does not know how to man-
age or deal with certain matters, this
is treatable by breaking the relevant
psychological barriers and providing the
right emotional support and guidance.
We believe in the power of positive
Connection from being with others
Control / Security
Greater ability to maintain
security in our lives
Diversity
Wanting more, having variety
Achievement
The need to make progress
in our plans
Responsibility / Contribution
Figure 2. Eight Emotional Drives © by Arthur Carmazzi / Directive Communication.
multiplication wherein the right dynam-
ics increases engagement over time.
A small positive action can lead to a
similar reaction and spark a bigger reac-
tion and so forth. At the same time, the
chain action and reaction will require
good leadership role modeling to sup-
port the effect.
There are, however, cases where the
negative key influencers are beyond
rehabilitation. If termination is not an
option, we recommend assigning them
to isolated roles that minimise interac-
tion with co-workers to keep such indi-
viduals from negatively affecting others.
The application of Directive
Communication Psychology to man-
age organisational change may sound
complicated. Once you embark on it,
however, you see how it is about being
conscious and raising awareness of
how you affect others within the group
and how others affect you through
team dynamics. Ultimately, if you are
engaged, you will want to share and
engage others too. That’s the start of
change.
Belonging / Love
or sense with self
Recognition / Significance
Acknowledgement of our achievements
gives us a true sense of significance
Challenge / Growth
The opportunity to achieve and to grow
Excellence
Self-satisfaction and pride
in things we do
The need to contribute
DIRECTIVE COMMUNICATION PSYCHOLOGY
As individuals affect and are Communication Psychology be
affected by each other in spe- used to improve employee engage-
cific work and personal envi- ment programmes. The process
ronments or culture, Directive encompasses:
Communication Psychology estab- l Understanding how every
lishes an awareness at the emo- individual interprets their perspec-
tional and decision-making base, tive of the world – how we geneti-
optimising the way people interact cally process information based on
with each other in organisations, our brain make-up
teams or groups. l Understanding of individual
Developed by Arthur Carmazzi, encoded assumptions and rules of
it enables individuals to positively engagement – to determine why
direct enthusiasm and action for we act, react or don’t act
themselves and the people around l Understanding of human
them. It exposes individuals to the emotional drivers – why we do
mental, emotional and physical what we need to do
triggers that will lead to improve- l Understanding of group
ment in their quality of life and dynamics and how you affect and
out of work. are being affected by one another
We recommend Directive – how we do what need to do.
By CAROLYN TAYLOR
editor@leaderonomics.com
I often notice a surge in questions from
clients and friends around a particular
topic. Right now, it’s measuring culture.
What is it? And how do we do it?
Culture metrics are an essential part
of the culture change journey. They
are the only reliable way to know if
your culture improvement efforts are
working, to see how far down the road
your organisation has come. They are
also the most tangible way in which
you can report back on this journey to
others.
Are you someone who is under pres-
sure to figure out how to do this in the
best possible way? Then here are some
pointers:
UNDERSTAND THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
MEASURING AND
DIAGNOSING
The what. The goal of measuring
culture is to accurately observe changes
over time, compare the results of one
business unit – or employment level,
team, or country – with another, using
the best possible tool. Quantitative
research results (statistical data col-
lected by measuring things in a struc-
tured way) often answer the question
“what?” and can provide you with data
on how that “what” changes over time.
The why. The goal of diagnosing cul-
ture is to understand why your culture
is the way it is so that you can imple-
ment ways of improving it. Diagnosing
culture is best achieved through quali-
tative research (non-statistical, unstruc-
tured and semi-structured techniques
such as interviews or group discus-
sions). Diagnosis answers the question:
“What is the cause of this?”
I’ve found that when an organisation
tries to use the same tool to achieve
both goals, one or the other will be
compromised.
www.leaderonomics.
Four Guidelines for Measuring
Organisational Culture
DISTINGUISHING CULTURE
FROM ENGAGEMENT
Your engagement score is not a
proxy for a culture score. Engagement
is how people feel about working in
your company. Culture is the patterns
of behaviour that are encouraged,
discouraged or tolerated. For example,
there’s no evidence that the employees
of Volkswagen or Wells Fargo were not
engaged at work. However, we now
know that there were serious risks in
the established patterns of behaviour
in those organisations.
Good culture surveys won’t ask
how people feel about things; they’ll
ask questions about how people are
expected to behave in the day-to-day
operations. Good culture surveys seek
to find out what’s truly valued around
here.
Engagement is how
people feel about working in
your company. Culture is the
patterns of behaviour that
are encouraged, discouraged
or tolerated.
THERE’S NO ONE-
SIZE-FITS-ALL CULTURE
Like a corporate fingerprint, your
culture won’t be the same as someone
else’s. The type of culture you want to
create will be dictated by your unique
business imperatives.
Trying for a single score measure
– like what an engagement survey pro-
vides – will often sacrifice bringing to
light the true complexity of a culture,
or revealing the areas which require
improvement.
Many culture surveys measure
generic components of ‘good’ cultures.
These are good because they give you
international norms, but not so good
because they don’t take into account
specific culture goals. If, for example,
customer-centricity is a goal of yours,
then you should be measuring that
in depth. Yet, a lot of culture surveys
won’t allow you to do this. I’ve found
the very best culture metrics will com-
bine various factors into a personalised
dashboard.
FIND YOUR KEY
BUSINESS INDICATORS
You can measure observed behav-
iours, or you can measure the business
indicators that those behaviours will
produce. Say your culture goal is col-
laboration; what business impact will
an increase in collaboration produce?
Maybe it’s more cross-selling, or less
duplication of effort, or perhaps an
increase in transfer of best practices?
Ask yourself, how can we best measure
these?
Culture can be measured and moni-
tored just like any other aspect of your
business – don’t let anyone tell you
otherwise. You need clear definitions
and distinctions, some curiosity and a
dedication to building the right meas-
urement dashboard for your unique
goals.
How will you measure your culture?
Here are four guidelines
that you can use to
measure culture:
Measure behaviour and values, not
l
feelings.
l Accept that to change your culture,
you will need to do qualitative
research.
l Build a dashboard that also includes
business indicators of your particular
culture in action.
l Measure your unique culture goals
rather than, or as well as, generic
“good culture” measures.
n Carolyn Taylor is one of the world’s
foremost experts in organisational
culture change and the CEO of Walking
the Talk. She has run workshops with
50,000 leaders, worked alongside 200
culture change journeys, consulted on
15 mergers & acquisitions, coached
60 CEOs and worked in 35 countries.
She is also the author
of Walking the Talk:
Building a Culture
for Success (Random
House). To engage with
her, e-mail us at editor@
leaderonomics.com