Introduction

The report helps in analysis of the different kinds of challenges which are being faced
by CST which is required to be identified in accordance to provide different solutions for
resolving the issues in an effective manner. The main aim and purpose of the report is to
identify those gaps which are being faced by the organization that includes decline in the
retention of the staffs, resignation of the key specialists, technological advancements are not
showing proper enhancement and this is creating gap in the capabilities of CST as well. The
different effective communication skills is required to be adopted by the organization as to
improve the different skills in an effective manner.

These are the different key issues which are required to be discussed in the report and
this will help in managing the differences in an appropriate manner. Additionally, the
application of the different approaches of the strategic management is required to be analysed
in an appropriate manner which can be recommended to the company in addressing the issues
effectively and this will help in managing the different kinds of risks effectively. Lastly, there
are different kinds of alternatives which can be provided to the company to improve their
situation and gain more competitive advantage.

Background of CST

CST is one of the multinational kind of communications software along with the
system developer which helps in serving the defence along with emergency kind of services
industries. Furthermore, the company has different offices in Australia, The United States,
New Zealand, South Korea and India (Consyst Technologies, 2018). The company was
founded in the year 2008 by the different engineers who have a strong background in
Control/Electrical Engineering. It was seen that the company faced with different kinds of
issues such as there was loss of major tenders to the different competitors and the market
share of the respective company was declined in the last two years which was inappropriate
for the company as well.

Furthermore, this was seen and analysed that the company was not successful in
different kinds of projects which was done by them and this affected their market share in an
ineffective manner. There are different products and services which are provided by CST that
includes the different sensors, instrumentation, different kinds of control panels and
engineered systems as well. Additionally, there are different other services provided by CST
to their clients which include instrumental design of the system, operation along with the
maintenance, selection of the instrument and cabling and termination as well (Ashkanasy,
Härtel & Zerbe, 2016).

Lastly, there were different kinds of issues which led to less retention rate among the
different employees in the organization and this has led to different kinds of issues in an
ineffective manner. It has been noticed that there has been resignation of the different key
specialists and this has affected the entire reputation of the company in a negative manner.
There were different kinds of issues in the technological advancements in an ineffective
manner which was not at all appropriate in nature and this affected the entire reputation of the
company ineffectively (Heding, Knudtzen & Bjerre, 2015).

Challenges Faced by CST

There are different challenges which was faced by CST which has affected the entire
reputation of the organization in a negative manner. Furthermore, the main three challenges
which are required to be discussed in this perspective are as follows:

 Decline in the retention of the staffs along with low morale of the staffs in the
organization (Cornelissen et al., 2015)
 Resignation of the different key specialists as there was no scope of the work
and there was no scope for career-oriented opportunities (Kipping & Üsdiken, 2014)
 Implementation of technological advancements elsewhere has affected the gap
in the capabilities of CST (Bratton & Gold, 2017)

These are the major three challenges which are affecting the entire brand image of the
organization and this is creating issues for the company as they are not being able to take any
steps in reducing the issues. However, this is the duty of the organization to take proper steps
to reduce the issues appropriately (Geisler & Wickramasinghe, 2015).

Firstly, the resignation of the different key specialists has been one major issue in
which it can be seen that the employees are not being provided with proper morale in
performing the tasks effectively. It was seen and analysed that there was limited scope for the
specialists to perform their tasks which affected their morale in a negative manner. The work
which are performed by the organization are unchallenged in nature and they are dissatisfied
with the job performed by the employees. Secondly, the decline in the retention of the staffs
is the other major issue which was faced by CST and this was the major reason in which there
was lack of skilled employees in the organizations. It has been seen that there are major
management mishaps in which the problems faced by the employees are not being concerned
and this affects the entire morale of the employees (Baker & Saren, 2017).

It has been analysed that there is no room to grow for the employees and the career
advancement is not being done as this is planned. Lastly, the workplace policies are rigid and
there is no flexibility in the policies of the organization which is demotivating the employees
in a negative manner (Mahadevan, 2015). It has been noticed that the company is not being
aware about the various kinds of decline reasons which occurred. It was analysed that the
technology used by the company was backdated and this hampered the overall profitability of
the firm in a negative manner.

Lastly, there was rigidity in the different technological advancements of the company
in which this has been seen and analysed that technology is not effective in CST which is
making the business inefficient in nature and they are not at all being competitive in nature
(Gond et al., 2016). Furthermore, this was noticed that the company CST lost different
tenders to the competitors in the market and this affected the performance of the employees
as well. The market share was declined and this caused decline in the sales of the profit in an
inappropriate manner. Due to this, the company was unsuccessful in nature which created
decrease in the morale of employees and there was decline in the engagement of the
employees (Hill, Jones & Schilling, 2014).

Your brief from the client is to prepare a report with recommendations to achieve the
following objectives over the next two years:
1. Ensure CST is well positioned for the future by attracting and retaining the best talent
possible
2. Create a team based high performance culture
3. Build employee capability and performance
 High Performance company culture

Culture is a word we hear when and read in company blogs and management articles.
A company’s culture is the foundation for future innovation. An entrepreneurs job is to build
the foundation. The culture defines the unwritten but some true acts of behaviour. Employees
look forward to going to their jobs. They are more likely to enjoy when they are in the
orkplace. They are not waiting for the day to end. The company culture is the major point
when people are job hunting. It is becoming important with the evolution of the modern
workplace. Employees dig in to know what the culture of the company is like. It is a
decision-making factor when evaluating prospective employers.
Qualities of a high-performance culture

A healthy company culture has certain qualities more than a standard set of attributes.
Let’s dive in.
1. Embrace a change mind-set
An organization should be willing to change their mind-set and behaviour that defines
the culture. To lead successfully, the CEO and c-level team leaders in CST should transform
their mind-set that is central to growth and innovation. They should think big and be ready to
be pushed outside of their comfort zone. Because the culture will be defined by the ability of
the individuals (company) to change and grow.
2. Low employee turnover
A positive company culture usually has employees with no intentions of leaving the
company because they are probably comfortable, enjoying and having a good salary. The
employees are around for an unexpectedly long period of time and are often not searching for
another job. Employees do not leave the company as they are excited for work every
morning.
3. Team Backup
The right tone for the company starts with having a team backed up always. Everyone
is actively standing together to back each other up. In case problems arise, they speak up
together, they work together when they have backlogs and they value each other’s inputs.
4. Empower people to make decisions
Companies with high performing cultures motivate employees to make decisions and
act upon their choices. They assume that they are witty enough to take their responsibilities.
You have to trust their decision-making abilities to solve problems.
 5. Sense of accountability
Leaders should ingrain a sense of accountability to hold everyone accountable. Those
companies with a high-performing culture create a system where employees are given
ownership of their roles and goals. When everyone is accountable it ensures a built-in sense
of appreciation for the contribution of every person.
6. Strategy to improve continuously
High performing companies have to keep in mind to make sure people constantly
strive to improve their performance, work better and eliminate overload. Also, focus on
measuring progress and always work to be better.
7. Empowered leadership at all levels
Richard Branson of The Virgin Group said, “Take care of employees and they’ll take
care of business.” And how would you take care of employees? The big part lies in
allowing them to be in control of their life at the company. To let them have control over
their experience at the company. And those who support his have a good culture.
How to create a high-performance culture in CST

1. Clarify values and communicate them every day

Value added to activities makes a company a better place to work and more
profitable. values will drive employees behaviour day in and day out. The values define for
the company actually contribute to the overall success of CST.
2. Reinforce positive behaviour
Pushing those negative thoughts out of their mind will add value to company.
Develop a positive can-do attitude in team. Leaders should reward individuals who represent
the values of the organization because it increases the likelihood of them doing the job well
again. The success of business relies on the shoulder of employee. To reinforce successfully,
you should motivate them to work more productively thereby increasing the self-esteem of
employees.
3. Encourage open communications
The organizations encouraging open communication in workplace results in a vibrant
atmosphere. There should be a fluid line of communication with an unbiased and open
conversation no matter what the topic of discussion is. Make sure the flow of information is
smooth from the top level to entry-level employee. Start today to be a better communicator.
4. Employee empowerment
 As a leader, employees will trust in decisions to positively impact them. But at times
they expect to feel empowered to make those important decisions that are directly or
indirectly related to them. The most successful leaders work towards enabling employees to
reach their full potential.
5. Collect Feedback
A feedback-rich culture is a key ingredient for a positive culture. Give them a chance
to give feedback while they are working and not just when they are gone like employees turn
to handles like Glassdoor to provide their opinion. Transparent feedback will help you find
out how employees are feeling about culture and if there is anything that needs improving.
Example of Team based high performance culture

At Google the answer came in the form of Project Oxygen, an attempt to build
better bosses. By analyzing performance reviews, feedback surveys and nominations for
managerial awards, Google identified eight habits of highly effective managers and three
pitfalls that hamper success. Google found that what its employees valued most were
even-keeled bosses who made time for one-on-one meetings, helped them solve problems
by asking questions rather than by dictating answers, and took an interest in their lives
and careers. One surprising result was that the manager’s ability to perform technical
work ranked last among the top eight behaviours.6 Google discovered that bosses have a
great impact on employees’ performance and job attitudes. Simply put, better bosses
translate into bottom-line results. This thinking reflects the old HR adage that “people
don’t quit their jobs, they quit their managers.” Google’s best managers— those who
embraced the habits and avoided the pitfalls—had teams that performed better, stayed
longer and maintained positive attitudes. The factor over which companies have the most
control in terms of retaining employees is the quality of managers. Google began teaching
managers the eight habits in a variety of settings. This practice paid off quickly. Seventy-
five percent of the firm’s least competent managers showed significant performance
improvement as a result.

1. An example of a company that has implemented a performance

management process aligned with the “New Thinking” model is Zappos. By replacing
its traditional performance management process in favor of one based on continual
feedback and selfimprovement, Zappos is reinforcing the development of more
effective behaviour. Rather than being rated and given feedback once yearly as part of
 a formal review process, employees are given regular feedback on the extent to which
they demonstrate Zappos’ 10 core values, such as delivering “Wow” service or
showing humility. To drive feedback, Zappos directs managers to provide employees
with status reports on their performance for informational purposes only, such as the
percentage of time spent on the telephone with customers. The frequency of the
reports is decided by the manager. Managers no longer make ratings on a five-point
unsatisfactory to outstanding scale, but instead indicate how many times they notice
employees exhibiting specific behaviours that represent the 10 core values, with
documented examples of what the employee actually did. These assessments are not
used for promotion, pay or disciplinary purposes. Rather, their purpose is simply to
provide feedback on how employees are perceived by others. If an employee scores
low in an area, free on-site courses are offered to help the employee improve. Beyond
Zappos, several other companies—including Google and Apple—are experimenting
with performance management practices that drive effective leadership behaviour as
their key strategy.32

References

Ashkanasy, N. M., Härtel, C. E., & Zerbe, W. J. (2016). Introduction. In Emotions

and Organizational Governance (pp. xvii-xviii). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Baker, M. J., & Saren, M. (Eds.). (2016). Marketing theory: a student text. Sage.

Bratton, J., & Gold, J. (2017). Human resource management: theory and practice.
Palgrave.

Consyst Technologies – SENSORS | INSTRUMENTS | PLC | SCADA | HMI | VFD |

REMOTE MONITORING | CONTROL SYSTEM | ENERGY MANAGEMENT | PANEL
BUILDING | INTERNET OF THINGS. (2018). Retrieved from http://intconsyst.com/en/

Cornelissen, J. P., Durand, R., Fiss, P. C., Lammers, J. C., & Vaara, E. (2015). Putting
communication front and center in institutional theory and analysis.
 Geisler, E., & Wickramasinghe, N. (2015). Principles of knowledge management:
Theory, practice, and cases. Routledge.

Gond, J. P., Cabantous, L., Harding, N., & Learmonth, M. (2016). What do we mean
by performativity in organizational and management theory? The uses and abuses of
performativity. International Journal of Management Reviews, 18(4), 440-463.

Heding, T., Knudtzen, C. F., & Bjerre, M. (2015). Brand management: Research,
theory and practice. Routledge.

Hill, C. W., Jones, G. R., & Schilling, M. A. (2014). Strategic management: theory:
an integrated approach. Cengage Learning.

Kipping, M., & Üsdiken, B. (2014). History in organization and management theory:
More than meets the eye. The Academy of Management Annals, 8(1), 535-588.

Mahadevan, B. (2015). Operations management: Theory and practice. Pearson

Education India.

Taylor, S. (Apr 4, 2018), 3 steps to building a resilient, high performance

organization, accessed from Insider, [online], https://www.insidehr.com.au/3-steps-resilient-
high-performance-organisation/
Building a sustainable high performance organisation requires a systemic and
integrated approach which will deliver higher productivity, increased sales, customer
satisfaction, and employee retention, writes Stuart Taylor

The backbone of a high performance business is a resilient workforce. Like a good

farmer knows not to exhaust their soil for crops, great corporate leaders create a sustainable
work culture that makes the organisation more likely to succeed in the long-run.

In a climate of uncertainty, fear-based work cultures – where staff are reluctant to

voice their concerns for fear of punishment – are common and ultimately costly for
businesses. In these fragile environments, failure is viewed as unacceptable and individuals
must ‘sprint a marathon’ in the pursuit of innovation, competitiveness and bottom-line
performance.

How widespread is stress and fear in the workplace?

In association with our global arm The Resilience Institute, we studied 26,099 professionals
over a six-year period (2010–2016) resulting in the Global Resilience Diagnostic Report. The
report found that more than half of the workforce experience chronic stress symptoms and
excessive worry. The report also reveals that over the six-year period, individuals’ health
awareness increased, yet levels of fitness, relaxation and impulse control still declined.

These high-intensity working environments are leading to lost productivity, high staff
turnover, absenteeism, distress, and an increased rate of burn-out in professionals. This effect
often starts at leadership level and permeates through the organisation.

So how can organisations foster a culture of sustainable high performance, where

employees are resilient and can strive for optimum results while feeling safe to make
mistakes?

The architecture of a sustainable high performance organisation

Research of teams at Google found that the most successful teams were those with a high
level of psychological safety. When employees felt safe enough to take risks, they did better
work.

Essentially, a sustainable high performance organisation will:

1. Excel, innovate and lead in their chosen field.

2. Clearly articulate strategy and respond with agility to turbulent external
conditions.
3. Bounce back from major organisational setbacks.
4. Attract and retain the best people in the market.
5. Develop a values-based culture that is aligned with a higher purpose.
6. Maintain a calm, deliberate focus on strategy execution.
7. Nurture strong, mutually rewarding relationships with all stakeholders.
8. Develop leaders who lead for a higher purpose with compassion, values
congruence, humility, realistic optimism, consciousness and courage.
 9. Reward people based on results and values-consistent behaviours.
10. Embed sustainability into organisational practices.

Building a sustainable high performance organisation requires a systemic and

integrated approach which can be outlined in three stages:

1. Primary: Redefine the organisational purpose (why), organisational values

and behaviours (what), and leadership styles and management processes (how) to align to
the changing environment.
2. Secondary: Help leaders, teams and individuals to master the behaviours
which nurture healthy workplaces.
3. Tertiary: Support staff who are struggling with mental and physical health
and help them to recover from periods of high intensity.
 1. Redefine the organisation
If organisational focus and systems need improvement, it is critical that the environment itself
be re-designed first so that leaders and staff can thrive.

By revisiting the organisation’s purpose, values and behaviours, and management

processes, leaders are able to identify the roadblocks that may be causing inefficiencies and
excessive stress. A shift in business attitude goes far beyond surface-level initiatives such as
yoga in the boardroom, or free fruit in the lunch room. While these wellness steps can
certainly add positivity into the work environment, staff will benefit more from fundamental
changes that address potential negative issues.

2. Nurture a healthy workplace

Organisations that achieve sustainable high performance have teams of resilient people who
drive organisational purpose and individual wellbeing.

Development of this culture starts at the top. It is critical for organisations to foster
compassionate leadership. The compassionate leader appreciates the talents of their team
members, and seeks to help the individual achieve a realistic, more optimistic future. Strong
trust and respect is the ultimate result.

Resilient organisations invest in their people to build these abilities:

 Bounce – Toughness and recovery skills in adversity and change

 Courage – Enthused by change and challenge
 Creativity – Develop talent and opportunity
 Connection – Humility, respect and care for others and nature

Providing practical resilience education to leaders and staff is essential to maintain a

positive work culture. The five assets of resilience and associated disciplines shown below
can be taught.
 Get to know staff’s varying levels of resilience and recognise where the organisation
can add value with initiatives that enable team members to build on existing strengths. By
communicating team’s strengths and challenges openly, staff will improve their self-
awareness.

3. Support staff
Statistically, all organisations will have people with mental and physical health challenges
that require professional help to recover. Most organisations have an Employee Assistance
Program (EAP) in place where staff are able to access free psychological counselling. The
biggest challenge with EAP is reducing the stigma associated with staff accessing the service.
Organisations also need to improve leaders’ competence to recognise mental ill-health in
their staff and have strong trust in place to compassionately discuss it.

Benefits of building a resilience workforce

Resilience programs in general have been shown to have a return of investment of $2.30 for
every dollar invested (ref. The Mentally Workplace Alliance, PwC Australia 2014) which is
evident in a reduction in absenteeism, presenteeism, and improvements in engagement and
productivity.

Research specifically into the impact of Springfox programs, which are underpinned
by our unique, evidence-based, integral and practical Resilience Model, has shown significant
improvements as measured by our Resilience Diagnostic instrument. Research findings from
our Global Diagnostic Resilience Report show that our programs have had significant impact
including:

 25 per cent increase in resilience (as measured by our Resilience Ratio)

 86 per cent increase in sleep quality
 30 per cent increase in bounce
 43 per cent increase in focus
 22 per cent increase in emotional insight

Impact of establishing a sustainable high performance organisation

On an individual level, achieving the pinnacle of sustainable high performance in business
results in staff spending more time in a state of ‘flow’. This ‘flow’ is defined by
psychologists as the state where we are fully engaged and can comfortably achieve optimal
performance, enjoy good health and feel increasingly positive.

By embracing organisational practices that encourage high productivity in the long-

term, businesses can create a valuable culture of trust. This culture paves the way to real
business outcomes: higher productivity, increased sales, customer satisfaction, and employee
retention.
 References
. Bryant, A. (2011, March 12). Google’s quest to build a better boss. The New York
Times, p. BU 1.
7. Harvey, P., Stoner, J., Hochwarter, W., & Kacmar, C. (2007). Dealing with bad
bosses: The neutralizing effects of selfpresentation and positive effect on the negative
consequences of abusive supervision. Leadership Quarterly, 18, 264-280.
8. Bryant, A. (2011, March 12). Google’s quest to build a better boss. The New York
Times.
32. Pyrillis, R. (2011). Is performance review underperforming? Workforce
Management. Retrieved from www. workforce.com/article/20110505/ NEWS02/305059995