Have you ever had sleepless
nights stewing over “office politics”? I have, plenty of times, while working
for large organizations. An old saying notes that little people don’t become
big by putting others down, but little people keep trying. Work should be enjoyable and something
employees look forward to each day. However, people don’t always behave the way
we would like them to in daily activities, if cultural behavior is not
addressed.
Good organizations develop a
system to involve employees in creating a set of guidelines to remind each of
them on what is expected in terms on the way they conduct themselves on a daily
basis. They can be called Operating Principles, Behavioral Guidelines, Values,
Code of Conduct, etc. Each organization should develop their own set with
employee involvement so they have ownership. Following is a set of Operating Principles
developed by a company in southern Minnesota, which I think is exceptionally
good, to give you an idea of what they might look like.
Operating Principles
(Example)
·
Optimize
the System
Work together for the success of the organization as a
whole in a strong and unified system, recognizing that all activities are
inter-related. Break down “silos” and work for the good of the entire
organization.
·
Foster
Learning
Provide
opportunities for all employees to develop to their full potential, recognizing
people’s inherent desire to do their best.
·
Optimize
the Supply Chain
Establish long-term cooperative relationships with
employees, customers, suppliers, and other key stakeholders aimed at delighting
our customers and achieving our vision.
·
Improve/Innovate
Processes
Practice
continuous improvement through on-going coaching, learning, development,
and innovation focused on delighting internal and external customers.
·
Incorporate
Quality
Develop
an understanding of the causes of variation from planned performance
and take appropriate action to eliminate waste, rework, and
redundancy from the operation to improve overall quality through a disciplined
process. Measure outcomes and celebrate the successes.
·
Encourage
Communication
Communicate
openly and honestly the status and direction of the organization
to our employees and stakeholders. Practice effective and timely
communication strategies in support of answering to internal and external
customers needs through mutual respect and cooperation to be embraced
by employees.
·
Evolve
Culture
Create
a working environment, which removes barriers to effective performance
and fosters mutual respect, trust, and engages the hearts and
minds of others.
·
Demonstrate
Leadership
Leaders
at all levels will model the behavior desired in the organization. They
will:
o
Challenge existing processes and ways of doing
things.
o
Inspire a shared vision to uplift, enable, and
enroll others in achieving the company vision.
o
Enable and empower others to act to strengthen
their abilities, will, and sense of personal worth.
o
Encourage the heart to celebrate team
accomplishments regularly and recognize individual contributions to the success
of projects.
This example is provided to
stimulate thinking on a similar set of guidelines you might wish to develop
with your employees for your organization. One should not copy someone else’s
work but develop your own that fits the needs of your organization and its
people.
Once developed, it should be
discussed with all employees for modification and acceptance. Then copies made
for each employee and postings in conspicuous places to remind everyone of
their own actions and help them to help others.
A follow-up system should be
created to track progress on each guideline and by different parts of the
organization. Culture is like any other process, it needs to undergo continuous
improvement because it will never be perfect, but it will become better and
better.
This new and improved culture will lead to happiness and
self-satisfaction in your work. Who doesn’t want that?
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