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Clearview® Performance Systems brings you ... ® ... a Culture of Results & Engagement®

Here's the next in our series of weekly managerial TIPS (Techniques, Insights, and Practical Solutions)
to help you better engage your team in the activities that lead to higher performance.

CORE Bites Issue #61

Would this be the Right Tool to Measure the Temperature in Your Oven?

I'm going to venture that your answer to my question is "No." And you would be right because a tape measure—no matter how you read the graduated tick marks—won't be able to measure temperature ... not even close.

The reason I'm asking this seemingly inane question is during this past week I reached my personal boiling point. What does that look like? Well, we all know that at 211 degrees, water is quite hot; but it doesn't boil until it reaches 212 degrees. My last week can be defined by that 1℉ ... that single-digit that put me over the top and now serves as the impetus for this week's CORE Bites. Here's the backstory ...

I've been irritated for years by a fallacy that's been perpetuated by people who, quite frankly, should know better. This fallacy concerns employee engagement or, as is popular to utter nowadays, "disengagement" (if you listen to the consultants and authors who attempt to persuade by sophistry rather than by sound reasoning). No matter where you turn, or what you read, we're being told that 70% - 85% of employees are not engaged or actively disengaged at work—and all of this emanates from a scientifically questionable 12-item (seriously!) survey published by Gallup. This week, no less than a dozen separate articles by disparate authors quoted the same numbers. It's now an Urban Legend! (Isn't it interesting that the same people who are touting these numbers are also in the business of now helping you "fix" the problem? Hmm...)

Typically we believe numbers from large and respected research organizations but it doesn't take long (and it doesn't take much logic) to question the accuracy of the aforementioned numbers. Think about this as it relates to your own personal experiences ...

I work with some incredible organizations (which might skew my opinion) but—as is true of each of us—I also experience hundreds of other organizations as I travel through life. I shop in retail and grocery stores; I travel, rent cars, stay at hotels, eat in restaurants; I have personal and corporate items maintained or repaired; I purchase professional services from diverse organizations. In essence, I'm exposed to many 'interactive' data points and these experiences—amidst ALL of the employees involved—do not confirm in any way that the majority of people are anywhere close to being "actively disengaged" or "not engaged in their work." Sure, I've run into the occasional employee who would not be described as fully engaged. But proclaiming that 70% - 85% of employees are not engaged or actively disengaged simply does not add up.

My purpose in using the "measuring tape to measure the temperature in your oven" metaphor is to express a concern I have that we are using the Gallup 'measuring tape' when what we need is a different form of measurement altogether. There are too many confounds at play to allow ourselves to be lulled into thinking that a simple survey (a "measuring tape") will do the job.

High Value Activity (HVA) Action Steps

The HVAs listed below are proven 'thermometers' that will give you a much more accurate assessment of your employee engagement:

  • Behaviors Speak the Truth: There's a reason why rigorous marketing people are relying less on surveys and putting much more emphasis on the power of observation to determine the behaviors of people. For example, on a survey people will frequently state they purchase goods and services based on quality and, yet, when observed, will frequently purchase based on price. What's stated on the survey and what people actually do are frequently different. Here's the litmus test for you. Take an “observational walk” around your organization. If, in fact, over 3/4 of your employees are “not engaged” or “actively disengaged,” what kind of behaviors do you think you'd be observing? I can predict right now it probably won't be what you're seeing. Instead, you'll likely find the vast majority actively involved in, and committed to their work; taking initiative, generating ideas and collaborating with others to achieve the common good.
  • 'Pockets' of Disengagement: If, during your observational walks, you discover a specific area that seems to have less engagement and less enthusiasm for the work, you'll most likely be dealing with a management/leadership issue. My experience illustrates that the #1 influence on employee engagement is the employee's direct supervisor. If you are a manager of managers, you need to ask if the manager of this area is able to convey a common vision and purpose and create enthusiasm for the work. Is he able to effectively reinforce the efforts of people? Is she able to create a work environment that's safe and conducive to teamwork, camaraderie, and a focus on the customer (both internal and external)? If you are a manager who's experiencing lower levels of engagement in your own area, the same questions apply.
  • Engagement Indicators: Surveys are only one data point and should never be relied on as a single-source of truth. We use various statistical measures to isolate the level and degree of any possible disengagement; this gives us a more accurate (and holistic) understanding of what's taking place and what can be done to address it. These indicators include: dropping productivity, reduced quality, employees who are uncharacteristically quiet, a reduction in creative and innovative ideas, increased friction and lashing out, increasingly late to work or early to leave, increased utilization of sick days, avoiding company functions including coworkers, and—when the disengagement becomes more elevated—complaints from internal and external customers and employee turnover.

The overarching message here is you can't determine the true levels of engagement or disengagement by simply deploying a survey. If you truly seek to understand, then the HVAs listed above should provide you with many valuable insights.

I'd love to hear how these HVAs work for you!

Neil Dempster, PhD, MBA
RESULTant™ and Behavioral Engineer

Quote of the Week

"I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail."

— Abraham Maslow (Toward a Psychology of Being) —

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