People are searching for meaning in their work, for something they can contribute to and be truly recognised for. If the staff value and understand the organisation, what it stands for, their role within it, the impact they have and their importance then it will go a long way towards strong engagement. It becomes more than just work – there is purpose.
While ‘culture’ is often spoken of and values are plastered across websites and marketing materials, what matters most is that the people within the organisation do what they believe. A fun, dynamic culture can permeate the organisation. People bring their personalities to work.
Hierarchy is the enemy of collaboration. To create a truly collaborative and dynamic culture, there should be no corner offices. At Wood & Grieve Engineers our CEO sits in the midst of the workforce, surrounded by all levels of engineers. Our project engineers (most of whom are owners of the firm) are the people at the ‘coal face’ and who have a 360° collaborative support structure around them. As a result, the younger generations within Wood & Grieve are far more engaged working alongside the senior staff. They are encouraged to challenge their leaders, a trait which drives accountability at all levels. Gone are the days of top-down management, closed doors and officious titles.
Creating meaningful careers for staff, at all levels of the organisation is also critical for engagement. Many workplaces overlook the fact that each staff member makes a unique contribution to the organisation’s vision. It may be surprising to some that the receptionist is probably the only person within an organisation that talks to every client – a considerable responsibility! Some senior management eager to protect their role and status may only give lip service to the task of nurturing staff. However, organisations should understand that performance is what matters and the ability to identify and reward those willing to take control of their career is the role of management.
Our industry faces a real challenge in encouraging more experienced staff to stay on within their organisations and impart knowledge to their peers. Meaningful careers are created by identifying talent early and not locking them into roles dictated by years of experience established hierarchy. While age and experience should not be discounted, too often experienced staff move on or retire when their organisation fails to respond to their changing needs.
Allowing staff to have a tangible stake within the business (instead of making them wait forever for it) is a great way to acknowledge and reward talented people. The 44 working principals and 19 associates at Wood & Grieve own Wood & Grieve. The uplift in performance together with the heightened care and concern for the organisation and the quality of its work is noticeable. There’s something incredibly motivating about being an owner in an organisation you love to work at.
Performance also is not selective. Strong adherence to accountability and a desire to meet and exceed the expectations no matter what your role in the organisation, is vital. Hard work and high performance is not just for those that don’t have an equity stake in the business – it is everyone’s responsibility. Given we spend many of our waking hours at work it’s fundamentally important that our work places are fun and energised. At one stage or another we have all had that feeling of dread upon waking, when you know that you have to head to work – well that really shouldn’t happen very frequently at all both for you and your colleagues.
As society changes so must the organisations that function within it. In theory, boosting performance should be easy, but the real challenge lies in the actions of people within the organisation, from the top and throughout. Organisations that embrace the new paradigm of a sense of purpose, collaboration, lack of hierarchy and creating meaningful, satisfying careers for their people, will be sought out by employees, clients and partners. They will be the star performers.
