This week, we have an appeal for involving employees in the economic recovery and a salute to, of all organizations, the San Francisco Police Department.
Accelerating the Recovery
As the economy continues to improve, we thought it an ideal time to poll 50 randomly-selected non-management workers from throughout the country in a variety of industries to collect their views of their company's future. Their observations?
1. Our company is on the mend, but we're missing opportunities to improve.
2. Let us help!
Yes, it was only 50 people. And, yes, it's hardly a representative sample. Even so, our bet is that we could talk with 50,000 people and get about the same results. Because, as we've written so often, most workers are proud of where they work and are eager to help their organization thrive.
The problem: Only a small minority of companies allow their employees to get involved in a meaningful way. Show up on time and do your job. Help? Nah, we've got that covered.
Too bad, too, since not enlisting workers in the pursuit of performance improvements has two critical costs:
1. Significant opportunities for immediate and on-going improvement are missed. Indeed, data we've collected over more than 20 years of consulting from thousands of employees clearly indicate that much of the low-hanging fruit, so to speak, is left untouched. Broader, even more potentially powerful gains are also unrealized. Talk about those proverbial dollars that might drop directly to the bottom line -- but don't! Your employees hear a great deal about those mythical dollars. Why not let them help you find them? Why not, indeed.
2. Employee commitment is weakened. Electing not to involve employees in fixing the organization sends the message, whether intended or not, that they're not truly an important, valued part of the enterprise. And once this message is communicated, again whether purposefully or not, it's a long road back for any employer concerned about employee engagement and retaining key contributors, high potential individuals, or anyone else they'd hate to lose. Our suggestion: Do not, under any circumstances, send this message. It will cost you. (Actually, it probably already is.)
We agree with the 50 we spoke with last week: Let them help! And here's how.
The Schnur Consulting Group has developed a controlled, skillfully-facilitated, employee-driven process that unleashes creative ideas and leads to the development of bold recommendations to achieve dramatic and sustainable bottom-line gains.
A process we call FUSION.
FUSION taps the knowledge, insight and expertise that exist within every organization. It is a contained, step-wise reaction requiring an exacting process and expert facilitation. A quantum leap from typical OD processes, FUSION demands unparalleled objectivity, authenticity and a keen understanding of business processes only a very few can bring. (Remember, after all, that we're licensed professionals.)
And the challenges our clients' FUSION teams have tackled -- and achieved? Amazing ones:- Growing revenue by 20% to $1.0 billion within 2 years while reducing costs by $2.5 million
- Reducing time to market by 25%
- Improving customer service ratings by 20%
- Eliminating two weeks from the year-end books closing process
- Reducing voluntary turnover among top performers and high potential employees by 25%
- Increasing market share by 15% in 2 years
- Decreasing the time required to fill job vacancies successfully by 50%
- Decreasing the learning curve among new hires by 50%
- Becoming a Fortune Top 100 Places to Work company within 2 years
There's more. FUSION not only has the power to improve performance substantially, it also has the power -- by design -- to change an organization's culture, its very fabric, in profound and sustainable ways. For FUSION creates a climate where on-going performance enhancement is expected. A continual search for new ideas and new ways to do things to help the organization win becomes what we do here, how we operate. Thus, once in place, FUSION continues to pay back the organization for years.
We hope our enthusiasm for this process shows. It's exciting. It's a game-changer. And it produces dazzling results. Give us a call and we'll show you how FUSION might be able to help your company find those dollars just waiting to fall to the bottom line. And restore your employees' belief that your organization is the place to be.
A Shout-out to the San Francisco Police Department
Following in the footsteps of the San Francisco Giants, the first professional sports team to produce and air an anti-bullying public service announcement for the It Gets Better Project, the San Francisco Police Department has created one of its own. The SFPD is, notably the first law enforcement agency in the country to do so. In many ways, it's an amazing public service announcement and worth, at the very least, a few minutes to review. And as you do, consider that the spokespeople are police. As appropriate, consider forwarding it to anyone in need, regardless of sexual orientation. The Giants' PSA is also included. Both provide support to our steadfast belief that, given the opportunity, people will and do step up to help those in need around them. Cops and ball players included.
Makes one proud to live in the San Francisco Bay Area. More importantly, makes life wonderful, no?
One last thing: Pitchers and Catchers report this week. The long wait is nearly over.
No comments:
Post a Comment