Organization Culture

Organization culture

What are the constituents of an organizational culture? There are many. A successful organization is more than just the sum total of its systems, processes and people. It should believe it is more than the products it manufactures / the services it provides and more than the revenues it generates. It should define itself by the values it keeps and the culture it is building.

The culture is always created, implemented, and nurtured by the top management. From the top, it percolates down the line in the organization. The culture has to take many aspects into account and the most important ones are: legal, human, and technical. Refer the table below.

While developing your culture, try to answer all the aspects in the table above. If you put your heart into it and try earnestly, you will create a fantastic culture. To make people understand your culture and get adopted to it, you can define certain values. Those values should be your guiding lights on your path to success. No one should deviate from those values.

As a guidance, seven possible values are given below.

1.Open Atmosphere

•       Create easy access for all across levels and functions.

•       Foster a willingness to listen and change, to give and accept feedback.

•       Encourage people to question, disagree, criticize and suggest improvements.

Such openness can lead to improvement only in a disciplined environment where people conform to rules, processes and performance norms.

2. Outstanding Teamwork

•       Is the result of being individually and collectively responsible for the organization as a whole.

•       A high level of teamwork takes place when there is inspired leadership, clarity of individual roles and a constant flow of communication and knowledge across the network.

3. Respect for the Individual

•       Every individual is important and deserves to be treated equally. (Individuals are different but they are equal)

•       Acknowledge the role and contribution of every individual.

•       Such a work philosophy means that individuals are inspired and enrolled to produce extraordinary results, rather than managed and motivated.

4. Pride in Work

•       Drives pursuit of perfection.

•       Be it a proposal, an e-mail or a report, every task is an opportunity to demonstrate our attention to detail and our commitment to quality.

•       This pride energizes us to innovate and multiply value for customers.

5. Long-term Relationship

•       Invest in relationships with your customers, team members, partners and shareholders to create substantial value for these stakeholders.

•       Commit to relationships that are synergistic and long-term.

•       Do not compromise the interests of stakeholders for expedient, short-term considerations.

6. Customer Intimacy

•       Relationships are not merely long-term; they are intimate.

•       Strive to achieve a deep sense of alignment with all stakeholders through an intense awareness of their vision and an undertaking to fulfill their vision.

•       Customer Intimacy is characterized by careful listening, an accurate assessment of the realities and opportunities, and a commitment to identify the critical levers to create a winning proposition.

7. Commitment to Results

•       Your environment must foster a winning attitude where leaders are accountable for delivering exemplary performance through their teams.

•       Personal growth and development come from making larger and larger commitments and consistently delivering them.

If you create and maintain a fantastic culture, people will love to work for you and the attrition rate will be almost zero.

Remember: Creating and maintaining a fantastic culture is not easy. It requires a very big heart and consideration towards employees.

  

Be a Good Teacher (Always)

Be a good teacher - Always

Whether we work for someone (employed) or for ourselves (entrepreneur) we want to be successful. After all this is the very basic requirement and we always work for it. Interestingly it will be very difficult to become successful unless we become a teacher, a good teacher indeed.

Wherever we work, we work with three types of people: people above our level in hierarchy, people of our same level, and people below our level in hierarchy. We keep communicating with them and we get influenced by them. We also influence them (believe me!). 

To become really successful, we should share our knowledge by way of teaching. This will be possible only and only if we really become a good teacher. But, most of us refuse to teach. I worked under a person during the early days of my career, who used to keep the operation manuals of equipments under lock and key. He used to be very hesitant to part with the key. People never trusted him.

People will get attracted to you once they understand that you are ready to guide them and share your knowledge with them. Let me give an example from my work life. In our manufacturing unit we were having a complex hydraulic machine. Both the hydraulic and electric circuits were complex. I broke both the circuits into small sections and made fresh drawings for them. I trained electricians and fitters to read them. I also taught them to troubleshoot the problems. Over a period of time, they almost became independent in tackling the issues. The interruptions and the production losses have come down heavily. I earned a nickname as ‘professor’. That was a bonus for me.

Teaching is not easy; you need to have determination and patience. You also need to assume different roles while teaching.

·         Be a wake-up call for sleepers

·         Be a potter and sculpture for clay

·         Be a knowledge-guide for wanderers

·         Be a colleague, listener, and friend to developed minds

The teaching need not be an academic one. You don’t always need a classroom set up. Encourage the people to ask questions, to take part in discussions, and to observe what is happening around them. Understand the types of teachers and exercise the style suitable for your student and the situation. Following are the types of teachers. (Styles)

The new. You will be full of enthusiasm. Also, well-educated and up-to-date. Will be willing to try new things.

Disciplinarian. Believes that discipline is the basic necessity and enforces the same. Believes in punishments for correcting people.

The friend. Tries to understand the problems of the student and to win their trust. Is willing to allow breaks. Is generally popular.

The entertainer. Will try to keep the student amused. Make the lessons more fun. Students love him.

The cool. Nice to look and popular with students. Creates a bond with students.

The experienced. Knows how to control the population. Normally doesn’t get a shock (for anything). Is respected by the student community. Knows what is expected of him.

Understand the pitfalls of each of the above styles and avoid them.

Always, be ready to teach. I will give you an example from my work experience.

I was sick on that day and did not attend the factory. Around 2 AM somebody knocked my door. On opening the door, I learned from the person who came to call me, that there was a serious problem in the manufacturing unit. When they replaced a burnt electric motor of a pump, the fuses started blowing off when they started the same. On reaching the spot I started inquiring about the sequence of events that took place. Then I found out there was a problem when they changed the direction of rotation of that particular pump. For a direct-on-line starter, the direction reversal is fairly straight forward. But for a star-delta starter the case is totally different. I explained the theory to all present, including my senior, so that the mistake would never get repeated. Afterwards no such problems occurred – thanks to my teaching!    

Tips. Use the following strategy to become a really good teacher.

·         Be committed to your student and his learning.

·         Be a master in your subject and keep updating yourself.

·         Periodically review your teaching process and make necessary changes to it.

·  Understand the individual differences and formulate your teaching style accordingly.

·         Treat all your students equal.

·     Assess the progress of your student periodically and take corrective action as required.

·         Ensure that there no mismatch between what you say and what you do. People will listen to us and also observe what we do.

·         Keep learning – you will be able to face your tough student.    

    

Get Industry Ready

Get industry ready

In the current environment, the knowledge and skill sets of fresh engineering graduates need to be fine-tuned / honed for effective and better employability. This will help the candidates and the industry as well.

In this post, we will discuss some selective ways and means that the fresh engineers can use to make them industry ready and improve their employability.

Environment.

The industrial environment is totally different from the college environment. The college environment, usually, is protective in nature whereas for a fresh new entrant, the industrial environment is normally challenging with almost no protection. During initial days it is extremely difficult to get identified and supported by the right mentor. So, be prepared to face and tackle the situation.

What next.

After graduation, normally one can choose between employment and entrepreneurship. In case of employment, the preference can be either our country or overseas. The choice in employment or entrepreneurship can be either in manufacturing or service sector. The different major industries that provide scope of employment / entrepreneurship are:

·         Automobile

·         Banking

·         Cement

·         Construction

·         Chemical

·         Engineering

·         Education

·         Food

·         Finance

·         Healthcare – gym, hospital, rehabilitation, etc

·         Hotel

·         Infrastructure

·         Information technology

·         Insurance

·         Iron & steel

·         Pharmaceutical

·         Retail

·         Tours and travels

In this post, we will discuss only about employability and not entrepreneurship. Once you decide which industry you want to get into, you must prepare yourself to get employed.

Strengthen your basics.

Expertise on fundamental principles is very low or absent in many cases. I am not exaggerating. How many mechanical engineering graduates will be able to give the correct technical specification of  low end machines like lathe, shaping machine or power hacksaw? How many electrical engineering graduates will be able to draw the circuit of automatic start delta starter without referring a book? You should not be the one among them. Superficial knowledge is not going to help anyone. Prepare yourself a ‘notebook of fundamentals’ and let be your Bible. Keep reading it so that you remain strong on fundamentals.

Brush up your practical skills

Whatever projects you undertake during your course, take them very seriously. Do it yourself. That will enhance your understanding, improve your analytical and problem-solving abilities. Get closer to the instructors during your practical sessions. Learn from them as they possess valuable practical knowledge, which may not be available in your text books. You should add one more note book of ‘practical valuables’.

Learn human skills.

You must have a combination of three different skills viz. technical, human, and conceptual in different proportion. The skill which needs to be predominant, will be decided by your position. Study the picture below.

                 

Due to your qualification, you will be joining the band of middle management as a manager or an engineer. For you to succeed, human skill is of prime importance. But you cannot lag behind in technical skills. Technical skill is the foundation on which you will stand firmly. By virtue of your position, you will be dealing more with humans. So, try to master interpersonal skills.

You will be interacting with peoples at three levels: people of your level, people above your level (by hierarchy), and people below your level (by hierarchy). You must develop skills to maintain cordial relationship with all these three levels of people. To achieve this, you must also gain good communication skills.

Study your industry.

Since you have decided the industry to get into, start studying that industry. With the advent of internet, the resources available are unlimited. Study them carefully and try to understand the big picture. Try to work out the contribution which you can make to the industry and start preparing appropriate strategy for the same. Study the technology update for that industry and be prepared to go with it. Education never stops with graduation. Become a tech-savvy.

Develop your legal knowledge.

All businesses exist in a legal environment. There are specific laws applicable to specific industry. The decisions and actions of the industry will be bound by the applicable laws. You will get confused and may not understand those if you do not possess the required knowledge. So, once you decide the industry to get in, find out the laws applicable to that industry and their implications. This will help you to understand the big picture and put things in right perspective.

Conduct personal SWOT analysis.

Conduct a personal SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis by asking a series of questions.

 

Bank on your strengths. Identify opportunities to address your weaknesses and threats. Project your strengths in job interviews to increase your employability.

Become a good team player.

Your credentials are the outcome of your individual effort and that is commendable. That is your entry pass for the industry. But when you work for an organization, though your individual achievement is important, what is crucial is your contribution as a team player. I know one person who is an excellent engineer but a worst team player. Because of this short come, he could not make a successful career. Develop your skills as a good team player. Think of M.S. Dhoni and his contribution to Indian cricket as a team member.

Develop good personal traits.

To become successful and to sustain it, develop good and genuine personal traits.

·         Don’t try to create an impression that you know it all.

·         Be sincere and honest.

·         Respect elders and their experience.

·         Take the initiative in building relationships.

·         Be open minded.

·         Be quick to admit your mistakes.

·         Be confident and don’t hesitate to admit if you don’t know things.

Be present in social media.

From social media you can get all the relevant information about the industry you want to make your career and the important personalities in that field. Don not use the social media for time pass. Identify a great personality of your choice and follow him closely to get benefited. Many a times you will be lucky enough to understand a bigger picture through him. There are number of groups present in media like whatsApp, telegram, etc which cater to specific needs. There are also forums of different categories exist, which you should make use of.

To sum up:

·         Decide which industry you want to get into.

·         Strengthen your basics.

·         Strengthen your technical skills.

·         Strengthen your human skills. Take special care of interpersonal relationship and communication.

·         Study your industry.

·         Develop your legal knowledge.

·         Conduct your personal SWOT analysis.

·         Become a good team player.

·         Develop good personal traits.

Johari Window

Johari window

Johari window is a tool and communication model that helps improving interpersonal relationships. This was developed by Jo Luft and Harry Ingham in 1955. It uses two concepts, feedback and disclosure or self-exposure to improve relationships. Exposure concerns the ability of the individual to express feelings and ideas in an open method. Feedback involves the ability of the individual to receive information from others.

The model has four regions that represent basic areas of knowledge or information held by individual and others. The following figure gives those regions.

       

Region 1. Open or arena.

•          This region denotes the information known to self and others as well.

•          Represents the individual’s communication ability that allows him to freely share and receive information with and from others.

•          This ability is the key to a successful interpersonal relationship in an organization.

•          The larger this region, in relationship to the other panes, the more effective the individual  is in dealing with superiors and subordinates.

Region 2. Blind spot.

•          This region represents information known by others—superiors, peers, or subordinates—that is not known to the individual

•          Larger blind spot will result due to over-exposure and neglect of feedback.

•          The person will be confident of his own opinions and likely to expect compliance from others.

•          Will trigger feelings of hostility, insecurity and resentment.

•          Requires to improve listening skills.

Region 3. Façade.

•          This region represents how much information an individual keeps private.

•          Everyone makes conscious or unconscious decisions to withhold certain information from others.

•          This information may relate to personal habits or professional knowledge.

•          With larger façade, the person will attempt to gain control and will have an outward appearance of confidence. Will tend to become isolated from subordinates and colleagues. Will result in distrust.

Region 4. Unknown (dark).

•          This region represents the information unknown to both self and others.

•          Unknown (dark) will be the result of minimal use of both feedback and disclosure.

•          Larger unknown will result in withdrawal and aversion to risk-taking.

•          Will be viewed as indifferent, cold, aloof and indecisive.

Any individual can achieve something, that is limited. Simple arithmetic of ‘one plus one is two’ is not applicable for human brains. The achievement can be unlimited when more than one brain work together. Interdependence is the best to achieve fantastic results. Interdependence is nothing but teaming with others. For a team to become cohesive and effective, interpersonal relations are of prime importance. Improve your interpersonal skills by making use of Johari window.

You can increase your relationship and in turn your effectiveness by increasing your open area. There are two possibilities to achieve this.

1.       By reducing or shrinking the blind area. You can achieve this by soliciting feedback from your team members.

           

Take certain precautions in receiving feedback.

•          Do not allow the feedback to become criticism.

•          Initially people will not be able to give exact feedback.

•          Train the people in giving correct feedback.

•          Discuss the feedback and analyze them to arrive at  the essence. This process will refine the quality of feedback.

•          Take action based on the feedback. This will encourage the feedback provider to come out with more feedbacks.

While receiving the feedback, choose the right attitude.

•          Rationalization or self-analysis.

•          Quick acceptance or data collection.

•          Withdrawal or expressing feelings.

•          Aggression or help seeking.

•          Humour or concern.

•          Generalisation or experimentation.

Make use of the following points while giving feedback.

•          Should be descriptive, not evaluative.

•          Focus should be on behaviour, not on person.

•          Should be data based, specific and not impressionistic.

•          Should be suggestive, not prescriptive.

•          Should be need based & solicited.

•          Should reinforce positive behaviour.

2.       By reducing or shrinking your façade area. This can be achieved by using disclosure or self-exposure. Disclosure is nothing but freely sharing your knowledge. Disclose what is there in your mind to your team members so that they would understand you better. There are two dimensions to self-disclosure: breadth and depth. Both are crucial in developing a fully effective relationship. The range of topics discussed by two individuals is the breadth of disclosure. The degree to which the information revealed is private or personal is the depth of that disclosure. It is easier for breadth to be expanded first. Depth is more difficult to reach, and includes painful memories and more unusual traits that we might hesitate to share with others.

How To Motivate Employees

How to motivate employees

We cannot motivate others. But we can provide an environment that is more conducive for them to get motivated.

No employee will start his daily work with an intention to spoil something. Everybody wants to contribute for the betterment. But they need leadership and support of management to achieve this. We need to explain employees the “why” of their work, detailing its significance and relation to the organizational goal.

Employees will get motivated if their goal is in alignment with the organization. That means they must know why the organization is in existence that is, the vision and mission of the organization. But interestingly, in many organizations many employees don’t have the knowledge of this vision and mission. This may be due to many factors including lack of communication from top management.

To make the employees to get aligned with the vision and mission:

·         Recruit the people with right attitude and inclination towards them

·         Keep refreshing the vision and mission so that all employees become aware of them

Attitude and energy.

People choose to have a negative or positive attitude. They also choose their level of energy and where to focus it. Therefore, employee motivation (empowerment) is a choice as well.

We can categorize employees based on the combination of their attitude and energy level. They are as below.

To create a conducive environment, we must find out what makes an employee tick. So, the first step is to engage with each individual. Aon Consulting did extensive research in employee commitment. They came up with the five drivers of employee motivation known as performance pyramid.

Find out the driver of each employee and work out strategies separately to effectively address their drivers.

Positive, pro-active, forward looking, and focused mangers can inspire the employees work for them. Employees normally don’t leave organizations but managers. So, every manager must understand the importance of their role in engaging the employees. Exercise the following:

·         Explain the employees and make them understand how they affect the bottom line.

·         Encourage them to come out with cost-saving ideas and implement the good ones with due recognition and appreciation.

·         Invite suggestions from them for process improvements.

·         Find out if any of them are aware of customer requirements or customer requests.

·         Ask for their opinions on various important matters of the department.

·         Encourage employees to actively participate in setting objectives and goals for the department.

Asking employees for their input and due respect to the same show that you respect and trust them. It also increases the quality  of decisions being made. Make them understand that though their input is taken in the right spirit the authority to take a final decision lies with you as a manager.

Don’t micromanage your employees. Entrust the works to them with:

·         The exact result (outcome) needed

·         The time frame for the same

·         The attributes of the result (outcome)

·         The clear indication of what will happen in case of failure

·         The instruction to keep you posted on progress; they cannot tell you that they could not accomplish on the target (due) date

·         The assurance that you are always there to help them

·         The confidence that they can reach you anytime if there is a problem or your guidance is needed

Provide your employees two things.

1.       The right working environment, and

2.       The right resources to accomplish their task.

Demand two things from your employees.

1.       The right result in time

2.       The right quality  of the result

Making mistakes.

Allow your employees to make mistakes. People who never try anything, only don’t make mistakes. But make one thing very clear. Nobody is allowed to make the same mistake twice. It is punishable. Whenever they make genuine mistakes shield them from your boss and act as a firewall for them. Have a discussion with the employee and analyse the mistake. Explain him what went wrong and how to avoid the same in future. This way, you will build their confidence and win their trust.

It is important to remember money and fear are only short-term motivators and won’t work with everybody.