Solution Profiles: Becoming an Employer of Choice

 

 

Situation

 

This organization had undertaken a cultural improvement process designed to move it to the level of “Employer of Choice.” But the results of employee survey they indicated that a fundamental lack of perceived leadership was stymieing the organization at many levels. Leadership development and communication of the corporate vision would have to be addressed as a first step.

 

 

Goals of the Engagement

 

Help the organization develop a corporate-wide strategy and individual implementation plans for its key executives, thus moving the organization closer to its goal of becoming an Employer of Choice.

 

 

Pi³™ Assessment Process

   

More than30 employees were systematically assessed and those findings compared to the company’s critical job needs for each position.

 

 

Findings

 

We found significant gaps in the outcome expectations at various levels of management that significantly contributed to the perceptions that leadership was lacking in this organization.

 

 

Recommendations

 

·       Develop a formal review of all outcomes. This included tying the CEO’s outcomes to the organization’s strategy, then linking the CEO’s outcomes to all direct reports. Subsequent levels of reporting were similarly linked sot that the organization was quickly working from a single strategy tied universally to employee performance goals and expectations.

·       Develop formal measuring systems that link progress at each level to the outcome expectations for each specific job.

 

·       Create a leadership development process that links the individual's strengths to the outcomes needed for their position.

 

·       Develop a formal measuring system that begins to separate the accumulation of data from hands-on observation to "reporting" from subordinates.

 

·      Formally set targets to focus more on longer-term issues. This will shift the focus from hour-to-hour to daily and then weekly/monthly expectations.

·      Develop a formal problem solving methodology so that issues are addressed based on a root cause analysis versus short-term fixes.

 

 

Results

This is a long-term engagement and results remain preliminary but extremely encouraging. The transition requires a systemic change at multiple levels of the organization, beginning with a one-on-one coaching engagement with the CEO. At this time, he progressing toward changing all the interrelated systems designed to communicate, measure, and respond to outcome expectations.  Early indicators suggest an increase in accountability and focus at the top level of leadership. What’s more, now that the vision has been shared at subsequent levels, those individuals are demonstrating the initiative to move toward a common company-wide goal.

 

 

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