Align your outfit
VERY OFTEN we come across managers who boast about their team performance and about their department to the extent of talking ill of the other departments and people belonging to the same organisation. This happens when we concentrate more on erecting silos or isolated islands of performance and productivity, alienating one another from the organisational goals in the process. Managements can prevent this by sensitising all the supervisors, from the lowest of the rung to the highest. It is a continuous process. In small organisations it is easier for the proprietor to align the organisation through personal contact and charisma. However, in larger organisations this may not be possible.
Here are some of the best practices successful managers in larger organisations have adopted to increase engagement and alignment within their departments.
Align what they and their teams do with corporate and business goals
This alignment is embedded in performance plans; but is also one of the easiest things to miss. Goals do not have to read the same but the team's achievements must form the base for the organisation's goals and achievements.
Make themselves and their managers available
Tools that facilitate interaction ensure that the managers communicate with their employees through as many forums and means as possible. One can never over - communicate. Make sure that people are available for these communications. Know the criticality of continuous communication through multiple modes (e.g., 1:1s, quarterly review meetings, hallway conversations, etc.) Use all the available forums. One of the very important communication mediums is hallway conversation. Don't travel to the cafeteria alone. See if you can spot someone else going. Tag along. This can be an important channel to pass on the message.
Create opportunities for interaction among departments
Understand how different people are dealing with the same organisational goals. Interacting with other departments will reinforce correct actions and help clear doubts. It will instil a sense of working for a common objective. It will also help the employee identify with the company. Knowing that their organisation has more to it than what the employee is associated with is awe inspiring and motivates him or her to do better.
Publicly recognise and reward for accomplishment
Reward and recognise the appropriate behaviour and attitude that help organisations achieve goals. Be focused. If people come up with process changes that help reduce cost, make sure that they get noticed and rewarded. People follow success.
Give employees space to provide input, and listen sincerely
In this case, employees trust that their inputs will be treated with respect. This point is an essential element of a two -way communication process for a win-win situation. Organisations that follow the vertical route communication of top to bottom risk alienation among employees.
An open door policy will help the manager who has been sensitised to the issue and is at pains to make his teams realise that their goals have to be in sync with those of the organisation.
It is in the management's hands to turn the company goals into light towers that would guide the activities of branches.
The dictionary defines the word `Engage' as, "to make one part fit into another part of the machine" or as "to take part or become involved in an activity". Alignment is defined as, "the state of being arranged in a line or parallel to something". The success of any organisation is dependent upon the achievement of engagement and alignment within the organisation.
There will always be better performing teams but they should serve as models within the defined parameters of the organisational goals. This will ensure a balanced growth and expansion of an organisation.
DEEPSHIKHA MEHTA
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