Category: organization development

Hidden Agenda

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Discovering a hidden agenda through observation and feedback

Seldom do employees with hidden agendas uphold the same goals as the organization, especially if they become disengaged or even unmotivated. However, a thought process of mutual understanding may be achieved with the right coaching and guidance from leadership. I recall observing behaviors that made me think of employees intentions and true satisfaction, and how to gauge their loyalty to the brand. During these observations I discovered minimal effort, resistance to pick up new tasks, and an overall bad attitude towards projects presented.

When I looked deeper into the subjects they began to advise the workload was too much, the timing was unrealistic, and the compensation did not uphold the tasks they were asked to do. Upon further inquiry and feedback I realized the employee was dissatisfied with pay and requesting advancement. It was apparent the employee was not bought into the brand, and unsatisfied. This was then notified to Senior Leadership and further addressed. By supplying a development plan we kept the team member engaged in meeting goals and offered monetary compensation, once they met metrics. This helped to guide the employee towards the company’s agenda and disengage from their hidden agenda to negate work.

Ultimately, the team member made the time and completed the work, they just needed the right observation and communication response to feel newly satisfied.

Process Consultation surveying

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In Human Resources surveys are generally used in the 360 degree feedback effort. As a human resources professional I have often administered these surveys. When given the opportunity to be the person completing the survey, however I had an opportunity to experience it myself, here is a little about my experience…

I recall a specific survey administered by a team member relations manager asking for feedback regarding senior management. The survey asked how likely I would recommend the company as an employer. While the company as a whole scored mostly 8,9, or 10 ‘s on average (from a 1-10 scale where 10 was the highest), I found most rated a 10. Then there was an open ended comment area that asked for the reason for your score.

As I read comments, I noticed this was a good opportunity to gain insight on descriptive needs for coaching and development. There was mention of lack of follow-up, feedback and positive reinforcement that caused stress and lack of engagement when subordinates were addressed. There was also mention of long hours and burn out experienced, due lack of support from senior leadership. Responses also attested to the opportunity for tuition reimbursement as a desirable benefit, the entrepreneurial environment as a factor of enjoyment, and the flexibility the company offered. To sum up the senior management team’s reaction, me being the liaison taking action on surveys, defensive behaviors and questioning of intention arose. This made work uncomfortable and avoided addressing team members concerns.

The 10 was not a reflection of the employee experience, rather an attempt to be a team player and keep scores high. Therefore, I suggest face to face discussions exemplified in process consultation as a way to confront and resolve relationships in the workplace, as oppose to survey score to be a main factor in employee tempo. Scores cannot gauge the true tone and climate of team members feedback. Simply going by scores and neglecting to take action on comments result in a genuine attempt to change employee relations. The number one complaint of poor quality in customer service is feeling a sense of indifference. The lesson remains unspoken, listen to understand and understand by listening. We can show people we care if we just place concern in their thoughts and attempt to engage their uncertainty.

Thank you for listening.

Feedback Assessment and change

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Feedback is intended to reinforce a behavior that is positive in nature to the appraiser and desirable as a repeated notion. Feedback can also be given for behaviors that are desired for change or as one of my mentors use to say “coach them in or coach them out”. Either way, the individual that receives the feedback is ultimately responsible for supplying the continuation or change of named behavior(s). In recent years a popular form of appraising individual’s performance is by method of self assessment. I re-call when I was first asked to self assess my performance by means of literally reviewing myself. When I conducted the self assessment I had the opportunity to reflect on my interactions, responses to others and respective correlating competency attainment.

The self-assessment revealed that I was very task oriented. I began to delegate more and make a point to ask others for input and listen to others contributions, instead of working in a vacuum. As part of my self assessment I also noticed I had to work on team building, it had become apparent that most of my day consisted of project management with a team that consisted of (1) or (2) people. This did not create the  opportunity to gain others perspectives within cross-departmental functions.  I started to inquire why my heavy focus on tasks, instead of driving joint workmanship by involving the true motivators that cause movement. I began to take on the role of becoming a business partner, involving myself in each aspect of the departments needs. To become a better rounded leader it was evident I needed to make a change and gain others trust and joint collaboration.

The first action I took in this effort is I made it a point to take each one of my team members to lunch and talk about how things are going not only at work, but in their personal lives. Then I began to explore other departments by doing a weekly walk through, showing presence and involvement, this was only step 1.Phase 2 was to connect often, follow-up by scheduling frequent check-ins and praise others. I began to see that people responded to these acts positively, they began seeing that Human Resources cared, by coming to them. This helped create unity and allowed the opportunity to discuss shortcomings departmentally and explore alternative solutions. My boss at the time, the Senior Director of Human Resources advised me to make myself available to allow for diverse collaboration. She supported me throughout this process by telling me when she noticed I was being task oriented, when I needed to spend more time going to others and when I should be proactive about following up continuously.

This really helped me share my sense of urgency and care in an effective, collaborative manner that made people feel like I kept their best interest top of mind.

Group Decision Making

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Group decision making: Departmental Analysis

In task forces people come together in order to ultimately make a game plan and decision on a short term or long term project, change or initiative. I was a part of a decision to present a toxic employee to a director and advise a recommendation to counsel the associate. The process of decision making consisted of feedback from associates in the department and lack of accomplishments in performance indication.

At the time I was a Department head that oversaw (9) team members. Feedback comments were received from associates stating conflicts and lack of team work from an individual. The team gave numerous complaints and ultimately the associate at hand, who I will keep name as confidential was toxic to the team. When I researched performance indicators I found that the associate was not contributing in metrics towards collaborative goals. This was clearly a detriment to the team and company. When the associate was approached about these issues in performance she was insubordinate to direction/improvement, this was documented.

I communicated objective information and recommended that it would be best to separate from the associate, at that based on the data collected, numerous intervention attempts and lack of compliance from the individual. Upper Management  decided to attempt to give the individual a different assignment and see if this would help revamp morale. The team member was phased into another area of the property in a new capacity. Eventually it was determined the individual was toxic to that department as well. Ultimately the associate was separated from the company through collaborative efforts to reveal deficiencies in various aspects of the business. It became apparent that group consensus was reached and the company was able to move forward with needed corrective action.

Podcast: Organization Change Consulting Advisory Takeaways

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Masters in Professional Studies in Organization Development & Change Organization Change Consulting Advisory

  • Change Agents, Sponsors and Client roles
  • Appreciative Inquiry
  • Action Research Model
  • Gaining buy-in for change
  • Consulting Pragmatics
  • Human Resources Interventions
  • Process Consultation Psychology
  • Organizational & Community Impact
  • Facilitation, Change Perception, and Commitment