Specific organizational examples of behaviors that increase employee engagement

[Michael Lee Stallard]

In workshops I'm conducting at various companies, I've been citing examples of specific behaviors and processes that increase employee engagement (I lump them into the Vision, Value, Voice framework of a Connection Culture...see attached changethis.com manifesto for an explanation of Connection Cultures). I would be interested in hearing from other members of the Employee Engagement Network about examples that increase employee engagement. I'll keep posting more examples as time permits. Here are a few just to get the ball rolling.

In the leadership training program at Sewell Automotive they encourage every manager to have a portfolio of stories that reflect "The Sewell Way" i.e. its values. For example, I heard a story about a team of mechanics who hired a mechanic from another car dealer in town. When the new mechanic started billing for work he hadn't done, the team confronted him and made it clear that "we don't do that here." When he persisted, the team fired him because "he wasn't one of us." Telling these stories engages employees by making them feel proud to work at Sewell.

At Beryl Companies, a call center outsourcing company for hospitals, they have a program entitled "Beryl Cares." When someone becomes aware of an employee in need, they can pull up a "Beryl Cares" screen on their pc and explain the need which is then communicated to Beryl management. Beryl's management responds to each need.

At Lockheed Martin Aerospace in San Antonio, Texas, they use the start/stop/continue exercise to give employees a voice in their business. An organizational development professional facilitates sessions and records the recommendations of the group. Managers are then held accountable to implement the recommendations or explain why they do not agree with the recommendation. This practice helps keep employees informed about the business and it gives them a voice to share their opinions and ideas.

The biotech company Genentech's tagline is "In Business for Life." It brings in cancer patients periodically to interact with its employees. This helps keep the importance of Genentech's mission at the forefront of employees' minds.

Sabre Holdings created a social media platform branded "SabreTown" to help encourage connections among its employees in different geographic locations worldwide. Sabre Holdings encourages interaction that is work-related as well as social interaction that builds trust, cooperation and esprit de corps. SabreTown also has a "relevance engine" that allows users to ask a question that SabreTown will automatically mail to a number of individuals that it determines are experts based on their historical contributions to SabreTown. The result is that SabreTown not only connects employees it also helps them perform better by extending the network of knowledge providers they can learn from. The knowledge providers are more engaged because they feel recognized.

When Tasty Catering in Elk Grove Village, Illinois faced some challenging market conditions, it pulled its employees together and asked them for ideas to grow their business so that they wouldn't have to make job cuts. This made everyone feel like part of the team and gave them a voice to share their opinions and ideas. Today, the company is thriving.

At Focus on the Family, a religious organization that has programs heard on 3,000 radio stations in 160 countries, new employees go through a two day course on the organization's mission, guiding principles, core beliefs/values and key events in its history. All employees must take a refresher course once every three years. To help employees understand the importance of alignment with mission and values, the story is told that when the Pioneer spacecraft was sent to Jupiter, the slight deviation in its flight plan resulted in missing the planet by a million miles and that's something Focus can't afford given its mission to help families. This training and use of a memorable metaphor combine to keep Focus employees engaged, united and on strategy.

The commander of the U.S.S. Montpellier nuclear submarine wrote out a clear and compelling articulation of his mission and values entitled "The USS Montpelier Command Philosophy." It's the best I've seen and I've attached it in hopes that it might be helpful to some of you in your own organizations or (for coaches, trainers and consultants like me) in your work to help increase employee engagement at your clients' organizations.

[Getty Stewart]

At IBEX Payroll in Winnipeg, Manitoba staff and managers take product quality, customer service and productivity very seriously, but they don't take themselves too seriously. Their job titles, which play on the agile, sure-footed IBEX (a eurasian mountain goat) reflect this attitude. The president, is not the president, he's "Head of the Herd", the sales manager is "Head of Pasture Development", the copyrighter is "Head of Spreading the Herd Word", the senior management team is called "the Grumpy Goats", etc. The team also gets together for a daily, 10 minute "Herdle" where everyone gets to share good news and learn about the latest corporate numbers (everything is open book). A fun, friendly, informative environment - now that's engaging. Just a small sampling of the herd mentality - check out the herd's video to see some of the other culture building activities going on at IBEX - www.ibexpayroll.com.

[Michael Lee Stallard]

Getty,

Thanks for sharing this example. It's nice to see a company with a sense of humor. It's also wonderful that they connect each day and stay attuned to performance metrics.

Michael

[Michael Lee Stallard]

John Meada, president of the Rhode Island School of Design, sets aside one day each week where the school's students and employees can anonymously email questions to him that he answers. He makes it safe for anyone to ask any question which helps make it certain that issues percolate up to him. John also regularly walks into cafeterias on campus and sits down at tables of people he doesn't know. These practices keep John in touch with the people he leads.

[Terrence Seamon]

Great discussion, Michael, and I like the focus on practices at identifiable companies. This thread will be a rich source of ideas for people looking for inspiration.

Here's one I'll add to the stew.

At Best Buy they have implemented ROWE, Results Only Work Environment, where they focus on results, not clock-time or face-time. ROWE gives employees the flexibility they need to balance family demands with work demands. Having such a flexible employer is a driver of high engagement...and high productivity and loyalty.

Terry

[Michael Lee Stallard]

Terry,

Great example. I hope to learn more about ROWE at the upcoming conference in NYC. Here's the link to it: http://www.worldblu.com/live/

Michael

[Michael Lee Stallard]

H&R Block has an internal news site branded "BlockCentral." The stories posted on the site allow readers to comment. This is a simple yet effective way to give employees a voice to share their opinions and ideas.

Pixar Animation's building is designed to increase social interaction among Pixar's employees. The cafeteria, meeting rooms, restrooms and mailboxs are all situated in a centralized location so that employees see one another and naturally interact. Pixar also encourages interaction among its employees by allowing them to attend classes at Pixar University for up to four hours each week. Pixar University's crest includes the Latin Phrase “Alienus Non Dieutius,” which means alone no longer. The organization also expects everyone to step up, speak up and make to creative contributions. In a recent Harvard Business Review article, Ed Catmull, Pixar's CEO, wrote: “we can...construct an environment that nurtures trusting and respectful relationships and unleashes everyone’s creativity. If we get it right, the result is a vibrant community where talented people are loyal to one another and their collective work, everyone feels that they are part of something extraordinary, and their passion and accomplishments make the community a magnet for talented people coming out of schools or working at other places. I know what I’m describing is the antithesis of the free-agency practices that prevail in the movie industry, but that’s the point: I believe that community matters.”

[David Zinger]

This is a very helpful forum and I will make a point to highlight it in our next network newsletter. Thank you for taking this on Michael and thanks to each of you who have contributed so far.

[Michael Lee Stallard]

I just spent a day conduction a Connection Culture Leadership Training workshop at General Dynamic's Electric Boat Division. This group builds nuclear submarines for the U.S. Navy. As part of the onboarding process, new employees tour a submarine, which I understand is an extraordinary experience and a great way to help new employees feel proud of the work they will be doing. They also have "family days" for family members to see their work. It surprises me how few companies I encounter help keep their employees and employees' family members connected with the value of their organization's work. They miss a major opportunity. The Electric Boat leaders I met extremely proud of their passion for task excellence and get it done attitude. I was encouraged by how much they embraced the importance of developing relationship excellence to complement task excellence. It was inspiring being with them.

[David Zinger]

Michael,
Sounds like such a simple yet powerful connection to tour the finished product. It gives you a "sinking" feeling when you contemplate how many people have no real idea of the final thing/product/service that are a part of creating.
David

[Michael Kanazawa]

Michael,

I like the Montpellier list. At Microsoft, program management is viewed as a critical function that coordinates all functions revolving arounda major product launch. Below is a copy of a list of what is expected of a great program manager. It is a fantastic list that supports an engaged and high-performance culture. It is also right in alignment with our principles in our book about what it takes to generate big ideas and turn those into big results.

Mike

A Great Program Manager...
- Inspires the team’s confidence and respect
- Understands that people want to make a difference
- Gets things moving, then keeps them moving
- Mobilizes people, but doesn’t randomize them
- Is a well-respected ambassador for the group
- Knows if a project is on track, and what could derail it
- Turns chaos into order for everyone else
- Uplifts people on the team, uplifts people on other teams
- Communicates clearly, in whatever way is the most effective
- Doesn’t let anyone or anything become a bottleneck
- Takes complete ownership, but likes to get help
- Anticipates, then solves thorny issues, once and for all
- Makes ambitious commitments and somehow delivers on them
- Teaches and mentors at every opportunity
- Has fun and makes it fun for everyone else

[Michael Lee Stallard]

Mike,

Great list of expectations for project managers! Having a list like this brings clarity to the role. Thanks for sharing it.

Michael

[Michael Lee Stallard]

Lockheed Martin holds "skip level meetings" for executives to hear the opinions and ideas of the employees who report to their executives' direct reports. This practices gives employees a voice in the organization.

Aon Corporation encourages it's leaders to get "face time" with employees. Face time (if it includes dialogue) will help leaders become more informed and help employees to feel more valued and in touch with the organization's strategy and leadership.