Kevin Anderson, Dr. Organizational Design (OD)

What True Employee Engagement Looks and Sounds Like

As leaders we seek to create a calm work environment which is programmed. All of our actions should be by design based on logic as opposed to spontaneous actions based on emotion. We have been led to think that employees work together best in quiet, rationale and controlled spaces. However, the reality we experience isContinue reading “What True Employee Engagement Looks and Sounds Like”

How To Obtain True Employee Engagement

We agree that engaging our employees is one of the keys to organizational success. In fact, most organizational improvement, at some point, involves actively involving our teams of employees. We have been told countless times that this is the ‘secret sauce’ for improving our products, processes and culture. The key question is: How do weContinue reading “How To Obtain True Employee Engagement”

Focusing on How to Execute Your Strategy Improves the People Side!

We have learned that some organizations execute their strategy based on the amount of money they have available in the bank, the skills of their current workforce or educated guesses about where the business environment is headed. However, more mature organizations are executing strategy by identifying and filling gap between the business capabilities they haveContinue reading “Focusing on How to Execute Your Strategy Improves the People Side!”

Aligning Reward Systems For Improved Organizational Performance

Part 4 of a 4 part blog series discussing employee motivational challenges. Select and align rewards so that all parties are motivated to work toward the objective at hand. People will not actively work against their own interests. The idea of that is irrational. As a result, we have a much better chance of succeedingContinue reading “Aligning Reward Systems For Improved Organizational Performance”

Aligning Strategy with Employee Values for Improved Organizational Performance

Part 3 of 4 part blog series discussing employee motivational challenges. Tackling strategy, and the corresponding projects, in a manner which fits with the organizations’ larger culture, leads to employees with enthusiasm (and even passion) for their efforts. This is about helping employees feel part of an effort which is bigger than themselves. As aContinue reading “Aligning Strategy with Employee Values for Improved Organizational Performance”

Gaining Employee Buy-In for Improved Organizational Performance

Part 2 of a 4 part blog series discussing the importance of addressing employee motivation for improved organizational performance. This is about establishing a business case for change. Your employees need to understand the importance of the effort at hand in order to buy in. We must craft the focus, direction, and integrated operational driveContinue reading “Gaining Employee Buy-In for Improved Organizational Performance”

Improved Organizational Performance through Employee Motivation (Not Skill vs Will!)

Part 1 of a 4 part blog series discussing employee motivational challenges. This is an important topic in our organizational transformation work related to Strategy to Execution. If I had a dollar for every time someone suggests training as the solution for an HR issue, I would be a rich man. However, there is aContinue reading “Improved Organizational Performance through Employee Motivation (Not Skill vs Will!)”

Process Improvement: Let’s Understand the Basics Before Going to the Complex

Process improvement professionals tend to do a deep dive into the methodology immediately after an introduction. The conversation tends to go something along the lines of “Nice to meet you as well, do you use the DMAIC approach to get at root cause?” While this is an important question, let’s consider a few fundamental questionsContinue reading “Process Improvement: Let’s Understand the Basics Before Going to the Complex”

Organizational Change Management is All About People Readiness

Professionals have described the term “Change Management” as being vague and confusing. I have even had clients refer to the term as “completely baffling” since it does not specify whom, nor what we are trying to change, let alone manage. I find that throwing in the descriptive term “People Readiness” to be helpful since itContinue reading “Organizational Change Management is All About People Readiness”

A Formula for Organizational Performance So Simple That It Is Ignored

The Obama Administration is promoting legislation that would help many students go to community college for free. This is an effort to once again kick-start education as a driver of economic growth. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/21/nyregion/raising-ambitions-the-challenge-in-teaching-at-community-colleges.html?_r=0 As a former community college administrator and instructor, my burning questions are ‘Why community colleges?’ and “If they have figured out theContinue reading “A Formula for Organizational Performance So Simple That It Is Ignored”