How to Gain Staff Commitment
About the Authors:
NEIL FLANAGAN and JARVIS FINGER
World-renowned business strategists and authors of several international best-selling books on management. Neil is a sought-after keynote, conference and motivational speaker and Jarvis is the award-winning founder and editor of Australia's best known magazine for school administrators.
High levels of staff commitment to individual projects or to the organisation as a whole are considered to be indicators of an organisation succeeding in its purpose. Commitment, however, cannot be assumed. Rather, it requires continuing, credible and confident actions that result in employee trust and support. Although there is no one way of gaining commitment, there are, however, some key considerations.
1. Be clear about what is required
You can’t expect employees to be committed to something that they, and perhaps you, don’t understand. Before people commit their time and resources, they have every right to expect to know exactly what it is they are letting themselves in for. Any confusions you have will be immediately communicated to employees. Your track record will be a factor also. There are many examples in history of the lengths people are prepared to go in support of causes that have their commitment. Authenticity will win through every time.
2. Focus on action goals
Gather together employees whose commitment you are seeking, explain the situation as you see it, and describe the outcome/s envisaged. Establish with them any short-term goals accompanied by specific actions for their achievement. Outline benefits—what’s in it for them—to be derived from successful accomplishment of those goals. The noblest dream and the most appealing strategy are worthless until those involved make a commitment to make goals happen.
3. Adopt a problem-solving approach
Use group facilitation skills, a force-field analysis perhaps, to identify blockages preventing goal achievement. Engage employees in planning for the elimination or reduction of those blockages. Allocate responsibilities for agreed actions and confirm individual commitment. Document all agreed upon actions and circulate to those involved.
4. Adopt measures to determine achievement
If possible, decide on how goals and their progress can be measured. Rarely will employees be prepared to make or maintain a commitment when there are no measures of what their involvement has achieved. You, too, will need to use measures as a means of assessing levels of commitment. Sound management advice is: If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.
5. Give it time
Employees will be waiting to see what you do. Even if employees give the impression of being ambivalent to your proposal or project, your subsequent actions will be under constant observation. Gaining and building commitment cannot be rushed and your actions will lead the way. The American Indians encapsulated it with ‘You can’t push the river’. If you find that commitment is not forthcoming, you will need to decide whether to persevere, adopt another approach, or scrap the idea.
6. Foster interdependence among staff
The development of strong links among employees is of real benefit to you and the organisation. One of those benefits, for example, is a decrease in absenteeism because staff realise how others are affected by their non-attendance. Interdependence helps to build ownership, trust, and commitment among employees as they see how their individual contributions affect, or are affected by, fellow workers.
7. Develop a work environment where commitment grows
Make your work place one where employees want to be. A harmonious working environment helps to bring out the best in people. People will be prepared to commit themselves to a project or organisation that they feel part of.
8. Recognise achievements
When employee commitment has resulted in goal achievement, provide rewards and other forms of recognition that are valued by individual employees.
Recognition should cater for individuals, work groups, and even families. After all, the success of many projects depends, in part, on the nature of the support provided by life partners and other family members.
Just about Everything a Manager Needs to Know
By Neil Flanagan and Jarvis Finger
Related Articles
Most people prefer for things to continue in their same old predictable way. If change is to take place, such people will probably argue that it should happen at some point down the track—when their routines will not be affected. Such complacency needs to be transformed into a sense of urgency—or your organisation will stagnate and you won’t get the staff support you need to make change happen.