Finally: 5 ways to get results with a workplace improvement council
When it comes to workplace improvement, nothing holds as much untapped potential as the leadership groups that are set up to make it happen.
Maybe there’s one in your organization. Perhaps you’re a part of it. They go by names like Workplace Improvement Council, Engagement Team, and Employee Satisfaction Committee.
These groups start with good intentions. They’re staffed by people who want to make a difference. Sometimes they get things done.
But too often, the Workplace Improvement Council becomes its own bureaucracy. The members attend regular meetings. They talk. They produce meeting notes. They meet again. They talk some more. And on it goes as frustration grows.
So what’s the solution? How can these important groups become a force for positive change? Here are five essential actions:
1. Get smarter about the workplace
Gather data, information, and your own shared observations to learn a lot more about the state of the workplace. Customer satisfaction surveys and employee surveys can provide all sorts of insights, as long as you mine deeply. So can info from focus groups and meaningful exit interviews. If information is lacking, create a simple process to capture it.
2. Learn and leverage what’s working elsewhere
Develop a habit of seeking out big ideas and best practices. Start by getting input from colleagues. Then fan out and visit other organizations that are doing great things to build their cultures. Surf the Web to find rich examples and case studies. Attend conferences. Share these discoveries at every meeting, so everyone can get wiser about workplace improvement.
3. Make it everyone’s responsibility
Create meaningful ways for more people to get involved in co-creating a better workplace. Hold regular employee dialogue sessions to get input. Sponsor project-specific teams to plan and implement specific action ideas. Hold periodic planning sessions that involve a wide cross-section of the workforce — like an annual gathering to reflect on progress and plan the next stage of improvement efforts.
4. Engage the leadership
The group should include (but not be dominated by) key leaders from the organization, or at least one top manager who serves as a link to the rest of the leadership team. A next-best approach is to have two or three people from the group fill this conduit role — by engaging the leaders in periodic dialogue, ideally at meetings where all top managers are present. Leadership support has to be earned — by doing work and generating results that relate to the bottom line and the strategic goals of the organization. So showcase every success story as it develops.
5. Take the lead in taking action
Each and every committee member should be an instigator-in-chief who leans forward and gets things done. Have you been talking about organizing a regular series of learning forums for employees? Make it happen! Have you found several best practices at other organizations that can improve your hiring process? Then get with human resources and unload your findings. Are committee members buzzing about a new book they’ve just read about workplace improvement? Select a few of the book’s best action ideas and put them to work now. Won’t a bias for action get messy? Sometimes. Learn from it and keep going.
