Note: The 2012 Workplace Issues Report is online here.
The 2010 Workplace Issues Report captures input from 279 leaders and employees from a variety of sectors around the globe. They said…
65% of the pressing issues are on the people side, 35% on the financial/technical side (but in 2007 it was 76/24).Even in the current economy, the people issues were seen as 30% more significant than the technical/financial issues. |
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The most pressing challenge today is maintaining a healthy culture under intense economic pressure.Respondents identify several aspects of leadership as the key to this, especially vision, feedback, and communication. |
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Getting and keeping good people – especially “people people” – will make the difference. |
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89% of respondents said feelings are highly important or essential in solving the problems they face. |
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Only 8% of respondents report that they’re fully trained to deal with the issues they’re seeing. |
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92% see the value of EQ — but only 33% say their organizations do likewise.Those that do see EQ as critical for their culture. Hospitality, T&D, Education, and Finance lead the way — Medical and Technology trail the pack. |
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Agree? Disagree? Take the survey yourself and ask 5 colleagues to do likewise.
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♦
Joshua Freedman
Part of the Six Seconds' founding team, Josh is one of the world leading experts on emotions, change, and performance. One of a handful of people with proven experience creating organizational performance through EQ, Freedman leads a world-wide network of EQ change agents. (sd)
Eager to hear others thoughts on the recent study Frank
Thank you for sharing these findings. My question is: How do you measure and maintain a “healthy culture”?.. If this is the most pressing challenge today I have 2 questions: 1) what are the characteristics of a healthy culture? and 2) what tools or methods do you offer to determine the degree of alignment (convergnce/divergence) around a healthy culture?
Hi Raul,
We measure the culture through a tool called Organizational Vital Signs – http://www.6seconds.org/tools/ovs.php – there are several factors it measures:
-> Alignment
To what extent are people involved in their organization’s stated mission and the execution thereof? Do they feel a sense of belonging to the organization?
-> Accountability
To what extent do people in the organization see themselves and others following through on commitments? Are they motivated and do they take responsibility for their choices and the outcomes?
-> Collaboration
How well do people interact with one another and share information? Do they work and solve problems together?
-> Leadership
What level of commitment do employees have to their leaders? How do they perceive their leaders and leadership throughout the organization? Are people capable, competent, and worth following?
-> Adaptability
Are people seeking change? Are they ready to adapt? Are they flexible problem-solvers and open to innovation?
-> Trust
Do people have a sense of faith and belief in the organization and its leaders? Can people rely on the integrity of others? Do they have confidence in others’ abilities and intentions?
The tool looks at alignment between different parts of the organization around these areas. Then, in our consulting process, we partner with leaders to get the people-side working effectively through coaching, development programs, strategic changes, and systems.
Warmly,
- Josh
Hi Raul,
I like your questions and while my posting won’t answer any of them directly, I wondered if you might enjoy this slightly tangential article. It discusses what leaders can do to promote a healthy and productive environment. In this case, the organization in question is an entire country but the concepts are transferable to almost any situation. One quote I like best is, “Leaders value and measure the intangible.”
http://tinyurl.com/ykzpt5b
Best of luck!
Alex
Hi Raul,
We measure a healthy culture by the following aspects:
Is there a shared vision in the company and is it articulated by all a having an authentic voice?
Is there a sense of pride in current and past achievements and are they celebrated?
Are there customs and traditions in the organisation that enhance the staff connectedness to the organisation?
Are staff given opportunities to share their expertise and given opprtunities to enhance their capacity?
Do the leaders coach and mentor others?
Do the staff have the development opportunities to know themselves, choose themselves and give of themselves through and outside of the organisation?
is there symbolic leadership?
leader value and measure are intangible but depend on the sociaty(oriental country and oxidentalcountry) ,the people have a different capable ,competent and worthfollowing,therefore healthy culture is different and political policy is issue in any different critical situation.
Thanks Houri – I agree that there is a cultural dimension to a healthy workplace culture… and there are some dimensions that are universal. For example, it might be culturally specific to identify how people like to be addressed, or how agreements could be reached. I suspect it is universal that in a healthy work culture, people WILL be included in some way and that agreements WILL be reached. So perhaps the logistics are cultural, the needs are universal.
I would like a copy of the Performance, People, & Pressure report. I am a doctorate candidate in Public Administration at the University of Illinois, and I am preparing a proposal for a case study in emotional intelligence. Thank you.