(This is the second in a series of self-assessment articles on defining workplace culture. Click here to go to main article.)
Of course all workplaces are goal-oriented (why else would you be there?). But the degree to which it guides daily tasks will vary.
First and foremost, its important to remember that there is no right or wrong way to be—whatever works best for your company and management style is key. Defining this in order to give your employees an idea of what is expected of them will boost productivity and attract individuals who naturally fit that style.
Long term or short term? Does your company lay out a daily goal for employees? For instance, a daily sales goal, certain number of customer calls, or guideline on tasks completed each day? Or are the goals longer-term? A quarterly earnings goal, or annual look-ahead, the means of which are up to the individual? Do you use deadlines?
How often must employees “check in”? Do you expect daily reports on their progress? Weekly? Sporadically, as they make headway? Or are employees left largely on their own, as long as their workload is completed (that is, everything is running smoothly and no one else complains)?
Do you compare? When setting goals, do you compare yourselves to other companies, and emphasize the numbers? Are employees set against each other, with a leader board posted prominently? Are employees rewarded when they reach a personal best? Are announcements made company-wide when people exceed?
Who is promoted? Do you promote by the numbers? Or do you look at overall performance, including attitude, leadership style, and commitment? Will the person with the highest sales be promoted to manager? Or the person with average sales, but a track record for hard work and respect from peers? (This person could very well be one and the same.)
Who is fired? Will you retain an employee with a poor track record of achievement, but who tries hard, goes the extra mile, and has a great attitude? This question is important, because co-workers may get frustrated picking up the slack for an employee who doesn’t pull their weight on tasks, but on the other hand this person can do a great deal for morale.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how achievement-oriented is your work environment? Ten being daily goals and check-ins, one being attitude and teamwork is more important than numbers.
Once you have seriously considered these questions, you will have a better idea of how your workplace culture values achievement.
Click here to proceed to next self-assessment article, Flexibility.
Click here to return to main article, Defining Workplace Culture.
