8. Compare & Share “ We are an organization that values learning.” “ Our customers are our reason for being here.” “ Beauty is not only our business, but who we are.” “ Our organization and its members are as special as the products we sell.” “ We want to become an organization that supports entrepreneurial endeavors.”
The key steps for a successful process improvement initiative: Identify: the desired outcome or issue needing to be changed Communicate: the desired outcome Implement: the process
One of the short-comings indicated by Emma was the lack of a shared vision between her and the existing leadership team. In order to engage employee support in a directed change of vision, this organization must translate to your employees how the new vision will reflect their own aspirations in addition to the company’s. The group process intervention method was chosen to help the organization engage it’s employees to identify common values to develop a shared vision that is actionable and whose effects can be measured over a specified time period.
Creating a shared visions is important to support your desired organizational change. A shared vision provides motivation, mobilization, and invigoration, to previously dysfunctional groups, and may provide the gateway to collaboration between previously conflicting teams (Senge, 2008). The vision should evolve from a shared image of what everyone hopes the organization will look like in the future. The vision should express the values that are shared between your organization & your associates, and will provide the purpose for your organization’s existence.
A powerful vision has the following characteristics: It outlines a compelling reason for change It conveys a picture of the future after the change It presents a feasible, if challenging, process to accomplish the change It is focused and specific on the desired outcome It appeals to and benefits the long term interest of all members It is flexible and able to evolve with organization It can be communicated easily and understood by members at all levels
So what does a shared vision do for your company? It transforms employee’s perception from “their organization” into “our organization”. It creates a sense of commonality and provides a common purpose to divergent activities. It serves to generate excitement among employees and helps to inspire transformation from the ordinary into the extraordinary. It encourages employees to collaborate to achieve a common goal, a universal identity, and a sense of purpose. It encourages thinking outside of the box, supports creativity, and inspires innovation. Basically without a shared vision, that vision you spent time creating is pointless and meaningless. And without a shared vision the learning organization cannot exist. It can transform the manager/associate relationship from adversarial to communal.
Step 1: Determine together how the future organization will look. Define the purpose and specific attributes of what the organization will look like after the change. Answer the questions: Who are we as an organization today? What do we do well as an organization? What do we need to do better as an organization? What is important to us as an organization and as individuals? What do we want to become as an organization? The process of answering theses question will help team members gain perspective on the current state of the organization, compared to the desired future state of the organization. The process encourages employee involvement in determining what characteristics are important, and requires the expression of their priorities.
Step 2: Share the answers to the questions to determine what is mutually important, and will lead to accomplishing the organizations strategic plan. Possible responses: “ We are an organization that values learning.” “ Our customers are our reason for being here.” “ Beauty is not only our business, but who we are.” “ Our organization and its members are as special as the products we sell.” “ We want to become an organization that supports entrepreneurial endeavors.”
Step 3: Create a Shared Vision Look for ways to combine the individual answers into one cohesive and compelling vision, that is easily communicated & shared, and is best able to articulate the desired future organization.
After gaining final agreement on the statement that outlines the shared vision, it should be reviewed to ensure that it adequately reflects the desired future state of the organization. The final statement should then be revealed to the organization at large. It should be emphasized that the shared vision evolved as the result of a collaboration between multiple levels within the organization, and should reflect what they determined best described the organization they desired to become.
The shared vision is a description of what the key leaders want the organization to become. What does your vision say about ESP? ESP is: An organization that supports learning & employee development An organization that considers itself a cut above the rest. An organization that considers its customers integral to its success. An organization that offers an opportunity to become an owner.
Revisit the vision after a pre-determined period of time to gauge the effectiveness of the process. How would you determine if employee engagement levels have changed? Methods to measure effectiveness: Job Satisfaction Survey Customer Satisfaction Survey Surveys & questionnaires can be given before the intervention and then again after the change has been implemented.
Future Action Items Reward System Linked to Customer Service Scores Implement Succession Plan Introduce Ownership/Franchise Options
Cummings, T., & Worley, C. (2008). Organization development and change. Mason, OH: Southwestern. Daft, R. L. (2007). Management. Mason: Cengage Learning. Kouzes, J., & Posner, B. (2009). To lead, create a shared vision. Harvard business review , 20-21. Senge, P. (2008). The 5th discipline. In J. Pierce, & J. Newstrom, The manager's bookshelf: a mosaic of contemporary views (pp. 54-55). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
