Organisations need to hire right, find the balance between the needs of the business and the needs of its employees, and nurture a sense of mutual accountability so that its people can perform to the best of their abilities.
It all starts with hiring the right people. Of course, organisations look at skills and experience, but in the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), the requirements go beyond that. In a technology industry that is evolving rapidly, businesses also need to look out for adaptability and teachability. They also need to hire people with shared values, as company culture is not something that can be forced on others.
If you want a sustainable culture of shared values then these behaviours need to be lived and embodied by everyone, especially leaders. Learn more with Kate Shead in this article.
Once the hiring has taken place, however, it comes down to the individual; you can only provide the platform by creating a human-centric workplace, and then it is down to the individual to bring their personal best. But, how do organisations create an environment that encourages this?
Beyond just deploying people into the most suitable positions, it is about striking a balance between what the business needs and what the individual needs. Think about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: people first need to feel safe and secure before they can integrate and begin to perform.
The reality is there are people who might not have understood their own perseverance and resilience or even what they are really capable of, as they are still trying to fulfill their lower order needs. Having a conducive, empowering work environment helps move the organisation into the belonging and self-esteem order of needs and this is where personal motivation and accountability resides.
The role of the leadership in empowering this growth cannot be understated, and it is the most influential factor. Business leaders have the biggest impact and it sets the tone for the rest of the organisation. This includes concepts such as mutual accountability, which also helps drive team participation and collaboration.
Employee performance is also enabled by having the right skills, and in the technology industry this means continuous learning. Companies have a role to play here too, though a benefit of the digital world is that there are numerous online learning platforms that allow for people to upskill themselves in short, sharp sprints. Increasingly, people are learning on the job, and moving forward constantly.
Rather than relying on the tertiary education sector, the opportunity exists for businesses to create valuable learnership programmes. Learn more with Kate Shead in this blog.
While activities such as commendations for performance or yearly awards can be used to recognise employees for their exceptional contributions, there is also a need for more active management where leaders are closely involved in career discussions with employees, rather than having one or two major interventions per year. This can include performance monitoring and goal setting so that employees know and understand how they can bring their personal best.
People – as high performers as they might be – are not machines however, and cannot always bring their ‘A game’ to the workplace. Here, it is critical to see the broader picture, and look at the sum of a person’s impact within an organisation, and not just a single act. You also have to be understanding of the context of people’s lives, and its impact on work performance.
It is a balancing act between the needs of the business and its values of being human-centric. But, giving people opportunities where they previously had none, and enabling them to learn and strive for their personal best are where the most extraordinary stories are to be found.
By Kate Shead, HR Executive at Telviva
