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Putting the Power of Your People to Work
By JP Maroney | July 12, 2007
How to solicit, analyze and implement employee ideas for organizational improvement.
By JP Maroney
Involving people in the organization’s improvement process provides one of the most powerful tools for improving employee satisfaction. Most employees, at one time or another, go home and tell their spouse or a friend, “If we would just __________, we could save the company money.” Or, “If we could ___________, our customers would be more satisfied, and would buy from us again.” Yet, because there is no system in place, those ideas are never captured, never considered, and never used.
One of the first questions I ask organizations when I consult with them is, “What organized system do you have in place for consistently soliciting, analyzing and implementing employee suggestions for improving your organization?” Most of them just look at me with blank faces. They are not doing it.
It’s obvious that the leaders of these organizations either think it’s too much trouble, don’t know how, or just flat don’t care what their employees think. I’d guess that 75-80% of the organizations where I ask that question can’t give me an affirmative answer. That’s sad.
These companies are missing out on a terrific way to improve employee satisfaction, and also to improve the overall organization. Involving employees in the improvement process requires a system for soliciting, analyzing, and implementing ideas.
Soliciting Employee Ideas For Improvement
If an organization wants happy, satisfied employees, it must allow them to contribute ideas for improving the organization. Why? Because people will pour their hearts and souls into something they help create. I’ve seen it happen in companies, in non-profit organizations, in churches, and I’ve seen it happen in clubs and organizations.
Put systems in place to consistently solicit employee suggestions for improving the organization. After all, they are the people on the front lines actually doing the work, building the parts, and servicing the customers.
Put out employee suggestion boxes, and ask for suggestions during staff meetings. Once the ideas are gathered, there must also be a systematic way of analyzing ideas to see which should be tested and implemented.
Analyzing Improvement Ideas
Obviously every suggestion will not be usable, at least not immediately. So a process must be developed for analyzing which ideas should be pursued. Again, involving employees in the process is vital, especially if management wants the employees to accept ownership of the changes which will result from the new ideas.
One organization we work with has a quality steering committee. This committee includes one or two individuals from each department in the company. Part of the committee’s responsibility is to analyze suggestions made by employees, and make recommendations for implementation.
Implementing Improvement Ideas
For the process to work, some of the ideas must be implemented. Organizations can’t just talk the talk; they must also walk the walk. If employee suggestions are never implemented, employees will eventually assume that their input is not truly valued.
Employee suggestions should be included in the organization’s planning process. When setting goals and developing strategies, leadership should be asking, “How can we implement the ideas that have come from the people on the front line.”
(Note: this article is an excerpt from JP Maroney’s book, The Productivity Path: Your Roadmap For Improving Employee Performance. To learn more about this book, Click Here!)
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JP Maroney is a business growth strategist, best-selling author and award-winning speaker. Receive his FREE book, “5 Ways to Double or Triple Your Business” by visiting www.JPMaroney.com
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Topics: Business Growth, Employee Development, Leadership, Management, Uncategorized |