Life is unfair. Life is fair. What do you think? And more importantly, since we spend all our time at work do you think your organisation treats you fairly.
Fairness is more than a buzzword, it is the bedrock of trust in any organisation.
People need trust in order to work effectively together and yet, trust is often eroded when employees don’t feel listened to or are treated (in their perception) unfairly.
Many employees end their week feeling disheartened, telling friends and family, “It’s just not fair because X at work got to do Y”. So whether the example if about recognition, workload or event future opportunities, fairness or the lack of it shapes how people feel about their work.
What Does Being Fair Really Mean?
In an organisation there are numerous policies, processes and procedures put in place, to ensure people are treated fairly.
Fairness is about impartial and just treatment. Being fair is often not about treating everyone the same. Being fair is about treating everyone with the same level of respect, dignity and opportunity as their colleagues.
Fairness is also about a perception, which means whether people percieve something as fair might not be as simple as leaders would like.
The Reality Of Being Fair
Laura, a call manager at a local call centre, had been in an organisation for five years. She consistently exceeded her targets and mentored new staff when they started due to her expert knowledge and quality of service.
When a team leader role opened up, she applied, excited about the opportunity. However, the role went to someone newer, with much less experience. Jade wasn’t upset about not getting the job, but she felt is was unfair because she couldn’t understand why.
On paper she had all the requirements and wanted to ensure she would be successful next time, by working on whatever had let her down this time.
Over time, this perceived unfairness and lack of conversation led her to leave the organisation for new role. It was the lack of transparency that made her feel invisible, unvalued, and that there was an unfairness about the decision.
This story isn’t unique. It’s a reminder that fairness isn’t just about outcomes, it is about process.
It is also about the parameters, brief and expectations which are set ahead of work being completed.
Nicola was asked to present in a competition where she had the chance to win a £1000. As part of the brief she has been asked to present for 10 minutes, on the subject of leadership and to ensure people took something away at the end. By the end of the competition Nicola thought she had done well, but wasn’t sure she had won.
However, when the winner was announced – someone who went well over the allocated 10 minutes she felt the whole thing was very unfair. Especially as, if she was honest, another entrant, who in her mind should have won, stuck to the time limit and didn’t win either.
Nicola told her friends about this and within a couple of years the competition folded as people got to know it as being ‘unfair’.
Why Does Fairness Matter To People?
People who work in an organisation, which is perceived to treat people fairly have:
🧠 Higher morale, because being treated fairly makes people feel valued
🧠 Less inclination to leave, because they are happier
🧠 Higher levels of performance, because fair environments foster collaboration and innovation
What Can Leaders Do To Promote Fairness?
Ultimately is an organisations systems and processes are unfair it is the leaders role to change these to create a fair, inclusive and diverse workplace. All leaders, no matter what level need to promote fairness through:
🧠 Be transparent, share how decisions are made and the rationale behind decisions
🧠 Ensure rules and policies makes sense, and are applied consistently across team and departments, whilst ensuring flexibility to adapt to suit the values driving the culture
🧠 Be empathetic and compassionate to people, understanding individual needs and circumstances to ensure adaptations are made (in a consistent manner which supports everyone)
Fairness is about how things are done in your workplace culture. It is about treating people fairly, especially when no one is watching.
It is about everyday actions, not just policies and rules which in themselve can become unfair depending on the circumstance.
So what?
Fairness is about perception, experience and understanding the rational for decisions which are made. Especially when resources are scarce.
https://cortex.clyq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Is-that-unfair-1.png5001200Sarah Clarkehttps://cortex.clyq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Miscellaneous-Logo.pngSarah Clarke2025-07-02 10:59:542025-10-20 13:18:01How To Make Your Work Culture Fair
The carrot versus the stick is a powerful analogy of the type of tools which many leaders still use when attempting to improve motivation.
What is the best way to motivate employees to behave, or deliver, certain aspects of their jobs. But does this really work and which is better – the carrot? the stick? or neither because there is a better way of motivating people . . . ?
The Psychology of Motivation
The carrot-and-stick approach is based on behavioural psychology developed by B.F. Skinner (Skinner, 1953) and I. Pavlov (Pavlov, 1903) which focused on conditioning, rewards and punishments, which many of us will remember from school – think the of the Pavlov dogs working to gain treat or avoid punishment, or the rats in the maze gaining food when successful.
However, in recent years the complexity of motivation, humans and the environments people work in has led to these theories being seen as outdated, limited and even-counterproductive – especially in the work environment.
Think about it – how many times has someone been disciplined at work, or faced a disciplinary process, and come out the other side positively behaving in the way which was desired? In our experience, less than 0.01%. Research says the same (Rollinson et al., 1997).
How Punishment or Avoidance Motivation Can Be Detrimental
The threat of the ‘stick’ can lead to employees undertaking behaviours which may have unintended consequences.
For example, people who are avoiding something bad (e.g. a reprimand, job loss or failure) can often go to extremes to avoid this. Many sickness absences, which also costs businesses resources, time and productivity can be linked to avoidance. In fact, the threat of a stick at work can create fear, stress and at times the desired compliance.
However, the costs of the compliance needs to be understood. For example, in workplaces the threat of the stick may lead to box-ticking, withholding information, burnout and pushing any resistance underground. Over time it can also reduce psychological safety and intrinsic motivation.
In short, whilst using a stick can deliver short-term compliance it may, in turn, reduce commitment. So it needs to be used consistently, fairly, transparently and sparingly.
How Positive Reward Motivation Can Actually Reduce Motivation
On the flipside, the promise of something positive, a reward or a bonus can extrinsically motivate employees to behave in the desired way, or deliver the desired task.
However, whether it is praise, recognition or other rewards this only works for simple, clear tasks and has a finite shelf life.
The type of positive reward, or carrot offered, also needs to suit the individual.
However, for some tasks (such as creativity, innovation or leadership) positive rewards and reinforcement can actually reduce motivation as people become more focused on justifying their actions, focusing on the reward, they stop valuing the skill, behaviour or task itself.
Again this can lead to box-ticking, burnout and over focus with other positive behaviours going underground.
Why Leaders Need Psychology To Utilise The Right Tool
The reason these basic theories and tools don’t work is because:
They assume that people are passive, that they need controlling, but this is most not the case
They create short-term, surface compliance but not long-term change as the behaviour disappears once pressure is removed
Creativity, collaboration and risk-taking can be stifled due to the pressure to “play it safe” to gain rewards or avoid punishments.
They make learning from mistakes more unlikely, as this is something which needs to be promoted, championed and role modelled, which is difficult in a reward vs punishment culture
So What Can Psychology Teach Us About Motivation?
The first is that there is no one-size fits all. And that every tool, technique or option selected will have short-term, long-term, intended versus unintended consequences.
What actually motivates people at work is extremely complicated.
Sometimes having a good night’s sleep can increase motivation, whereas for others it could be working with people or having space to work alone. But to provide an alternative to the carrot and stick it is vital leaders focus on the intrinsic drivers people have. Reward versus punishment is extrinsic. In contrast, intrinsic motivations are driven from within us.
These include, but are not limited too:
1. Purpose
People are driven by what really matters to them, and/or others. Think of children. When they have a purpose and know what they are doing matters then they are motivated to keep doing what they are doing. The same is true in the workplace.
Simon Sinek famously outlined the importance of purpose, and finding your why, at an organisation level (Sinek, 2009). More recently, his book ‘Finding Your Why’ focuses on individual purpose which can be helpful for some individuals. Yet be warned, handing out this book to your team is NOT the answer. For many, this can be too much too soon. Instead, focus on the individuals, use coaching and active listening to really understand them.
Purpose should not be forced or coerced, it is about self-reflection and self-awareness but as a skilled leader your job is to uncover this for your people – reaching them on their level (not yours).
2. Autonomy
There is a myth going around that people hate change.
This is not true. In reality, people love change e.g. new hairstyles, new houses, different place for holidays, new clothes but they like change when they choose it.
When change is forced on someone they tend to resist. This is why autonomy is so crucial in motivating people at work.
Allowing people to have a say in what they are doing, how they are doing it and allowing them to use their own mind and thoughts to solve problems, is critical to ensure buy-in, commitment and motivation at an intrinsic level.
Leaders have a role in providing guardrails to ensure employees have a plan (direction & purpose), and that they are in control of their own destiny, with the tools and resources to be successful.
3. Mastery
People always like to improve.
Think about how competitive people are, especially children. Many of us, to differing degrees, have a competitive streak. It is that sense of improvement, getting better, developing, learning more or growing which helps ensure we keep doing what we are doing, and improving.
Individuals who get stuck in jobs where there is no room to improve, where suggestions no matter how good they are, are rejected and where status-quo is everything, can be extremely detrimental to our health and well-being.
People are motivated by seeing, feeling, hearing and getting external feedback on how they are improving and growing. This keeps us motivated. How often have you moved jobs or companies because you felt you were stuck? Or going nowhere?
4. Belonging
People need to belong.
It is an innate need for all humans built from our primal survival instincts. Because humans who didn’t work with others, or belong to a group, did not survive.
This need to belong may vary, and can be met through friendships, work or other activities but feeling like you don’t belong, can quickly demotivate people in the workplace. Every leader has a responsibility to ensure that all employees see, think and feel that they are part of something.
It is fundamental to ensuring people are deeply motivated at work. Motivation also fosters collaboration, innovation and improves people’s health and wellbeing. Diversity has been shown to add value to organisations, but only when people feel included and that they really belong.
5. Trust
Trust is a fundamental element which all leaders need to cultivate with their employees, teams, peers and organisations.
Delivering 1-4 helps with this but ultimately if leaders can’t be trusted then motivation will dissipate.
Trust is discussed in another article we recently published, however, motivation is all about connection, purpose and trust.
How often have you been let down at work? Or someone has promised they will deliver and this hasn’t happened?
Creating trust is multifaceted as people need to be capable, willing, able, consistent as well as really care about each other to build and maintain trust.
What Next?
Forget the carrots. Ditch the stick. At Think Organisation we help leaders create cultures people want to be part of – not ones they fear or tolerate because they have no choice.
We help everyone in your organisation think differently, so contact us today to know more. If you are ready to move beyond compliance and gain real commitment from your employees then reach out to us today.
https://cortex.clyq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Motivation-Article.webp5001200Sarah Clarkehttps://cortex.clyq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Miscellaneous-Logo.pngSarah Clarke2025-06-04 14:38:452025-10-20 13:48:19How Can Leaders Improve Motivation In Their Workplace Culture?
There is one thing that has remained constant over the 25+ years Sarah Clarke and Steph Durbin, our Co-Founders, having worked across 35+ industries: culture is the bedrock of success. Culture is built on trust.
While strategy, plans and performance targets are all vital, organisations ultimately succeed or fail based on how things are done around here. The unwritten norms, the everyday behaviours and the energy of the workplace, ultimately at the very core of all of that lies something less tangible but far more powerful: trust.
What Do We Mean by ‘Organisational Culture’?
Organisational culture is more than a mission statement or company sayings. It is the shared values, beliefs and behaviours that shape how work gets done.
Culture is felt in:
How decisions are made
How people communicate
How leaders lead
How employees interact with one another
And beneath all of this? Trust. At the heart of a healthy culture and a thriving organisation lies trust – without it, no matter how good they are, even the best strategies crumble.
What Is Trust & Why Does It Matter?
Trust is the firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability or integrity of someone or something.
Trust is context-dependent and built over time. Trust is influenced by our thoughts, feelings, experiences and relationships. In the workplace, trust can take many forms:
Interpersonal Trust: Confidence that others will act fairly, honestly and with goodwill.
Organisational Trust: Belief in the intentions and ethics of leadership and the wider business.
Technological Trust: Confidence in the accuracy and reliability of systems and data.
In a recent client meeting, most of the discussion focused on whether the data was accurate (and not on what the data was telling them). This is a clear sign of eroded trust. When trust in information or technology breaks down, it stalls progress and clouds decision-making.
So, how can we build and maintain trust across organisations?
Ken Blanchard’s ABCD of Trust
In his book Trust Works!(2013), Ken Blanchard outlines four key elements of trust, using a simple but powerful framework: ABCD. While it simplifies a complex concept, it provides a helpful lens for reflection and action:
Able – Do you have the competence and skills to deliver?
Believable – Are you honest, with a strong sense of ethics and integrity?
Connected (Caring) – Do you show concern for others? Do people feel you have their interests at heart?
Dependable – Do you follow through on promises and stay consistent?
Let’s break this down a bit further, and if you need more information we recommend purchasing this book.
Are You Able to Be Trusted?
Trust starts with ability. You need to demonstrate the competence to deliver on your promises. Whether you’re a senior leader setting strategic direction or a team member committing to a deadline, credibility comes from capability.
When people fail to deliver, especially repeatedly, trust is reduced. But mistakes happen. The key is how we respond: are we accountable, transparent, and proactive in recovery? Do we keep people up to date and communicate what is happening, which leads to the next element.
Are You Honest and Open?
Integrity is non-negotiable. When people act dishonestly or prioritise personal gain over the team or organisation, trust erodes rapidly. Openness, transparency and moral consistency create safe and high-functioning environments.
There are elements to consider. For example, are your teams confident that others have their backs? Or are they second-guessing motives and questioning transparency? Regularly measuring perceived integrity across teams can shine a light on hidden issues that undermine trust. Understanding levels of psychological safety can also help.
Do People Know You Care?
Trust grows when people feel seen, heard and valued. Leaders who genuinely care about their teams (and show it through actions, not just words) will create psychological safety.
That sense of connection builds the kind of loyalty and mutual respect that fuels high-performing teams.
Are You Dependable?
Consistency is often underrated. In reality, the simple act of doing what you say you’ll do, time and again, builds a strong foundation for trust.
Being dependable shows people they can rely on you, especially when things get tough. Again communication can be key, being dependable is about keeping people up to date and in the loop.
Culture Doesn’t Exist Without Trust
In every organisation we’ve worked with, trust has been the critical, non-negotiable ingredient for cultural health. The moment trust doesn’t exist, or dwindles, or is questioned there are different directions which cultures can go.
Because trust influences how people behave, what they believe is possible, and influences whether they bring their best selves to work. Many clients have invested heavily in employee engagement surveys and measures, however when they fail to deliver improvements this can erode trust. Because the organisation is seen as not dependable.
As leaders and teams, if we want to build resilient, adaptive and high-performing cultures, we must ask ourselves regularly:
Are we truly able to be trusted?
Are we acting with integrity?
Are we showing we care?
Are we consistent and dependable?
These questions can be asked at an individual, team or organisational level. For example, if a board isn’t able to be trusted, or doesn’t act with integrity this quickly undermines trust in the board and organisation as a whole.
The answers to these questions will tell you everything you need to know about the strength of trust, and culture, in your team or organisation. Especially, when the answers are gleaned from multiple sources by experienced, competent, open and honest experts who consistently deliver improved cultures and do what they do because they care about creating workplaces where everyone can thrive.
https://cortex.clyq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Trust-Article.webp5001200Sarah Clarkehttps://cortex.clyq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Miscellaneous-Logo.pngSarah Clarke2025-05-21 09:46:112025-07-11 11:31:25How To Create Trust: The Invisible Thread of Successful Cultures
Often the clients we work with focus on processes, policies, handbooks, and ways of working as if they are leading machines rather than people. Yet the human brain is very different from machines, or is it?
During the Industrial Revolution, this approach made sense; people managed machines. But today, 47% of work tasks are handled by humans, 22% by machines, and 30% require a combination of both (Statista, 2025).
So why isn’t there more focus on the power of the human brain?
The future of work is changing. More service-focused, the power of the human brain needs to be harnessed. Yet organisations often fail to embrace the opportunities of humans, AI, or anything related to the next technological revolution.
While humans add immense value to machines through creativity, critical thinking, emotional intelligence and adaptability, machines bring speed, efficiency, accuracy and precision, as well as the ability to perform dangerous or physically demanding tasks. The capacity of AI and computing systems to process vast amounts of data far surpasses the human brain in terms of scale, speed, and accuracy. Yet, why do we not take the same level of care of our people as we do with our machines?
Think about it.
We service machines, replace worn-out parts, and provide regular updates (often automatically like software updates). Yet, we struggle to adopt the same approach for humans.
Entire teams in organisations focus on preventive maintenance for machines, ensuring routine servicing to change filters, lubricate, and calibrate to prevent wear and tear.
So why don’t we do the same for humans?
After all, humans currently handle 47% of work tasks. Yet, in large organisations, there are on average just 0.79 HR personnel per 100 employees (Sesame HR, 2025). The ratio of managers to employees does not provide much more reassurance, with 43% of UK managers overseeing teams of 10 or more (People Management, 2022). So, how should we be looking after humans in the workplace?
1. Recognise The Human Brain
The human brain consumes most of a person’s energy, making hydration essential. Dehydration leads to brain fog, fatigue, and reduced concentration. Providing free tea and herbal infusions, cold water stations, and easy access to drinking water is a low-cost, high-benefit solution for businesses.
2. Encourage Regular Breaks
The Pomodoro Technique shows that focused work for 25–50 minutes, followed by a 5–10 minute break, improves productivity and quality. Encouraging people to step away from their desks, stretch, walk around, or get fresh air enhances focus and performance.
3. Promote High-Quality Social Interactions
With remote working, spontaneous conversations and team discussions often diminish. Encouraging regular interactions fosters collaboration, strengthens understanding, and supports mental well-being. Humans are social beings and need interactions with others.
4. Optimise the Work Environment
Natural light is vital for cognitive function, and reducing noise distractions helps people perform at their best. Providing flexible workspaces where employees can move to suit their needs enhances their ability to deliver quality work.
5. Empower People to Switch Off
While there is growing debate around enforcing ‘switch-off’ periods, this approach may increase stress rather than alleviate it. Simply blocking access to work doesn’t stop the human brain from thinking about it. Instead of rigid policies, organisations should empower employees to manage their workload in a way that suits both them and the business.
The brain is the most complex system we have discovered in the universe. Like a muscle, our brains need a workout. It needs to be used. But it also needs time to recharge, relax, and refresh as overuse can lead to muscle damage and injury. The same is true for the human brain.
So take control of your own brain health.
We must all avoid overworking, where long hours prevent proper rest and recovery. It benefits no-one in the long term. People who enjoy their jobs and have control over how they work experience better mental recovery than those who don’t. Yet, as businesses focus on processes and procedures, they often strip employees of the ability to trust their instincts and manage their work schedules and outputs.
Understanding what productivity looks like, and how the human brain can remain healthy at work is crucial. Ensuring proactivity, as opposed to reactivity, is key. By prioritising the well-being of the human brain, organisations can ensure that people (and not just machines) are supported to perform at their best.
Alternatively, copy and paste this link into your browser: https://cortex.clyq.co.uk/how-to-improve-employee-engagement-on-a-limited-budget/
https://cortex.clyq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Brain-Health-at-Work.png5001200Sarah Clarkehttps://cortex.clyq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Miscellaneous-Logo.pngSarah Clarke2025-03-19 10:39:082025-07-15 10:36:10How To Manage A Healthy Brain At Work
Employee engagement and motivation are declining in many organisations, leading to lower achievement, productivity, higher staff turnover, and diminished morale across businesses and the UK. Whilst there are multiple reasons for this, individual mindset is often key. Mindset is a set of attitudes held by someone and is influenced by the environment they find themselves in.
Employee Motivation
The Think Organisation has conducted extensive analysis on employee motivation levels over the last decade across hundreds of SMEs. Motivation, defined as energising behaviour in the pursuit of a goal, is a fundamental interaction of all humans. Yet it is often overlooked, with leaders unsure how they can create an environment to improve motivation.
Extensive research reveals that a lack of achievement and recognition is a major contributing factor to low motivation. Imagine, working hard but not seeing any results from your efforts. When individuals feel that their contributions are meaningful and recognised, they are more engaged, motivated, and committed to their work.
By understanding the psychology behind achievement and success, businesses can create environments where employees thrive and businesses succeed.
A clear sense of purpose is crucial to workplace engagement. Employees who understand how their roles contribute to the wider mission of the organisation will feel a great sense of belonging and significance.
This results in more proactive behaviour, resilience and higher levels of performance. In fact, people who find meaning in their work experience greater job satisfaction and significantly lower negative stress levels.
Intrinsic Motivation
Ensuring intrinsic motivation (driven from within), instead of extrinsic motivation (driven from external rewards) benefits both employees, teams and organisations as well as society as a whole. So how can psychology help with this?
Psychology is the science of human behaviour, based on years of extensive research, it seeks to explain how and why humans behave as they do.
The feeling of success is deeply embedded in human psychology. Achievement activates the brain’s reward system, releasing dopamine (a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure, motivation, and reinforcement). This neurological response encourages individuals to set and pursue further goals, creating a continuous cycle of engagement and accomplishment. Equally, when people are not feeling a sense of achievement, this can cause a negative spiral as less dopamine is released.
Maslow
Psychological theories also highlight the importance of achievement in maintaining motivation.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs identifies self-actualisation (which is the realisation of personal potential) as a key driver of fulfilment.
Humans have basic needs first, food, shelter and survival and won’t focus on much else until this has been achieved. Then, humans move to focusing on relationships and more ‘nice to haves’ which build on meeting the survival needs as they develop to focus on their own personal development and achieving their potential.
In reality, these stages merge across time and situations, however it is a great model for leaders to understand where their employees may be. Employees struggling to make enough money to pay their rent are unlikely to want to focus on development and going the extra mile due to their economic concerns.
Deci and Ryan
Another theory, Deci and Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory emphasises autonomy, competence, and relatedness as critical components of motivation.
Employees who feel in control of their work, believe in their capabilities, and experience meaningful workplace relationships are much more likely to be engaged and committed to both their role and their organisation.
Humans need each component to varying levels but all humans need an element of each of the components.
Reward & Recognition
In reality, achievement in the workplace should not be defined solely by promotions or financial incentives. While these are important, true engagement comes from recognising progress, celebrating small wins, and valuing contributions that align with personal and organisational goals.
One client found that the performance of their highest achiever had started to decline over many months, and the reasons were linked to how the organisation publicly celebrated success in front of everyone. On so many levels the employee, and the organisation, behaved in intrinsic ways which once understood by a psychologist meant this person soon became the highest performer again, beating records monthly and inspiring others to do the same.
Employees thrive when they see tangible results from their efforts. Regular feedback, goal-setting, and recognition help reinforce a culture of achievement. When employees feel that their work makes a difference, they are more likely to be motivated, productive, and committed to long-term success.
Cultivating a culture where achievement is acknowledged and valued, organisations can help employees overcome barriers to engagement. Life often throws challenges at people, which will affect motivation, however, a supportive, dynamic and successful organisation will help support individuals and teams, which ensures high performance is non-negotiable for all. Transparency, consistency and fairness are key.
Growth or Fixed Mindset
Humans tend to have preferences of either a growth or fixed mindset.
Various factors can impact whether people are facing a problem or situation with a growth or fixed mindset, and leaders who can coach people to a growth mindset have much higher performing teams.
A growth mindset is the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort. Employees with a growth mindset embrace challenges, seek feedback and remain open to learning opportunities, compared with employees who have a fixed mindset.
A fixed mindset tends to think abilities are unchangeable and innate, and that success can be attributed to individual effort and control. This approach tends to limit personal growth, and organisational performance.
So how can leaders help coach and shift employee mindsets towards a more growth-focused mindset and encourage employees to have a sense of achievement?
1. Understand the Difference Between Fixed & Growth Mindset
Often understanding how these mindsets differ, and that they do exist, can be enough to help people challenge their own assumptions and beliefs.
Using real-world examples to illustrate the impact of each mindset can be invaluable in helping individuals understand their preferences and predispositions.
To do this, at times, the professionals may be needed for stage 2.
2. Reframe Challenges as Opportunities
Encouraging self-reflection can often be easier said than done, and many employees have negative thought patterns contributing to their mindsets.
Leaders, whilst responsible for performance, are often not equipped with the tools needed to help challenge limiting beliefs, and nor would it be ethical for them to try, however, highlighting how their own experience has shifted in light of changing their beliefs can provide insight and encouragement for others to self-reflect.
Coaching questions such as ‘What evidence do you have that this is true?’ or discussions about changes to beliefs and opinions can be invaluable.
Being able to face challenges as positive opportunities can help shift existing belief patterns, however, to address more ingrained beliefs, we’d recommend getting in a professional coach.
3. Encourage an Effort Mindset
Create an environment where people reinforce the fact success comes from persistence, learning and hard work.
Celebrate efforts, rather than just achievement, and support people to make progress and develop – rather than just deliver results.
Don’t have a culture that just focuses on people who ‘can‘ do things and people who ‘can’t’ as many clients pigeonhole employees without having any real evidence or performance measures based on their own perceptions.
Sharing stories of success, and modelling behaviour of how to learn from challenges and develop is key to helping encourage an effort-focused environment and mindset.
4. Cultivate Self-Compassion & Resilience
Many people struggle to practice self-compassion as they have an inner critic of a voice which can often spiral into negative self-talk.
Being compassionate, both to ourselves and others is key, as often we don’t give ourselves the same compassion we would a friend who is struggling or feeling badly about themselves.
Being able to relate to ourselves, and aware of how our own hurtful thoughts and emotions may hinder our performance or impact the reality of situations is crucial.
Kirsten Neff (2003) has loads of helpful resources to support this journey at an individual level and you can measure self-compassion here.
5. Set SMART/OKR Goals & Objectives
Often we have large goals which are difficult to manage or complete, and often cause overwhelm.
One client had the goal of ‘impact 1 million people‘ when their reach was limited to a few thousand.
No one really knew how to achieve this, so it became an underground joke every year they missed their target.
Breaking goals or objectives into measurable steps is key.
These can be SMART or OKRs, or something else that suits your organisation.
SMART goals are: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound, which helps maintain motivation and provides a sense of achievement as progress is made towards the larger goals.
OKRs, are Objectives and Key Results. This is where there is alignment between goals and ‘what you want to achieve’ and key results, which are outcomes which indicate progress towards achieving the objective.
These steps are not exhaustive but have been proven to help improve a sense of achievement, using the growth mindset approach.
Understanding the psychological aspects of success enables leaders to create a work environment that nurtures motivation. Recognising employees’ efforts, providing growth opportunities, and fostering a culture of continuous learning all contribute to sustained engagement and well-being.
To discuss in more detail, please reach out to us.
Cost reduction is an inevitable reality for many businesses, yet the statistics are sobering.
Less than half (43%) of organisations achieve their intended savings in the first year (HBR, 2022), and only 11% sustain these reductions over a three-year period (FT, 2021). While cutting costs may be a necessary strategy for financial stability, how a company navigates this process speaks volumes about its organisational culture.
Reducing expenditure often involves restructuring, streamlining operations, and, in many cases, reducing headcount. These actions (especially when not managed effectively) can erode trust, diminish engagement, and create an atmosphere of uncertainty that ultimately weakens the business.
A strong organisational culture needs to be built on transparency, fairness, consistency and engagement so managing culture through times of reduction ensures an organisation’s culture does not become collateral damage in the pursuit of financial targets.
Strategies to Safeguard Culture During Cost Reduction
Lead with Transparency
Employees appreciate honesty. Clearly communicate the reasons behind cost-cutting measures, the decision-making process, and how these changes align with the organisation’s long-term vision. Keeping people informed reduces speculation and fear, fostering a sense of control amid uncertainty.
Prioritise People-Centred Leadership
Leaders need to show empathy, actively listen, and provide support focused on varying individual needs. Even when difficult decisions must be made, ensuring employees feel valued and respected makes all the difference. Compassionate leadership maintains morale and protects the integrity of workplace relationships.
Preserve Core Values
Culture is more than words on a corporate website – it is reflected in daily behaviours and decisions. Any cost-cutting initiative should align with the organisation’s core values. If collaboration, respect, or innovation are central to company identity, these principles must remain at the forefront of any changes.
Invest in Remaining Employees
Downsizing often results in increased workloads for those who stay. Providing development opportunities, new ways of working, health support, and clear career pathways ensures remaining employees feel engaged rather than burdened. A resilient culture relies on people who feel motivated, not overwhelmed.
Ensure Fair and Inclusive Decision-Making
Cost-cutting measures can disproportionately impact certain groups if not handled equitably. Inclusive decision-making means considering diverse perspectives and mitigating biases which helps maintain fairness and prevents potential long-term cultural damage.
Monitor and Adapt
Culture is dynamic. It is built over time however following significant change, businesses need to understand and assess employee sentiment following times of change. This can be done through surveys, feedback sessions, and engagement metrics (e.g. Employee Net Promoter Score). Regular check-ins allow organisations to address concerns and recalibrate strategies to maintain a healthy workplace culture.
To Summarise
Cost reduction is not just a financial exercise. It is a leadership challenge that tests the strength of an organisation’s culture as how the process is handled feeds into the culture of tomorrow.
Businesses that successfully navigate these periods do so by balancing financial pragmatism with a deep commitment to their people.
Those that prioritise transparency, fairness, consistency and communication will not only survive cost reductions but emerge stronger, with a workforce that remains committed and motivated for the future.
Have you ever asked the question in your workplace – what do we mean by high performance?
High performance is defined as ‘able to operate to a high standard or at a high speed’ (Cambridge, 2025) but what does this look like in the workplace?
Last week, we shared a story about a well-known coffee shop, reflecting on how the employees worked together to problem solve.
This led us to consider:
When is high performance enough?
When does it become over-servicing?
Can high-performance reduce productivity?
Can the very definition of high performance actually lead to poor customer service? After all, receiving a coffee at high speed and to a high standard – is that high performance? Or is the experience, the conversation, and the feeling of connection the real measure of high performance in a coffee shop? It all depends on the customer’s purpose in visiting the coffee shop in the first place.
Think about your favourite coffee shop—whether a local boutique, a large chain, or, like my friend, your own home coffee station. What does high performance look like to you as the customer?
The Performance Curve: Balancing Challenge & Support
Psychological theory tells us that performance follows a curve (which is often referred to as the Yerkes-Dodson Law – shown above). This principle suggests that moderate levels of stress and challenge can enhance performance, but too much pressure leads to diminishing returns and, in some cases, eventual burnout.
A high-performing team needs to operate at an optimal point on this curve, where there is sufficient challenge to drive motivation but not so much pressure that it leads to disengagement or exhaustion. Leaders play a key role in balancing these factors, ensuring their teams are stimulated but not overwhelmed.
The Role of Psychological Safety in Sustained Performance
For high performance to be sustainable, psychological safety is critical. Psychological safety, as defined by Amy Edmondson, is the belief that one can take risks, make mistakes, and express ideas without fear of humiliation or punishment. When employees feel psychologically safe, they are more likely to contribute ideas, collaborate effectively, and recover quickly from setbacks.
Without psychological safety, teams may hesitate to challenge poor decisions, leading to group-think and stagnation. Conversely, fostering an environment where diverse thoughts are encouraged ensures innovation and resilience, which are both crucial elements for long-term success.
Defining High Performance in Your Workplace
As psychologists, we often work to understand the lens through which people view performance and success. Assumptions, biases, and habitual thinking all shape the way human decisions are made – some are practical, some emotional, some time-bound, and others context-specific. In many cases, there is no conscious thought process involved in decision-making.
Think back to the last time you were in a coffee shop, what was the process of your decision-making about what your ordered? Can you write it down in detail? Explaining all the options you discounted?
If I asked you to explain why the person standing next to you made their decision about their coffee choices – what would you say? Would you know? You may if you knew them well, or you may not have any idea. But imagine if their definition of success was different to yours?
To define high performance for your team, consider these key questions:
What does success look like for our team? – Is it efficiency, creativity, collaboration, or something else entirely?
What is critical to our success? – Are there key behaviours, skills, or processes that underpin high performance?
What behaviours or ways of working are crucial to our success? – Do we prioritise speed, precision, customer experience, or continuous improvement?
What does failure look like for our team? – Understanding what ineffective performance looks like helps avoid missteps and course-correct effectively. Whilst it is important not to dwell on the negative looking at the opposite of success can be extremely helpful and insightful.
Rethinking High Performance: It’s More Than Just Speed
Going back to our coffee shop analogy. . .
High performance is not just about fast service. It’s about the right service, at the right time, in the right way.
In the workplace, high performance isn’t just about productivity metrics. High performance at work is about sustainable, meaningful, and impactful ways-of-working that align with organisational goals, whilst ensuring employees thrive and grow.
By considering the performance curve and psychological safety, organisations can redefine what high performance truly means which benefits everyone.
Organisations who create environments where both individuals and teams thrive, are proven to be more profitable. Repeatably, time and time again after all – Money Matters But People Matter More.
https://cortex.clyq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/PANIC-ZONE.png5001200Sarah Clarkehttps://cortex.clyq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Miscellaneous-Logo.pngSarah Clarke2025-02-04 15:59:542025-11-24 18:10:58How To Manage High Performance at Work
Effective job design is a critical element for any leader aiming to enhance organisational performance and employee engagement. A well-designed job goes beyond creating a simple job description listing tasks and objectives to be achieved. It involves structuring tasks, responsibilities and systems in a way that aligns with organisational goals, supports employee well-being, and fosters growth.
When done well, job design can boost productivity, engagement, and innovation while reducing turnover and absenteeism. The Think Organisation explores why job design matters and provides practical steps for ensuring it is effective.
Why Job Design Matters
Job design is the foundation of an effective workforce. It defines the scope and boundaries of a role, sets expectations, and ensures alignment with strategic priorities.
A well-designed role provides clarity, autonomy, and opportunities for skill development. This feeds into a well designed organisation which fosters a sense of purpose and motivation among employees. Conversely, poorly designed roles can lead to confusion, stress, and disengagement, ultimately impacting organisational success.
Inclusivity and fairness is a legal requirement for job design. But more importantly, effective job design reduces barriers for diverse candidates and promotes a positive workplace culture. Employees who have clear pathways for growth and progression are more likely to remain in your organisation. This is essential for retaining top talent in today’s competitive job market.
Practical Tips for Effective Job Design
1. Align with Organisational Goals
Ensure the role is directly linked to the organisation’s strategic objectives, values, and priorities. Ask whether the objectives and responsibilities contribute to key performance indicators (KPIs) or broader organisational outcomes.
2. Provide Clarity
Define the responsibilities and objectives clearly, leaving no room for ambiguity. A well-crafted job design outlines the scope and boundaries of the role, ensuring employees understand what is expected of them.
3. Ensure Relevance
Regularly review and update job descriptions to reflect changes in the organisation or industry. Remove outdated tasks and incorporate any new responsibilities that align with evolving priorities.
4. Balance Skills Requirements
Specify the qualifications, technical skills, and interpersonal competencies needed for the role. Strike a balance between technical expertise and human skills to ensure the role is effective and engaging.
5. Foster Inclusivity
Use unbiased, inclusive language in job descriptions to ensure accessibility for diverse candidates. Avoid unnecessary requirements that could create barriers for individuals from different backgrounds.
6. Highlight Growth Opportunities
Include clear opportunities for skill development, career progression, or lateral movement within the organisation. Employees are more engaged when they see potential for growth in their roles.
7. Create Flexibility
Design roles with adaptability in mind, allowing for adjustments as organisational needs evolve. Flexibility ensures roles remain relevant and employees feel supported through change.
8. Build a Solid Foundation for Performance Reviews
A clear job design provides a framework for performance evaluations and development discussions. Use the description to set measurable expectations and track progress effectively.
9. Seek Feedback
Engage employees in discussions about their roles to identify areas for improvement. Feedback can highlight tasks or responsibilities that may be missing or need refinement.
10. Ensure Simplicity and Accessibility
Ensure the role is easily understood, even by someone unfamiliar with the organisation. A well-written job description captures the essence and purpose of the role in clear, concise terms.
Leading Job Design
For leaders, job design is a vital tool in building a productive, motivated, and engaged workforce. By aligning roles with organisational goals, providing clarity, fostering inclusivity, and offering opportunities for growth, leaders can create a culture which benefits both employees and the organisation. Job design is an evolving process, with employees crafting their own roles which they deliver. Regular reviews and employee feedback are crucial to ensure effective job design.
Job design is not a ‘one-off’ recruitment task. Job design evolves alongside business needs, it is fundamental in driving success.
Next time you are asked to rewrite a job description or get an advert out by the end of the week please follow these helpful tips as they are designed to help leaders maximise the potential of their workforce and create a thriving organisational culture which benefits all.
https://cortex.clyq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Job-Design-.png5001200Sarah Clarkehttps://cortex.clyq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Miscellaneous-Logo.pngSarah Clarke2024-11-27 11:51:572025-12-17 10:53:08The Importance of Job Design for Leaders: Practical Tips for Success
Culture plays a pivotal role in project management, influencing how teams collaborate, communicate, and deliver on objectives. It shapes the working environment and has a direct impact on decision-making processes, team morale, and the overall success of a project. In order to effectively manage projects, it is essential to consider the cultural context within which a team operates.
A few weeks ago, our Co-Founder was invited to host a panel at the UK Construction Week conference in Birmingham. Observing the culture of the businesses exhibiting, it was fascinating to see how behaviours shifted depending on whether leaders were present at their stands.
One stand, in particular, caught our attention. When the leader of the team was present, the stand was immaculate, quiet, and exuded a sense of formality. However, as soon as the leader stepped away, the atmosphere transformed. The staff began laughing, joking, and engaging with visitors in a more relaxed, yet still professional, manner. Like moths to a flame, this more lively energy attracted more foot traffic, and the stand became significantly busier than its competitors. However, when the leader returned, the atmosphere reverted to its original, more sombre and formal tone.
We see this so often with our clients, because it is our job to help clients see the reality of the situation they find themselves in. Think about this example: how does this dynamic manifest back in the organisation? Is there a similar shift in behaviour when leadership is around versus when they aren’t whilst problems are being solved? What does this say about the underlying culture of the business?
Waterfall or Agile Culture
At the same exhibition, during a discussion, the conversation shifted from waterfall project management to agile, exploring whether either, or both approaches were beneficial to organisations. It was an interesting debate, but it quickly became clear that the large construction company in question hadn’t fully considered why they were selecting a particular methodology. They had simply decided they needed to modernise their, in their view, outdated project management techniques – despite these methods having been incredibly successful in the past.
One critical factor they hadn’t considered was the culture of their organisation or of the project team. They had never considered this to be a factor, or as it transpired, the root cause of why their project delivery was starting to falter. So, what happened, and what can we learn from this?
Project Management Culture
There are numerous tools and techniques to deliver projects. Forbes (2024) provides a great high-level overview here but even the most experienced project leads so often forget the most important element of project delivery – the culture of an organisation or the project team.
The culture of an organisation provides the foundation for how projects are managed. Core values, beliefs, and priorities within the organisation influence everything from project objectives to communication styles and risk tolerance. Think Organisation have worked with hierarchical cultures, where decision-making tends to be top-down, with leaders holding most of the authority.
Often decision-making rests in a couple of lead roles, while flatter organisational structures encourage a more participative approach. At times these organisations are smaller, or newer, where team members are empowered to contribute to decisions. Other times they are more matrix-like, however understanding this dynamic is crucial to navigating project leadership successfully.
Cultural norms also play a significant role in shaping team dynamics.
People Dynamics in Projects
Some organisations prioritise collaboration, which results in a greater emphasis on teamwork and open communication. This can be at a deep level, where difficult issues are raised and addressed safely, openly and collectively. Or a more surface level, where people collaborate on the easy stuff, overlooking the more challenging conversations and discussions.
The opposite to this, are more individualistic cultures where there is a higher value placed on personal accountability and independent problem-solving. Additionally, different cultures approach conflict resolution in various ways. New starters can often find joining a new culture difficult if it differs from what they have previously experienced.
Project leaders often focus on encouraging open discussions to resolve disputes, while others may prefer indirect methods to avoid confrontation. The alignment can often underpin the project success.
In addition, leadership styles must also adapt to the cultural context of the team. A directive management approach might be effective in cultures where authority is respected and structure is preferred. Yet, a more inclusive and participative style may work better in cultures that value collective input and shared responsibility.
For project managers working with global or diverse teams, cultural sensitivity is critical to maintaining team cohesion and avoiding potential misunderstandings.
Leadership styles must also adapt to the cultural context of the team. A directive management approach might be effective in cultures where authority is respected and structure is preferred, whilst a more inclusive, participative style may work better in cultures that value collective input and shared responsibility.
Risk & Change Culture
Culture also affects how organisations perceive and manage risks. In some environments, innovation and bold decision-making are encouraged, allowing teams to embrace risk and drive forward with new ideas. In contrast, more risk-averse cultures may require extensive analysis and cautious planning before taking action.
The project manager’s ability to recognise these cultural tendencies will influence their approach to risk management and problem-solving, ensuring that strategies are aligned with the team’s preferences.
Change management is another area where cultural considerations are key. Organisational culture greatly influences how teams respond to change.
In flexible, innovation-driven cultures, change initiatives may be embraced more readily, while more traditional or rigid environments can be resistant to new ways of working. Aligning change programmes with the organisation’s core values can help smooth the process, particularly if those values place importance on employee well-being and/or inclusivity.
Ultimately, cultural alignment has a profound effect on project outcomes. Ignoring cultural factors can lead to misunderstandings, miscommunications, and delays, all of which can jeopardise the success of a project. Conversely, when cultural elements are integrated into the management process, teams are more likely to work harmoniously and deliver high-quality results within set timeframes.
Incorporating culture into project management is not only about recognising and accommodating differences, but also about leveraging the strengths that diversity brings.
By fostering an environment where cultural considerations are at the forefront, project managers can create more cohesive, productive, and engaged teams, ultimately driving project success which creates business success.
This article explores how outdated leadership styles, poor communication, a lack of employee investment, and low productivity, all contribute to work not functioning well for individuals, teams, and organisations.
As Culture Consultants we have seen what happens when work is working. Businesses are significantly more profitable. Employees are more engaged and have higher levels of well-being, and absenteeism is lower compared to other organisations.
Yet in 90% of businesses today, work is not working. And this is impacting individuals, teams, organisations and society as a whole.
Productivity in the UK has reached an all-time low, decreasing year on year to levels below the lowest productivity levels pre-pandemic (ONS, 2024). So what is it that means work is not working?
Leadership Styles need updating
Firstly, leadership styles and skills need to be updated to reflect the current needs of employees and organisations. Leaders of old were tasked with ‘policing’ performance, ensuring people were present, and in some industries operating like machines in the production process.
Today, repetitive, mundane, dangerous or dirty tasks can be robotised, freeing up humans for more meaningful work. Yet leaders are lagging behind in terms of gaining the skills required to effectively lead teams in today’s environment.
Sprinkle in some artificial intelligence and the complexity increases – even faster, in a more uncontrollable manner.
The result is 80% of workers currently report being stressed due to poor communication. Yet, 34% of workers wouldn’t tell their boss they are stressed for fear of repercussions. So it’s no surprise half of workers report being disengaged (Praslova, 2024).
Despite this, UK employers investment in training is 26% less in real terms than it was twenty years ago in 2005. Globally, the UK continues to lag behind in employee investment with our EU counterparts investing double the UK value.
This means the UK would need to invest an additional £6.5 billion per annum to be on par (Learning & Work Institute, 2024).
So whilst work is not working, the investment and hope for improvements in the future currently remains bleak, especially in the UK.
How can we expect employees to improve their productivity when employers are failing to invest in improvements?
Organisations need to invest in training, coaching and upskilling
Secondly, organisations need to invest in training, coaching and upskilling their current workforce. This includes ensuring that the skills which are due to exit the employee market are replaced where required.
With 1.4 million more people due to retire over the next 17 years than will enter the employment market is it imperative that organisations learn how to work smarter and not harder.
Embrace Technology at Work
Thirdly, there is an opportunity to embrace technology for businesses. But to do this business leaders need to rethink their organisational design.
Technology provides ample opportunities, but often ways of working, processes and job design need to be reconfigured to harness the power, speed and capabilities of technology.
Effective job design can increase productivity, improve engagement levels, reduce absenteeism and deliver higher-quality work when done effectively.
Job design is an area where Business Psychologists have the upper hand, understanding the psychology and the processes required to deliver organisational success.
Listen to your employees
Fourthly, listen to employees in your organisation. They have the answers on how teams can work smarter and not harder. There are numerous techniques to empower the creativity of teams and facilitate innovation.
Creating a psychologically safe space where divergent thinking can be applied to future problems and opportunities can deliver untold benefits.
For more information on psychological safety assessments, surveys and advice, please email sam@cortex.clyq.co.uk.
Ensure your business has a robust culture strategy
Finally, ensure your business has a robust culture strategy which is aligned across the organisation. Often a toxic culture can arise from situations due to a lack of focus, much like weeds growing in an untendered garden. In times of uncertainty, fear can creep in and lead to unhelpful behaviours which start to fuel uncertainty, fear and self-preserving behaviours which can be detrimental to business success.
For support ensuring that work really works in your organisation please reach out for a free 30-minute consultation.
Alternatively, copy and paste this link into your browser: https://cortex.clyq.co.uk/how-to-maximise-your-hr-budget-deliver-goals/
https://cortex.clyq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Untitled-design-19.png5001200Sarah Clarkehttps://cortex.clyq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Miscellaneous-Logo.pngSarah Clarke2024-09-24 19:09:442025-07-28 14:04:04Culture Alignment is Key to Make Work Really Work
In the fast-paced world of modern business, it can be difficult to know what to focus on first. Job design is one of those things which is vital to get right. So often the pressure to deliver results quickly is ever-present. This sense of urgency can often lead to decisions made in haste, with the best of intentions but potentially harmful long-term consequences.
A recent example involving a senior manager highlights this issue: a well-intentioned but hurried plan to “throw a job description together” within an hour. This approach, though understandable due to the culture of the organisation and need to recruit quickly, risks undermining motivation, resource allocation, and overall organisational performance.
Job descriptions are more than just a list of tasks and responsibilities; they are foundational documents that influence recruitment, employee engagement, and ultimately, the bottom line. Rushing this process can lead to a misalignment between the role and the individual, affecting not only the new hire but also the entire team and, by extension, the organisation’s success. Think about your current job description – do you have one? Is it up to date? Is it accurate?
The Role of Job Profiles and Descriptions
A job profile offers a broad overview of a role within the organisation, encompassing key responsibilities, required skills, and the role’s place within the company structure.
In contrast, a job description provides a detailed account of the tasks, duties, and objectives specific to the position. Organisations often have their own versions of these, or they may be amalgamated together. Either way, they are both critical components of effective job design, which significantly impacts employee motivation and satisfaction.
When a job is designed thoughtfully, employees are more likely to feel engaged, motivated, and aligned with the organisation’s goals. Conversely, poorly designed roles can lead to frustration, burnout, and ultimately, higher turnover rates. There are many elements to job design including behaviours, skills, competencies and duties which need to be fulfilled. There are also legal requirements, specific to location, more information can be found here.
Why Leaders Should Prioritise Job Design
Leaders must understand the profound impact of job design on employee performance and satisfaction. A well-crafted job description ensures that employees have a clear understanding of their responsibilities, the expectations placed upon them, and how their role contributes to the organisation’s success.
So often, jobs are designed to ‘replace someone’. Or job descriptions are only written for recruitment purposes and then never revisited. However, up-to-date, carefully designed jobs lead to increased job satisfaction, better performance, and higher retention rates. A Think Organisation client saw a 27% increase in productivity.
However, a hastily prepared job description can result in confusion, misaligned expectations, and decreased motivation. Employees may feel uncertain about their role within the team, leading to disengagement and decreased productivity. Duplication of work, confusion and sometimes conflict, can all result from poorly designed, or out-of-date, job descriptions. Employees will start to craft their own roles, shaping what they think they do, which creates confusion and reduced efficiencies.
Empowering Employees to Shape Their Roles
In fact, one of the most effective ways to ensure that job design is aligned with both organisational needs and employee strengths is through guided job crafting.
This approach encourages employees to take an active role in shaping their job to better suit their skills and interests. Training employees to engage in job crafting can lead to more effective role design and higher levels of job satisfaction. This ensures jobs are crafted in unison, aligned together, as opposed to by individuals in isolation.
At Think Organisation, we offer workshops designed to empower teams to improve job design across the board. Our experience shows that when employees are given the tools to shape their roles, the results can be transformative. For instance, our work with a tech firm resulted in a 27% increase in productivity after just one year, alongside an 18% drop in absences and a significant increase in employee engagement.
The Key Elements of Effective Job Design
Several key factors need to be considered when designing a job:
Understanding Touchpoints & Handovers: Clear communication and well-defined handovers are crucial for efficiency and accountability.
Suitable Spans of Control: Ensuring that managers have an appropriate number of direct reports prevents overload and allows for effective leadership.
Accountability & Ownership: Employees should have clear areas of responsibility and be empowered to take ownership of their work.
Inclusive Role Design: Roles should be designed to be flexible, progressive, and aligned with the strengths of the individual. This approach not only improves performance but also fosters a more inclusive workplace culture.
Direction Without Micro-Management: Providing direction while avoiding micro-management allows employees to feel trusted and valued, which in turn boosts motivation and innovation.
In reality, it can be difficult to work with employees to design jobs due to the fear it can invoke. Understandably people often get concerned, worried or fearful that they may lose their jobs when job design is mentioned. Understanding the psychological needs of employees is invaluable to ensure that job design becomes an activity of continuous improvement, as opposed to an infrequent but stress-inducing event.
The Reality of Job Design
In every organisation, every day, decisions are made that impact the company’s bottom line. While these decisions are often made with the best intentions, it’s important for leaders to consider the long-term implications of their choices. Job descriptions, when crafted well, can be powerful tools for enhancing motivation, performance, and organisational success.
Conversely, rushing the process can lead to misalignment, disengagement, and a decline in overall performance.
As leaders, taking the time to design roles and empowering employees to shape their own roles as a collective for the good of the organisation can lead to a more motivated, satisfied, and high-performing workforce. The results, as our work has shown, are well worth the investment.
Organisational Psychology, Industrial-Organisational Psychology, Business Psychology, Occupational Psychology – there are many titles for a Business Psychologist which describe the expertise and application of psychological principles to the problems, challenges and business environments in which humans work.
Whilst a relatively new area of psychological science, the growth in this discipline has been exponential in recent years. It uses the science of human behaviour to improve organisations, which benefits people, the organisations themselves, and society as a whole.
Organisational, Business or Industrial Psychology focuses on the HUMAN part of organisations.
Below are 99 specific problems Business Psychologists can tackle in your business.
1. Employee Selection and Recruitment
Problem: Hiring the right candidates for the job.
Solutions: Develop and validate selection assessments, design job interviews, and create effective recruitment strategies.
2. Training and Development
Problem: Ensuring employees have the necessary skills and knowledge.
Solutions: Design and implement training programmes, conduct needs assessments, and evaluate training effectiveness.
3. Performance Management
Problem: Evaluating and enhancing employee performance.
Problem: Lack of diversity and inclusion within the workplace.
Solutions: Develop diversity programmes, conduct bias training, and implement inclusive policies and practices.
8. Job Analysis and Design
Problem: Inefficiencies in job roles and processes.
Solutions: Conduct job analyses, redesign jobs for efficiency, and create clear job descriptions.
9. Work-Life Balance
Problem: Employees struggling to balance work and personal life.
Solutions: Develop work-life balance programmes, implement flexible work schedules, and provide resources for stress management.
10. Conflict Resolution
Problem: Interpersonal conflicts among employees.
Solutions: Mediate disputes, provide conflict resolution training, and develop policies to manage and prevent conflicts.
11. Employee Well-being and Health
Problem: Poor employee health and well-being.
Solutions: Implement wellness programmes, conduct ergonomic assessments, and promote mental health initiatives.
12. Organisational Culture
Problem: Negative or toxic workplace culture.
Solutions: Assess organisational culture, design interventions to improve culture, and promote positive organisational values and behaviours.
13. Compensation and Benefits
Problem: Ineffective compensation and benefits systems.
Solutions: Design fair and competitive compensation packages, evaluate benefits programmes, and ensure alignment with organisational goals.
14. Organisational Climate
Problem: Misalignment between organisational climate and goals.
Solutions: Assess and modify the organisational climate to better support strategic objectives and improve employee morale.
15. Employee Turnover and Retention
Problem: High turnover rates and difficulty retaining talent.
Solutions: Analyse turnover data, identify causes of turnover, and develop retention strategies such as career development programmes and improved onboarding processes.
16. Succession Planning
Problem: Lack of preparedness for leadership transitions.
Solutions: Develop succession plans, identify and train potential leaders, and ensure smooth transition and integration in key positions.
17. Team Dynamics and Team Building
Problem: Ineffective team functioning.
Solutions: Conduct team assessments, facilitate team-building activities, and provide training on effective teamwork and collaboration.
18. Workplace Safety
Problem: Workplace hazards and unsafe behaviours.
Solutions: Develop safety programmes, conduct risk assessments, and promote a culture of safety.
19. Ethical Behaviour and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Problem: Unethical behaviour and lack of social responsibility.
Solutions: Develop ethics training programmes, create CSR initiatives, and establish codes of conduct.
20. Innovation and Creativity
Problem: Stagnation and lack of innovative thinking.
Solutions: Foster an environment that encourages creativity, develop innovation programmes, and support employees in generating and implementing new ideas.
21. Job Satisfaction and Engagement Surveys
Problem: Lack of understanding of employee sentiments.
Solutions: Design and conduct surveys to measure job satisfaction and engagement, analyse the results, and implement action plans based on findings.
22. Decision-Making Processes
Problem: Inefficient or ineffective decision-making.
Solutions: Analyse decision-making processes, train employees in decision-making skills, and implement structured decision-making frameworks.
23. Workplace Technology Integration
Problem: Challenges with adopting new technologies.
Solutions: Facilitate the integration of new technologies, provide training on technological tools, and assess the impact of technology on productivity and employee well-being.
24. Organisational Communication
Problem: Poor communication within the organisation.
Solutions: Develop communication strategies, train employees in effective communication skills, and implement tools to improve internal communication.
25. Stress Management
Problem: High levels of workplace stress.
Solutions: Implement stress management programmes, provide resources for mental health support, and design jobs to reduce stressors.
26. Work Environment and Ergonomics
Problem: Unhealthy or inefficient physical work environments.
Solutions: Conduct ergonomic assessments, redesign workspaces for better health and productivity, and promote a positive physical work environment.
27. Employee Empowerment
Problem: Lack of employee autonomy and empowerment.
Solutions: Develop programmes that promote employee autonomy, provide opportunities for professional growth, and encourage participation in decision-making.
28. Remote Work Challenges
Problem: Difficulties associated with remote work.
Solutions: Develop remote work policies, provide support for remote employees, and implement tools and practices to ensure effective remote collaboration.
29. Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A)
Problem: Challenges during mergers and acquisitions.
Solutions: Facilitate smooth transitions during M&A, address cultural integration issues, and support employees through the change.
30. Employee Recognition
Problem: Inadequate recognition and reward systems.
Solutions: Develop and implement employee recognition programmes, ensure fair and meaningful rewards, and promote a culture of appreciation.
31. Global Workforce Management
Problem: Challenges associated with managing a global workforce.
Solutions: Develop strategies for cross-cultural communication, create policies for global operations, and provide training on cultural competence.
32. Organisational Identity and Branding
Problem: Weak or unclear organisational identity and brand.
Solutions: Develop a strong organisational identity, align internal branding with company values, and ensure consistent external branding.
33. Employee Advocacy and Relations
Problem: Poor relationships between employees and management.
Solutions: Facilitate open communication channels, mediate disputes, and develop programmes that build trust between employees and management.
34. Psychological Contract
Problem: Breach of the psychological contract between employees and employer.
Solutions: Ensure that mutual expectations are clear, address any breaches effectively, and maintain open lines of communication.
35. Organisational Justice
Problem: Perceptions of unfair treatment.
Solutions: Implement fair policies and procedures, provide training on unbiased decision-making, and ensure transparency in organisational processes.
36. Talent Management and Career Development
Problem: Ineffective talent management and career progression.
Solutions: Develop talent management frameworks, provide career development resources, and create clear pathways for advancement.
37. Emotional Intelligence
Problem: Low levels of emotional intelligence among employees.
Solutions: Offer training programmes on emotional intelligence, promote self-awareness, and develop interpersonal skills.
38. Organisational Socialisation
Problem: Difficulties in acclimating new employees to the organisational culture.
Solutions: Develop effective onboarding programmes, provide mentorship opportunities, and facilitate social integration activities.
39. Workplace Harassment and Bullying
Problem: Incidents of harassment and bullying.
Solutions: Implement strict anti-harassment policies, provide training on recognising and preventing bullying, and establish reporting mechanisms.
40. Workforce Analytics
Problem: Lack of data-driven decision-making.
Solutions: Utilise workforce analytics to inform decisions, develop metrics to measure key performance indicators, and analyse trends to improve HR practices.
41. Innovation and Change Facilitation
Problem: Resistance to innovation and change.
Solutions: Promote a culture of continuous improvement, engage employees in the change process, and provide support during transitions.
42. Employee Advocacy and Voice
Problem: Employees feeling unheard and undervalued.
Solutions: Create platforms for employee feedback, ensure their voices are considered in decision-making, and act on feedback received.
43. Job Crafting
Problem: Jobs that do not fully utilise employee strengths.
Solutions: Encourage employees to shape their job roles to better fit their skills and interests, and support job crafting initiatives.
44. Labour Relations
Problem: Strained labour relations and collective bargaining issues.
Solutions: Mediate between labour unions and management, facilitate negotiations, and develop fair labour practices.
45. Occupational Health Psychology
Problem: Mental and physical health issues related to work.
Solutions: Address workplace stressors, promote health and wellness initiatives, and support work-life balance.
46. Workplace Spirituality
Problem: Lack of meaning and purpose at work.
Solutions: Promote a sense of purpose and meaning in work, support spiritual practices, and create a values-driven culture.
47. Work Redesign
Problem: Jobs that are outdated or inefficient.
Solutions: Redesign jobs to improve efficiency, increase job satisfaction, and better align with organisational goals.
48. Employee Benefits and Perks
Problem: Unattractive or inadequate employee benefits.
Solutions: Review and improve benefits packages, ensure they meet employee needs, and stay competitive within the industry.
49. Organisational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB)
Problem: Low levels of discretionary effort among employees.
Solutions: Encourage OCB through recognition programmes, promote a supportive work environment, and foster a culture of helping.
50. Corporate Culture Assessment
Problem: Misalignment between corporate culture and strategic goals.
Solutions: Conduct culture assessments, identify areas for improvement, and implement strategies to align culture with organisational objectives.
51. Employee Recognition and Reward Systems
Problem: Inadequate recognition and reward systems.
Solutions: Develop fair and motivating reward systems, implement recognition programmes, and ensure alignment with employee performance and organisational goals.
52. Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs)
Problem: Employees facing personal issues affecting work performance.
Solutions: Develop and promote EAPs, provide counselling services, and offer resources for dealing with personal and professional issues.
53. Employee Empowerment and Engagement
Problem: Low levels of employee empowerment and engagement.
Solutions: Create programmes that foster empowerment, involve employees in decision-making, and increase engagement through meaningful work.
54. Job Insecurity
Problem: Anxiety and stress related to job insecurity.
Solutions: Develop strategies to communicate job stability, support employees through transitions, and provide resources for career development.
55. Workforce Diversity Management
Problem: Challenges in managing a diverse workforce.
Solutions: Implement diversity training programmes, develop policies that promote inclusion, and support diverse teams in working effectively together.
56. Knowledge Management
Problem: Loss of organisational knowledge and ineffective knowledge sharing.
Problem: Lack of psychological safety in the workplace.
Solutions: Foster an environment where employees feel safe to express themselves, make mistakes, and provide feedback without fear of retribution.
58. Cybersecurity Awareness
Problem: Low levels of cyber-security awareness among employees.
Solutions: Implement cybersecurity training programmes, develop policies to protect organisational data, and promote a culture of security awareness.
59. Workplace Adaptability and Agility
Problem: Organisational rigidity and resistance to change.
Solutions: Promote a culture of adaptability, develop agile working practices, and support continuous learning and improvement.
60. Workplace Policy Development
Problem: Outdated or ineffective workplace policies.
Solutions: Develop, review, and update organisational policies to reflect current best practices and legal requirements.
61. Occupational Health and Safety Compliance
Problem: Non-compliance with health and safety regulations.
Solutions: Ensure compliance with occupational health and safety laws, conduct regular safety audits, and provide training on safe work practices.
62. Virtual Team Management
Problem: Challenges in managing virtual teams.
Solutions: Develop best practices for virtual collaboration, implement tools to support remote work, and provide training for virtual team leaders.
63. Gamification in the Workplace
Problem: Lack of engagement in routine tasks.
Solutions: Introduce gamification elements to make tasks more engaging, use game-based learning for training, and incentivise performance through game-like reward systems.
64. Organisational Alignment
Problem: Misalignment between organisational strategy and daily operations.
Solutions: Ensure that all levels of the organisation are aligned with strategic goals, communicate the vision and mission clearly, and create a cohesive plan that links strategy to execution.
65. Internal Communications Strategy
Problem: Ineffective internal communications.
Solutions: Develop comprehensive internal communication strategies, utilise multiple channels to disseminate information, and ensure transparency and clarity.
66. Workplace Ethics and Integrity
Problem: Ethical dilemmas and lack of integrity.
Solutions: Develop and enforce a code of ethics, provide ethics training, and create mechanisms for reporting and addressing unethical behaviour.
67. Customer Service Excellence
Problem: Poor customer service affecting business outcomes.
Solutions: Develop customer service training programmes, establish clear customer service standards, and measure and improve customer satisfaction.
68. Onboarding New Hires
Problem: Ineffective onboarding processes.
Solutions: Develop structured onboarding programmes, provide comprehensive orientation sessions, and ensure new hires are well-integrated into the organisation.
69. Employee Resilience
Problem: Low resilience and high burnout rates.
Solutions: Develop programmes to build resilience, provide resources for stress management, and create a supportive work environment.
70. Corporate Governance and Ethics
Problem: Weak governance structures and ethical lapses.
Solutions: Strengthen governance frameworks, promote ethical leadership, and ensure accountability at all organisational levels.
71. Workplace Automation and AI Integration
Problem: Challenges with integrating automation and AI into workflows.
Solutions: Develop strategies for effective integration, address employee concerns about job displacement, and provide training on new technologies.
72. Organisational Learning and Development
Problem: Ineffective learning and development initiatives.
Solutions: Design comprehensive learning and development programmes, foster a culture of continuous learning, and measure the impact of training on performance.
73. Employee Advocacy Programmes
Problem: Employees feeling undervalued or unheard.
Solutions: Implement employee advocacy programmes, create platforms for employee feedback, and ensure that employee voices influence decision-making.
74. Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM)
Problem: Misalignment between HR practices and strategic goals.
Solutions: Align HR practices with organisational strategy, develop SHRM frameworks, and ensure that HR initiatives support business objectives.
75. Crisis Management and Business Continuity
Problem: Lack of preparedness for crises.
Solutions: Develop crisis management plans, conduct training on emergency procedures, and establish business continuity protocols.
76. Organisational Reputation Management
Problem: Negative public perception affecting business.
Solutions: Develop strategies to manage and improve organisational reputation, handle public relations crises effectively, and promote positive organisational narratives.
77. Behavioural Economics in the Workplace
Problem: Inefficient decision-making and resource allocation.
Solutions: Apply principles of behavioural economics to improve decision-making, design incentives that align with desired behaviours, and optimise resource use.
78. Community and Stakeholder Engagement
Problem: Poor relationships with external stakeholders and communities.
Solutions: Develop engagement strategies, foster positive relationships with communities, and ensure that organisational activities consider stakeholder interests.
79. Workplace Innovation Labs
Problem: Lack of space and resources for innovation.
Solutions: Establish innovation labs, provide resources and support for experimental projects, and encourage creative problem-solving.
80. Workplace Democracy
Problem: Lack of employee involvement in decision-making.
Solutions: Implement workplace democracy practices, ensure participatory decision-making processes, and empower employees to take part in organisational governance.
81. Job Burnout Prevention
Problem: High levels of job burnout among employees.
Solutions: Identify burnout risk factors, develop prevention programmes, and promote work-life balance and mental health.
82. Workplace Civility and Respect
Problem: Incivility and lack of respect in the workplace.
Solutions: Promote a culture of civility and respect, provide training on respectful behaviour, and address issues of incivility promptly.
83. Ethical Use of Workplace Data
Problem: Misuse or unethical use of employee data.
Solutions: Develop ethical guidelines for data use, ensure transparency in data practices, and protect employee privacy.
84. Complex Problem Solving
Problem: Difficulty in addressing complex, multi-faceted problems.
Solutions: Use interdisciplinary approaches to problem-solving, develop creative and analytical thinking skills, and apply systems thinking.
85. Micro-inequities and Inclusion
Problem: Subtle, often unnoticed forms of discrimination.
Solutions: Raise awareness of micro-inequities, provide training to identify and address them, and promote an inclusive culture.
86. Emotional and Psychological Resilience
Problem: Low levels of emotional resilience among employees.
Solutions: Develop resilience training programmes, provide support systems for coping with stress, and create a supportive work environment.
87. Organisational Neuroscience
Problem: Limited understanding of how brain processes affect work behaviour.
Solutions: Apply findings from neuroscience to improve learning, decision-making, and performance, and design work environments that align with brain-friendly principles.
88. Employee Sabbaticals and Extended Leave Programmes
Problem: Employee burnout and lack of rejuvenation opportunities.
Solutions: Offer sabbaticals and extended leave programmes, encourage employees to take time off for personal growth, and ensure policies support long-term well-being.
89. Trust and Transparency in Leadership
Problem: Lack of trust in leadership.
Solutions: Foster transparent communication, demonstrate integrity and consistency in leadership actions, and involve employees in decision-making processes.
90. Managing Multi-generational Workforces
Problem: Generational conflicts and differing work preferences.
Solutions: Develop strategies to bridge generational gaps, offer flexible work options, and create programmes that cater to diverse generational needs.
91. Behavioural Insights and Nudges
Problem: Ineffective behavioural interventions.
Solutions: Apply behavioural insights to design effective nudges, promote positive behaviours, and optimise decision-making processes.
92. Employee Surveys and Feedback Mechanisms
Problem: Inadequate understanding of employee concerns.
Solutions: Develop and administer employee surveys, analyse feedback to inform decisions, and implement changes based on survey results.
93. Sustainable Work Practices
Problem: Unhealthy and unsustainable work practices.
Solutions: Promote sustainable work practices, implement green initiatives, and encourage work-life balance and environmental responsibility.
94. Workplace Social Networks
Problem: Weak social connections within the workplace.
Solutions: Foster social networks, create opportunities for social interaction, and promote a sense of community.
95. Continuous Improvement and Kaizen
Problem: Stagnation and lack of continuous improvement.
Solutions: Implement continuous improvement programmes, encourage employee suggestions for improvement, and foster a culture of ongoing development.
96. Human Factors and Ergonomics
Problem: Work environments that do not support human performance.
Solutions: Apply principles of human factors and ergonomics to design workspaces, improve tools and processes, and enhance overall efficiency and comfort.
97. Trust-building Interventions
Problem: Lack of trust among team members.
Solutions: Develop trust-building activities, encourage open communication, and create a culture of reliability and support.
98. Crisis Leadership
Problem: Ineffective leadership during crises.
Solutions: Train leaders in crisis management, develop clear crisis response plans, and ensure effective communication during emergencies.
99. Workforce Predictive Analytics
Problem: Inability to predict workforce trends and behaviours.
Solutions: Utilise predictive analytics to forecast workforce needs, analyse trends, and develop proactive HR strategies.
Business psychologists are crucial in addressing these and many other workplace issues, ultimately enhancing organisational effectiveness and employee well-being to benefit employees and businesses.
At Think Organisation we can provide assessments of any of the above good practices, along with recommendations and implementation plans if required.
To learn more please reach out to sam@cortex.clyq.co.uk.
Alternatively, copy and paste this link into your browser: https://cortex.clyq.co.uk/motivation-understanding-what-drives-people-at-work/
https://cortex.clyq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Psychology-Working-For-Your-Business.webp5001200Sarah Clarkehttps://cortex.clyq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Miscellaneous-Logo.pngSarah Clarke2024-08-06 13:01:112025-07-25 12:49:2499 Ways a Business Psychologist Can Improve Your Workplace
A company’s culture unconsciously influences the decisions employees make. Those decisions that employees make impact the results and success of a business, both directly and indirectly. The culture then impacts how people respond in the moment, especially when decisions are complex and there is no set process. This in turn impacts the results and success of businesses, at a level the majority of leadership teams struggle to grasp.
Since 2021, there has been a 44% point increase in the importance of organisational culture according to a survey of over 500 global CEOs (Heidrick, 2023). Yet, the majority of businesses do not have a cultural strategy. Many people attribute the quote ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast’ to Peter Drucker. However, this quote was originally cited by various other influential people and organisations, way before it was attributed to Drucker. This is the impact culture has on people. It influences what we see, what we believe, and the historic myths we attribute to reasons, explanations and ‘the way we do things’.
Have a think about an organisation you have worked for. How would you describe that culture in three words? Is that the same three words others would use? Would other teams say the same? Or would different locations use different strings of words?
Despite CEO’s recognising the importance of culture, recent reports show that many do not know how to harness this concept. It is like it’s too big, too complex or too difficult to tackle. So they continue to say it is important, but fail to make any changes to develop their own culture. With CEOs facing unprecedented pressures on retaining talent, driving transformation and new ways of working, this is precisely when they should be turning to their culture strategy. Over 70% of transformation projects fail (BCG, 2020), and with 53% of CEO’s current reporting to be leading transformation projects (PWC, 2024) understanding culture has never been more vital.
Common cultural myths we see in boardrooms:
Myth 1 – Culture is soft
Sales, operations and finance are all concrete concepts. They can be measured. Everyone is familiar with them and they are easy to set targets on. The challenge with culture is that it involves thoughts, feelings and perceptions. It is difficult to measure, but that said it is not impossible to measure. There are methods to track efficiency in sales, operations and finance whereas in reality it is the culture which impacts all of these. Culture impacts how people behave, make decisions and respond to processes and procedures.
Myth 2 – Culture can’t be managed
Many leaders say ‘culture just happens’. Others say ‘yes it’s important, but you can’t manage it’. In reality, everyday leaders are managing culture but often unconsciously. Their behaviours, the way they respond to employees, what they say behind closed doors – all of this impacts culture. This is why culture can be managed. Yes it can’t be transformed overnight, but it can be cultivated and grown and improved over time. And to do that it needs to be managed, by everyone.
Myth 3 – Human Resources are responsible
Many people say Human Resources and People Managers are responsible for organisational culture. However, whilst there are many metrics that HR can access which indicate the current culture, they are not wholly responsible. CIPD (2023) research shows 99% of FTSE 350 boards have a Financial Director on the board, compared to only 2% who have a People Director or HR Officer. Whilst the skills and experience around the table may be diverse, the research shows the levels of HR expertise at the board is much lower (only 25%) compared to 100% having financial or accountancy expertise. IT, tech and data expertise is prevalent on 57% or boards whilst marketing expertise is on 49% of boards. Therefore, when culture is led from the how the leaders behave it is difficult to link it to HR as their responsibility when this profession is significantly underrepresented at the board table.
Myth 4 – Productivity is about what we do not the culture.
Organisations manage processes, procedures and hope people work in a way of boosting productivity. However, as Simon Sinek outlines it is often ‘how’ we do things which creates the real value for customers. Culture, which impacts productivity, is key to this. Culture guides the unconscious decisions people make whilst working for a company. It guides how helpful, loyal and inclusive organisations are.
Myth 5 – Culture can’t be measured
In the famous book, Measure What Matters by John Doerr (2017), John focuses on how if you don’t measure something then it doesn’t matter, or at least it won’t improve. And this is very true is many ways. So many organisations come up with ideas, but do often fail at the execution. And this is what we are seeing so frequently with culture. Successful leaders say culture matters, but they struggle to measure it. However, just because it is difficult does not mean it is impossible and with over a decade of data taken from measuring cultures it is becoming increasingly easy to measure, observe, analyse and understand organisational cultures at a variety of levels.
Myth 6 – there is no ROI for culture
HR have many of the metrics which can give insight into the impact of culture.
Employee turnover
Employee productivity
Employee satisfaction
Net Promoter scores
Talent Succession success
ROI for training & development
Sickness & Absence Rates
Regrettable vs Non-regrettable leavers
The list goes on and on. Many of these metrics are costs to the business which push down profit, impact performance and impede employee engagement levels. It is the culture, as in the way things are done, which drives these numbers. Yet, just focusing on the numbers is only one small element of the information, it’s bringing them all together, especially over time, that gives huge insight into the current culture, the direction of culture travel and where changes may need to be made.
However, whilst much of this data is gathered by the HR team, it is important to remember that the HR team is not solely responsible for culture. Often HR teams are under-resourced, have no seat at the board table and are the people who leaders and managers turn to when things go wrong.
Conclusion
In reality everyone is responsible for culture. The leaders to define and role model it. The managers to role model and sustain it. All employees to be part of the solutions.
To know more about how to bring your culture to life for all your employees, reach out to us.
https://cortex.clyq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/240723-Culture-Finance-KPI.webp5001200Sarah Clarkehttps://cortex.clyq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Miscellaneous-Logo.pngSarah Clarke2024-07-29 11:25:552024-07-29 11:30:25Why The Most Successful CEOs Focus on Culture
Do you want to get to know the members of your team faster and really understand each other?
Do you have conflict bubbling under some of the discussions in your team?
Are you concerned that as a leader you may not be getting the ‘true picture’ of what people think?
This is why you need to use psychometrics.
What are Psychometrics?
Psychometrics are tools which allow productive conversations to happen. They provide a language which empowers teams to have conversations about behaviours. Giving people insight into the ways people work, and importantly how people can work together.
In recent years many businesses have been turning to psychometrics to understand more about their employees. A psychometric is a quantitative tool used to measure psychological variables. Understanding the intelligence, personality traits, and mental health of employees is invaluable. However, there is an increasing number of people using psychometrics for the wrong purpose, or using them to make decisions that they were not intended for. For example, would you use a metric ruler to measure how much a person weighs? Or would you use a set of kitchen scales to measure how old someone is? This is what can happen with psychometrics.
Unfortunately, except for qualified Psychologists, many people only train in one or two psychometrics during their career. Investing significant sums in this training they (understandably) then use the test they have invested in to measure everything. The problem is, that many tests are useful for different situations.
For example, a test used in recruitment might be very different from one used as part of development. Measuring someone’s cognitive ability and trying to develop this is not ideal. Just as making recruitment decisions based on invalid or unreliable tests can lead to discrimination and tribunal claims. So what is the answer?
Here are Think Organisation’s top ten benefits to using psychometrics which will fast track the success of your teams, and therefore your organisation.
Top Ten Benefits of Psychometrics
Increased efficiency & effectiveness of teams
Psychometric tests are proven to improve team dynamics. They provide insights into individual team members’ strengths, weaknesses, and working styles, facilitating better team collaboration and communication.
Improved talent retention
Psychometrics ensure a good fit between employees and their roles and can help identify candidates whose personalities, skills and values align with company culture and job requirements. This reduces employee turnover rates, leading to increased stability and vastly reduced recruitment costs.
Targeted Training & Development
Psychometric assessments can identify specific areas where employees need development, allowing for tailored training & coaching programmes that address individual and team needs. In addition, understanding employees’ motivations and preferred working conditions can help managers create environments that maximise productivity and job satisfaction for all.
Conflict Resolution
Insights gained from psychometric testing can be used to mediate and resolve conflicts by understanding the root causes and dynamics, empowering employees to own their resolutions. Having a common language helps prevent further escalations.
Talent Succession Planning
Psychometrics accurately measure competencies, desired behaviours, and thought processes and are invaluable for identifying leadership potential. They can also help improve equality and inclusion and develop effective talent pipelines within organisations.
Increased employee engagement
Understanding what drives and motivates employees can lead to strategies that increase engagement, satisfaction, and overall morale. Being able to identify skills, attributes and motivation aids in creating psychologically safe environments where everyone is learning for their future.
Objective Decision-Making
Psychometric data provides an objective basis for various HR decisions, reducing biases and promoting fair treatment when the psychometric is grounded in valid, reliable representative data.
Customer Relations
Employees who understand their own and their colleagues’ psychometric profiles can improve interactions with customers, leading to better service and customer satisfaction.
Performance Improvement
Regular psychometric assessments can track progress and highlight areas for continuous improvement, aiding performance management for everyone in a team.
Innovation and Creativity
Diverse teams, assembled based on complementary psychometric profiles, can foster innovation and creativity through varied perspectives and problem-solving approaches. Humans have a bias for people who are similar to themselves due to evolution so psychometrics can ensure a team is created with all the competencies, thought processes and behaviours required.
They can also help to bring people in who have strengths that are needed but absent from the rest of the team, balancing the needs for all types of characteristics to strengthen the team.
Which psychometric will help us?
There are hundreds of psychometrics in the marketplace. Unfortunately many are not valid, reliable or accurate measures of the construct they claim to measure. A psychometric needs to be reliable and valid.:
Reliable: ensuring the results are consistent when repeated
Valid: ensuring the results measure accurately what they specify, at levels which are consistent and can be differentiated between individuals, teams and organisations.
The British Psychology Society provides reviews of psychometrics presented to them for assessment. However, it is important to read the details of the assessment as some tests score very low against their criteria. That said the criteria is a great checklist for understanding whether the test is measuring what it says it is measuring, in a format which does not discriminate against users – BPS Test Review Criteria.
It is vital psychometrics are used for the right purpose, and measure what they say. Hiring decisions, development decisions and people’s lives are affected by their results. It is also vital that the feedback given is inspirational and supportive to suit the needs of the individuals, teams and organisation.
If you want the highest quality service provision, we would recommend using someone who is trained in the BPS User Level A & B, which is an extensive training program covering ability and personality testing, as well as practical assessments on giving feedback to candidates.
What questions should I ask to select a psychometric provider?
At Think Organisation we use psychometric measurements to connect the observable with the unobservable.
We have compiled a list of questions to help you select the right provider – share a few details and get access to them for free:
https://cortex.clyq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Are-you-measuring-what-you-think-you-are-measuring-1.webp250600Sarah Clarkehttps://cortex.clyq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Miscellaneous-Logo.pngSarah Clarke2024-07-21 20:05:132024-07-23 15:43:23Why Using Psychometrics Is Proven to Add Value to Your Business
A game of football has a clear objective, to win, by getting the ball in the net, more than your opponents.
Yet losing seems to spin millions of people into a negative decline. There are clear rules to follow, with performance closely monitored and in most cases feedback is instantaneous.
Everyone’s roles are clearly defined, with set pieces practiced and prepared ahead of being required. Yet the passion to win is intense, and the fear of losing is immense.
Imagine if you could do this in the workplace? Or imagine if after a game of football you needed to wait three months for your feedback in a performance review?
After the disappointment of Sunday, it has been scary, interesting, infuriating and bizarrely addictive watching everyone’s reactions. Some people ignored the loss, preferring to talk about something else. Others people scrutinise the game in great detail, picking holes in things which could have been better. A few people rush to talk about the future and that in two years football will definitely be coming home.
However, the majority of people seem to turn to blame.
“Blame is placing the responsibility for a fault, or wrong, against something or someone for something negative which has happened.”
Collins, 2024
However, as Gareth Southgate said ‘we have to hold our hands up, Spain were better‘. And that is the reality of the situation. On the day, in that final, they were better. They achieved the objective and got more balls in the net than us. That said, England didn’t get anyone sent off, they didn’t lose their temper, and they played well for some of the game, when they happened to have possession.
But how can psychology help us understand more? And most importantly what can we learn from this experience?
Reframe the Situation
The first one is, England didn’t lose. England came second. Out of 24 teams who took part we were better than 22 of them. The same as we did in 2020. That is no failure. We qualified, we then got into the last 16 and then we secured a place in the final. And if you think about when we were playing at our best was it just skill or was there something else?
Strengthscope™ is a psychometric which helps people identify their strengths and highlights how peak performance requires more than just the right competencies. The Strengthscope™ model below demonstrates the zone of peak performance and what is required to get there.
Reflecting on the football journey it is clear that players have the skills and the knowledge, they certainly demonstrate this for their clubs. The goals are clear. Yet what about the strengths or energisers?
Strengthscope™ research identified 24 strengths which fall into four sections: Emotional, Relational, Execution & Thinking.
By focusing on our strengths, which are the qualities which enable us to perform at our best, is proven to enable people (and therefore their teams) to achieve higher levels of resilience, confidence, engagement and success.
Understand Your Strengths
If everyone can use their underlying qualities which energise them, this lifts everyone.
Understanding your strengths ensures that everyone can bring their best self to work. The Strengthscope™ wheel below shows how these 24 strengths can be built into a profile.
Generally, people have seven significant strengths. Each of these strengths produces productive behaviours which allow people to deliver their best results. Afterall, just because someone is able to do something it may not mean they want to do something.
Think about the different roles in a football team, there may be different strengths which would make you successful.
As a whole team there are some strengths which would be critical for success, all of which we have seen during England’s Euro 2024 campaign:
Optimism
Resilience
Self-Confidence
Collaboration
Results Focus
Flexible
Common Sense
What would this look like for your team in your organisation?
Facts vs. Feelings
Humans have cognitive processes which can distort their perceptions. Cognitive dissonance happens when people have inconsistency with their actions and their beliefs.
During football, which is extremely emotive for many, this urge can be stronger. Therefore, it is important to stick to the facts, but also identify feelings as they occur. On Sunday night, many commentators and spectators left the stadium due to the feeling losing evoked. However, the only way to improve your ability to overcome this feeling is to experience it. Repeatedly.
Turning off the game, walking away and not celebrating Spain’s well deserved and amazing achievement is all about avoidance. As is blame.
It is also important to understand feelings, and some of our strengths can help us with this. In the sentence above we wrote ‘not celebrating Spain’s well deserved and amazing achievement‘. This is a matter of opinion, rather than fact. And people will have different feelings when they read this – depending on their own personal allegiances.
Give THINK Feedback
THINK feedback is about asking – Is it True? Is it Helpful? Is it Inspiring? Is it Necessary? Is it Kind? The one thing the England Manager has appeared to do is ensure all feedback meets these criteria. In fact, in football the “is it true” element has led to extreme technological advancements to ensure wherever possible decisions are made based on fact. Did it cross the line or not? Was it off-side or not? We discussed the THINK feedback model in a previous article.
The other side to this is to review, evaluate and question the information you read or watch. Headlines currently dominating the news are ‘Gareth Southgate QUITS’, and ‘England Manager to step down after England’s defeat’ (Metro, 2024). Yet the facts are Gareth Southgates contract was due to end in December 2024, and always had been.
Looking at the facts, in the fifty years before Gareth Southgate took charge England had won seven knock out games across 25 tournaments. Under his tenure England won nine knock out matches across four tournaments. England have only ever made it to three tournament finals, one before Gareth Southgate and then two during his tenure. When you crunch the numbers that is over an 800% improvement in performance under his stewardship (ITV, 2024) in just eight years. Nothing, no manager had ever done before.
Why Don’t We Focus on Strengths More?
Unfortunately, humans have a tendency to focus on the negative. This negativity bias is a cognitive tendency which was designed to protect us. Just as not all emotions are equal, not all thoughts are equal. When presented with a mountain of positive feedback, or information, as humans we are hardwired to select and focus on the negative aspects first. Research suggests the ratio is 5:1 in favour of negativity. That means our brains need at least five positive pieces of information to counteract one negative piece (Psychology Spot, 2019). Though some research suggests this can be higher.
This is why understanding people’s strengths is vital. This helps us focus on positivity. The elements which really energise us, and thus empowers us to do out best work. So if you would like to know more about how Strengthscope™ could benefit your business please message us as we have a team of highly experienced Master Strengthscope™ Practitioners..
Alternatively, copy and paste this link into your browser: https://cortex.clyq.co.uk/are-you-a-frustrated-leader-because-of-team-dynamics/
https://cortex.clyq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/What-Can-We-Learn.webp600600Sarah Clarkehttps://cortex.clyq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Miscellaneous-Logo.pngSarah Clarke2024-07-16 13:16:392025-10-20 12:50:52Losing Teaches Us How To Be Stronger Leaders
Many organisations hire, or borrow talent when required, especially during periods of transition or transformation. Often talent required on a more permanent basis may not suit times of change. Or projects need specific talent to help get them set up but then very different skills to maintain them. So what options do businesses have? A Culture Consultant is someone who professionally provides expert guidance or expertise to businesses.
Worryingly, many managers do not find the time or have the expertise, to effectively select Culture Consultants to deliver projects. This often results in businesses making decisions by ‘putting their finger in the air‘ to decide who feels right. But what are the risks of this?
Firstly, financial risks.
Many businesses pay Culture Consultants for services that do not yield results. Multiple research sources show that at least 70% of large projects fail (McKinsey, 2019). Whilst this failure may be complete, or partial, this is costing businesses money. Both in terms of unrealised ROI (return on investment), and wasted resources which have indirect implications.
Despite large investments in effective project management less than 36% of organisational projects are delivered within budget (PM Survey, 2019). So even businesses with large project teams are not immune to this risk, the larger the project the greater the risk.
Secondly, operational disruption.
Can be caused through misguided strategies. Many Culture Consultants offer a ‘one size fits all’ solution. Historically, this worked at least to some extent. However, business is different today.
Faster, more complex, hybrid, new technology and change is the new normal. This leads to operational disruption when culture consultants join businesses with misguided strategies. Businesses, and many Culture Consultants, need to think differently.
Communication which is reactive or poorly managed can incite confusion, further fuelling an increase in change resistance. Employees who are not bought in make initiatives significantly harder (if not impossible!) to implement. Humans like change in many ways, especially when they perceive they are in control which is when understanding the science of human behaviour can be so invaluable.
Emotional turmoil risks further reducing productivity, guarantees resources are used ineffectively and can also result in a lower health and wellbeing of employees.
Thirdly, talent drain.
Occurs when employee engagement starts to decline. Culture Consultants who fail to engage with employees across a business, or don’t see the value in this activity, can quickly alienate your talented employees.
Unfortunately, high-performing employees tend to be more likely to join competitors or move onto pastures new. Disillusioned employees can become toxic, absorbing managers’ time and effort, as they focus on the negative elements of the change or transformation. In reality, this is a normal human reaction. It is also a predictable reaction, as it is how humans have survived successfully for years.
Unfortunately, in the business setting this innate unconscious psychological process can be detrimental to both the business, the teams and the individuals involved.
Fourthly, reputation or brand damage.
Negative stories, disgruntled employees, unhappy customers are just some of the results which an unsuccessful transformation can deliver.
Often organisations go public with their changes, promoting and marketing their plans, which when they fail or don’t deliver the promised north star, stakeholders become disgruntled.
Think about when you have been promised something, which failed to materialise.
How did you feel? What did you think?
This is something which many Culture Consultants often fail to prioritise. Either through time or resource constraints or through a gap in their skills and expertise.
Often organisations get tarnished by investing significant sums of money in projects and consultants, which fail to deliver, further infuriating shareholders.
On the other side, if the transformation was critical (e.g. when BHS tried to reinvent itself) then the brand can continue a decline as consultants fail to deliver the transformation or promises promoted.
So what is the solution to recruiting the right culture consultant?
The first is to measure the current culture of your organisation. Is it hierarchical? Is it democratic? Is it inclusive? Is it open or closed? What three words would you use to describe your organisational culture? Are these descriptions consistent across teams, employees and levels of management? This is important as it allows a consultant to understand the real elements of the business they are working with. Organisations are very different in terms of what they say they do, versus how they do things in reality.
Unwritten rules, shortcuts and more effective ways of working are what keep organisations functioning. These are never written down. Whilst structures, employee engagement scores and focus groups give some insight it is observing, analysing and understanding the true culture which sets up transformation projects for success.
The second is to engage in an effective procurement search for the right consultant. Many businesses are attracted to consultants who are like them, or who they know. People they have worked with before. The majority of SMEs fail to get a broad range of consultants to tender for the work. Or when they do they focus on price, as opposed to outcomes and ROI as selection criteria.
Collaboratively designing the transformation, engaging with stakeholders and listening to what is really required are fundamental to success. In reality, as McKinsey’s extensive research shows many transformations start to fail from day one (McKinsey, 2021).
The third is to ensure your consultant has the skills and expertise to deliver. The following questions can help with this:
Questions to help you recruit the right Culture Consultant
What are your educational and professional qualifications?
Can you provide details of how your qualifications or certifications relate to cultural transformation?
Can you please talk us through similar projects you have delivered?
On a scale of 0-10, how successful would the clients have said the project was?
What would you have done differently on these projects?
Do you have any client references or clients we can speak to?
How do you customise your approach to fit the specific needs of an organisation?
What tools and techniques do you use for cultural assessment?
How do you ensure sustainable change is delivered and continues after the project concludes?
How do you handle resistance to change within an organisation?
Can you describe your approach, and experience, to facilitating workshops or training?
How will you ensure buy-in for cultural change initiatives with employees?
What are the key milestones and deliverables for this project?
What do you think the biggest risk is for this project? How will you help us overcome this?
How do you measure the success of your cultural change initiatives? What metrics and KPIs do you use? What if we don’t have them today?
Can you please explain your fee structure and talk us through the cost breakdown?
Are there any additional costs we should anticipate beyond your quoted fees?
What are your proposed timelines for this project, and what could potentially derail this?
How many clients are you currently working with, and how will you meet our needs and manage your time?
What business continuity do you have in place in case you cannot complete our project?
How will you ensure compliance with regulatory, industry standards and legislation?
Can you please give us some examples of how you have demonstrated your ethical credentials in previous projects?
How do you adapt your strategies to suit situations which may arise?
What potential risks do you foresee with this project? How would you mitigate them?
How will you engage with our stakeholders and ensure buy-in?
How will you blend the diverse needs and requirements of our stakeholders?
What digital tools will you use, or do you recommend we use?
How will you leverage data and information as part of this project?
What do you think we have missed or need to consider before we start this project?
What do you believe sets you apart from other consultants in your field?
What additional value will you bring to our organisation that we may not have considered?
With decades of experience working across over 30 industries, the team at Think Organisation have extensive expertise in transforming cultures. We also provide independent advice and support to businesses to help ensure they make effective decisions.
To learn more please book a free consultation with us or email sam@cortex.clyq.co.uk.
https://cortex.clyq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Why-e1721134319346.webp450600Sarah Clarkehttps://cortex.clyq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Miscellaneous-Logo.pngSarah Clarke2024-07-10 10:55:362025-10-20 16:04:00How To Select The Right Culture Consultant For Your Business.
Everyone is currently talking about football. Like marmite, it is either positive or negative. Some of us get pulled into the football frenzy across the country, and others avoid it like the plague. Here at Think Organisation we can’t help but notice the connections between football teams and organisational cultures. So how can we use football to demonstrate the importance of culture across organisations?
For example, whether you are talking about a football team or an organisation the following questions will be answered in this article.
How does having a clear purpose affect the performance and cohesion of a team or organisation?
In what ways can understanding roles and responsibilities help a team navigate pressure and overcome challenges?
How can measuring and understanding the unique culture of a team or organisation contribute to its overall success?
Four years ago, Sarah Clarke was invited onto BBC Breakfast to discuss Gareth Southgate’s fresh approach to coaching the England football team. A few years on ask anyone what they think and there will be emotional, passive or apathetic responses. This is what happens behind any leader’s back. Their teams, colleagues and peers discuss their performance. And in reality, there is little a leader such as Gareth Southgate can do about it.
So, what can we learn from football?
A football team is like an organisation. A diverse collective of skilled players who are visible to the customer. Supported by a breadth of expertise and support functions not visible to the customers. Every team member has a clear role, from physio to player. The collective purpose is to win a match. So how can we use this analogy when it comes to organisations?
Have a Clear Purpose
Every team needs to know what their purpose is. In football, it is to win. In organisations, it can be less clear.
What does winning look like to your business?
Does every team across your organisation know their role to win (deliver your purpose)?
How do the teams engage with each other to ensure smooth transitions?
What happens when the organisation is put under pressure?
How does your culture support your business to win (purpose)?
Think about the different teams you are watching. Each team has a different strategy. There is a different approach to the game. Some are aggressive. Some passive. Some have one hero player, others have a more flexible approach. Defence is very different from attack, but all players need to work together, just like in an organisation, to win.
Understand Roles & Responsibilities
Individuals, and teams, need to know what their roles are in delivering a win (success). In football, when players don’t have or deliver their roles the opposition has chances to overtake them. To exploit their weaknesses. All the roles need to work together, anticipating the moves of other players to ensure they deliver a win. The moment one role isn’t delivered successfully, or a mistake occurs, it is how the other roles step in to support, compensate or overcome the problems which says a lot about whether a win will be achieved. Just like games which ended up with a team significantly losing, this is when one issue snowballed into further issues exacerbating the problems and contributing to the loss.
What is everyone’s role and how does everyone work together?
How do roles cover, support and help each other in times of pressure?
Do people understand other people’s roles clearly?
Does the leader provide oversight across the roles?
Can each role have the autonomy required to deliver whilst being aligned?
Be Strategic & Flexible
No matter what happens in a game of football there are always surprises. Yes, ‘set pieces’ can be practised, managed and rehearsed. However, in reality, there are some events which cannot be anticipated, such as a red card or an injury. Each of these can be anticipated at a strategic level, yet responses need to be flexible depending on the specifics of the situation. Like football, organisations can discuss ‘what ifs’, and they can plan for eventualities, but ultimately every moment will be unique in its own way.
What is our strategy to win?
What could derail us on the way?
How will we respond to different situations?
Who has the skills, expertise and experience to step up depending on the challenge?
How do individuals make their own decisions aligned to the strategy?
Measure Your Culture
Like a football team. On paper, they are all the same. Eleven players. Always one goalie. A Coach. Physio support team. But the culture of the team can be hugely different. No culture is ever the same. The feelings, the behaviours, the emotions, the passion, the energy and the inter-team dynamics are all unique to every team. This is the ‘way we do things’, the culture of the team. Understanding this culture is vital to the success of the team as ensuring the behaviours, approaches and ‘how’ things are done delivers the ‘why’ ensures success.
What three words would we use to describe our culture?
How do we ensure our culture is supportive of success?
What does improving our culture look like?
What do our customers and stakeholders think of our culture?
Does our culture ensure talent retention and attraction?
Talent Is Important, But Not Everything
Many teams focus on gathering a high volume of extremely talented players, but often these are not the most successful teams. Eleven top talented players do not make a team. In fact, as we have seen many times before teams with ‘all the talent’ often fail to gel, work together and can provide endless disappointment to fans. Many organisational cultures can be the same. High talent teams, fighting for air time and missing the purpose of the group as they all try to be the hero of the match.
Do we have diverse talent which complement each other?
Does our talent try to ‘outshine’ others creating a culture of competition?
Would team members put the purpose of the team above their own accolades?
Do we understand what motivates our talent?
Do we have inspirational leaders who lead accountability?
So What Now?
Having a clear purpose significantly impacts the performance and cohesion of an organisation. Providing a unified direction, helps members to be motivated to work towards a common goal. When everyone understands the overarching purpose, individual and collective efforts are better aligned. This reduces inefficiency and leads to enhanced collaboration and innovation. Having this clarity helps to minimise confusion and conflict. Decisions and actions are guided by a shared objective. Individuals are guided in their decision-making, yet not micro-managed. In turn, this fosters a sense of belonging and commitment among team members, boosting morale and driving higher levels of performance and productivity.
Understanding roles and responsibilities is crucial for a team to navigate pressure and overcome challenges effectively. When each team member is clear about their specific duties and the expectations placed upon them, it reduces ambiguity. Importantly when issues arise, team members can swiftly identify who is best positioned to resolve them.
An effective organisational design enables team members to support one another, covering gaps without creating unnecessary risk or negative strain. This mutual support system enhances the team’s resilience and ability to adapt to changing circumstances, ultimately ensuring that challenges are met with well-coordinated responses.
Measuring and understanding the unique culture of a team or organisation is vital for its overall success as it provides insights into the behaviours, attitudes, and dynamics that drive performance.
A deep comprehension of the organisational culture allows leaders to identify strengths to build upon and areas needing improvement. By fostering a culture that aligns with the organisation’s goals and values, leaders can cultivate an environment that promotes engagement, innovation, and satisfaction among team members.
Moreover, a positive and well-understood culture attracts and retains talent, enhances team cohesion, and ensures that all members are motivated and committed to the organisation’s success.
This alignment between culture and strategic objectives is crucial for long-term sustainability and achievement.
Check our Insights page for more valuable information.
https://cortex.clyq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Football-Leadership-v1.png600600Sarah Clarkehttps://cortex.clyq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Miscellaneous-Logo.pngSarah Clarke2024-06-25 10:37:092025-11-10 15:03:51Why Football Is A Great Metaphor of Organisational Culture.
The role of the leader is to communicate culture. Some believe the role of a leader is to motivate others.
In reality, the role of a leader is to unite a team, communicate culture, and model core values so that the team fosters harmonious and inclusive work environments where teams are inspired to produce exceptional results.
The complexities of leadership mean individuals are complex, ever-changing, so what suits one employee may not suit another.
In reality, no human will do anything that they don’t ultimately want to do.
Motivation is a psychological force, defined as ‘the reason, or reasons, why people act or behave in certain ways’.
Yes, you might not ‘want‘ to work late. You might actually prefer to be at home with your family. But you need a job. You want your boss to appreciate you, and be proud and grateful to you. Hence you stay late. You get the work done to achieve this. Because wants and motivation are complex, and delayed gratification, short and long-term gains, all lead to these complexities.
Humans often don’t consciously know what they want.
At times, humans don’t consciously know what we want. Other times we do but need to adapt for longer-term benefits. This is when we do things or act in a certain way, which we may not want to do initially for longer-term rewards.
Think about the gym. If you go to the gym, especially at the beginning it can be difficult, hard work, even painful. Many people don’t enjoy going to the gym. But they want, even need, to be fit and healthy. So they go to the gym to meet their higher-order wants – the results.
Generally, no human will ever do anything they don’t want to.
Humans can be forced to do things, physically and mentally. However, generally, humans do not tend to do things they don’t want to do. Even under duress, humans make decisions about how best to negotiate a situation.
The challenge is, when businesses expect leaders to be directly responsible for motivation this focus can be demotivating to some, even detrimental to others.
A recent leader used to celebrate their employee’s success, shouting about their achievements and in turn, this demotivated some employees who held back their potential to avoid the attention.
Potential can be defined as the innate capacity within an individual to develop or improve. But this is aligned with what motivates us. Humans need to be motivated. You can’t force someone to change, develop or improve, without them wanting to do it themselves.
But what can leaders do to motivate their employees?
The first is to understand that humans cannot directly motivate each other. They need to create an environment in which an individual motivates themselves. Then in time, they form habits which promote a culture of success. To do this leaders need to:
Listen To Understand Others
Understanding what matters to the individuals in your team, their goals, interests and values allows you to tailor your encouragement. Opening doors for individuals to progress into areas aligned with their interests and what they find meaningful.
Understand Your Own Strengths
Knowing your strengths, skills, expertise and where you gain energy is paramount in empowering others. Being able to utilise your strengths, develop yourself and understand your motivations ensures authentic leadership that naturally inspires and motivates others.
Lead with Psychological Safety
Ensuring everyone feels included, and that they are able to voice their ideas and thoughts in a safe environment is crucial to ensure people remain motivated.
So often employees become demotivated when they don’t feel listened to. When employees don’t feel as though people listen to their ideas, they stop making suggestions, reducing or redirecting their actions based on their motivations.
No human is motivated by being made to feel incompetent, unappreciated, unheard or obsolete.
T.H.I.N.K. About Communication
Leaders need to provide constructive feedback. Share the facts. Share areas for improvement. Be open to feedback themselves. Ensuring all communication is true, helpful, inspiring, necessary and kind is crucial for any employee – especially leaders. Read more here.
Manage Mindsets
At times everyone can become ‘fixed’ in their thoughts, focus and mindset. How a person thinks, their attitudes and opinions can be focused, inflexible and fixed – especially with individuals who are unable or unwilling to change them. A great leader can support individuals to see challenges as opportunities for growth.
Supportive Direction
Everyone needs direction. Clear areas to focus on, whilst being empowered to own their progress is vital. Motivation can fluctuate so a great leader can dial up and dial down direction and support as required to encourage individuals’ motivation.
Set Teams Up For Success
Providing resources and opportunities and setting teams up for success is key to ensuring individuals are motivated. So often, managers can hinder their teams by not setting them up for success. Sometimes thinking that by setting out challenges they are helping their team ‘demonstrate’ their competence. In reality, a manager needs to set up their teams for success.
Lead By Example
Humans emulate others. Despite what we say to others, people copy the behaviours of others. Leaders need to demonstrate the behaviours, attitudes and focus that they wish to inspire in others. Being authentic, and ensuring their actions fuel motivation in others.
Motivation fluctuates. At times of high stress, human motivation levels can be reduced. But equally, when there is no stress or pressure this can also cause motivation to reduce.
For many, there are optimum levels of stressors to ensure people remain motivated but do not become burnt out. This also relates to a person’s strengths. Individuals are more likely to become burnt out when not utilising their strengths.
Remember, while you can provide support and encouragement, motivation ultimately comes from within the individual. A leader’s role is to inspire and facilitate their intrinsic motivation.
First invented in 1950s, it is only recently that Artificial intelligence has become so prolific across society as a whole. Ten years ago AI was still a dream for the majority of us. (Deutsch, 2012).
What is Artificial Intelligence?
Let’s look at some dictionary definitions.
Intelligence is the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills. It is the ability to reason or make judgements. The word artificial refers to something which is produced by humans, meaning it does not occur naturally. It is machines which are capable of artificial intelligence. Machines are an apparatus which use mechanical power, and consist of several parts, which function together to perform a task.
Artificial intelligence is a machine which has the ability to learn, understand and make judgements or have opinions based on reason. The machine is capable of building something new, as opposed to just reprocessing information which has been entered.
Artificially intelligent machines were first invented in the 1950s (Harvard, 2017). These machines were significantly slower (and larger!) as well as being less powerful compared to today’s computers. At the time, AI pioneers like Alan Turing and Marvin Minsky laid the groundwork for the AI we enjoy today. At the time, AI machines could perform relatively simple tasks such as logical reasoning, solving mathematical problems, and playing simple games like tic-tac-toe.
At this point, the main focus was on developing algorithms and exploring the theoretical foundations of artificial intelligence rather than more practical applications.
For example, it wasn’t until forty years later, in 1997 that AI really cracked playing chess. IBM’s Deep Blue machine made headlines by defeating world champion Garry Kasparov in a six-game chess match. This marked a significant milestone in AI’s ability.
What has Artificial Intelligence got to do with Psychology?
Understanding human intelligence has alluded humans for years. Psych (meaning soul) ology (meaning study of) is a multi-faceted discipline covering many areas of science. Today, humans (including Psychologists) still debate what intelligence is and how to measure it.
Psychologists have proposed various definitions and theories of intelligence over the years, reflecting different perspectives on what intelligence encompasses. Some psychologists view intelligence as a single, general cognitive ability (GCA), while others argue for a broader, more multifaceted understanding.
Theories of Intelligence
Leading experts have proposed various theories of intelligence, each offering distinct perspectives on the nature and measurement of cognitive abilities:
Psychometric approach
Multiple intelligences theory
Triarchic theory of intelligence
Theory of multiple factors
These theories all represent different perspectives on intelligence, highlighting the complexity of the concept and the diverse ways in which it can be conceptualised and measured.
The human brain is an intricate organ
It serves as the control centre for the body’s functions and behaviours. It consists of billions of nerve cells called neurons, which communicate with each other through electrical and chemical signals. The brain is divided into different regions, each responsible for specific functions such as movement, sensation, language, memory, and emotions.
Sensory processing centre
Information processing in the brain occurs through complex neural networks. When we perceive sensory information from the environment, such as seeing, hearing, or feeling, neurons in the sensory areas of the brain process this information and transmit it to other regions for further interpretation and action.
Memory formation involves the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information. Different types of memory, including short-term memory and long-term memory, are supported by various brain structures and neural pathways. Emotions are regulated by regions such as the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, which play crucial roles in processing and responding to emotional stimuli.
Consciousness, awareness, and higher cognitive functions like decision-making, problem-solving, and creativity involve interactions between different brain regions, particularly the cerebral cortex—the outer layer of the brain responsible for higher-level processing.
Overall, the human brain functions through the coordinated activity of neurons and neural circuits, enabling us to perceive, think, feel, and act in response to our environment and internal states.
We must consider this when discussing artificial intelligence, can a machine do all of this? And how can it do all of this?
Why does this matter?
The human brain has over 86 billion neurons, which we couldn’t see until the 1970s when magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was first developed. So how do we know what AI is doing? How can we see inside the minds of the machines?
Today AI has learned to do a wide range of tasks across various domains, including:
Playing Games: AI can play complex games like chess, Go, and video games at a level surpassing human experts.
Natural Language Processing (NLP): AI can understand, generate, and translate human languages, enabling applications like chatbots, language translation services, and sentiment analysis.
Image Recognition: AI can accurately identify objects, people, and scenes in images, powering applications like facial recognition, image search, and autonomous vehicles.
Medical Diagnosis: AI algorithms can analyse medical data to assist in diagnosing diseases, detecting abnormalities in medical images, and predicting patient outcomes.
Autonomous Vehicles: AI enables self-driving cars to perceive their environment, make decisions, and navigate safely on roads.
Recommendation Systems: AI algorithms can analyse user preferences and behaviour to recommend products, movies, music, and other personalised content.
Financial Trading: AI is used in algorithmic trading to analyse market data, identify patterns, and execute trades at high speeds.
Drug Discovery: AI accelerates the process of drug discovery by predicting molecular interactions, designing new compounds, and identifying potential drug candidates.
Robotics: AI enables robots to perform tasks such as assembly, navigation, and object manipulation in diverse environments.
Personal Assistants: AI-powered virtual assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant can understand spoken commands, answer questions, and perform tasks like setting reminders and sending messages.
These are just a few examples and are not exhaustive due to the speed at which AI is developing.
Why should I care?
For the majority of the population, it probably wasn’t until the end of 2022, when ChatGPT was launched, that we began to think and consider AI. This morning, a morning greeting from ChatGPT is shown below asking what it can help with.
You should care, because these questions are based on my search history. And the speed of change is ground-breaking.
It took the telephone just over 75 years to reach 100 million users. The mobile phone took 16 years, with the world wide web halving this, reaching 100 million users in 7 years. ChatGPT took 2 months. Surpassing previous record breakers, TikTok which took 9 months and Uber which took 70 months. The speed at which AI is advancing is faster than anything humans have ever seen before.
So what next?
All humans need to understand AI.
Psychologists bring invaluable expertise to the field of AI, contributing insights crucial for the development of responsible and user-centric technologies. With their deep understanding of human behaviour, cognition, and emotions, psychologists play a pivotal role in shaping AI systems to align with human preferences, needs, and ethical considerations.
The ability to ensure big data used in AI is robust, reliable and valid is fundamental to the integrity of the algorithms. Psychologists have long focused on the need for machine innovation, whilst ensuring they are ethically sound, especially in terms of addressing concerns related to privacy, bias, fairness, and transparency.
As AI becomes increasingly integrated into daily life, psychologists contribute valuable insights into human-machine interaction, much like ergonomics and health and safety in the past.
Understanding the human factor in AI and machine integration is fundamental to the success of organisations, and society as a whole, just as it was in transforming how humans interacted with airplanes (Harris, 2014).
If you would like to discuss how the Think Organisation can ensure your organisation and its people can harness the power of AI please contact us.
A successful organisation is one which accomplishes its aim or purpose. To do this, people need to be willing, able and aligned. A culture, with highly engaged employees, has been repeatedly proven to deliver significantly higher results.
So how do you know if your culture is delivering results?
Firstly, it is vital to know what exceptional results look like for your organisation. When Think Organisation conduct our diagnoses, cultures which do not deliver results frequently come back to an inattention to results.
Results which lack clarity, are inconsistent, uncollaborative and are poorly communicated will guarantee your culture is not delivering results.
Focusing on outcomes, impact and effective measurements allows the culture to suddenly start supporting the delivery of results.
Is your organisation just ticking boxes when it comes to results? If so, we would recommend you spend some time identifying your Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs). This format has been around for years and creates a great starting point for creating objectives and key results Collins & Porras (1994).
Secondly, do your teams know how they contribute to delivering exceptional results? An effective culture creates a golden thread of consistency between teams. Each team trusts the other teams to deliver their part. There is collaboration, health conflict and creativity across the teams to ensure that everyone contributes. Together the teams deliver exceptional results.
Thirdly, does it really matter? One large bank, invested significant sums in marketing why their bank was different, focusing on purpose. But in reality, their behaviour was not aligned with this purpose. When the pressure was on for profit, the claimed purpose suddenly became less important. Your culture will not be delivering results if it doesn’t matter.
So if you know your why, the purpose and the aim of your organisation. Then, have you communicated these consistently across your organisation. How do you know if your culture is delivering results?
Look back over the last year – did your organisation achieve all it aspired to? Was your culture consistent with the aspirations you had? Would someone experiencing your culture use the same terms? Would it match the behaviours, competencies and values which leaders claim set the culture apart from your competitors?
Many clients come to Think Organisation to use our own independent measures including psychological safety, culture, toxicity and inclusivity. However, we often work with global assessments, including Investors in People, Best Companies, and a Better Place to Work, which clients already use. These tools each bring a different perspective into a business. But so often, clients do not know where to start in terms of how they ensure their culture delivers results.
The challenge is that humans don’t always do what is asked, and often, the brain reacts in ways which are unanticipated by leaders.
The objective of “we need to impact a million people in a year” led to one company broadening their definition of impact, creating a culture where people celebrated a diluted success.
A result focus of increasing the numbers of potential customers a company connects with can lead to significant wasted effort, and a much lower conversion rate, in addition to creating highly frustrated employees.
Finally, and in some ways the most fundamental element of whether your culture delivers results is – how do results get ticked off?
Many organisations have a culture which spends three months per annum designing suitable objectives, yet a year later there is a quick tick or yes/no before moving on to the next cycle. This culture creates frustration, as people need autonomy, mastery and purpose to be motivated (Pink, 2018).
Think Organisation recommends real-time management, so time is spent effectively. There are many technical solutions which can help with this. But fundamentally the system is about creating visibility, empowering employees to be accountable, have purpose and be able to master their own roles using their own strengths.
Each thread winds together, across teams and the organisation to ensure everyone moves towards the purpose and aim of the organisation, spending time adding value, not ticking boxes.
An organisation can determine if its culture is delivering results by assessing whether its objectives are consistently achieved, if there is clarity and alignment in the goals set, and if there is a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Summary
How can an organisation determine if its culture is delivering results?
Factors contributing to a culture that successfully delivers exceptional results include clear communication of objectives, fostering collaboration and trust among teams, ensuring alignment with the organisation’s purpose, and providing autonomy, mastery, and purpose to employees to keep them motivated.
Why do some organisations struggle to achieve their goals despite having clear objectives and purposes?
Some organisations struggle to achieve their goals despite having clear objectives and purposes due to a lack of alignment between stated values and actual behaviours, inadequate communication of goals and expectations, and a failure to empower employees to take ownership of their roles and contribute effectively to the organisation’s mission.
