Improve Organisational Life in 15 Minutes

Our very own Steve Keyes is currently finishing off his full time MSc at Nottingham University in Work and Organisational Psychology and about to start his research project. He has devised a short questionnaire to further understand how individual behaviours at work contribute to the effective functioning of an organisation. he deadline for taking part is 30 June 2008.

There is a link and some instructions for questionnaire at the bottom of this article, and below is some further information about the background to Steve's project.

I am conducting my final research project in the area of Career Preference and Organisational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB). I am particularly interested in the issues of how individual behaviour promotes the effective functioning of the organisation.

Definition of OCB:

“Individual behaviour that is discretionary, not directly or explicitly recognized by the formal reward system, and that in the aggregate promotes the effective functioning of the organization” Organ, Podsakoff, MacKenzie (2006).

Definition of Career Preference:

“An individual’s enduring motives, values, and expectations regarding work and career”. Derr (1995).

So The Point Is?

I believe that this will be of interest to HR professionals and managers by helping to answer these key questions:

• What is that individuals do outside of the “normal” framework of performance?

• What is it that organisations can do to support Organisational Citizenship Behaviour?

• Does an individual’s career preference impact on being a good organisational citizen?

• Create a framework for measuring real work performance that has implications for effective people management within organisations.

• Create an understanding of what an individual can do and how this will help their career.

LINK: https://nds.novations.com/home/main.aspx

Log-in Key: keyesresearch

Just follow the instructions and click register – You can write anything in the boxes, do not put in your real name I do not need this, then click submit. Then click begin self assessment. It should take 15-20 minutes to complete.

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Give Yourself an A

School was a disaster for me; I didn’t achieve hardly anything and the time I spent there made me wish I wasn’t. Oh how I planned for the first day when I didn’t have to go to school. School for me was everything I really hated, bossy teachers telling me what I could and could not do, school meals and even worse playing sports.

It is, looking back pretty amazing at how creative I could be in getting my mum to write notes to excuse me from P.E. everything from verruca’s on my feet to not having the right kit to do any sports in. When there wasn’t a note from mum I was always late or purposefully forgot a vital piece of kit, like my shorts! It was unfortunate I had a sadist for a PE teacher; I once had to do football in my undies!

Thank goodness times have changed; while this was extreme I wonder how many kids at school create ways to avoid doing things. How many creative ways do you use to avoid the things you hate most at work or in your personal life?

Ok, lets presuppose… What would and could happen if you were to change this around? What would happen if for instance you were

1. really motivated to do something
2. was not under any kind of pressure and
3. knew you couldn’t fail?

How would that change things? It would have to be better, right?

Before I get to that I want you to consider some other things: We are all judged at school, university and in academia and to some degree in business by giving grades at the end of a set period of time. These grades rarely say a lot about the work done. If you consider a mistake that you have made and then reflect on that moment this says a great deal about your performance.

Reflecting on a past mistake is one of the greatest ways in which we can learn and modify our behaviour, should we choose to. When you grade someone you are matching against a norm or average of others. Certainly in universities and colleges we are comparing one student against another. In a sense we are creating a form of competition that may put a strain on relationships and on oneself.

Michelangelo is often quoted with saying that inside every block of stone or marble there dwells a beautiful statue in side. If we were to use this, instead of putting all our energy into comparing one against another we could change our focus into chipping away at the stone and getting rid of whatever is in the way.

My colleague and friend told me of one such true story; Jane worked in a small office with a three other colleagues. Most of them got along just fine, except for one women Margaret who would never join in any fun around the office, she would take every opportunity to dismiss them and she especially loathed Jane. Margaret would ignore her and took every opportunity to put her down in front of other colleagues, to tell her boss of any mistakes and generally make things very difficult for her. Jane hated Margaret and Margaret hated Jane.

Jane was getting increasing strained under this pressure to such an extent she considered leaving the company. One day Jane came into work and brought with her a beautiful bunch of flowers. She gave them to Margaret where upon she was moved to tears and hugged Jane. This took Jane completely by surprise except that on reflection she believed there was “something else going on”. Jane later found out from Margaret that she had never really had any affection shown to her. From that moment Jane looked beyond the block of stone to see the beautiful statue inside.

Benjamin Zander calls this giving an A. In his master class of interpretation students would be in such a chronic state of anxiety over the measurement of performance that they would take very little risks with there playing. At the start of the term he would give everyone a grade A. The prerequisite to this was that students were to write him a letter dated for the end of academic year. The letter would begin with Dear Mr. Zander, I got my A because…In this letter they had to tell in as much detail as possible the story of what will have happened to them by the end of the class the following year. In writing this letter they are looking back at themselves reporting any insights and milestones along the way. Everything must be written in the past tense. He was especially interested in the person they had become. This is about shifting your belief system and opening up new possibilities.

Giving yourself an A transforms you from a world of measurement into a universe of possibilities. You can also give an A to others by not comparing your standards and/or values with there’s but from a place of respect that gives them room to realise themselves. Your eye is on the statue within not in the lump of marble. It is not an expectation but a possibility to live into. Why not give yourself an A and radiate possibility, the Monks story illustrates this brilliantly refer back to the articles section.

Here's what I want you to do: Write a letter to yourself using Benjamin Zander's philosophy:

1. Think of a goal you want to achieve.
2. Start of with “My Dearest and closet friend I achieved…………
3. Include in it as much detail as possible.
4. Everything must be written in the past tense.
5. Send it to someone who you trust.
6. Look at the letter when you have achieved your goal.

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A Lesson in Performance Management

So Kevin went on a three day management development programme and learned about problem solving, time management, change process, quantum mechanics, stress management and effective communication (it was a very intensive programme) but nothing about flying.

Kevin returning to the flat could hardly contain his enthusiasm; Trevor continued with his training.

On the first day of flying lessons, Trevor could barely control his excitement (and Kevin could barely control his bladder). Trevor explained that their block of flats had 15 floors and each day, Kevin would jump out of a window starting with the first floor, eventually getting to the top floor. After each jump, Kevin would analyse how well he flew, concentrate on the most effective flying techniques and implement the improved process for the next flight. By the time they reached the top floor, Kevin would surely be able to fly.

Kevin pleaded for his life, but it fell on deaf ears. ‘He just doesn’t understand how important this is’, thought Trevor, ‘but I won’t let this get in my way’. So with that, Trevor opened the window and threw Kevin out who landed with a thud.

Next day, (poised for his second flying lesson) Kevin again begged again not to be thrown out of the window. With that, Trevor opened his pocket guide to ‘Managing More Effectively’, and showed Kevin the part about how one must always expect resistance when implementing new change programmes ‘Didn’t they teach you anything on that course’ said Trevor indigently and with that, he threw Kevin out of the window (thud!).

On the third day (on the third floor), Kevin tried a different ploy. Stalling, he asked for a delay in the project – until better weather would make flying conditions more favourable. But Trevor was ready for him. He produced an action plan and asked

‘You don’t want the schedule to slip now do you?’

From his training, Kevin knew that not jumping today would mean that he would have to jump TWICE tomorrow. So he just said ‘okay’, and out of the window he went.

Now what you have to understand is that Kevin was really trying his best. On the fifth day, he flapped his little feet madly in a vain attempt to fly. On the sixth day, he tied a small red cape around his neck and tried to think “Superman” thoughts. He even watched Walt Disney’s film Dumbo for inspiration, alas try as he might, Kevin could not fly.

On the seventh day (accepting his fate) he no longer begged for mercy. He simply gazed into Trevor’s eyes, cocked his tiny head to one side and said pitifully ‘You know you’re killing me don’t you?’ Trevor pointed out the Kevin’s performance had so far been less than exemplary, failing to meet any of the milestone goals he had set him. With that, Kevin said quietly ‘Shut up and open the window.’

He leapt out, taking careful aim on the giant teletubbie in the kid’s playground at the foot of the building and Kevin……….. went to the great lily pad in the sky.

Trevor was extremely upset, as his project had failed to meet a single goal he had set out to accomplish. Kevin had not only failed to fly – he didn’t even learn how to steer his flight as he fell like a sack of spanners, nor did he improve his productivity when Trevor had told him to fall smarter not harder!

The only thing left for Trevor to do was to analyse the process and try to determine where it had gone wrong. After much thought, Trevor smiled and said ‘next time…. I am getting a smarter frog!’

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Are You Looking at A Gift Horse

His days, apart from a half hours exercise are spent gently dozing with an occasional interruption for pampering. Staff slip his feet into cooling ice booties, slide a steamer over his nose to aid his breathing, (no I’m talking about Tim Henman's pre Wimbledon chill out). Anything to keep him happy, giving him his oats and molasses, gently served by fussing attendees.

Yes, you guessed it this is a horse, but no ordinary horse. His owners, small timers in a sport dominated by a rich pedigree elite will take home $5m. Amazingly his story contains all the elements for a hit rags to riches movie, you know the sort that gives you that warm after glow like you’ve just walked from behind a jet fighter as it takes off. That feeling you get when everything in the universe seems to come together at a single point in time to give that oh so happy feeling.

Underachieving outsider – you can here the movie trailer voice over “He was born on the wrong side of the tracks…” The plot runs like this: old high school chums buy a horse on the cheap (a relative term in racing circles), engage trainer who hasn’t won a major title in more than 30 years, and a Chilean-born jockey who has struggled to overcome his own demons: a cocaine habit in the 1980’s, horrific injuries and a career restoring weight gain, in the 90’s. Against all odds 14-1 going into the Kentucky Derby – they win, only to see triumph tinged with heartache.

One of the owners, Gus Williams, is cruelly mocked for affronting the Kentucky blue bloods by wearing a yellow plaid sports jacket with matching yellow trousers. The jockey Jose Santos, is accused of using an electric buzzer in his whip hand after a strange blur is spotted in the finish-line photo. The jockey however is cleared of all irregularities, and goes onto vindication by romping home in the next leg of the Triple Crown by 9 ¾ lengths, an historic margin.

This is a story without sex, violence or tragedy. FunnyCide is a gelding (a castrated horse to you and me). To racing pundits, however that just adds to the story. No gelding has ever won the Triple Crown before and nether has a New York-bred horse. In American Tabloids, he is already known as the “peoples horse”, a four-legged hero for the common man. He even looks like a real horse and has all the charm of our favourite horse Red Rum, you remember him right? Well imagine that horse x 20, and that’s some thought you’ve got there.

On any given day a cluster of paparazzi gather outside FunncyCides home, yards from the Belmount track, waiting for the horse to poke his chestnut head from the stall. The stables are adorned with flower boxes and freshly painted trim paid for with FunncyCides earnings. His two winning plaques and after his last win at the Kentuckey I dare say he has three. For all the fat purses FunnyCide might bring in on the racecourse, the syndicate cannot cash in on real money in thoroughbred racing – stud fees. Had FunnyCide been whole, he would have sold for as much as $40m. However that means the horse will just have to have a longer career, prolonging his popularity and merchandising potential instead of being bustled away to be bred.

Although most don’t have a thoroughbred horse in our back gardens, maybe we have other more likely gifts that are just under our nose. You may well be looking at something right at this moment that it is a true gift; this could be in the form of relationship rather than a material possession. We often don’t realise we have something so precious until its no longer there.

So what gift can you give to others and what gifts do others give to you? Its there you just need to open your eyes to the possibilities that everyone has gifts to offer. Why not acknowledge that and take it for what it is? After all if you not careful you may very well be looking at a gift horse.

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