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Enjoying Your Work Richard Brislin |
Changes in workplace hinge
on recruitment of key peopleA reader wrote: "You recently discussed individual change in the workplace and gave examples such as the behavior of a boss who wants to improve communication with subordinates. In the place I work, I would like to see major changes throughout the organization that would affect everyone. What are your thoughts?"
Organizational changes demand the efforts of many people. The rantings and ravings of just one person are likely to go unnoticed. Any one person has to forge collaborative ties with others who may be thinking that the same proposed change would be desirable. Assume two individuals have lunch together and decide that they would like to see more involvement of company members in various community organizations. They feel that the company and the community would benefit from employees who increase the time they spend on voluntary service activities. However, two change agents are not enough to make much headway in changing organizational values. These two individuals must go down a list of both workplace colleagues and potentially influential outsiders to determine if they should be approached and asked to join a collaborative team.
Other potential recruits should be strongly considered based on the talents they can bring to a collaborative team. Some individuals are good organizers and can work with people who don't normally care for one another. These individuals are attentive when listening to others, do not become upset with disagreements about peripheral issues, and are skillful in identifying actions that many people may be willing to take. Further, they know enough about the interests of potential collaborators so that they can communicate how their proposal will assist others with their causes.
A mistake change advocates often make is that they search for individuals who agree with them on many issues and who seem sympathetic to the advocates' total collection of causes. This search for like-minded others can cut down too much on the number of people who might collaborate on a specific project. People don't have to agree on everything. They need to agree on the benefits of the one change that the advocates are proposing.
Jim Wills, interim dean of the University of Hawaii's College of Business, points to another talent that will benefit the developers of organizational change proposals. Some individuals know lots of influential people; that is, they have excellent networks. If these individuals can be recruited, they can draw upon their various contacts in their companies, communities and professional organizations. Even if they are mid-level managers, these individuals often have good relations with senior executives. They also know journalists, politicians, academics, celebrities and fund-raisers, all of whom may have contributions to make.
Activists should always keep in mind the best ways to approach senior executives in an organization. Any permanent change will require support "from the top." Change agents should be able to answer questions about "What's in it for me and the organization?" when they meet with the people who will be in charge of the final decision concerning the proposal.
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The purpose of this column is to increase understanding of human behavior as it has an impact on the workplace. Given the amount of time people spend at work, job satisfaction should ideally be high and it should contribute to general life happiness. Enjoyment can increase as people learn more about workplace psychology, communication, and group influences.
Richard Brislin is a professor in the College of Business Administration, University of Hawaii. He can be reached through the College Relations Office: cro@cba.hawaii.edu
