“All management has become change management”
While some companies have grappled with adapting their culture to one of having to manage remote teams’ others have found to their surprise that they could increase productivity through remote work with relative ease.
In essence, the rapid changes forced upon us all through the Pandemic has swiftly impacted the way work is done and managed and we had to embrace it swiftly or suffer unchartered consequences.
In the past as technology advanced in the workspace Human resources practisioners started to advocate a ‘High Tech/ High Touch approach, sending a warning signal that we would do well to not over focus on tech at the expense of empowering our workforce and creating a healthy work environment for them.
Remote work has challenged our capacity as leaders and forced an urgent and multi-layered question upon us:
How do we ensure quality engagement, employee motivation and a positive and sustainable high-performance culture within the context of remote work?
Oh, but wait a minute ….
The above question is not complete- How do we manage the new norm of remote work within the context of waves of change thrusted upon us around every corner at dizzying speed?
Questions such as the above can be intriguing but they can also be overwhelming unless we take brave action towards practical solutions. It is high time that the paradigm is shifted from sharing discourses and philosophies through well marketed webinars to implementation of useful change initiatives.
The master Philosopher and Poet Rumi said:
‘As you go out on the way, the way appears’
An interpretation of his eloquent words can be that by taking swift action based upon professionally researched information (limited during the new norm) the answers will come.
Some of our clients (whom we will not name for the sake of privacy), has weathered the storm for various reasons, yet three key and common reasons are highlighted for the purposes of this writing:
- They have maintained their well-established Learning Culture even when not in operation through regular knowledge sharing sessions both internally and from external experts.
- They always have taken a strong stand on their company values but even more so during lockdown. Their value system is not a philosophy it is a non-negotiable practice.
- Daily continuity meetings stimulated creative solutions, fostered solidarity in leadership and built confidence in employees.
They rose to maximum production capacity within an impressive timeframe and it is almost ‘business as usual’ for their teams
Now, add time-saving ,engaging and inspirational performance management to sound Change Leadership principles such as displayed by some of our clients and you might just have stumbled upon a potent combination that will help you thrive and be sustainable post Pandemic.
A Harvard and Gallup study has proven that 90% of all employees on average need clear goals , kpis’ , clear information on what to execute and how to execute it. A lack of clarity on the way forward is therefore a red flag.
Considering the absence ‘of a crystal ball’ wherein all of us can remotely view a certain future we can do well to ‘future-proof’ our companies by:
- Creating a sustainable Learning culture
- Taking a stand on our company values
- Obtaining buy in from all stakeholders and co-creating solutions
- Giving employees clarity through goal and kpi -setting
- Inspiring the workforce through quality leadership
All of the above is possible to achieve even with remote working teams. Considering the wealth of technology available to us we can apply a high tech/high touch when it comes to engaging our team members.
Online Performance management has progressively become more engaging. By aligning the hearts and minds of our team members to the Vision, purpose and values of the company and through inspirational and fair management of tasks and KPIs we can create a new and bright future together.