Introduction
Managers and staff differ in one really significant way. They think differently about the business. That’s OK. It’s to be expected. But the consequences of employee ignorance that damage staff performance.
The Management Perspective
The manager sees him or herself as responsible for the continuing success of the business. It’s their “baby”. They have to nurture it, massage it, develop it: and accept the blame if it fails.
The Employee Perspective
The employee sees him or herself as a person of relatively little influence in the development of the business. They need to do their job reasonably well to retain it. If they do, they’ll continue to be paid. But control lies with management.
A Large Gap
Of course my descriptions are stereotypes. But I’ve created them deliberately to illustrate something. There’s a big gap between how manager and employee think.
One More Big Difference
It’s not the job of the employee to bridge the gap. It’s the job of the manager. It’s a job that can’t be delegated. And it has a major effect on staff performance.
Bridging The Gap: Basics They Must Know
To gain employee commitment you must first have well informed employees. Employees need a knowledge base so that what they’re required to do makes sense to them. Ensure they know exactly
- your business focus and target market
- your business goals
- the performance that’s expected of them
- how that performance will be measured
- the performance you expect of their colleagues
- how the work they do affects the performance of colleagues
- what freedom they have to recommend improvements
- how both revenues and costs accumulate and how their work affects that
- customer service standards
- revenue, expense and profit targets.
These describe the essential information managers need to provide to avoid employee ignorance.
Why Tell Them?
It’s not rocket science. You want employees to understand how what they do, on a day to day basis, affects the success of the business. You want them to know exactly what’s expected of them and how you’ll measure their performance.
Mental Framework
Employees need to know where both they and their work “fit”. You simply cannot expect them to be major contributors to business success if they work in a mental and emotional vacuum.
Knowledge Base
This knowledge base must exist so that employees can make sense of
- what you want them to do
- their work goals in relation to other employees
- how the work they do affects customer relations.
Conclusion
“Nothing”, as the old sports saying goes, “is so important as the proper execution of the fundamentals”. Ensure that your staff have the fundamental information to enable them to contribute effectively to business success.
