Optimising performance while adapting to change

Change is the only constant in today’s business environment. Beyond companies merging and being acquired, there are system changes, team restructures and everything in between. As handling the flux while still delivering on business outcomes can often be too much to ask, what can leaders do to ensure employees can do both?

Even a team whose morale is high will have their performance suffer if they feel they need to juggle too much. Your high-morale team might find that managing change and delivering results pushes them to their limit.

Therefore, resilient employees – those who are flexible, adaptive and can optimistically learn from experiences – are a positive influence during times of change. Similarly, businesses also need resilient teams to thrive and survive. They are living testimony that change need not be a bad thing.

But as with any turbulence, you need deliberate tactics to navigate successfully. Here are some ways leaders can encourage top-performance amid change:

 

Strong leadership

Good leaders earn respect. Be trustworthy and give clear direction. Your teams will look to you for stability during uncertainty.

It’s also a good idea to be visible. Spend time with your team and hear them out. It doesn’t need to be a formal appointment. In fact, your employees might feel more comfortable to open up in an informal setting.

 

Provide perspective

It’s important to walk your people through the change. If you’ve ever been on a long drive to a new destination, you normally look for landmarks. These give you a sense that you are headed in the right direction.

Provide your teams with clear landmarks so they can mark progress and feel a sense of achievement. There may need to be detours but talk them through those as well. It will increase their sense of security that they are not on the change journey alone. And don’t forget to celebrate when key milestones are reached.

 

Develop soft skills

Inevitably people experiencing change will need to develop new skills to adapt. Instead of focusing on developing technical skills, look at enhancing your employees’ ‘soft skills’. That way you’ll help them improve how they make decisions, solve problems and deal with difficult situations.

How analytics tools help boost team and business performance

There is no shortage of data. The way we harvest information is also many and varied. But for leaders who are faced with the daily challenge of making informed decisions, collecting data is no longer enough. What makes it valuable are the insights it provides.

One way to use data to your advantage is when you need to address performance weaknesses – whether that’s within the team or your entire organisation.

Before you dive into the millions of bytes of information available to you, consider the following limitations:

  • Effective data analysis requires specialised skills and training. That’s why the role of data scientist is of high demand in today’s workplace.
  • While leaders might be highly skilled in business analytics, to boost team and organizational performance, talent analytics mustn’t be overlooked.

So this is where effective analytics tools can help turn mere data into powerful knowledge.

To benefit from a robust analysis of data, ask yourself the following:

 

What are you doing with the data available to you?

To be clear, launching into a fact-finding mission to improve business results doesn’t always mean putting in place new methods to collect data. What you have at hand is often sufficient. For example, data analytics company Humanyze uses RFID badges (that employees use to enter work premises) and digital data (such as email, meeting and phone call information) to analyse how people work.

 

What performance challenges are you trying to solve?

The challenge to solve will dictate the type of information you need to analyse. It’s therefore a vital step to clearly identify that challenge. Are you looking to improve team performance? Are you looking to find areas of competitive advantage? Do your managers need to raise their emotional intelligence? All of these will inform where you go to source the data that then needs analysis.

 

What analytics tools can you use to make decisions?

Once you’ve identified an objective it’s time to look at the most effective analytics model. Of course, this requires more than a simple round-up of huge data sets. A myriad of statistics that reveal submerged patterns is of little benefit if managers can’t effectively use the correlations to enhance business performance.

Creating custom analysis models can be one way to make sense of data. Another way is to use established analytics models targeted at determining how to improve specific areas of performance.

How are you gaining insights and boosting results from your data?

Remuneration’s role in fostering diversity and inclusion

Remuneration is a fundamental element of the employment transaction. While employers devise many ways to use their remuneration offers to attract top talent, is it possible to also attract and support inclusion and diversity?

It’s prudent to assess the current state of your remuneration offers. To help, ask yourself these three questions:

 

Do certain employees fall through the pay gaps?

Before you can determine where you are at in terms of pay inequity, it’s a good idea to gauge the overall environment. Insightful reports such as IML ANZ’s National Salary Survey and supplementary reports can assist in this matter.

Then, analyse the situation within your organisation. Do certain people or groups suffer from a significant gap in pay? Make a candid assessment as to whether this is due to factors such as age or gender. Are all employees truly being compensated based on their ability to perform tasks?

 

How strong is job equity in your organisation?

Are some employees being overlooked for particular roles due to age, gender or cultural background? Companies should consider evaluating gender and minority representation across various jobs and levels within the organisation. If too many of the same people are occupying similar roles or sit within the same areas of the leadership hierarchy, there may be a need to update talent development plans accordingly.

Encouraging leaders to sponsor or coach the next generation of leaders is another way to promote job equity. Is there an opportunity to train-up a team member who is a potential leader but is otherwise held back due to age, gender or culture?

 

Do you view remuneration holistically?

Remuneration goes beyond just pay. It also includes all the benefits employees can expect to receive. The concept of total rewards looks at other benefits such as development, rewards and opportunities for promotion. How readily available are these to your entire workforce?

Finally, to directly influence diversity and inclusion, organisations could introduce rewards that relate to promoting D&I in the workplace.

 

With careful planning, candid assessments and strategic actions, your organisation can enjoy a heterogeneous and fair workplace to the benefit of all.

The link between diversity and organisational resilience

In this ever-changing modern business environment, organisations need to build up their capacity to cope with unexpected events. The key to effectively handling turbulence may rest on your level of organisational diversity.

Latest research reasons that diversity can lead to the development and improvement of specific capabilities that contribute to organisational resilience. That is – anticipation, or the preventative aspects of resilience; coping, or the implementation of solutions and reactions to change; and adaptation, or the development of new capabilities following unexpected events.

In addition, the Australian Government named respect as one of the key factors in improving organisational resilience. One of the most powerful ways to demonstrate respect in the workplace is inclusion – meaning background, beliefs, age or gender are not seen as a reason for exclusion.

So, how can diversity strengthen an organisation’s resilience? Here are three ways:

 

Diversity assists in observing, identifying and preparing for major change

Our differences, when harnessed collectively, can greatly enrich our capability to detect and prepare for changes. Having a group with diverse experiences in work and life results in an increased ability to perceive changes in the environment and to identify necessary adjustments. Further, the greater the variety of ideas explored, the better prepared an organisation will be for the consequences of change and the less likely they are to be caught off guard.

 

Diversity improves an organisation’s problem solving

As change and turbulence are complex these cannot usually be solved with existing approaches. Creating solutions demands broad knowledge, the interaction of different people, and creativity in coming up with a way to tackle the challenges. Again, the more diverse the ideas are, the better equipped an organisation will be at arriving at the right solution.

 

Diversity enriches team learning

Having diverse perspectives when reflecting upon the aftermath of change pushes organisations away from simple conclusions. It encourages deeper discussions about what actions to take and challenges any common thinking that may exist. Thus, a heterogeneous knowledge base can reduce the tendency to simply skim the surface. Rather, it promotes using logic instead of blame when analysing why things went wrong.

Source: Duchek, S., Raetze, S. & Scheuch, I. Business Research (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40685-019-0084-8

Can AI eliminate unconscious bias in recruitment?

Most of us appreciate how artificial intelligence can simplify tasks. It’s a satisfying feeling when your phone suggests a great restaurant while you’re travelling in a foreign city. Meals are of course one thing, but when it comes to crucial choices, such as unbiased recruiting, can AI be just as reliable?

A key issue for employers when they recruit is assessing if a person can carry out the requirements of the job. They must clearly outline the essential duties of all positions when hiring, being careful to not to confuse ‘abilities’ with ‘characteristics’.

To be unbiased means employers select the best person for the job. They make no assumptions about what people can and can’t do, or if they will ‘fit in’ as a result of their background.

During the early stages of recruitment, it can be easy for biases to creep into the process. For instance:

  • Advertising jobs – the Australian Human Rights Commission calls out commonly used phrases such as ‘join a dynamic team’ or ‘seeking a mature, experienced professional’ as possibly discriminatory against certain age groups.
  • Shortlisting candidates – forming an opinion about the candidate’s suitability based on their name or geographic location and what that might tell you about their cultural or racial background.

Could this be where an unbiased selector, such as AI, step in to eliminate any inherent prejudices?

 

Where AI has an advantage

Speed and accuracy. An area where machines outperform humans is around processing and analysing vast amounts of data. AI-enabled software and machines can carry out processes in a more advanced way. Although they mimic human behaviour when inputting and consuming information from multiple sources; they can gather, process and record data in more efficient way and in larger volumes. This means a larger candidate pool could be considered for roles, allowing for better diversity amongst the shortlist.

Perspective shift. Unlike humans who can at times respond based on gut feeling, AI always responds based upon evidence. In addition, AI’s ability to find patterns within data mean they could disrupt common thinking. In a similar way to how Deep Blue defeated Kasparov by making moves that his opponent didn’t anticipate, so can AI-enabled systems explore alternative avenues when selecting candidates.

 

Where AI falls short

In theory that may all sound convincing, putting AI to work however is a lot more complex. For instance, when Amazon created an AI-based recruiting system they failed to shield the system from bias. By teaching the system to rate male candidates as the ideal fit, not explicitly but by deducing through previous criteria that put female candidates at a disadvantage.

Ultimately, humans build the parameters that define AI’s decision-making. If bias creeps in then the system’s integrity is inevitably compromised.

 

Use AI to support a bias-proof recruitment process

For now it appears the best approach is not to view AI as superceding all human participation in recruiting. Rather it is best used as a support mechanism for unbiased recruitment.

Use the technology to hone in on specific processes that require objectivity. Software that check the language you use, such as Textio, can help edit out words or phrases that could limit the type of people who would respond to job ads. In addition, there are also existing systems that assist by removing information, such as names and geographical information, that may trigger bias.

Until completely bias-proofed technology exists, the onus still rests upon managers to use all possible options to ensure unbiased recruitment.

Avoiding ethical issues in mentoring relationships

Our time is marked not just by advancements in technology but also by societal expectations in the way we show respect, acceptance and dignity to others. It’s now so important that we display the highest level of ethics, especially when it comes to mentoring relationships.

Mentoring is a vital part of development. That’s because it allows participants to apply their learning into the workplace, change their behaviours and have a sounding board for organisational changes. In fact, this is why IML ANZ includes mentoring as a core element in leadership programs.

To aid the trustworthiness of any mentoring program, leaders and organisations must ensure that reliable structures are in place. This includes the following three components:

 

Robust screening process

Do your program participants undergo an application and screening process before they are matched with a mentor or mentee?

It’s also important to screen for the motivators of both parties. Are they genuinely seeking professional development? Of course, if the mentoring program is kept restricted to members of a professional body, such as IML ANZ’s program, it reduces the risk that ill-motivated people will join.

 

Clear parameters and expectations

Do you provide guidance around acceptable subject matters and realistic timeframes for the formal mentoring relationship? A well-structured program leaves little room for discussing inappropriate topics or showing disrespect for each participant’s time and resources.

Again, all of this has to come from a genuine desire to benefit both in the mentoring relationship

 

Third-party available for feedback or complaints

While no one wishes to hear of any incidents where inappropriate or unethical behaviour is displayed, it’s important to be ready to respond should it arise. An impartial party should be available to receive feedback and complaints. It’s never good if any participant feels they are helpless or won’t be heard if they complain.

Merits of reverse mentoring

When someone says mentoring we immediately picture the experienced and mature mentor alongside the eager and younger mentee. However, some companies have found that reverse mentoring, or putting the younger member of the pair in charge, has merits including fresh insights, better collaboration and breaking age-based barriers.

Traditional mentoring definitely has its benefits. It is a proven way to strengthen professional development and drive leadership success. For both the mentor an mentee, they gain a valuable contact within their professional network because the mentoring relationship, more often than not, continues well beyond the conclusion of the formal program.

Today, more of the younger generation move about from job to job and organisation to organisation. As they seek their next step up, if they see no personal connection between their aspirations and the goals of the organisation, they’ll move on. What that means is possibly valuable insights may be walking out the door, never truly fulfilling their potential within the context of your organisation.

That’s why reverse mentoring could be an effective tool in making your younger workforce feel a closer connection between their career and your organisation’s goals. Beyond retention, here are three additional merits of reverse mentoring:

 

Fresh insights

A different perspective can be invaluable for senior leaders. In a similar way to rotating a puzzle and seeing a different possible solution, so too can reversing mentoring roles provide a fresh look at existing challenges.

Sometimes leaders can get used to arguing up the food chain. With reverse mentoring, they are required to think of things differently, use different tactics in completing tasks and understand how to address a different audience.

 

Better collaboration

A new way of looking at things can prove to be useful when it comes to gaining a sense of cooperation too.

This generation of workers appreciate opportunities to participate beyond their role’s scope. What’s more, this generation of workers is all about gaining the opinions and ideas of their colleagues. So, access to the thoughts of one usually means gaining an idea of what those in that age-group think and feel.

 

Breaking barriers

Companies, such as PwC, have used reverse mentoring programs to support diversity and inclusion. This, in turn, promoted an environment where all employees feel their ideas are valued, not just those of the senior-level executives.

The result is a truly inclusive culture, where age isn’t a barrier for ideas to be heard and acknowledged.

It’s true, no matter what stage of your career you’re in, mentoring can support your development. Don’t shy away from reverse mentoring because everyone – no matter your age, experience or expertise, has something valuable to give and has room to improve.

Is coaching different from counselling?

The merits of effective coaching as part of a leader’s key skill set is undeniable. The ability to guide team members to achieve a higher-level whether that’s in their performance, productivity, knowledge or expertise takes deep understanding and lots of practice. But is the coach also expected to be a counsellor? Should a line be drawn between what constitutes coaching and counselling and if so, how can you tell if you’ve crossed it?

This isn’t a new debate, with some therapists claiming there is no difference between coaching and counselling, it’s just another label to describe the same activity. On the other hand, given the more involved nature of counselling, coaches may be hesitant to claim that they are performing the same practice. After all, counselling as a profession is more formally and heavily regulated.

To be effective in either, knowing what sets each apart is vital. Let’s unpack the similarities, differences and the importance of understanding what each practice entails.

 

Key similarities

Both practices are motivated from a place of care and concern. The goal is the same – improvement or development in some area of the coachee’s life.

Each practice also uses similar approaches and skills. In both forms the following activities feature heavily:

  • Personal communication (whether face-to-face or via phone)
  • Listening
  • Questioning
  • Creating a non-judgemental relationship
  • Uncovering deeper self-awareness

When it comes to workplace coaching the lines may not be as blurred. A coach may simply decide that they are only involved in matters within the context of the workplace. However,  the challenge for coaches is that no one is really capable of separating their ‘work-self’ from their ‘personal-self’.

 

Identified differences

Some of the common differentiators between coaching and counselling have been enumerated in the past. These include coaching’s concern with making future opportunities possible while counselling is limited to developing awareness of how past experiences impact current and future decisions.

Another key difference identified is that often, people who seek counselling do so with the aim of remedying an illness, dysfunction or pathological challenge whereas coachees are not necessarily characterised by these attributes.

There is also the distinction between coaching conversations being more structured versus the free-flowing and undefined counselling style.

 

When knowing the difference matters

When healing is required. In one study, the process of coaching helped participants identify the need for additional help in the form of counselling. If a coach identifies that there is a need to remedy or heal emotional challenges, it is worth considering whether counselling is required.

When a crossover is necessary. As part of effective coaching, it may be necessary for the coach to visit the coachees’ past experiences. Normally this is mainly for the purposes of helping the coachee to move forward with agreed goals. If unresolved past experiences hold a person back from progressing, the coach may need to crossover temporarily into the counsellor space – but only briefly.

When it is healthy to hold the coachee accountable. When a counsellor is required, it is often because the client is not in a state to reach goals and overcome hurdles on their own. This is when getting the difference right between coaching and counselling matters the most. In a coaching arrangement, the coachee is usually responsible for achieving the desired outcome, the coach is simply there to guide – not to provide the answers. There will inevitably be situations where a clinically-trained counsellor must take-over.

Reference: Semantics or substance?  Preliminary evidence in the debate between life coaching and counselling

How managers can become good coaches

Managers are placed in positions of influence and responsibility on the basis of skills and abilities. However, being accountable for the performance of others makes people management a larger component of the manager’s role. It’s then important that managers are equipped to guide their people. Effective coaching is key.

If coaching is not a feature of your team, it should be. And if you are already coaching, is it time to assess how effectively you’re doing it?

Ask yourself these three questions:

Is coaching expected of managers?

Hitting targets and meeting KPIs are all expected in most roles, managers included. In the hustle and bustle of taking care of business, coaching often falls quite low on the list of priorities. This is one of the reasons why managers do not have effective coaching skills. It’s not treated as a priority and an integral part of a manager’s role.

But doing so could have real benefits. A recent Gallup report notes that focusing on employee performance development (instead of waiting for poor performance and then ‘managing’ it) improves the quality of work, productivity and leads to better business outcomes.

Ongoing and effective coaching plays a huge role in the continuous improvement of employee performance.

 

Do managers know what coaching involves?

There are many misconceptions about coaching. Some think of it as maneuvering people. Others believe it’s the same thing as teaching. But coaching should really be about helping the coachee to find their own way.

Tennis is an interesting lens to view coaching from. The all top players have coaches. Tennis, in contrast with other sports, lacks coaching interaction during the match. There are no pep-talks, the athlete is left to perform and the coach simply looks on in encouragement. What’s the point? Coaching isn’t about telling someone how to do their job, it’s about empowering and guiding them to make the right decisions come crunch time.

In fact, Sir John Whitmore, a leading figure in executive coaching, defines coaching as, “unlocking people’s potential to maximize their own performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them”.

Coaching can be done externally, where a consultant is brought in to help the coachee, or internally, where the direct manager of the coachee supports their improvement. It can also be conducted informally, not following a set structure or schedule but still demonstrating coaching skills in the way the conversation is carried out.

 

Are managers equipped with the skills to coach?

Because coaching isn’t weaved into the fabric of expected managerial duties, it’s likely that most managers lack the skills needed to be an effective coach.

Managers do well to invest in training on skills that support coaching. Tips include:

  • Active listening
  • Asking effective questions
  • Assist employees to set clear goals
  • Aim to instil accountability based on fair and accurate evaluations