Employee Lifecycle Leadership DNA Robert Myatt
one of the 4 key ‘pillars’ that would enable
Talent Pools. The DNA process revealed
organisation in the past – we need to make
key stakeholders and sources of
starts to happen without costing anything;
Thames Water to achieve its goal of
a clear profile of leadership capability.
the shift. We have to become more open,
organisational power.
over 95% of actions in Development Action
becoming the UK’s leading water company.
The organisational strengths included:
face to face, engaging. And engage better
Kaisen Consulting Ltd. robert.myatt@kaisen.co.uk
The definition of People and Leadership was
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straightforward, it meant… Faced with a tide of business challenges, the leaders and Executives in Thames Water
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Ensuring we have the right capability
decided the best way forward was to take
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Developing this capability
a long hard look at themselves. They found
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Ensuring that we engage with people
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that developing emotional intelligence was
Plans are things that individuals can start
with the customer.” The business recognised
These programmes develop specific
working on with their team or line manager.
Very strong results focus: a drive
that it needs to work as a team, not as
management skills, Andrea confirms,
Andrea adds “The DNA process is informing
to achieve and to deliver against
individuals or individual departments, to
“It’s about creating a desire for change and
business decisions; we are already making
challenging targets, maintain high
harness this huge drive to deliver in the
hence changing behaviour. It’s not about
business decisions that have a high associated
standards and to keep on exceeding
workforce and become the leading UK water
giving managers a load of interesting theories
cost if one gets it wrong or delays the decision.
expectations
company.
or academic concepts, it’s about what they’re
We have had examples of assembling new
Strong customer focus: a clear
Connecting with people. Following
actually going to do differently as a result
teams, turning around poor performers and
understanding of the needs of customers,
the profiling session, every manager going
of training.” Thames Water is already seeing
identifying high-potential individuals, all as a
going to be key to leaders releasing the
In the DNA. Working with Kaisen
desire to tailor the service to meet varied
through the DNA process committed
the benefits of what they’re doing differently:
result of information gained from the DNA
organisations’ potential.
Consulting, Thames Water launched the
needs and to set very high standards for
themselves to a Development Action Plan
“There is a level of depth and maturity in
process. We’re getting more managers asking
Development Needs Analysis (DNA) process,
customer service
(DAP) that they would work on with their
discussions about people that wasn’t there
to put their people through the DNA, across
Strong intellectual capabilities: the
manager, with support from HR and external
before. Succession planning decisions are
the business managers are seeing the value of what comes out of this process.”
“Our strategy is to become the leading water
which was seen as driving the analysis
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company in the UK in the next three to five
phase – understand what you’ve got, work
business has a lot of very bright people,
coaches where appropriate. Having identified
being made on the basis of objective and
years”, declares Werner Böttcher, Managing
out what the gap is, and then address the
which will help in responding quickly
some common capability gaps, Thames
comparable data that comes from a thorough
Director. “Leading means doing more: it
gaps. Over the course of 6 months, the top
to changing circumstances, making well
Water worked with Kaisen to design and
analysis of each person.
means operational excellence, first class
170 managers went through a 2-day
thought-through decisions and taking
implement focused development
customer service, and financial performance.
profiling process. These managers came
the longer term view when solving
programmes. These included:
So how do we get there? Can we continue as
from right across the business, MD and top
problems
we did for the first 15 years? Most likely
team down. Key to the success of the
not.”
project was the commitment from the top;
control that will be important for coping
drive high performance.
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High levels of resilience: emotional
they had to be seen to be role modelling the
with organisational change, leading
It never rains … The current Executive
process. “I was in the pilot group”, says
others through change and team working
Management Team (EMT) inherited years of
Werner. “I have a strengths and weaknesses
under-investment in the water network and
profile, as anybody has. For example, the
The capability gaps which would enable the
were now faced with missed Ofwat targets for
process highlighted that my ‘emotional
leaders to harness all these strengths were:
water leaks. Add to this waves of negative PR
awareness’ is not so well developed, in other
and the reduced rainfall last winter, the EMT
words, I’m not always good at putting
found themselves in a significant pool of
myself in your shoes.”
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Ability to engage the workforce:
At an individual level, 100% of leaders reported that they were clear about where
The information has helped us to identify
they needed to develop and 95% felt their
what areas we need to be targeting in order
performance would improve as a result of
Performance coaching: providing leaders
to get a general uplift in the quality of
the DNA programme.
with the ability to engage people and
leadership,” says Andrea. The next phase is to extend the process Poor performance is being addressed where
further down the organisation, producing
Stakeholder engagement: developing
previously managers didn’t have the skills
a broad and rapid up-lift in leadership
leaders’ ability to identify and influence
or confidence to do so before. Development
capability.
Derailers – and how they vary in different populations
this reinforced the message that was
business challenges. Internally, employee
coming out of the original survey results
Gillian Hyde, PCL
acceptable facade is not maintained. These
difficult to discover from any other
gillian@psychological-consultancy.com
11 scales are grouped into 3 main clusters –
established enquiry methods.
engagement was not high. Feedback on
The DNA process is a one-on-one profile
– ‘managers don’t listen!’. A lack of
organisational surveys pointed to poor
that uses in-depth interviews and
capability here will undermine the
leadership as a significant contributor to
psychometric tools to look at a person’s
company’s effectiveness in securing ‘buy
It is not surprising that bosses who alienate
one’s insecurities by withdrawing from
Differential derailers?
people’s de-motivation. The organisation’s
underlying psychological skills and business
in’ from people for change and being
colleagues and subordinates undermine the
contact with others, Moving Against which
PCL and its clients have used the HDS with
preparedness for succession planning was
‘know how’. The process helped identify a
able to influence across the organisation
commitment and effectiveness of the
concerns allaying one’s fears and anxieties
a vast number of organizations in various
also questionable. When the previous COO
leader’s suitability for their current role, but
Boldness: a lack of proactivity would
workforce with inevitable consequences for
by dominating, influencing and persuading
business sectors and in the course of this
left it threw up the issue of where his
also their potential for roles in the future.
hold Thames Water back from driving
productivity, retention and the bottom line.
people and Moving Towards, which concerns
work we have noticed some interesting
successor was coming from; where was the
However, the focus of the process was not
innovation, stepping ‘outside of the
Based on research into leadership and
building alliances with people and
differences in the distribution of derailers
company’s talent pipeline?
just about analysis but also about action.
frame’ in introducing efficiencies and
management derailment, the Hogan
conforming to others’ wishes as a way of
across different types of organisations or
managing one’s own worries or concerns.
across certain types of jobs. A couple of
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Moving Away, which concerns managing
Andrea Grist, Head of Organisational
exploiting opportunities to move ahead
Development Survey (HDS) identifies these
Waves of change. Clearly things had
Development, asserts, “If the business is to
of the market
sorts of patterns of dysfunctional
to change. Work was already underway to
change it is not enough to simply navel
Assertiveness: a limited ability to
interpersonal leadership behaviour.
As publishers of the UK edition of the HDS,
define what leadership should look like for
gaze, the important question was: what are
influence would reduce the organisation’s
These ‘dark side’ tendencies erode trust,
PCL has accumulated extensive experience
In our experience we have found that
Thames Water; they had identified things
leaders going to do differently as a result of
effectiveness in challenging
loyalty and enthusiasm and are of obvious
of using this instrument in individual
people working in the private commercial
they should do ‘more of’ and things they
this process? Hence the two days included a
inefficiencies, communicating direction
concern in relation to managerial and
assessment contexts, in assessment and
sector, and particularly in global financial
should stop doing. They quickly began to
half day development planning session and
and priorities, and driving change
leadership roles. The HDS measures eleven
development centres, and also in the
institutions, tend to have more derailers
realise there was an emerging pattern of not
the production of an individual
through the business
such flawed interpersonal styles that
delivery of conversion courses. In our
in the Moving Against group of scales –
enough of the former and too many of the
Development Action Plan. Just as with
become exaggerated under pressure and that
judgement, the information generated by
Confident-Arrogant, Charming-
latter. Consequently, as part of a major
genetic DNA, we’re all individuals and the
Werner reports, “The core skill we are looking
are difficult to detect in interviews - for
the HDS always adds invaluable insights to
Manipulative, Vivacious-Dramatic and
project to re-define Thames Water strategy,
way in which the business develops its
for is ‘engaging’. The evidence suggests that
example, the charm and social aplomb that
the assessment process, highlighting issues
Imaginative-Eccentric – suggesting that this
‘People and Leadership’ was identified as
capability needs to be dealt with as such.”
we have not naturally been engaging in this
is revealed as manipulation if the socially
for individuals that would be exceedingly
group of people are more likely than the
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these comparisons are detailed below.
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Employee Lifecycle average member of the working population
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less socially anxious and less inhibited
•
more risk-taking, more prepared to use
to engage in persuasive, influencing, dominating styles of behaviour to manage
about expressing their views than most •
take chances or express
The majority of research in the area of
responsibility to provide the relevant skills, the
collection of three viewpoints, using different
controversial opinions.
stress management has focused upon either
recognition and therefore reward of ‘healthy’
data gathering methodologies, and building
independent-detached – high scorers seem
organisational or individual level causes
management behaviours and the selection of
a validation stage into the research design,
their own insecurities. As a group, they are
a degree of spin or deception to get what
self-focused, uninterested in other
and interventions. In leadership research,
those with relevant skills into management
a robust and valid stress management
the sorts of people who are keen to make
they want, more prepared to exploit
people’s problems and unaware of how
the focus tends to be upon subordinate
roles. It can thereby begin to create a culture
competency framework will be developed. The
their actions affect others.
performance rather than wellbeing.
in which those responsible for people
second phase of the research, in 2007, will aim
focused-passive aggressive – high scorers
Very little is known about the pivotal role
management are expected to adopt ‘healthy’
to test the predictive validity of the framework developed in Phase One.
a strong impression, who enjoy receiving attention, and who are confident about
others to get what they want •
more creative but also more outlandish
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expressing their views and opinions. They
perhaps in their ideas, and more
tend to procrastinate, and display
of the manager in the prevention, causation,
management approaches, and can see how to
also tend to score lower on the Moving
impulsive and more likely to sometimes
stubbornness and reluctance to be part
identification and alleviation of stress in the
do so.
Towards group of scales than the general
enjoy confusing people because their
of a team.
workplace. This means that we lack the
average – Diligent-Perfectionistic and
ideas are so unusual!
Where we are going next.
evidence-base on which to build practice
Putting the management into
This project has been developed in recognition
more independently minded, less
MOVING AGAINST cluster
in this area. A team of Occupational
stress management. The first phase of the
of the fact that much of the responsibility for
they are also less likely than the average
concerned to conform to other people’s
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confident-arrogant – high scorers are
Psychologists at Goldsmiths College, led by Dr
project will focus on the five sectors identified
implementing the HSE management standards
member of the general working population
wishes, happier to go their own way, less
opinionated, self-absorbed, and unwilling
Jo Pryce and Emma Donaldson-Feilder, are
by the HSE as highest priority for stress
for stress is likely to fall on line managers. In
to be concerned about conforming to
worried what others’ think of them, and
to learn from their mistakes.
aiming to redress the balance in a research
management – Healthcare, Education, Finance,
order to support line managers with this task,
organisational procedures or being
less dependent on finding favour
charming-manipulative – high scorers are
project sponsored by the HSE.
Local Government and Central Government.
and to provide a robust evidence-base in this
dependent on the opinions of others, while
with others.
more spin than substance, take risks and
The competency framework approach.
40 employees and 24 managers will be
area, the project will identify the behaviours
Dutiful-Dependent – and this suggests that
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ignore their mistakes, they are hard to
The aim of the project is to identify the
interviewed in each sector, using the critical
needed for effective stress management, in
Clearly, these are generalizations and there
advise and don’t fully evaluate the
specific behaviours required by managers
incident technique to capture data concerning
order to draw up a stress management
will be many people working in these types
consequences of their decisions.
to effectively manage stress and from this
managers’ behaviours that impact upon the
competency framework. The identification of
vivacious-dramatic – high scorers are
develop a stress management competency
well-being of employees. Each participant will
relevant competencies will enable
tending to be focused on the bigger picture rather than on the detail of a project. An even more extreme comparison is that
of organizations and roles that differ from
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with entrepreneurs. We were fortunate to
these descriptions. Nonetheless, there is
self-centred, impulsive, over committed,
framework. It builds on the results of a pilot
be asked to complete a written exercise
occupational psychologists, and others
have access to UK data supplied by Deborah
sufficient evidence to point to a general
too quick to take the credit and
study in the education sector and will produce
identifying the management behaviours
working within Human Resource and
Tom of Human Systems. Deborah was
trend in the directions described above.
unwilling to listen - especially to
a robust competency framework (or set of
associated with each of the six HSE
Occupational health fields, to integrate stress
negative feedback.
frameworks) across a wider range of sectors.
Management Standards. Perspectives will also
management into existing management
coaching a small group of entrepreneurs who she describes as being “all successful
The structure of the HDS
be gained from HR personnel through a half-
competency frameworks and inform the
and at the brink of their next level”. For
The Hogan Development Survey scales
be creative, high scorers are impulsive,
The competency approach has been chosen
day workshop, sponsored by the CIPD. The
development of interventions (such as training
example, one has been turning over
identify people who are hard to work with
eccentric and unaware of how socially
because it provides managers and HR with
interview data will then be analysed using
and development for managers) that embed
£7million and is just about to step up to
because -
inappropriate their ideas may be.
clear guidance, in a familiar format, on what
thematic analysis, and all management
the relevant behaviours into day-to-day people
MOVING TOWARDS cluster
behaviours are important. It will also allow the
behaviours associated with the stressful
management activities.
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diligent-perfectionistic – high scorers are
alignment of the management of stress with
incident will be extracted, before being
enthusiastic-volatile – high scorers
unable to delegate, their determination
existing people management practices.
grouped into themes using a card sort
If you would like to know more about
are moody, irritable, bad tempered,
to do every task equally well makes them
technique. Each participant will then be
the project, or about how you or your
inconsistent and impossible to please.
seem fussy, critical, and stubborn about
The approach offers a number of
provided with the emergent framework and
organisation could get involved, please contact
shrewd-mistrustful – high scorers take
their work.
opportunities. It will enable the development
asked to rate each competency by importance
Rachel Lewis at Goldsmiths College on
dutiful-dependent – high scorers are
and training of those with management
to stress management. By ensuring the
r.lewis@gold.ac.uk or on 07957 296343.
three more outlets from the two he has. When we looked at the entrepreneurs’
MOVING AWAY cluster
composite HDS profiles, we found a general
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trend for entrepreneurs to score higher on the Moving Against and lower on the Moving Toward scales than the average
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member of the working population. More
criticism personally, readily feel
specifically, the extreme highs and lows
mistreated and are prone to retaliate
indecisive and find it impossible to make
when they feel they have been wronged.
decisions on their own.
on the entrepreneurs’ profile indicates that they are:
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imaginative-eccentric – although they may
careful-cautious – high scorers are rule-bound and unwilling to
A new perspective on stress management
Do UK organisations know what the new age legislation means for them? New research published by the Department
benefits, retirement, recruitment, appraisal,
for Work and Pensions in conjunction with
training, promotion and redundancy as well
pay scales with length of service
as attitudes and awareness.
increments extending over 5 years, and
Emma Donaldson-Feilder, Jo Pryce,
management standards for stress in order to
identify and manage stress experienced by
the Department of Trade and Industry
Rachel Lewis & Paul Flaxman
provide guidance on best practice for
their team.
explores the extent to which current
organisations. Whilst this initiative will be
employment policies and practices accord
5% of establishments had incremental
15% had performance pay with no The main findings are:
“…bad managers tend to cause stress. It is not
driven from Health & Safety, much
Manager behaviour is also of key importance
with equal opportunity with respect to age.
necessarily that they are bad at managing stress,
responsibility for implementation will fall on
as managers themselves have been found to
The report provides findings from a
but that they are bad at managing and that
line managers. Providing managers with
be a potential cause of stress. For example,
quantitative survey of employers in Great
Opportunity policy and 56% had one
makes life quite stressful for people below them.”
ownership of the process is economical and
the manager-subordinate relationship is one
Britain, and was designed as a baseline to
that addressed age.
The importance of the manager
best practice, however it necessitates not
of the most commonly reported causes of
evaluate the effects of the forthcoming
in preventing and reducing stress
only that managers have an informed
stress in the workplace; there are direct links
Employment Equality (Age) Regulations
in the workplace. The Health and Safety
understanding of what stress is, but also that
between particular leadership the stress levels
2006. It provides information on practices
age was only carried out in 19% of
Executive (HSE) recently developed
they have the relevant skills and abilities to
of their direct reports.
relating to equal opportunities, pay and
establishments.
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formal assessment process. These could be hazardous practices under the new
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72% of establishments had an Equal
legislation. •
63% of establishments had a pension scheme and early retirement was
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Equal Opportunities training addressing
provided for in 42% of establishments.
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