BUSINESSES START GETTING BACK TO NORMAL

With Jersey businesses getting back to normal as lockdown lifts what makes some companies excel and others fail

WHAT IS THE SECRET OF THE HIGH PERFORMING ORGANISATION WHERE WE ALREADY KNOW THEY WILL ALWAYS ACHIEVE, EVEN IN SUCH CHALLENGING TIMES…. Mark Shields shares the secrets of the Channel Islands HPO’S

What is a High Performing Organisation?

1. The high performance organization (HPO) is a conceptual framework for organizations that leads to increased staff productivity, superior business performance and improved staff morale and motivation

2. HPO’S prioritise the psychology and culture of the organisation rather than the maintenance and tactics

3. They believe in the importance of staff growth and pers on al development, individual staff performance and accountability, combined with a clear organisational strategy outlining the company’s vision, mission, values and philosophy

The Key Factors all HPO’S have in common

Organizational design

High performance organizations value positive psychology, structural flexibility, individual responsibility, teamwork and collaboration as priorities in their organiz ation al design. These organizations flatten organisational structure and make it easier for cross-functional collaboration to occur. HPO, relationships are strengthened among employees who perform distinct functions, specialists, sales and service focused roles, or that only perform within a given business area. By developing specialists and focused roles you have the potential to improve staff performa nce in key areas of the business. This can be done by offering specialist training applicable to specialist roles backed up by rigorous personal development plans so staff are constantly growing and developing.

This is commonly found within the sales set up and structure of an HPO.

Teamwork

The most apparent difference in the organizational design of HPOs is their reliance on teamwork.

These self-directed work teams thrive off of information sharing from all levels of the organization and are multi-skilled with the flexibility to solve problems without the need of direct supervision.

Staff are empowered to make decisions themselves without the need for referral to supervisors or senior managers.

These teams are often small in number, typically ranging from 7–15 members.

Team members who are par t of high performance teams tend to have strong personal commitment to one another's growth and success, and to the organizations growth and success. Individual team members accept full accountability and responsibility for achieving their part of the company’s overall plan.

The high sense of commitment exhibited by teams in a high performance organization allow these teams to have a better sense of purpose , mor e accountability, and more actionable goals which allows them greater productivity and improved performance.

Individuals

HPOs foster an organizational culture of learning where they invest heavily in their workforce. They do this typically through leadership development and competency management.

HPOs will develop a clear set of core competencies and key performance indicators that they will manage th e staff to.

They will invest in keeping these competencies prominent through training and development. These organizations also reinvent the way they refer to their employees in order to place value on the team concept.

Team Leaders

The roles of managers in an HPO are the most important. They are there to train, develop, manage and motivate their teams to success. The role of team manager in an HPO i s pivitol to the success of the organisation. They tend to demonstrate strengths in people development, coaching, motivating staff and team building. Traditional models for organizations would have leaders closely monitor or supervise their teams. Team leaders in HPOs are more concerned with long term strategic planning and direction. Team leaders in HPO’S take a more hands off approach and empower staff to assume responsibility and accountability for their own performance. Leaders in HPOs trust in their employees to make the right decisions. They act as a coach to their team members by giving them support and keeping them focused on the project at hand.

These leaders are able to lead depending on the situation and have the capability to adjust their leadership style based upon the needs of their team me mber s.

They know when to inspire people with direct communication and also have the ability to read when a more hands off approach is necessary. Although these leaders act with a hands-off approach, they hold non-performers accountable for not reaching their goals.

Leadership practices are also in line with the company's vision, values, and goals Leaders of these organizations make all of their decision s with the organization's values in mind. Leadership behavior that is consistent with the organization's vision involves setting clear expectations, promoting a sense of belonging, fostering employee involvement in decision making, and encouraging learning and development.

Leaders in an HPO also have the responsibility of understanding and being able to quickly make important decisions about the always chan ging marketplace in which their organization operates.

Organization strategy and vision

HPOs create strong vision, value, and mission statements which guide their organizations and align them with the outside environment.

The mission, vision, and values of the organization act as foundations on which the organization is built. They inform employees what is rewarded and also what is not.

HPOs implement vision st atemen ts that are specific, strategic, and carefully crafted. Leaders propagate the vision at all levels by ensuring that activities are aligned with vision and strategy of the organization.

HPOs also set lofty, but measurable and achievable goals for their organization in order to guide their vision. The vision and strategy of the organization is made clear to employees at all levels. A common understa ndin g of the organizations strategy and direction creates a strategic mind-set among employees that helps the organization achieve its goals.

Creating a Meritocracy

HPOs reward and incentivize behavior that is in line with the organisations goals. They implement reward programs that aim to benefit employees who follow the values of the organization.

This is known as creating a meritocracy culture.

Resu lts are celebrated and under performance managed. Everybody works on the premise if we all achieve the organisation achieves.

Performance management, staff development, focused goals, action plans, and KPI’S are all found within the meritocracy culture of an HPO.

Managing Change

The success of HPOs are due to their ability to have structures in place that allow them to quickly adjust to the environment t hat th ey operate within.

HPOs have the ability to reconfigure themselves to meet the demands of the marketplace and avoid its threats.

HPOs constantly survey and monitor the environment to understand the context of their business, identify trends, and seek out any competitors.

High performance organizations can quickly and efficiently change their operating structure and practices to meet needs.

These or gan izations focus on long term success while delivering on actionable short term goals.

These organizations are flexible, customer focused, and able to work highly effectively in teams. The culture and management of these organizations support flatter hierarchies, teamwork, diversity, and adaptability to the environment which are all of paramount success to this type of organization. Compared to other o rgan izations, high performance organizations spend much more time on continuously improving their core capabilities and invest in their workforce, leading to increased growth and performance.

View the new HPO organisational coaching course being launched by Mark Shields at https://courses.thecamcoach.com/p/nlppractitioner3

Article written by Mark Shields - Educator, Coach, Author. CEO Life Practice Group 01462 4 31112 https://courses.thecamcoach.com/p/nlppractitioner3

BOOST WELL-BEING/CAREER PROSPECTS BY IMPROVING IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Andrew Picot – Principal, Complete Languages Tuition & Services – Jersey (‘CLTSJersey’)

WHY NOT PICK UP LINGUISTIC SKILLS (SPANISH/FRENCH LESSONS) DURING & BEYOND THE CORONAVIRUS PERIOD?

As an adult or child, you will be more recreationally/mentally active. Children will be more on course academically. Top Language Jobs surveyed British workers: 50%+ of those conversant in more than one language use it regularly.

Well-being – countless benefits of language learning:

• Stimulates cerebral circu lation through processing (improving concentration/memory); • Opens mind; • Boosts esteem/confidence; • Increases social interaction/networking; • Makes cultural discovery/immersion easier; • Fosters empathy/compassion.

Career – languages are assets:

2/3+ of those interviewed by Top Language Jobs perceive career benefits through broadened professional development or better pay. According to our 2019 Opinions & Lif estyle Survey Report (Statistics Department), only 18% of Jersey 16-64-year-olds responded that training in a language other than English is important to their career development.

Linguistic proficiency, though in increasing demand, is deemed unimportant compared to professional qualifications such as STEP in trusts and ACA for accountants. Language skills aren’t evenly spread across the workforce. Ther e are Channel Island language schools, but linguistic demand within the workplace isn’t increasing, even if associated competencies are lacking. Many employers don’t pay for employee training; it’s a reward! Bilingualism endears you to clients. When you endeavour to speak their language in their own country, it improves negotiation, promoting sabbaticals/secondments. Numerous firms have plenty French-speakin g clientele. The Swiss market is very active.

The Youth – our linguistic future:

Following Brexit’s transitionary period, the demand for French within geographic Europe may increase… Only around 50% of islanders hold a GCSE in a foreign language at grade C (new level 4) or above. However, the figure stands at near 80% for those who sat GCSE exams in the last 2 years (since the newest GCSE came into ef fect). That said, very sadly a foreign language isn’t valued enough to be compulsory post-14 at 5/9 local schools; quite a number opt out whereas it rightly used to be mandatory. A modest number of pupils take 2 foreign languages now; Spanish, unsurprisingly, is the second most popular one. The figure for Language A Levels graded at C or above these last 2 years is near 85% with 10 pupils pursuing a lan guage at university. The latter number is consistent with the past few years. According to Top Language Jobs, 2/3 of 18-24-year-olds are likely to be multilingual (25% of 55-64-year-olds). You can download apps (Memrise/Babbel/Duolingo). Try to devote 20 minutes daily while commuting, bathing, dog walking/jogging or unwinding. Duolingo surveyed its customers: French is the second most studied language globally ; it is ranked first in 35/195 countries, yet Spanish has more users. Apps/self-teach books have their limitations, so consider human tutors (as well) for very personalised feedback.