The Element That's Stopping You From Attaining Goals

As much as I’d like to start out with a cliché on teams, I will just go ahead and establish that the team dynamic in any workspace is a big factor in attaining organizational goals. Sometimes these teams come together seamlessly to create great in-office chemistry, but that seems to be the exception rather than the rule. Very often, leadership will need to thoughtfully guide team collaboration to optimally meet goals.

Attain Goals with Social Collaboration

Intranet with a social element or collaboration software is great for inter-office collaboration that feels fun and relaxed. While the majority of interactions over these secure networks are going to be about business, the social element allows workers a more relaxed, casual feel. These tools are especially great for remote or flex time workers who don’t always get to be part of the office brainstorms or meetings.

It is projected by Intuit that by 2020, 40% of the workforce will be contractors and temp workers. This huge sector of your workforce is going to need strong communication tools to keep goals in focus and on-track. These cost-effective tools bring an element of transparency that is hard to accomplish without.

Peer-to-Peer Reviews

Workplace communication has changed, and along with it, reviews. Employees are no longer interested in a one-way, manager-to-employee, dialogue. They crave context, 2-way communication and empowerment where their work is concerned. Getting feedback is just as important to them as having a voice. We have found that peer-to-peer reviews are an extremely effective collaboration tool. Each worker is part of that give and take dialogue.

“Peer reviews allow an employee's colleagues to assess the individual's performance. They can provide important insight into how employees interact with each other, including employees who have quietly emerged as leaders within the ranks without the accompanying formal title.” - Gwen Moran, Business Leadership Expert

Recognition

Strong employee recognition programs increase the employee’s connection to the company by 81%, vs. weak programs, coming in at 35%. This isn’t just an individual phenomenon either. When peers see one another receiving praise or gaining recognition, it can be a strong motivator. We like to call this “Peer-formance recognition”.

Be warned, the opposite affect can take place when management hasn’t created a safe environment for failure. Encouraging safe failure in the workplace can empower teams to innovate and take initiative.

Transparent Accountability

Do you remember doing group projects in college? There was always that team member who didn’t show up and didn’t deliver, leaving extra, unexpected work for the rest of the group. This is a productivity killer. The professor either didn’t care, or had no way of knowing. That isn’t true for leaders with goal alignment software.

Goal alignment platforms and performance management systems are great tools for creating a transparent organization. Each member is able to see from a bird’s eye view exactly where they fall into the goal roadmap, on a daily and big picture basis.

Only 14% of companies have workers who understand the company strategy, goals and direction. (Click to Tweet this Stat.)

Please consider then that 86% of your workers probably aren’t working toward defined company goals, and they’re doing it in teams! 

Relationships at Work DO Matter

A 2013 HireRight survey revealed that 52% of respondents stated that their top business challenge was hiring and retaining talent. For many leaders, attraction and retention are climbing to the top of their priority list, and they’re searching for a path to the right efforts. In a 2013 study in which employees were asked why they plan to stay at their current job, 67% cited a “good relationship with co-workers” as their major reason for staying. This beat out flexible working arrangements and even salary.

Most of us spend North of 40 hours per week with the same people at work, and facilitating healthy relationships at work is probably more important than many of us recognize. It is vital for employers to create an environment conducive to collaboration and healthy communication in order to reach goals optimally.

Would you like to introduce transparent collaboration to your workforce today? We want to talk with you about how to get started. Take a demo today.