How Committed is Your Staff to Success?
I just read an article written by Robert Simon, a Harvard professor, in the Harvard Business Review, who asked this question, “How committed are your employees to helping each other (and to your department’s success)?” I think that is a question that we should all be asking ourselves.
Simon says that it is not only important for your employees to achieve their personal best, but to create a high level of commitment from them to build world-class supply chain organizations. He says that there are four tactics for doing so:
- Pride in Purpose
“If people are proud of their organization’s mission, they will assume shared responsibility for success”. This is one of Simon’s key points about how to get your supply chain team to be prideful and purposeful in their work. He cites the Marine Corps slogan of “Semper fidelis” (Always Faithful) as a prime example of how just two words can make any Marine feel proud of their organization.
- Group Identification
Simon also talks about becoming an “Elite” organization, like Seal Team 6 that has just a few exceptional men and ladies as their members. Make your supply chain entrance and fitness standards extremely high so only the best and the brightest may apply. Anyone then would want to be a member of such an “Elite” group.
- Trust and Fairness
It goes without saying that when you trust your colleagues and management and can be assured of fairness in all situations, that you will support your supply chain organization through thick and thin.
We all realize that it is our “people” who make our supply chain organizations great, but without their commitment to each other and to their supply chain department’s success this is only a hollow platitude. Yet, with just a small measure of pride, elitism, trust and fairness this ultimate performance goal can be reached by all supply chain leaders who are looking for more than just being average supply chain operations
Filed Under: savingsblog • Training
