Business Management

A quick Goggle search reveals 3,000,000 mentions of non-performing employees. Peruse the top ten and the prevailing theme is ways of firing, punishing or putting up with them. Rarely is it mentioned how non-performers became that way or how the cultural beliefs created the situation. The Ivy Business Journal in March/2003 presented research which indicated that the cause of under performance was not the lack of talent, but the prevalent un check assumptions and perception held by management about the capabilities of those deemed to be under-performers. Finally ... some intellectual insight in print.

The insight isn't in blaming the manager. It comes when you study the dynamic that spirals up or down, mostly down.

Subtle doubts enter the boss's mind. Does this employee lack the 'right stuff'? The trigger can be as simple as two different images of what was required but no one verified whether both were on the same page. The spiral heads downhill from there. After that, all incoming data is used to support or substantiate the premise.

Second, the boss starts to control selecting tasks that fit lower expectations, subliminally sending out the message of not being good enough. Motivation and morale take a beating. Being inspired to contribute isn't even on the map. The employee is passed over for the interesting projects and the 'set up to fail' is on its merry way.

As if that were not enough, the message and perception spreads to their social network like an underground fire in a bog, burning quietly yet destructively under the radar. Unless there is a high level of self-awareness on the part of at least one of the individuals, no one will notice the ripple-effect. This is how 'dead wood' is created.

So what does it take to convert and transform the situation?

1. Someone has to notice, to see what mental chatter is saying about the employee and the situation. The trigger to suspend judgment and be curious.
2. The best thing that could happen is that the same self-aware person sets time aside to ask and then listen. Really listen. Not interrupt or comment or commiserate but just listen for ten to fifteen minutes solid. The quality of the question is critical as is how it is asked and the abundant presence of curiousness.
3. From that set of insight gained from listening with the senses, not just the mind, perceptions can be explored, as long as the mind remains open to learning and understanding.
4. With insights gained, the leverage point and opportunity to shift perception and rebuild trust emerges through seeing what lies at the heart of the matter.

Deeper understanding is the podium for transforming the situation from non-performing to releasing pent-up potential. That doesn't inform all situations.

Some non-performers are created through entitlement to benefits. Their personal security has been delegated to the organization's structure and culture. And they like it that way. When you challenge that sense of safety and security, you will create a group of unhappy campers. Creating a shift from a place of entitlement is much harder as it requires going deep into the individual's desire for safety and security to reconnect them to a place of empowerment outside of structure. Unfortunately, people in this position might be the first ones to pull the plug on themselves when a pink slip arrives at their door. Their sense of identity depends on the structure, not who they are.

# posted by gopi @ 7:48 AM