By Alexandra Economou <\/p>\n
Workplace managers must engage every staff member and ensure they feel part of the team, says commercial law firm Finlaysons.<\/p>\n
A failure to do so could result in employees feeling alienated from their colleagues.<\/p>\n
Workplace partner Grant Archer cites the recent stashed cash affair in which public servant Kate Lennon transferred $6 million to a trust account without authorisation.<\/p>\n
He says this is prime example of what can occur when a staff member, or team of employees, is “excluded from the collective”.<\/p>\n
The drive to succeed can be stronger than the desire to fit into a workplace, he says.<\/p>\n
“It appears in that case that not enough was done to integrate a top performer into the culture of the whole organisation, (instead) leaving her to her own devices,” he says.<\/p>\n
“Although a brilliant performer with an incredible drive to succeed, it seems she lost touch with her place in the bigger picture and, instead, focused on the success of her own department.<\/p>\n
“(This) ultimately led to her cutting corners to maintain her success and not informing management of what she was doing.”<\/p>\n
Mr Archer says a 2001 article by Paul Levy, published in the Harvard Business Review, led to the phrase the “Nut Island Effect” being coined.<\/p>\n
The story was about a Boston waste treatment centre that became disconnected from the wider organisation, leading to a “calamitous” environmental incident. “Often management makes a decision to assign a vital role to an individual because of their identified talent and gives them a great deal of autonomy to perform that role,” he says.<\/p>\n
“If an individual or a team member is rarely involved in external practices and perspectives, they can feel taken for granted.<\/p>\n
“Management often compounds their mistakes by assuming (a person’s) silence means that everything is okay.”<\/p>\n
The solution for managers, he believes, is to continually engage with all team members, even the “high-performers”.<\/p>\n
He suggests there are several ways to achieve this, such as:<\/p>\n
INSTALLING<\/strong> whole of business performance measures aligned with the business’s strategic outcomes. Employees can then understand the bigger picture and feel a part of it.<\/p>\n BRINGING<\/strong> managers at all levels, including chief executives and general managers, together to develop an identity and a presence around their areas of responsibility.<\/p>\n GETTING<\/strong> some broader organisational investment from staff members. For example, put them on external committees related to areas such as occupational health and safety.<\/p>\n ROTATING<\/strong> staff members. Ensure that all employees, even “brilliant leaders”, are given new challenges every three to four years.<\/p>\n Tips to engage staff:<\/strong> Article from The Advertiser, December 2010.<\/p>\n <\/body><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Alexandra Economou Workplace managers must engage every staff member and ensure they feel part of the team, says commercial law firm Finlaysons. A failure to do so could result in employees feeling alienated from their colleagues. Workplace partner Grant Archer cites the recent stashed cash affair in which public servant Kate Lennon transferred $6 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":694,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7,6],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
* Take leaders on tours around company to get to know all staff.
* Listen to any problems staff raise to connect them to the greater organisation.
* Ensure staff are part of the culture by bringing isolated workers into teams and judge their work by the same standard.
* Rotate leaders to encourage fresh thinking and prevent bad habits being formed. <\/p>\n