1 Dynamic Link©

The All-About-You Climate Survey

The Climate Survey is a diagnostic methodology that is basedon the management activities of Clarifying, Enabling and Reviewing

What’s it like to work for you?

Overview

All managers create a working climate that influences and affects the people working for them. Sometimes this climate reflects the general climate of the organisation and sometimes this climate is a direct result of the very specific style of the manager and they way that they empower, involve and motivate others.

Whilst a great deal of theory has been writ-ten on empowerment, involvement and motivation, in fact, most people working in organisations want three simple conditions with regard to their work. Namely:

Clarity: They want to be clear about what they are expected to do.

Trust: They want to feel that they can use their own judgement and be allowed to get on with work within their level of compe-tence,

Purpose: They want to know that the work undertaken is heading in the right direction and at the right pace and they want to know that the work that they do links to a broader purpose.

These conditions are likely to be met if a manager demonstrates a balance of the following activities:

Clarifying – Clarifying is establishing the core purpose of a person’s job and identify-ing their accountabilities. It is about speci-fying intended outcomes and a time-scale for completion of tasks. Clarifying is not a one way process. It has to involve engag-ing people and recognising that the only real expert is the person doing the job.

Enabling – Enabling involves equipping the person with the necessary tools, skills, knowledge and procedures that are safe and appropriate for the work to be under-taken. Crucially it involves providing the ‘space’ for people to make their own judge-ments to the limit of their current capabili-ties. Reviewing – Reviewing is monitoring with-out crowding. It ensures that the work assigned is still relevant to the organisation and that the resources required are being used appropriately according to the current priorities. Reviewing also involves measur-ing performance against the intended outcome and recognising achievement.

Most importantly of all reviewing is about communicating a sense of purpose and relevance for the work so that all individu-als are clear as to how the job links to that of others and how the work is part of a broader goal.

Dynamic Link©

Optimal Climate

The optimal situation is where a manager provides a balance of Clarifying, Enabling and Reviewing. This leads to people making sensible decisions which builds good customer relations, cement supplier relationships and minimise rework and waste.

People are clear as to what is expected and what they hold accountability for. They feel that they are trusted to make their own judgements within their area of compe-tence and they have a clear understanding as to how their work connects to a wider purpose.

Sub-Optimal Climate

However, as we know from our experience, not all managers operate in a balanced way. Some take on the organisation style which may stress one or more of these activities. Others just adopt what they have been shown or feel is the right style.

A stress on one of these management con-ditions leads to imbalance and this has negative consequences.

Diffuse

Diffuse conditions are established when managers instead of Clarifying simply Hand-Over decisions to their subordi-nates. Instead of Enabling, they Overly-Trust a person to get on with their job in whatever way that they feel is right. Instead of Reviewing, they Neglect.

People can be given too much space to make their own judgements. The result is a diffuse environment in which people oper-ate by guesswork. When there is guess-work, people generally feel more comfort-able when they consult with everyone and

when a collective view emerges. Therefore formal and informal meetings proliferate. Diffuse conditions definitely result in rework and waste.

Rigid

Rigid conditions are established when instead of Clarifying, managers simply Dictate their requirements. Instead of Enabling, they Disable and see them-selves as knowing best or they retain con-trol over key parts of the role. Instead of Reviewing, they Police and recognise only non-compliance.

When people are given too little space and are driven by tasks and unrelenting processes, the result is a rigid working environment characterised by ‘rule-following’. When there is rule-following, people carry on doing something that they know results in waste or poor quality but it would be more than their job’s worth to do anything about it. When senior people realise that changes are required and start initiatives, they wonder why these run into the ground.

The All-About-You Climate Survey

A manager sends the Climate Survey to all people that are under their control. This can be filled in anonymously if required and the results are fed back as a report against the key activities of Clarifying, Enabling and Reviewing.

2

Clarifying

Good Judgement

Enabling Reviewing

Handing-Over

Rework/Waste

Overly-Trusting Neglecting

Dictating

Rule Following

Distrusting Policing