By Cori Maedel, Jouta Performance Group (PDF document) as published in Small Business BC

For example, in most organizations the only time that an employee reviews their job description is when they apply for the job or perhaps as part of the employment contract. This is probably a good thing because in most cases chances are high that it does not accurately reflect the true duties and responsibilities associated with the role (but that’s another blog entirely).

The real question here is why is the job description not reviewed and updated in relation to compensation planning or performance reviews? Both of which fall under the HR umbrella.

Consider these questions:
* How often are training programs specifically developed in relation to trends in absenteeism or employee relations issues?
* How often are recruiting, career pathing and performance development tied together other than for the stars of the organization?
* How often are HR programs created or reviewed in light of the organization’s purpose, goals and culture?

The simple truth is that integrating HR programs takes a lot of time and effort by Managers at all levels and departments of an organization to ensure they remain tied to the organization’s purpose, goals and culture.

Achieving this is a key part of what we call gaining Organizational Clarity. But it’s no easy task (for five simple steps on how to achieve Organizational Clarity click here).

The payoffs of achieving this level of Organizational Clarity include increased productivity, decreased turnover and absenteeism, plus a superior level of company pride and loyalty.

So how do you integrate your HR programs?

1. Gain some Organizational Clarity. Take a look at your organization’s purpose, goals, culture, values and direction. Now do an alignment check with your HR programs. Are they fully aligned?

2. Gain some clarity around your HR program. Ask yourself what the purpose is of each program and why it exists. For example: Why do you hold annual performance reviews? If the answer is, “Because we should,” then your program is not likely to be effective and could even be doing more harm than good.

3. Create a ‘mind map’ with HR at the centre and all of your HR programs around it. Look for all of the possible connections that could/should exist between programs and draw them on the map. This is your chance to be creative and think outside the box, to envision all of the possibilities.

4. Prioritize the identified mind map links based on the Organization Clarity you have gained. Begin to update your HR programs based on your priority list to establish as many of the mind map links as possible.

5. Communicate. Clarity is the foundation of an organization that excels. Share the HR mind map and the program updates liberally throughout the entire organization. Most importantly ask for feedback from everyone, you never know what great ideas the ‘Humans’ in your organization might have that will improve Human Resources.

For for a free consultation on gaining Organizational Clarity call 604-488-8885 or email lori@jouta.com.

Do you have Organizational Clarity? No I don’t mean do you have a plaque posted in your lobby that has your vision, mission and values printed on it. Or that you have your vision, mission and values posted on your website for all to see. I’m talking about true Organizational Clarity where everyone in the organization from the Cleaner to the CEO, from the Accountant to the Customer Service Representative is on the same page and talking the same language. It’s rarer than you might think.

So how do you achieve this type of Clarity? Here are 5 simple steps to achieving and maintaining Organizational Clarity.

1. Ask everyone in the organization to answer one simple question: What business are we in? You will be amazed at the variety of answers you get. Based on the answers create some common language that everyone in the organization can use to describe what you do (don’t make it sales-y or complicated, just use plain language). Then share this common language with everyone in the organization.

2. Define why you exist as an organization. What is your purpose? Do you exist to make a difference, to make a profit, to make your customers happy? Many leadership teams never take the time to define their purpose. How can you define success if you don’t know why you exist or what your purpose is?

3. Create an Organizational Goal that is not related to Standard Operating Objectives. This goal should be one that everyone in the organization, regardless of the role they play, can relate to, and see how everyone can help to achieve it. Too often organizations hold all employees accountable to an Organizational Goal that is profit or productivity driven and in most cases the average employee has no ability to directly impact that outcome.

4. Define every individual’s roles and responsibilities within the organization as they pertain to the Standard Operating Objectives AND to the Organizational Goal. Most employees want to succeed and want to see the organization they work for succeed. By tying their roles and responsibilities to both of these they can easily see the direct impact their effort has.

5. Communicate often and openly. “Fireside Chats” are a great way for Senior Leaders within an organization to stay connected to the rest of the employees and for employees to stay connected to progress of the company. Having a set monthly meeting for 15-30 minutes where whoever is available can come and listen to a Senior Leader of the organization update the team on progress and achievements is a perfect way to maintain clarity. It’s also a great opportunity to celebrate the birthdays that took place that month by sharing cake!

What do you find are the biggest obstacles to overcome in achieving Organizational Clarity in your business? We’d love to hear from you.

By Cori Maedel, Jouta Performance Group, as published by HRMA - Aug, 2010

Sound crazy? It’s all standard operating procedure at Zappos.com, the online retailer that’s doing over $1 billion in gross merchandise sales every year.

In 1999, Tony Hsieh (pronounced Shay) sold LinkExchange, the company he co-founded, to Microsoft for $265 million. He then joined Zappos as an adviser and investor, and eventually became CEO. In 2009, Zappos was listed as one of Fortune magazine’s top 25 companies to work for, and was acquired by Amazon later that year in a deal valued at over $1.2 billion on the day of closing.

In his first book, Tony shares the different business lessons he learned in life, from a lemonade stand and pizza business through LinkExchange, Zappos, and more. Ultimately, he shows how using happiness as a framework can produce profits, passion, and purpose both in business and in life.

By Michael Gerber In The E-Myth, Michael Gerber dispels the myths surrounding starting your own business and shows how commonplace assumptions can get in the way of running a business. Next, he walks you through the steps in the life of a business — from entrepreneurial infancy through adolescent growing pains to the mature entrepreneurial perspective: the guiding light of all businesses that succeed — and shows how to apply the lessons of franchising to any business, whether it is a franchise or not. Finally, Gerber draws the vital, often overlooked distinction between working on your business and working in your business. After you have read The E-Myth Revisited, you will truly be able to grow your business in a predictable and productive way.