Emerging From The Recession? How Can Your Managers "Keep Calm and Carry On"?

It could be said that one of the most significant costs to workplace productivity is not only inefficiencies in critical organisational factors such as culture, management, systems and skills-gaps but also the inability of the individual to protect him/herself and the team from workplace dysfunction.

In other words the ability to Keep Calm and Carry On". As the country is quietly whispering to each other that we might just be creeping out of a recession business are often in two mind to recruit new staff members. Managers will therefore still need to weather the roller-coaster of leaner operations, significant budget cuts and a recruitment freeze. Outlined below are a few simple ideas and reflections from leading practitioners and workplace evolution to support managers as they emerge from the recession.

1. Measuring Employee “Resilience” (Northumbria University & Hull University)

Resilience can be defined as the employee's ability to overcome significant challenges and be strengthened by adverse events as well as being able to alter thinking and develop competencies to manage a crisis. Clough et al’s research (2008 - Hull University) defined resilience as:

“A high sense of self-belief and an unshakable faith that they control their own destiny, these individuals can remain relatively unaffected by competition and adversity”

Clough et al also highlighted that resilience

• Is more evident in senior managers as opposed to middle managers

• It relates to greater levels of achievement in the workplace

• It improves with age and can be improved through management training

Outlined below are some typical workplace pressures that impact upon resilience as well as different approaches common to talent management programmes today:

Area To Support Resilience                                              Model / Theory / Input

Struggling with the un-known & high pressure                     Goal setting / Scenario planning                                                                                                             Relaxation  techniques,  Delivering                                                                                                      difficult messages                                                                              
Work Anxiety                                                                           Thought Stopping, Positive Self-talk,                                                                                                     Emotional Intelligence Tools

Frequent Distractions / Ineffective  concentration               Managing the office / work                                                                                                                       environment, coaching others to become more                                                                          autonomous,  assertiveness / re-                                                                                                            framing through NLP

Projects seen as impossible                                                 Project management techniques to                                                                                                       break tasks down to more                                                                                                                       manageable chunks, Visualisation,                                                                                                       Negotiation techniques

Too many objectives / too much work activity                      Planning and prioritisation tools /                                                                                                           models, Fatigue prevention                                                                                                                     techniques, Managing energy at work,                                                                                                   situational leadership to support                                                                                                             delegation and autonomy


Not being heard by the business                                          Influencing skills, Networking support,                                                                                                  Coaching and Mentoring & presenting                                                                                                   ideas

Have a look at AQR's website for information on how to measure employee resilience: http://www.aqr.co.uk/page/mtq48


2) How To Do "More With Less” (The Corporate Leadership Council)

In doing more with less managers need their employees to apply discretionary effort during the difficult times. To do this employees must be engaged their work activity - this means emotional and rational commitment which will in turn support performance and retention (see figure one below)


Figure One: Employee Engagement Model By The Corporate Leadership Council

Outlined below are a few simple ideas to support employee engagement in the workplace for less based on my own ideas but also thoughts from the Corporate Leadership Council

Engagement Drivers                                    Workplace Activity
Rewards & Recognition                                  Zero / Low Cost Rewards (a letter from the CEO)
Opportunity                                                       Project, Career, Training opportunities
Relationships                                                   Arrange support, Boost their ego!, Internal Buddies
Leadership                                                       Demonstrate ability, Walk the talk, 
Involvement /communication                          Their input on business challenges, consult staff!
Company Image                                              Strengthen business integrity by living the values

What Do Managers Need To Do When Trying To Do More With Less? 

Some useful concepts and ideas..... 

1. Be Aware Of The Warning Signs: Ensure managers are vigilant to active disengagement (from team activity, new initiatives, increased sick leave), the venting of negative feelings and that these are addressed



2. Act On Key Events: Be mindful of announcements on serious business events e.g. the end of a long project, after a long vacations.

3. Motivation: What motivates your star performers? Hygiene or motivating factors? Have promised rewards come to fruition?

4. Make time to Discuss the challenges ahead - Sometimes all it takes is a question like  "How do you feel about project X?"

5. Work on a plan to improve the situation together.  

6. Building trust: Ensure the team can come to you will ensure your team members come to you first.....

3) “Engaging Leadership”  (Bradford University / Stephen R Covey)

Bradford University describes engaging leadership as "Leadership behaviours to strengthen engagement  and productivity; connections on a human level, realising potential , building shared visions and developing the culture to generate leadership in others."

Further work has also been completed by Stephen R Covey (Jnr) on how managers establish credibility and trust with their peers. Covey Jnr outlined the "Four Cores of Crediblity" outlined below:

• Intent (Genuine Caring,  Achieving the best outcome for all, Acting in the best interest of others)
• Integrity (Values driven behaviour), Able to keep commitments, Demonstrating honesty)
• Capability (Talent, Skills, Attitude, Knowledge, Style)
• Track Record (Results, Results orientation)

I hope you found the blog insightful / useful - keep the stiff upper lip going, stay calm - one thing I forgot to add was that if none of the above work - you can always put the kettle on.

Michael Costello
www.workplaceevolution.co.uk