Unstructure

In the new age where employees are becoming the center of almost every facet of business strategy, the influence that they cast on the ways of working is tremendous. Today, with strong peer networks and open dialogue directly with the management, it is hard to ignore the power and impact that one individual has. As organizations grow bigger and flatter, their success is going to be largely dependent upon the decision that that one individual makes. In fact the term “Employee” today has been replaced by successful Intrapreneurs who are taking the lead and creating their own ecosystems within an organization.  A large number of our workforce today comprises of impatient youth who believe in the power of the present. We are in the age of boundary-less communication. The world has shrunk to the size of a Twitter page. Information is exchanged, processed and made redundant within a few minutes. Therefore, it is only natural that today’s workforce is far better informed and connected as compared to those in the past.

We now have individuals, rather than employees, coming to work and bringing their own selves- their unique thoughts, emotions and ideas. What we have therefore, is a diverse workforce, each attempting to stand out from the crowd. It is this assortment of beliefs and values that poses both as a threat and an enabler for organizations. How do you channel all their energy in one direction without losing out on those very characteristics that make them unique?  This brings us face to face with fresh challenges- increased workplace conflict and dangerously low employee engagement and morale.  Since individuals spend a large part of their time at work, it is essential that there is greater understanding between them and their peers/managers, etc. A conflict amongst any of these groups affects communication and performance. A disgruntled individual has no choice but to leave. Study has shown that when an employee leaves an organization it is largely because of the conflict between his/her values with that of their co-workers and more specifically the manager [for the manager is largely responsible for setting the culture of a team], and has rarely anything to do with the organization as a whole.

Workplace culture, therefore, plays a crucial role today.  It is, however, being defined by these very individuals who are also shaping our business strategy. How do we align the two so as to ensure that there is minimum conflict and high engagement? The answer is simple. Find out what drives them- what are these individuals or Intrapreneurs really passionate about. Moving one step ahead of engagement and discovering what the passion drivers are for each individual helps them focus on each one of their strengths – it tells them that they are unique in their own way and the organization recognizes and appreciates this fact. Workplace culture improves because passion fuels passion. Peer interaction becomes healthier because each one learns something from the other.

To illustrate, here is an example based on my own experience; I’ve caught on to this variant philosophy and attempted to decode the passion here at HCL with the help of an Employee Passion Indicative Count program. This assessment tries to enable each value creator at HCL to identify their own unique passion drivers. Given the success of the program (over 57% participation), it was evident to me that today’s workforce demands a sensitive organization that caters to their specific needs.

Therefore, I believe that having a passionate workforce, instead of a merely engaged one, results in an organization moving in one direction without losing out on its diversity.  We managed to successfully build a culturally rich workforce because we understood that only when there is plurality amongst individuals can they drive business performance to greater heights.

I would love to hear of other successful programs that managers are implementing to harness employee passion at work. How do you work the diversity factor to advantage? Where do you draw the line? Also, how have these programs impacted your business?