Management is a broad concept. There are all sorts of theories, directions and ways to manage employees. We like to use Professor Bernard Lievegoed's definition of management:
”Management is to create surroundings and space that makes it possible for the individual employee to use their knowledge, experience, creativity and fantasy in a way, that leads the company towards a clear vision, and which brings quality of life to the individual employee.” (Bernard Lievegoed, Steen Hildebrandt).
The employee must, therefore, be able to:
1) realise their full potential of knowledge, experience, creativity and imagination;
2) contribute to the overall vision of the company;
3) achieve quality of life through their commitment to this movement.
And it is the manager's job to make sure that it is possible.
We often compare the manager to a gardener who has a plantation full of apple trees. If the trees do not grow beautiful apples, the gardener must find out whether they are given light, water, nutrient-rich soil, etc. Similarly, the manager must examine whether the employees have the right conditions to be able to solve their tasks, thereby exploiting their potential and making sense. There are no bad employees – but they may be so unfortunate as to work under poor conditions.
How do you, as a manager, create surroundings and space that allows your employees to deliver? We have five suggestions for that in this blog post. But first, we need to delve into why these five parameters are important.
The prerequisite for thriving, developing and delivering
In their book 'First, Break All the Rules', management researchers Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman examine how the manager best handles employees in order to retain them and make them thrive at work.
According to their empirical studies, there are 12 points that directly determine whether the employee experiences job satisfaction and wants to stay in their job.
These 12 points are:
- Do I know what's expected of me in the job?
- Do I have the materials and equipment to do my job properly?
- Do I have the opportunity to do some of what I'm best at every single day?
- Have I received recognition or praise for doing good work within the last 7 days?
- Does it seem like my manager or others care about me as a person?
- Is there anyone on the job who stimulates my development?
- Does it seem like my opinion counts on the job?
- Does the organisation's purpose make me feel proud?
- Are my colleagues concerned with providing quality work?
- Have I had one or more good friends on the job?
- Has anyone talked to me about my progress in the last six months?
- Have I had opportunities to learn and grow in the last 12 months?
We have grouped the questions in five categories: Know your employees, the tasks, colleagues, the work tools and dialogues.
Read more about each one of them below.
1) Know your employees
Does it seem like my manager or others care about me as a person?
Does it seem like my opinion counts on the job?People are different, and so are employees. Some thrive in an open environment where they are surrounded by their colleagues. Others work more focused when there is calm around them. One employee appreciates flexibility in everyday life, while another works best under fixed structures.
If you want to treat your employees the same, you have to treat them differently. By this, we mean, of course, that if different persons are to experience the same amount of job satisfaction, they must be treated according to their individual needs – and these needs may differ widely.
It is important that you, as a manager, know your employees and know under what conditions they work best so that you can show that you care about them.
A good way to get to know your employees can be to observe them and to have regular dialogues with them. In staff meetings and in-house meetings, professional relationships are created, and the EDP interview especially is intended for talking about the preconditions for thriving and thus delivering on the work tasks.
2) Work tasks – objectives and direction
Do I know what's expected of me in the job?
Do I have the opportunity to do some of what I'm best at every single day?
Does the organisation's purpose make me feel proud?
If an employee is to deliver, it is important that the tasks are clearly defined. Otherwise, you risk that they – out of the best intentions – focus on a type of work that may not be as important to the organisation's common goals as other types of tasks. When the employee knows what is expected, it gives them the required peace of mind to focus.
In addition, it is important to use the full potential of the employee. If the employee is allowed to use their skills to solve the company's challenges, then, according to Marcus Buckingham, they will achieve greater job satisfaction.
It is also hugely motivating for employees to know how exactly they contribute to reaching the organisation's common goals.
As a manager, you have to break down the company's goals and set a direction for the individual. This can be done at the annual EDP interview. And here, of course, it is important to follow up on the agreements throughout the year and make sure that the organisation is constantly working towards the common goals.
Also read: ”Make the EDP interview last all year”.
3) Cohesion – the collegial
Is there anyone on the job who stimulates my development?
Are my colleagues concerned with providing quality work?
Have I had one or more good friends on the job?
We humans work best when we feel like we are part of a group. That is why the community of co-workers plays a huge role in the workplace. If an employee does not feel that he or she belong among her co-workers, they will spend a lot of unnecessary energy on this deficiency. A lot of resources that removes focus from the actual work tasks and have a direct impact on productivity.
Therefore, it is important for a manager to ensure that a group of employees works well together and has some sense of community and group dynamics. Do the employees have roughly the same level of ambition? And do they challenge each other to develop both professionally and personally?
You usually get an idea of this during their everyday work, in larger projects and the dialogue with the individual employees as well as the overall group.
5) The right working tools
Do I have the materials and equipment to do my job properly?
Working tools are important to carry out the tasks properly. This is a part of creating the right "surroundings" for the employee.
If a painter lacks the right brushes or rollers, work will clearly take much longer. If a chef has to cut vegetables with a blunt knife, the result will not be as good.
The examples may seem too simplified, but it helps to underline how important it is. If the employees do not have the right tools, they will become irritated and frustrated, and their work efficiency and quality will decrease. All of which has a direct impact on job satisfaction.
6) Ongoing dialogues
Have I received recognition or praise for doing good work within the last 7 days?
Has anyone talked to me about my progress in the last six months?
Have I had opportunities to learn and grow in the last 12 months?
Have you praised your employees within the last 7 days? According to Marcus Buckingham, it is important to recognise the employees when they have done a good job. Often, if possible. Praise fosters motivation to continue the focused work and at the same time provides much greater job satisfaction.
It is also important to talk to your employees about their development. Even though your employees may be talented, they need to experience some form of strengthening of their competences - personal or professional. Otherwise, you risk that the employee will look for another job where they can be challenged and become even more proficient.
Even though the working day is often busy, it is extremely important that you take some time to talk to your employees. In this dialogue, you should focus on recognition, development and setting the direction.
Dialogue develops
By concentrating on these five points, you should be able to create the right conditions for your employees. And with ongoing dialogue, you can keep track of what your employees each need.
