Meridian Group's Newsletter Number 20, 6-15-03

Capturing the Spirit of Independence in your Company
Engaging employees' spirit of independence and other deep human desires at work is the key to creating a satisfying, productive and profitable company.

I grew up in Australia, not knowing the meaning of the Fourth of July. I came to the US in 1965 and moved to the small town of Larkspur, California in1988. Every year, I have enjoyed our hometown Independence Day parade—a delightful expression of grass-roots America.

I recently read David McCullough's absorbing biography on John Adams and was reminded of a fact—that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died just hours apart on July 4th, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration, a major life achievement for Adams and Jefferson, capped the long effort of the colony to break free from the oppressive, often authoritarian control of England.

Modern history is replete with similar stories of oppressed people reaching for their independence. Modern corporations can tap into that same spirit that all of us share—to be treated like mature, free-thinking, independent adults, who are also responsible, feeling, and creative beings.

An opportunity for employee independence

In a Southern California facility of a national firm, Meridian Group worked with the managers to establish employee problem-solving teams. One particular issue—Forced Work at Weekends—was contentious and divisive. Some employees loved the overtime pay. Others hated the disruptions to their family life. Management invited volunteers to form an employee group to study the issue and see what alternatives might be offered.

Twenty-four people volunteered. Management decided to select twelve people from the volunteers as a workable group. I suggested that rather than management choosing the group—and thereby demonstrating management's continuing control over the issue, and perhaps lack of trust in the employees—that they facilitate a problem-solving meeting with the volunteers with the subject, "Reduce the 24 volunteers to a working group of 12 people."

While the management team was very skeptical that the first-line employees could do this, they had already accepted the logic of the Golden Rule: "If people are affected by a decision, they should be involved in it." Because it was my suggestion, they asked me to facilitate the discussion.

Creating an effective, self-determined work group, or "Look, We Shrank Ourselves!"

All 24 volunteers showed up and I suggested to them a process they could use to select their representative group. "First, you decide on your selection criteria. Then you vote and rank order everyone against the criteria. Finally you look at the result and decide if it is satisfactory. It's totally in your hands."

Everyone agreed and I could tell they were very excited by the sense of control they would have over this decision. The criteria they listed were fairly straightforward. The final group should represent:

I passed out copies of a sheet of paper with everyone's name on it and asked them to keep their selection criteria in mind while privately ranking their top 12 candidates. This took 10 minutes or so. I tallied the results and made a copy for each person. I asked them to look at their selection of top 12 vote getters and compare them against their selection criteria, "If we go with those top 12, do they represent the areas you said should be represented?" The response was a resounding "Absolutely!"

We scheduled the next meeting with the select group of 12. Everyone left the meeting surprised, impressed, proud, and pleased with what they had accomplished. Those who did not make the cut may have been disappointed, but because they were part of the decision, they were satisfied.

Management is more than pleased

The management team's response to the 12 names was, "That is an exceptionally good group. We couldn't have done better ourselves, and if we had done it, there would have been a lot of opposition to our decision, particularly from those not chosen. I think we will use this process again in the future."

Engaging The Spirit of '76

When you want to tap into the spirit of Independence, a spirit that runs deep in every individual and throughout our nation, the workplace is replete with opportunities. Engaging this and other deep human desires at work is the key to creating a satisfying, productive and profitable company.



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	A Better Workplace --- Meridian Group's Newsletter, Number 21, 7-15-03

	Capturing the Spirit of Independence in your Company Engaging employees' spirit of independence and other deep human desires at work is the key to creating a satisfying, productive and profitable company. I grew up in Australia, not knowing the meaning of the Fourth of July. I came to the US in 1965 and moved to the small town of Larkspur, California in1988. Every year, I have enjoyed our hometown Independence Day parade—a delightful expression of grass-roots America. I recently read David McCullough's absorbing biography on John Adams and was reminded of a fact—that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died just hours apart on July 4th, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration, a major life achievement for Adams and Jefferson, capped the long effort of the colony to break free from the oppressive, often authoritarian control of England. Modern history is replete with similar stories of oppressed people reaching for their independence. Modern corporations can tap into that same spirit that all of us share—to be treated like mature, free-thinking, independent adults, who are also responsible, feeling, and creative beings. An opportunity for employee independence In a Southern California facility of a national firm, Meridian Group worked with the managers to establish employee problem-solving teams. One particular issue—Forced Work at Weekends—was contentious and divisive. Some employees loved the overtime pay. Others hated the disruptions to their family life. Management invited volunteers to form an employee group to study the issue and see what alternatives might be offered. Twenty-four people volunteered. Management decided to select twelve people from the volunteers as a workable group. I suggested that rather than management choosing the group—and thereby demonstrating management's continuing control over the issue, and perhaps lack of trust in the employees—that they facilitate a problem-solving meeting with the volunteers with the subject, "Reduce the 24 volunteers to a working group of 12 people." While the management team was very skeptical that the first-line employees could do this, they had already accepted the logic of the Golden Rule: "If people are affected by a decision, they should be involved in it." Because it was my suggestion, they asked me to facilitate the discussion. Creating an effective, self-determined work group, or "Look, We Shrank Ourselves!" All 24 volunteers showed up and I suggested to them a process they could use to select their representative group. "First, you decide on your selection criteria. Then you vote and rank order everyone against the criteria. Finally you look at the result and decide if it is satisfactory. It's totally in your hands." Everyone agreed and I could tell they were very excited by the sense of control they would have over this decision. The criteria they listed were fairly straightforward. The final group should represent: Each department. Different age groups. People who want to work weekends and people who don't. People who are angry and outspoken and people who will speak up for others. I passed out copies of a sheet of paper with everyone's name on it and asked them to keep their selection criteria in mind while privately ranking their top 12 candidates. This took 10 minutes or so. I tallied the results and made a copy for each person. I asked them to look at their selection of top 12 vote getters and compare them against their selection criteria, "If we go with those top 12, do they represent the areas you said should be represented?" The response was a resounding "Absolutely!" We scheduled the next meeting with the select group of 12. Everyone left the meeting surprised, impressed, proud, and pleased with what they had accomplished. Those who did not make the cut may have been disappointed, but because they were part of the decision, they were satisfied. Management is more than pleased The management team's response to the 12 names was, "That is an exceptionally good group. We couldn't have done better ourselves, and if we had done it, there would have been a lot of opposition to our decision, particularly from those not chosen. I think we will use this process again in the future." Engaging The Spirit of '76 When you want to tap into the spirit of Independence, a spirit that runs deep in every individual and throughout our nation, the workplace is replete with opportunities. Engaging this and other deep human desires at work is the key to creating a satisfying, productive and profitable company.