Meridian Group - Company Culture Consultants

Soon after Dick Bryson came on board as General Manager of a distribution facility with over 800 employees he began regular monthly meetings with his department managers discussing ways to improve relationships with employees. I attended each of these meetings, spending time with each manager, with Dick, and with many employees, discussing and supporting the company's plan to build a more engaged, productive, less adversarial work place.

At one meeting Dick surprised me. He put several roles of pennies on the table, gave each manager 10 coins and explained that he wanted them to put the 10 coins in their right-hand pants pocket (yes, they were all men). Each day they were to transfer one coin to the left pocket every time they thanked an employee for something he or she did. Dick said that at the end of the workday he wanted all the coins in the left pocket.

One manager said that the employees were paid to do their job and he didn't see why he should thank them for doing what they were paid to do. Some of the other managers agreed. (I guessed that they were fearful of changing their relationships with employees.) But Dick insisted that they try it for a few days and see what happened. I must admit I was a little skeptical.

It was a great success. The managers said that the employee’s really liked the thank-yous. Their responses made the managers feel good, which encouraged them to do more. After a couple of weeks they didn't need the pennies anymore. Thank-yous’ and complements were now an enjoyable part of the manager’s work day.

The pennies were an early part of the culture change effort that significantly reduced employee complaints, improved morale and overall productivity in this once hostile and marginally productive workplace.

In another company, Dale Hancock a supervisor in a manufacturing plant, decided to improve relationships in his division. He wrote small thank you notes whenever the actions of an employee provided an opportunity.

His boss the superintendent heard about it and inferred that Dale was being soft on the employees. The superintendent believed that employees responded best to “tough” managers. However the response in Dale's division contradicted the superintendent’s beliefs—productivity rose, employees complaints fell, and other divisions commented that communications with Dale's division were the best in the plant.

Though I frequently see managers argue with success (in others), in this case the old maxim—Success Breeds Success—held true. It wasn't long before other supervisors realized it would be in their best interest to do something similar—although none of them went so far as Dale in writing complementary notes.

In an earlier newsletter I cited a Gallup Management Journal article that said, "Praise is rare in most workplaces. One poll found that an astounding 65% of Americans reported receiving no recognition for good work in the past year. And we have yet to find anyone who reports suffering from over-recognition. No wonder so many employees are disengaged. Although we need and want recognition and praise, the fact is, we don't get enough—and organizations suffer because of it."

To a great extent culture depends on relationships. Fortunately each of us has the power to shape and change our relationships at work and elsewhere. Relationships can change with a glance, a word, an invitation. You can initiate a conversation, a visit, coffee, or lunch. If you think it is inappropriate to initiate or change a relationship with somebody in the company, your reticence reveals a negative aspect of the company culture.

Improving relationships with anybody at any time should feel appropriate. It is a good and human thing to do. Sharing life stories with another is as old as language and almost always fulfilling.

This months statistics come from Deloitte & Touche—UK, Research Report 2003, World Class Manufacturing.

“Companies see the soft issues such as company culture, attitude of the staff, and inertia as the main potential obstacles that stand in the way of lean implementation. These types of issues appear much more important than factors such as cost or the nature and distribution of the manufacturing facility. . . . When asked, "What barriers might prevent or delay the application of lean manufacturing principles within your company?" Respondents cited company culture as by far the single largest problem. . . Six out of 10 mentioned this obstacle.” See the full article at:
http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/cda/doc/content/World%20Class(1).pdf

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For more information on how Company Culture affects performance read http://www.companyculture.com/basics/benefits.htm



	Site Map \| FAQ \| Search A Better Workplace --- Meridian Group's Newsletter, Number 39, 12-15-04
	____________________________________________________ It’s Never Too Late to Say “Thank You” Apprecitation is one essential part of a productive work culture. Thank You Pennies Soon after Dick Bryson came on board as General Manager of a distribution facility with over 800 employees he began regular monthly meetings with his department managers discussing ways to improve relationships with employees. I attended each of these meetings, spending time with each manager, with Dick, and with many employees, discussing and supporting the company's plan to build a more engaged, productive, less adversarial work place. At one meeting Dick surprised me. He put several roles of pennies on the table, gave each manager 10 coins and explained that he wanted them to put the 10 coins in their right-hand pants pocket (yes, they were all men). Each day they were to transfer one coin to the left pocket every time they thanked an employee for something he or she did. Dick said that at the end of the workday he wanted all the coins in the left pocket. One manager said that the employees were paid to do their job and he didn't see why he should thank them for doing what they were paid to do. Some of the other managers agreed. (I guessed that they were fearful of changing their relationships with employees.) But Dick insisted that they try it for a few days and see what happened. I must admit I was a little skeptical. It was a great success. The managers said that the employee’s really liked the thank-yous. Their responses made the managers feel good, which encouraged them to do more. After a couple of weeks they didn't need the pennies anymore. Thank-yous’ and complements were now an enjoyable part of the manager’s work day. The pennies were an early part of the culture change effort that significantly reduced employee complaints, improved morale and overall productivity in this once hostile and marginally productive workplace. Thank You Notes In another company, Dale Hancock a supervisor in a manufacturing plant, decided to improve relationships in his division. He wrote small thank you notes whenever the actions of an employee provided an opportunity. His boss the superintendent heard about it and inferred that Dale was being soft on the employees. The superintendent believed that employees responded best to “tough” managers. However the response in Dale's division contradicted the superintendent’s beliefs—productivity rose, employees complaints fell, and other divisions commented that communications with Dale's division were the best in the plant. Though I frequently see managers argue with success (in others), in this case the old maxim—Success Breeds Success—held true. It wasn't long before other supervisors realized it would be in their best interest to do something similar—although none of them went so far as Dale in writing complementary notes. 65% of Employees Go Unrecognized In an earlier newsletter I cited a Gallup Management Journal article that said, "Praise is rare in most workplaces. One poll found that an astounding 65% of Americans reported receiving no recognition for good work in the past year. And we have yet to find anyone who reports suffering from over-recognition. No wonder so many employees are disengaged. Although we need and want recognition and praise, the fact is, we don't get enough—and organizations suffer because of it." Culture Depends of Relationships To a great extent culture depends on relationships. Fortunately each of us has the power to shape and change our relationships at work and elsewhere. Relationships can change with a glance, a word, an invitation. You can initiate a conversation, a visit, coffee, or lunch. If you think it is inappropriate to initiate or change a relationship with somebody in the company, your reticence reveals a negative aspect of the company culture. Improving relationships with anybody at any time should feel appropriate. It is a good and human thing to do. Sharing life stories with another is as old as language and almost always fulfilling. ______________________________________________________ This Months Statistics This months statistics come from Deloitte & Touche—UK, Research Report 2003, World Class Manufacturing. “Companies see the soft issues such as company culture, attitude of the staff, and inertia as the main potential obstacles that stand in the way of lean implementation. These types of issues appear much more important than factors such as cost or the nature and distribution of the manufacturing facility. . . . When asked, "What barriers might prevent or delay the application of lean manufacturing principles within your company?" Respondents cited company culture as by far the single largest problem. . . Six out of 10 mentioned this obstacle.” See the full article at: http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/cda/doc/content/World%20Class(1).pdf _____________________________________________________________ For more information on how Company Culture affects performance read http://www.companyculture.com/basics/benefits.htm



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