How Does Work Climate Affect Performance? Gregory Rodway, MBA Workplace Climate Consultant

Diagnosis Increasing employee absenteeism and tardiness Decreasing employee productivity Disengagement and inflexible work habits Reports of dissatisfaction among your clients The failure of your work group to meet specific performance targets Frequent or unresolved conflict among staff May simply be to provide the scores or may be to set an action plan in place and work with manager and team

Diagnosis Common staff complaints: “This place is so disorganized. We don’t know what direction we are going in. Today, one task has high priority, but tomorrow a different task has priority”. “We are asked to produce results, but we don’t have support or necessary resources”. “No one appreciates our work. No one says thanks”. May simply be to provide the scores or may be to set an action plan in place and work with manager and team We get plenty of criticism when things go wrong, but rarely any positive feedback. Things are tense and unpleasant. Our boss just barks at us. Sometimes I wish I didn’t have to go to work.

Reflection Think about a time when you were part of a great, high performing workgroup or team….. What did it feel like to participate? How did you respond? Break into small groups or a paired share Use the flip chart Allow 7 minutes for this discussion Reflection Paired share Collect ideas on flip chart Debrief on flipchart

Impact! Climate impacts how you feel and behave.

What is Work Climate? Work Climate is the prevailing workplace atmosphere as experienced by employees Climate captures what it feels like to work in a group, it is the weather of the work place. Stress focus on the work group level – not organizational level

What is Work Climate? a negative work climate impedes performance and leads to increasing levels of absenteeism and turnover. a positive work climate leads to and sustains employee motivation and improved performance. influences the “discretionary effort,” or level of effort above and beyond job expectations, that employees exert. Stress focus on the work group level – not organizational level

Why impact Climate? When we looked at the impact of climate on results ….. work climate accounts for nearly a third of the results. And that is simply too much of an impact to ignore.” (Goleman, 2000, p82) Boss impacts climate Climate makes a difference of up to 30% Case in regional government – communication, including teamwork, morale, supervision, involvement and information flow (Zamanou & Glaser 1994)

What causes Work Climate? Two teams example within a department, same history, culture, strategy, structure and external environment (Home Depot, McDonalds examples) Management – doing things right: plan, organize, implement, evaluate Leadership – doing right things: scan, focus, align/mobilize, inspire EXTERNAL ISSUES – government regulation, economic conditions, competitive industry forces, changing technology (engineers working in a fiercely competitive high tech industry versus a conservative, semi-monopolistic public utility where technology is not changing HISTORY – perceptions as to how crises were handled, traditions regarding rewards for performance, organization’s memory of past leaders and role models, history of resource allocation ORGANIZATIONAL ARRANGEMENTS – formal aspects of the organization including the design of tasks and jobs, reward systems, policies and procedures STRATEGY – has a profound impact on climate and can influence how employees feel about ACH opportunities, rewards, obstacles to success and sources of opportunities, no strategy = low levels of commitment, no clarity LEADERSHIP – single largest determinant of climate is the day to day activities of leaders within an organization, ie directly controlled by leaders, other four are less or are not controllable by leader History Culture Strategy Structure External Environment Manager can’t change these All impact climate but the one thing a manager who leads CAN CHANGE are Management and Leadership practices!!!!! These can be be impacted by ALL supervisors! Climate impacts motivation, increases discretionary effort Performance+++ Refer people to page 4 of The Manager. Leadership and management practices that provide clarity, support, and challenge contribute to a positive work climate, which leads to and sustains employee motivation and high performance because it increases the “discretionary effort,” or level of extra effort, that employees exert above and beyond job expectations.

School Leadership Effectiveness Individual Characteristics & Competencies Job Requirements Motivation & Performance Work Climate Leadership & Management Styles Adapted from Watkin, 1999

What Do The Experts Say? What the boss of a workgroup does is the most important determinant of climate” (Stringer 2002, p99) “50 to 70 percent of employees’ perception of working climate is linked to the characteristics of the leader” (Goleman, 2001, p42) Boss impacts climate Climate makes a difference of up to 30% Case in regional government – communication, including teamwork, morale, supervision, involvement and information flow (Zamanou & Glaser 1994)

Reflection What did the manager/leader do? Think about a time when you were part of a great, high performing workgroup or team….. What did the manager/leader do? How did the manager/leader behave? MSI: Authoritative Coercive Coaching Democratic Pacesetting Affiliative Break into small groups or a paired share Use the flip chart Allow 7 minutes for this discussion Reflection Paired share Collect ideas on flip chart Debrief on flipchart

How do Manager/Leaders influence Work Climate? Manager/Leaders influence climate by focusing on: Ensuring clarity and standards Providing support, rewards and responsibility Delivering challenge and encouraging pride and team commitment Clarity – what am I doing here and why am I doing it? Support – do I have what I need both physical and emotional support? Challenge – am I stretched and challenged?

How is Climate Determined? Use a climate assessment tool - assessment tools are available commercially Usually a 180 degree view, i.e. manager/leader and subordinates Collect additional qualitative data Contrast manager/leader view with subordinate view Essential to determine intent as the first component of the preparation process! What is the WCA being used for? Measurement only? As a component of a climate based intervention?

Climate Assessment Uses? Assessment / Measurement – used as a performance indicator Development – to give feedback for developmental purposes Essential to determine intent as the first component of the preparation process! What is the WCA being used for? Measurement only? As a component of a climate based intervention?

One example - the MSH Work Climate Assessment (WCA) Easy to Use 12 Items measure Clarity, Support, Challenge Manual Calculation or Spreadsheet Support How can I assess climate? How will I know if I am developing clarity, support and challenge? Use the WCA.

MSH WCA Example . We are recognized for individual contributions . We have a common purpose . We have the resources we need to do our jobs well . We develop our skills and knowledge . We have a plan which guides our activities . We strive to improve our performance . We understand each other’s capabilities . We are clear what is expected in our work . We seek to understand the needs of our clients 0. We participate in the decisions of our work group 1. We take pride in our work 2. We readily adapt to new circumstances Page 5, page 12

Use the WCA Complete the assessment Review your results What gaps exist / which gaps are largest?

Why impact Climate? The better the leader/head understands their climate, the underlying competencies that can be used to shape it and how to use leadership (and management) styles to motivate, the greater possibility of sustained success.” (Watkin 1999, p13) Boss impacts climate Climate makes a difference of up to 30% Case in regional government – communication, including teamwork, morale, supervision, involvement and information flow (Zamanou & Glaser 1994)

Appendix

Work Climate Process Five Step Process:- Prepare Administer Analyze Report Act Explain process ? Develop a Flow Chart to support this

Facilitation – Prepare Ensure Goals are Clear Select assessment Who will be assessed? Where and when will the assessment occur? Is an Administrator needed to manage the data collection? Talk about the timeframe as part of preparation Talk about the resources required as part of preparation Manager’s Guide WCA v4.7 ?Tabulation

Facilitation – Act Measurement Only Consultant Review Feedback for Work Groups Consultant Review – “road test results” Manager Feedback Strategy Development Work Group Action Planning May simply be to provide the scores or may be to set an action plan in place and work with manager and team

References Goleman, D. 2000, “Leadership that gets results”, Harvard Business Review, March–April Goleman, D. 2001, “An EI-Based theory of performance” in The Emotionally Intelligent Workplace, eds. G. Cherniss & D. Goleman, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco Johnson, S. & Rodway, G. 2002, “Creating a Work Climate that Motivates Staff and Improves Performance”, The Manager Volume 11 Number 3, MSH Boston Stringer, R. 2002, Leadership and Organizational Climate, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey Watkin, C. 2000, “The leadership program for serving headteachers: probably the world's largest leadership development initiative,” The Leadership and Organization Development Journal, Vol.21 No.1 May simply be to provide the scores or may be to set an action plan in place and work with manager and team