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Training consultant Arte Maren
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By Craig A. Shutt
Every remodeler wants company employees to be more productive. Most, however, don't know how to achieve this lofty goal, so they simply tell workers to "work harder." Usually, not much happens.
To really improve productivity, remodelers must change employees' attitudes: first, by learning to listen and, then, by improving current systems and providing educational opportunities to enhance the team's strengths and effectiveness.
The best way to improve existing systems is by asking employees how they would change things, says training consultant Arte Maren. Arte bases his programs on the Hubbard Management System, developed by educator and philosopher L. Ron Hubbard. The Hubbard system is used by Fortune 500 companies and thousands of small companies around the world. Arte also moderates the television show "BusinessWise," which appears on 15 stations nationwide.
Two factors are key, says Arte: communication and training.
Communication. "Keep communication open to the guys in the field and the front office," Arte says. "If you trust them, and they're producing, they'll tell you what needs to be done." You can gather the information through a formal survey or by just talking with key individuals. He adds that mployees can be surveyed as often as four times per year, which will help ensure problems don't go unknown.
The reason to survey employees, Arte stresses, is that management should consider employees to be "internal customers" who must be served as completely as clients.
Conducting such surveys tells employees they are a significant part of the company. It's also important that any goals that are set for them are created in conjunction with their input. "Employees won't sell what they don't own," Arte points out. "If they don't 'own' the goals, they won't feel responsible if they don't reach them."
Productivity also rises when managers provide on-going feedback to employees, letting them know when they are doing well and when they need to correct a problem. This encourages them to repeat the activities that gained them success and accolades. Arte suggests conducting performance reviews at least twice and ideally four times per year, discussing good points and areas for improvements. These should be done separately from promotions or income adjustments.
Training. Of course, surveys don't improve productivity unless their results are acted upon. That often requires training, a subject near and dear to Arte's heart. "Empowering employees to solve problems can ensure high customer satisfaction. But ensuring employees know how to respond in each situation requires training. Training is the Number 1 factor in better productivity."
Too often, managers assume all employees know how to respond to problems and are surprised when each person responds differently, causing confusion or making things worse. But if the company has a consistent policy and all employees are aware of it and how to implement it, they can achieve the highest possible level of quality, as well as higher productivity. On the other hand, a failure to understand how to perform activities correctly also can lead to frustration or cutting corners, which worsens problems.
Employees want to excel, Arte stresses. "Every employee wants to do a fantastic job. But management often doesn't take the time to make sure that they can do so through good two-way communication and adequate training."
The upshot? If you want more productive employees, you have to boost your own productivity first.
Online resource: www.wise.org
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