Page 108 - How America's Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times

Steering the Ship and Inspiring the Crew C95

Our studies tell us that in the best of times employees are more
highly engaged when they see where the company is going and un-
derstand their roles in helping the company get there. This is largely
a function of senior leaders and line managers clearly and frequently
communicating where the company is headed and how each person
makes a contribution. As a colleague of ours advises: “Leaders need to
make sure that the right employees are in the boat, know where it’s going,
have an oar in the water, and are pulling together!” Indeed, we need to
make sure we are helping our associates understand the strategy of the
company, why this strategy makes sense, and how each person in the
organization can make a positive and meaningful contribution to
the success of that effort.
In difficult times, this responsibility becomes even more impor-
tant. One supervisor at a company whose engagement score increased
described how he felt about the direction of the company: “Even in
these uncertain times, I feel very good about working (here). They have
made the right financial decisions to make the company strong, and I love
the products we sell.”
What direction-setting practices should a company implement in
difficult times? Our research shows that companies that survive and
thrive in tough times do the following:

1. Develop a strategic plan for, and path to, success that will be com-
pelling and confidence building for employees.

2. Clearly and consistently communicate the plan to employees at all
levels and locations, using every available form of communication.

3. Seek and welcome every idea for making the plan a reality, e.g.,
streamlining of processes, innovation, new business, and cost cutting.
Many companies are also using and leveraging Web 2.0 with com-
pany blogs and wikis to make it easier for employees to communicate
their ideas. Best Buy, whose stock plunged 40 percent in one month in
late 2008, received more than 900 cost-cutting ideas after starting its