It is more important now than ever before for managers to keep their employees in line with the overall company strategy. In a fiercely competitive environment, businesses need their employees to be hyper-connected and focused on the collective brainpower of reaching key milestones, as well as generating a steady stream of insights and ideas along the way. Studies show that approximately 70% of the U.S. workforce is not engaged with their company or with their work. The rewards of engagement can be dramatic: heightened retention, better execution, and overall, a more distinct competitive edge.
Value propositions must be defined and refined with increasing frequency and careful attention to maintaining cohesiveness amid new corporate objectives, even as it processes through the organization. However, even employees who receive the information intact—whether it’s about targeting new customer segments or expanding product offerings—still need to know how they should refocus their day-to-day efforts.
Employees must have easily accessible guidance about which activities they should optimize to best align their work with the company’s strategic goals. They also require insights on how they can stay focused on organizational targets, especially as priorities shift. Additionally, access to technologies that enable employees to pursue a shared vision with clearly defined responsibilities can help to avoid duplication of efforts. Employees also need an understanding of key performance indicators used to hold them accountable, measuring their impact on the company’s progress toward realizing its overall vision and goals.
A proliferation of technological advances, ranging from the cloud to intensifying data-analysis capabilities, enables executives and employees to set and share visible goals, checking in regularly about progress. Employees who feel a connection to the company’s mission will make sure the business delivers on its commitments to its customers, and they tend to be more productive when they know their contribution matters in the big picture.
All companies with higher-performing employees have links between corporate and individual goals. These days, though, companies must adapt quickly, or risk watching their cherished goals sink from their reach, submerged under waves of mixed signals and passing blame. While CEOs may extol the benefits of adding robots and drones to the workforce (so much for sick days and paid vacation), carbon-based workers remain paramount.
Once goals are set, management is responsible for making sure there is a way to measure and update employee performance against company targets. Companies that apply the same vigilance to making sure employee goals don’t fall into misalignment go further in boosting both employee satisfaction and company revenue. Indeed, studies have shown that progress toward a meaningful goal is the top motivator for employees. Companies can act on this primary motivation to create both a productive and appreciative workforce.
Want employees to be more engaged with your company and their work? Click on the link below to watch a quick video and to download the whitepaper. What Is the Key to High Employee Performance?
