Identifying Your Core Values at workplace

Identifying Your Core Values at workplace

By Sadia Wali

     

Dr. Pardes co-author of the book, ‘Understanding Human Behavior’ emphasized on how one can retain his valued talent? Replacing employees and onboarding new hires is a difficult task for an organization. The Research by the Gallup Organization says that currently101 million employees world over are not feeling engaged at work. 

 Leaders seek ways to empower the workforce to achieve their potential. According to CEO of a company, employees think that recognizing and appreciating their talents helps to boost up their learning capacity. Hence, organizations which consider their employees as a whole person and not just as employees have more productive and committed individuals. Satisfied employees mean satisfied customers, which leads to profitability.

In rapidly changing times, a ‘change in management or system also effects the skills and capabilities of employees. 

As Robert F. Kennedy says,

“About twenty percent of the people are against any change.” –

 If organizational change implies innovation, skills and character- building, it should influence employees in a positive way. It is preferable to define core values at work place. Common core values in corporate culture include terms like: Integrity, innovation, honesty, passion and commitment. Living by your values means living by higher standards.

Unhappy employees have several fears and complaints. Chances are whatever the change; disgruntled employees always feel unmotivated and demotivate other colleagues through their negative behavior. To manage difficult employees, the managing team should devise an action plan or strategies that include reviewing the complaints, coaching the employees and giving clear, behavioral feedback.  Appreciate their efforts and reward them for being responsible, committed and enthusiastic.

Organizational behavior boosts up the productivity of   management. It transforms them into an indispensable employee and helps develop commitment among the employees to achieve their personal goals thereby achieving the goals of the company. Employees get motivated when they find career development in the organization. They are provided with learning experiences pertaining to their interests, development needs and organizational reward systems. The employees will not be able to utilize their potential fully if management is too authoritative, threatens self – interest or job security and involve stress and risks. Unresolved issues of interpersonal tension and conflict lead to emotional stress for employees. It may lead to work disruptions, decreased productivity, project failure, absenteeism and more termination.

Hence, the management needs to hire people with the right values and attitudes.  Employees knowing about organizational behavior   should know about dressing style, work with honesty, delegate responsibility and bring a good organizational performance. By providing training process or cultural orientation to new hires, the organization should communicate and model the behavior they want in their set up. Reinforcing the right behaviors will help to strengthen the relationship between employees and the management.

According to Society of Human Resource Management, to retain high-performing employees, the management should provide people with challenging situations that link their goals with their desires.  The managing team needs to create a positive company culture and values. Improve expertise of employees by offering opportunities to learn and collaborate with peers. The “reward” for the contributions such as appraisals   or promotion enhances self- confidence of the employee and keeps him motivated.

To conclude,

To improve performance and efficiency, an organization should set its highest   priorities and fundamental beliefs and core values.

The writer works as Assistant Editor at Innovative Solutions.She can be contacted at sadiawali@hotmail.com

Book Review Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think

Book Review

Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think

During my proofreading session, I found an interesting book to read. To some readers, it might be dull or boring, to me it seems a unique and interesting one to read. The author, of the book Peter H. Diamandis (Founder and Executive Chairman of the XPRIZE Foundation) and Steven Kotler (award-winning science writer)analyzed various aspects and events related to science and technological progress in near future.  In just 250 pages, Kotler and Diamandis discussed exponentially growing technologies in health, economic, education, communications and information and energy that have rapidly transformed our world.  According to the author, innovation and exponential technologies have also improved quality of life, human performance and help to make better choices. In next twenty five years, the technological advancements will reshape the world through social, cultural and economic revolution.

Progress in artificial intelligence, robotics, infinite computing, global broadband networks, digital manufacturing, nanomaterial, synthetic biology, and many other exponentially growing technologies will enable us greater advantages in the next two decades than we have in the previous two hundred years says the author.

“Abundance is a big vision compressed into a small time frame. The next twenty five years can remake the world, but this won’t happen on its own. There are plenty of issues to be faced, not all of them technological in nature. Overcoming the psychological blocks—cynicism, pessimism, and all those other crutches of contemporary thinking—that keep many of us from believing in the possibility of abundance is just as important. To accomplish this, we need to understand the way our brain shapes our beliefs and our beliefs shape our reality.”

(Reference: Chapter 3 Book, Abundance- The future is better than you think)

Readers are introduced to Abundance Pyramid. The pyramid  is divided into different levels. First, ensure food, water and shelter for every person on the planet. Then, guarantee abundant energy, education and information and communication abundance. Another important element in our pyramid of abundance is freedom. Freedom here is referred to as the freedom of speech, the freedom of access to information and technology and the freedom to human rights. Finally,  the pyramid focuses on improving public health by creating awareness in masses of how to prevent and control global diseases and epidemic.

The important aspect of the book is help people to gain positive belief about technology.  The author term “the rising billion,” this abundant world will be one where anything is possible, “a world where everyone’s days are spent dreaming and doing, not scrapping and scraping.”

The second part of the book focused on reasons and causes that led to the invention of various medicines and technologies. The author refers to it creating a world of health care abundance which means providing clean water, ample nutrition, and smoke-free air environment to the masses.

 To conclude, the author hopefully declares that the rapid growth in technology is a blessing for human kind. Means of communication, auto diagnostic equipment’s, artificial intelligence, robotics, infinite computing and so many other technological developments have raised the standards of people’s lives.  These fields have also given their best to make this world a global abundant. 

I recommend you to read this book and share your views!