Anyone, familiar with our work, will know of the importance that we attach to running an organization that, consistently, responds to the demands of the environment in which it conducts its affairs. It is essential that an organization retains this relevance, to avoid ‘running yesterday’s business’.
Because maintaining the relevance of the organization to its environment is so fundamental to its success, not to say survival, it elevates the ongoing stability of the organization to a level of importance, which, generally, supercedes all other matters.
Sustaining the organization must, always, be your first priority. And so:
Never…
Be ‘blackmailed’ by the job-holder of a key post, who is threatening to leave. An important member of your team comes to you and says, “I have had this really great offer from XYZ (a competitor), who is willing to pay me, substantially, more salary and better fringe benefits, for the same job as I’m doing here. I don’t, really, want to leave. What can you do for me?”
Is there a legitimate way of improving his remuneration package, at this stage? Perhaps:
- You did not, adequately, take account of salaries being paid, elsewhere, in your original evaluation of the job. This would indicate a fundamental fault in your job evaluation system and should trigger an early review of your salaries and benefits policy
- The job-holder is at the wrong level within the incremental merit scale for the job.
Although unlikely, one of these circumstances might, possibly, enable you to review the job’s benefits package. However, don’t convince yourself that one of the above options apply, when it doesn’t. Alternatively, using some other, less legitimate, excuse would be ‘faking it’ for convenience.
To the organization, no one is indispensable.
Avoid…
‘Dotted Line’ organizational relationships. You know the kind of thing. Although ‘line’ responsible to you, a member of your team maintains an organizational relationship with others, outside the department. Often the ‘dotted line’ relationships are with Group functions, at Head Office.
There is a very real danger, here, of, seeming, to serve two bosses. Often job-holders perceive their more valid organizational relationship with Head Office. There is more kudos in, seeming, to help formulate group policy and activities rather than the more mundane routine work at site level.
‘Dotted Line’ relationships can work, but people must recognise their ‘Line’ relationship as their primary responsibility.
Always…
If you identify a gap in your team, give due consideration to the following provisions, before embarking upon any form of job creation.
- Produce a proper job description. This should not be a list of the job’s activities but be based on its accountabilities. I would recommend a ‘Key Result Areas’ (KRAs) format, which would, specifically, define what the job must achieve. It will, also, clarify how the new job fits in with the rest of the team members’ accountabilities.
- Before ever creating a new job, consider how members of your existing team might take on the identified responsibilities of the possible new job. You could ‘share out’ the Job’s KRAs to fit with the existing responsibilities of your team members. This would not only enrich their existing jobs, which would boost motivation, but also provide you with a valid reason to increase salaries, at the next review.
But remember, whatever staff concerns you may have………….
The status and integrity of the organization must, always, come first