Blog
Reasons to be cheerful...part two
So we are over a year into the credit crunch and economic downturn and what an exciting time it has been. A year on, there is even more reason to change attitudes and practices to get the most out of the situation as it is. So here goes for some crunch busting ideas you could do right now.
Something, which I see happening in organisations of all shapes and sizes, is that people think that by doing the same things as they have always done they will somehow get a different result. There is often an assumption that if they only do things a bit quicker or with more smiles they will change the outcome. After more than twenty years as a researcher I can exclusively reveal that it is very unlikely that the end result will change. So ...
The first reason to be cheerful is that you don't have to keep doing the same thing, you can change something. What I have seen when working with organisations big and small is that if they reorganise themselves to do more of what they are good at, and less of the things, which they find they are not so good at, then they become more succesful. To do this it is important to look at what the core skills of a team, or organisation are, and what the benefits they produce are and ruthlessly focus on those, whilst dismantling, rejigging or outsourcing the other stuff they are doing.
The second reason to be cheerful is that you can measure the things which are important and keep the rest in a drawer. It costs a lot to measure things, but it cost even more to chase the measures which do not add benefits to your organisation. We have been working for a truly enlightened public sector team recently. They worked out that most of their revenue came from honest, hardworking, middle England. However, most of their measures and therefore their attention were all about how well they were doing with those who cost them money and contributed little revenue. They realised they could help the disadvantaged better if they focussed on the hardworking, middle Englanders, as they understand that you get more of what you focus on. This they are doing and we know from our Halo work that this will mean over time they will get more of the residents they want.
The final and most important reason to be cheerful is that when money is less important, enjoying what you do becomes more so. This is a classy piece of Halo economics (or is that home economics?) so stay with me. Pre crunch there was way too much focus on the money side of organisations. If there is less money to be had then doesn't it make sense for the much more important things of life to come to the fore, like whether the organisation is making a positive difference, and how people who work there can feel they have made a contribution? And if the measures your organisation deploys are in this space then you can be sure that you will deliver more of these outcomes too and this is a massive reason to be cheerful.
To get these working in your organisation you will need to ring us. If you would like to talk to us about how using Halo could help your organisation then we would love to talk to you, on +44 (0) 1276 477445.
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