Category: Organizational Culture

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Better Together: How Teamwork Is the Key To Long-Term Success

Reading Time: 2 minutesWhen I talk about the importance of teamwork or collaboration I often refer to it as a math equation where 1+1 should equal more than 2. It’s not uncommon for 1+1 to equal 3, but for the best teams that equation could be 1+1 equals 8 or 10 or possibly even 20 and beyond. Organizations that figure out how to promote, equip, and support this type of collaboration and teamwork could multiply this impact across hundreds or thousands of teams and the impact can be game-changing innovations and breakthroughs. That is the growth side of the argument for investing in teamwork and collaboration. However, there is also another argument to be made for investing in team cohesion in order to minimize lows. Yes, we all have bad days or from time to time are drowning in the work that is in front of us. Teams are a critical mechanism for helping us get back on our feet and building relational and emotional equity for when we return to full strength and can produce at a high level as individuals. Y Combinator, the wildly successful startup accelerator, has always required startup cofounders – not solo startup founders for this very reason. It is lonely building something big and different and there are so many days of self-doubt and negative thoughts that can sabotage success unless you have an awesome co-founder that you can lean on, get different perspectives, and move past roadblocks. My experience building Cloverleaf with Kirsten Moorefield is a testament to this critical aspect of teamwork. We have had so many lows and setbacks and times that we should have quit moving forward but we have always been there with encouragement and new thoughts just when it was needed. When we hire new team members we talk about those moments and the important role that trust in your teammates plays in having personal and team success. Work teams can often produce as individuals working asynchronously on cross-functional teams. There is a constant rhythm of coming together to connect, communicate, and align. Then each individual goes off and completes tasks independently according to individual strengths and skill sets. And in short to intermediate bursts there can be high levels of productivity even when the key ingredients of high-performing teams are absent. That’s right, in the short term people and teams can still be productive when a team has a dysfunctional culture, mistrust, and even sabotaging behaviors. But over time it is this intangible element of teamwork where people genuinely care and sacrifice for each other in a way that picks individual team members up when they are down that allows teams to thrive over the long term. It’s the accelerant in my formula that allows 1+1 to equal 20, 50, or even 100. Bad days and difficult challenges will happen (and if you are doing something great it will happen frequently), and teaming up with people who understand this often overlooked element of teamwork can be the rocket fuel for sustained, long-term and outsized team performance. Try a Demo

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Diversity Without Inclusion Is Worthless

Reading Time: 3 minutesFacilitating a diverse workforce very important. The problem, however, is that it doesn’t always work because companies fail to facilitate inclusion. If diversity is the beautiful colored puzzle pieces, all unique and different, inclusion is when they come together to create that beautiful picture. If you really want diversity to work, you have to focus on one of the four different types of inclusion. https://youtu.be/nBMSym6x-6c 1. SOCIAL INCLUSION The first type of inclusion is called social inclusion. At its core, inclusion is really about feeling socially accepted. When individuals feel like they’re left out from participating in initiatives and projects, they report lower levels of social inclusion. For better or for worse, it’s human nature for people to feel more comfortable with those that seem to be similar to them. Organizations must be proactive in counteracting these tendencies and try to orchestrate opportunities for everyone to feel socially involved. There is no “out-group” versus “in-group”. Everybody’s part of the group. 2. Relatedness Needs Fulfillment Human beings have three underlying needs: self-determination, competence, and relatedness. From an evolutionary psychology perspective, we’ve been conditioned to seek out the satisfaction of these needs because doing so helps us survive and thrive in our work environment. In the second type of inclusion, relatedness needs fulfillment, human beings instinctively understand that they’ll have a higher likelihood of success when they work cooperatively with others. In the workplace, we need to feel as if our colleagues genuinely care about us and will support us when needed. We need to make meaningful connections, and the degree that organizations create these opportunities for colleagues to build those authentic relationships, they can reverse the negative impact of unfulfilled relatedness. 3. Belongingness The third topic to consider is belongingness. Inclusion is more specific to the behaviors that can improve the situation, such as dismantling the in-group versus out-group mentality. Belonging, on the other hand, is more emotion-focused. It’s about making people feel like they’re a part of a community. Affective commitment is representative of belonging because it represents an emotional attachment to the organization. Affective commitment goes beyond a cost benefit analysis (which is called continuance commitment). Affective commitment entails finding a sense of meaning from being a part of the organization. There are several predictors of affective commitment, but they don’t come easy. Organizations that create supportive and fair cultures are more likely to see an emotionally attached employee. Organizations can also increase employees’ affective commitment by investing in their employees’ growth and development. Said simply, organizations that invest in people can cultivate a sense of belonging through affective commitment. 4. Organizational Identification The fourth topic of interest is organizational identification. This is another belonging-related concept that entails the extent to which employees self-identify with their organization’s, values, mission, and brand. When employees see themselves as stewards of the organization’s purpose, they’re more likely to exhibit proactive performance and citizenship behaviors. But when employees don’t identify, these pro-social behaviors are much less likely. Organizations seeking to connect their employees to the company culture should not only focus on pinpointing and articulating their values and goals, but they should also be attracting and recruiting employees who align with these values and goals. In effect, organizational identification is about finding the right people on deep level characteristics, not just checking the box in terms of demographics and skills. Most of the time we talk about surface-level diversity. We need to shift our focus to also include deep-level diversity. There’s an important difference. Deep level diversity is about our psychographics. It’s who we are as people. It’s about our personality, values, strengths – all of those important phenomena that are beneath the surface. Organizations must pay attention to demographics to ensure that they have surface-level diversity. But it is also critical to start highlighting the unique qualities of our colleagues from a deep-level diversity perspective. These differences really matter. People get to know each other better as colleagues and contributors, which in turn, facilitates an inclusive workplace. So what can we do about increasing and building an inclusive culture? One of the most common inclusion initiatives is through cognitive bias training. This training is helpful and can move the needle to some degree, but actually, it’s not quite enough. Cognitive biases are innate and deeply rooted. To overcome this challenge, organizations really need to focus on mechanisms that regularly and repeatedly reinforce inclusion over long periods of time and at the right time. One-and-done approaches are subject to what we would call cognitive overload. It’s too much information to embrace and put into practice. Organizations should consider supplementing their cognitive bias training with what we call micro-nudges: smaller, specific, aptly timed interventions across a long period of time. Check out Cloverleaf to see if we can help you with this micro-nudge approach to help make real change on feelings of  inclusion. In our view, diversity without inclusion is worthless. Diversity is a starting point. Inclusion is the ultimate goal. You really need to focus on ensuring that you understand these different types of inclusion, as well as the micro-nudge approach, to build upon existing initiatives such as training, assessments, and team-building initiatives. Doing so will make sure that everybody knows each other from at a deeper level so they can work better together and understand who they are as people.

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Why Does Job Fit Matter?

Reading Time: 2 minutesSteve Jobs was the ultimate proponent of job fit. He’s quoted as saying, “I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.” While you might not have the same amount of clout or discretion as the late Steve Jobs, the underlying message is clear. You should regularly take stock of your job and ask yourself—is this really what I want? Over the last six months, organizations have made all sorts of changes, ranging from compensation reductions, work-from-home policies, and strategic reinventions. These organization-level adjustments will undoubtedly trickle-down to your day-to-day lives at work and at home. The time is right for a job fit reevaluation. An important first step, however, is acknowledging that work is a multi-faceted creature. To decide the proper next steps, you need a nuanced assessment of your situation. It’s only then that you can properly plan out the next steps. Continue reading for considerations and recommendations for the most popular dimensions of job-related fit. Want to learn your strengths that can help you to understand careers that fit you best? Learn how you can find your strengths with Cloverleaf. Download the Cloverleaf Assessment Guide This guide contains: A comprehensive list of the assessments that Cloverleaf offers Summary of each assessment and what insights you get Anticipated time commitments for each assessment Try a Demo

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What is Employee Engagement and Why is it Important?

Reading Time: 6 minutesEmployee engagement directly relates to the emotional commitment your employees have to your company and your business’s goals. This level of engagement often correlates to employee effectiveness and dedication. Our team at Cloverleaf can help you learn more about employee engagement and how it benefits your company. We believe that no one should dread coming to work. Want to try Cloverleaf with your team? Start using Cloverleaf with your team free for 14 days.  DEFINING EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT What is employee engagement? Some business owners believe this term refers to how happy or satisfied their employees feel. In fact, employee engagement deals more with the emotional commitment employees feel for their employers. Engaged employees often express higher levels of happiness and job satisfaction. These employees develop a commitment to the goals and values of their organization. They focus on doing their best each day, with the goal of increasing company success. Download the Cloverleaf Assessment Guide This guide contains: A comprehensive list of the assessments that Cloverleaf offers Summary of each assessment and what insights you get Anticipated time commitments for each assessment THE FOUNDATION OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT So, how do businesses develop an engaged employee? Employee engagement initiatives often focus on increasing two-way: Communication Trust Commitment Integrity Employees feel more engaged when they understand their role in your organization, their duties, and the business’s objectives. You can increase employee engagement in your company by providing information about the purposes and objectives of your company. Engaged employees feel they have the ability to express their ideas about company decisions. Make sure that you cultivate a company culture that encourages employees to: Give and accept constructive feedback Develop new skills Receive recognition for their achievements Taking these steps helps employees feel like they’re truly members of your team, which can inspire employees and boost organizational performance. Employees who feel engaged funnel their increased energy into serving your company. Note that engagement requires employees to understand your company’s goals and desired outcomes. Make sure that you provide this information in a clear and understandable way. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ENGAGEMENT AND SATISFACTION How does employee engagement differ from employee satisfaction? Employee satisfaction deals specifically with how content employees feel about their job. Employers can measure employee satisfaction based on behavioral, affective, and cognitive components. Engaged employees often turn out to be satisfied employees, as individuals who feel they have an emotional connection to their work report a higher degree of satisfaction on employee surveys. Therefore, employee happiness and satisfaction often coincide with a company’s engagement scores. EXPLORING THE IMPORTANCE OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT Developing an engaged workforce offers your company several important benefits. HR professionals recommend that you take steps to keep your employees engaged to improve: Employee Performance Engaged employees demonstrate a greater willingness to give their all during the workday. Engaged workers often proactively take steps to go above and beyond, which leads to increased productivity. Retention Rates Do you want to facilitate higher employee retention rates for your company? Disengaged employees are more likely to quit. When you engage employees, they: Take fewer sick days Experience fewer accidents File fewer grievances Develop a workplace culture that values employee engagement to take advantage of these benefits. Customer Satisfaction Engaged employees focus more on ensuring business success for your company. They put more effort into performing their jobs to the best of their abilities, which means they provide your customers with better care and service. Customer loyalty rates often increase in proportion to employee engagement. Keep these factors in mind as you consider ways to improve the employee experience for individuals working for your company. DEVELOPING MEASUREMENT PROCESSES FOR EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT Employee engagement levels impact your business outcomes and the success of your company. Many companies, therefore, want to measure the amount of engagement experienced by their employees. Your company can implement measurement processes such as: Pulse surveys 1-on-1s Exit interviews Pulse surveys (or employee engagement surveys) allow you to quickly assess how employees feel about work. This kind of engagement survey usually only takes a few moments and should not contain more than ten questions to gather employee feedback. 1-on-1s allow you to speak directly with employees. Examples of these meetings include performance reviews as well as regularly scheduled talks throughout the year. During these meetings, you may discuss career development options and have the worker complete an employee engagement survey. Perform exit interviews with all employees who decide to leave your company. These interviews allow you to determine what led to their decision to leave. Finally, consider employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) assessments. These engagement surveys ask employees how much they enjoy work and how likely they’d be to recommend your company to someone else. Use your survey results to assess the overall state of engagement throughout your company. You can even set up an employee engagement platform to make this process easier for members of your HR team. SOURCES OF ENGAGEMENT How can you build employee engagement in your company, improving business outcomes and the financial health of your company? Each component of your company can contribute to increased levels of engagement. Managers Senior leaders in your company play a pivotal role in generating engagement. Managers who keep the lines of communication open help employees feel like their voices matter. Managers need to be a coach for their employees by helping them set goals and expectations. Increase Your Engagement – Cloverleaf helps employees bring their whole selves to work. Maximize Talent – Uncover hidden employee strengths and potential. Build Trust – Help employees build empathy and trust. Teams Cloverleaf helps teams to love working together through personalized insights about each team member which helps employees better understand one another, communicate better, and improve their relationship with the entire team. Employees who work in teams feel a greater sense of belonging. One satisfied employee often encourages a sense of well-being and devotion in other workers. Interest Groups Business interest groups represent the desires of multiple businesses in an industry. Allowing employees to

9 Ways To Prioritize The Importance of Teamwork

Reading Time: 5 minutesThe success of any company or business rarely rests on just one team member. Through the collective efforts of the entire team, success is built using communication, emotional intelligence, motivation, and teamwork. What defines good teamwork? Good teamwork is the collaboration of diverse talents and perspectives, where team members respect each other’s unique work styles and boundaries. It’s about effective communication and contributing skillsets towards a shared goal. Effective leadership is crucial in guiding the team and providing necessary support in this environment. Good teamwork avoids micromanagement, allowing each individual’s strengths to contribute to the team’s success. This balance between individuality and collective effort ensures that everyone is motivated and productive, leading to innovative solutions and a shared sense of accomplishment. WHY TEAMWORK IS ESSENTIAL FOR A GOOD WORKPLACE CULTURE More and more, younger generations are inclined to take a “lone wolf” attitude in the workplace. For tasks that team members must complete alone, this mindset is perfectly practical. However, most modern workplaces require collaboration and soft skills such as communication, teamwork, and critical thinking in order to achieve a common goal. These systems are self-sustaining. Motivation and success are natural byproducts when all team members collaborate, work responsibly, and contribute equally. Many Hands Make Light Work Teamwork also increases overall productivity within a workplace. Successful collaboration among multiple team members with unique skill sets accomplishes basic tasks more rapidly and efficiently, meaning the team can move on to the next goal or project. Planning and adaptability are important during projects involving multiple team members. As teams grow larger, collaboration becomes more of an impressive feat of logistics. HUMAN SKILL PROGRAMS ARE HITTING LIMITATIONS…​ 5 THINGS THIS FREE RESOURCE WILL TEACH YOU Close the widening gap between learning and on-the-job application Overcome the tension of pausing productivity for development opportunities Integrate learning so it is actually in the flow of work The evolution of human skill development What Automated Coaching™ is and how it works. 9 TIPS FOR IMPROVING TEAMWORK Successful team collaboration isn’t always easy to establish. If your workplace suffers from productivity issues or other problems, there may be breakdowns in teamwork to blame. Taking steps to improve teamwork can improve productivity, increase job satisfaction, and more. Below, we cover some of the best ways your company and leadership can help boost teamwork in the workplace. 1. Schedule Team Meetings to Discuss Goals Sometimes, maintaining team cohesion in a busy work environment is challenging. Remote teammates may not receive as much opportunity to practice open communication or work collaboratively as in-office team members. For this reason, it may be challenging to work toward a common goal effectively and make remote employees feel like they are part of a team. One way to encourage employees to share ideas and practice effective communication is to schedule regular team meetings. Since most companies have people working remotely, make these meetings digital as much as possible. In this group setting, teams can discuss both team goals and business goals to establish detailed plans to work productively and reach targets. If you’re looking to spice up regular team meetings, consider utilizing meeting games or team-building activities to encourage discussion during these meetings. Always go into each session with a list of fresh ideas relevant to your organization or team’s current state of affairs. 2. Incorporate Active Listening Training Active listening is a skill developed by people who engage in emotional intelligence practices. Active listening is a method of turning off internal reactions and truly hearing what another team member is saying. Successful teamwork relies on active listening to establish strong communication, trust, and mutual support. Leaders and team members should encourage participation in active listening training or utilize team-building activities that promote active listening. 3. Set Up Office Layouts with Clear Goals in Mind Office layouts should increase natural teamwork by promoting organization, efficiency, and clear guidelines for work. Teams know where and when each task needs to be performed and can work and communicate more effectively. If your team members suggest changes to an existing office or workplace layout, it may benefit your company to listen to those suggestions. Otherwise, try to think about the goals below when designing your office spaces. 4. Privacy An essential part of teamwork involves respecting the boundaries of other team members. It’s important to remember that many people work better in quiet, private spaces such as offices or cubicles. This preference may be because these environments generally promote focus and increase productivity. An underrated benefit of teamwork is letting individuals tend to their needs and then coming back to the team refreshed. 5. Collaboration Even if team members complete a primary portion of their work alone, there will be instances where teamwork is essential for productivity. Create spaces where your team can work together comfortably and effectively. Open spaces or even larger offices transformed into conference spaces make great places for collaboration among teams. 6. Share Insights About Personality Types Our personalities have a lot of influence over our professional lives. When members of the team appreciate unique personality types, working styles, and communication needs, employee morale increases, productivity improves, and teamwork occurs naturally. Cloverleaf delivers personalized insights for each of your team members. Learn how to work better together with coaching tips delivered to your messaging apps, email and calendar. 7. Use Team Feedback to Choose a Low-Commitment Team Extra-Curricular A critical part of building effective teams involves encouraging change and fun. Don’t sign your team up for something they won’t enjoy; instead, ask them for feedback about low-impact activities they might like to participate in as part of the work culture. Some companies choose professional lunches or dinners while others go on trips, attend seminars, play games, or participate in team-building activities. Whatever activity you and your team choose, make sure it promotes good workspace values, pulls on your team’s individual talents, and fosters partnership among team members. There are many different ways to get team feedback regarding any team activity. Take polls,

team joining hands

These 5 Practices Contribute to Better Employee Engagement Programs

Reading Time: 6 minutesWHY BUILDING AN EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM IS VITAL FOR BUSINESS SUCCESS An engaged employee is more productive, loyal, and willing to work harder than an unmotivated employee. Disengaged employees and disgruntled employees are a threat to the security and the safety of an organization. Workplace motivation is more than just a paycheck. People so often dedicate years of their lives to projects that offer little or no financial reward. At Cloverleaf we believe no one should dread coming to work every day. PUTTING TOGETHER EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES Effective employee engagement has to be more than a slogan or a euphemism for conventional “carrot-and-stick” motivation. Positive reinforcement, or rewards, is important, but employers need to recognize that intangible benefits can be more important than tangible rewards as drivers of employee engagement. A worker engagement strategy should align the core values of the company with the employees’ identity, self-concept, and deep motivational drives. The best practices in developing an employee engagement strategy are: Measuring engagement effectively Understanding employee needs Establishing multiple feedback channels Fostering two-way communication Making the right changes in the workplace Employers and managers have to understand what employees want. Marketing researchers invest time and money in modeling consumer behavior to better understand the customer experience and provide customer satisfaction. An employee engagement model requires the same level of investment. Employees want to do well at a job, but they want more than that. They want to belong to a team that values their contribution, and they want to feel their work has purpose. They want to feel they have paths to personal and career development. If the entire company can demonstrate that it understands employee needs and follow through by meeting them, engagement initiatives are more likely to succeed. Each employee is different, learning and communicating in unique ways. They have varying needs that might require different accommodations. Consider the following examples of employees. A stay-at-home father who wants meaningful work but needs childcare benefits and a clear sense of work-life balance An aspiring writer who is working to pay her bills while she finishes her first novel An employee with a poor self-image who works long hours to escape an unhappy marriage A perfectionist who creates exceptional work but is easily frustrated and demoralized Managers should encourage employees to express these differences in a constructive way, without fear of judgment. The employee benefits package, including workplace accommodations, schedules, and perks, should be flexible enough to motivate and retain a diverse and varied workforce. Constructive communication is essential at every stage. The hiring process and onboarding orientation should clearly communicate job expectations. HR professionals should understand the career goals of new employees as well as their needs for personal development, inside and outside of the workplace. Continue to promote employee development throughout their careers and recognize the value of senior employees. When employees leave the company, don’t brusquely escort them out. Understand their experience and the lessons it can teach for performance management and employee retention in the future. HOW TO MEASURE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT Employees work better as a team; Cloverleaf helps empower your team to do their best work while building better relationships: Engagement encompasses many things, including: Diligence at work tasks A feeling of personal connection to the company A mindset that focuses the employee on shared goals of co-workers, team members, and management Measuring employee engagement requires attention to employee thoughts, feelings, and actions in different ways. A complete picture of employee engagement requires measurement strategies that target each aspect of employee engagement in different contexts. Employers and HR managers can tailor messages, policy changes, and engagement initiatives to meet specific needs. Monitoring employee performance allows managers to track behavioral signs of employee disengagement, such as Using the work computers for entertainment Failure to comply with workplace rules Absenteeism Non-verbal cues of disengagement are equally important. An employee who suddenly seems withdrawn, glum, short-tempered, distracted, or anxious may not be optimally engaged. Lastly, it is important to know what employees think of the company, its purpose, and their personal stake in its success. If employees believe the company only pays lip service to its mission statement or if they feel personally overlooked or exploited, they will find it difficult to perform effectively at work. The measurement process should not be focused on judgment but on identifying and solving problems. Disengaged employees might have physical or mental health issues. They might have lost loved ones, or they might be experiencing harassment in the workplace or abuse at home. Engagement initiatives should focus on job crafting which is the act of understanding employee needs and finding constructive ways to bring them back into alignment with the organization. Giving the employee time off, letting them relax at their workstation, or providing help outside the workplace could allow the employee to get through a difficult time in their life. Adjusting and being flexible to employees’ needs fosters a deeper engagement in the long term. HOW MAKING THE RIGHT CHANGES CAN BOOST EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT Providing Work Incentives Keep in mind that incentives can be financial rewards, benefits, and intangible rewards. The incentives should match employee needs. A pay raise could reduce anxiety and improve engagement for employees facing unexpected costs or saving for a major purchase. However, giving one employee a pay raise without benefiting others could lead to feelings of unfairness. Building Out Structured Career Paths For all employees, particularly those motivated by status and ambition, skill development training and other professional development programs give employees access to meaningful work that meets company needs and can justify recognition and pay raises. Celebrating Wins Employees who need validation and a sense of belonging could benefit from recognition programs and awards at company events. However, fairness is an issue here as well. An inauthentic pat on the back could make the employee more distrustful and make other employees jealous. Employee recognition is most effective when it connects to valued incentives and genuine professional development. If you have invested in employee growth,