David Peake\'s slides on Employee Engagement from our recent CMI Vic Event.

1. “Engaging people in workplace change…”
July 26th 2012
David Peake

2. Engaging people in workplace change…
“Research now suggests that any leadership or
motivational approach that does not consider the
underlying cultural patterns of its country is very
suspect”
Dr John Evans. PhD Psychology.

3. Engaging people in workplace change…
Talk about…
•Culture
•Background to the Australian Leadership Archetype Study
•Insights for engaging people and leading change
•Diagnostic tool

4. Engaging people in workplace change…
Levels of Culture
Technical
Visible:
Thinking Articles -
Invisible:
Processes Memorandum
Feelings
Policies and
Patterns of trust
Espoused Vision Association
Co-operations
Espoused Values
Emotional history
Espoused Strategies
Actual values in practice
and Plans
Undiscussables
Dress Code
Games and politics
THE CORRIDOR
CONVERSATIONS
GRAPE VINE
ATL
BTL
EMOTIONAL IMPRINTS

5. Engaging people in workplace change…
Levels of Culture – Background
• Everything has a technical, formal and informal meaning that
is culturally specific. E.G. A wine glass.
• We listen through our technical lens- but we interpret the
world through our emotional lens.
• Culture is transferred through an imprinting process that
happens in the first 5 years of life.
• Effective leadership and engagement must consider the
emotional imprints that are uniquely Australian.

6. Engaging people in workplace change…
Insights drawn from a number of studies, including:
American Quality Foundation examining the issue of
“Quality” at a “below the line” level: AT&T, 3M, GMH,
Disney, Maryland Bank of North America, Metropolitan
Life participated
Quality in Japan means perfection
Quality in Germany - it meets the standards
Quality in France means luxury
Quality in America means it’s big and it doesn’t break!

7. In Australia, Quality means……
1. It works, so it must be OK……(functionality)
2. If I like you, I give you quality…its about
quality of relationship first and foremost…
3. Total Quality Control..!!!

8. Engaging people in workplace change…
Critical Study into Leadership in Australia:
Shell, Westpac, Energy Australia, Telstra, Cultural
Imprint participated. Sample of 500 people.
Appropriate leadership style for Germany, Japan,
USA may be inappropriate in Australia.
Many leadership styles of other nations such as the
USA, have almost the direct opposite effect on people
than what was intended.
We are not “mini Americans” .

9. Creating Volunteers (Followers) OZ Model
OK’ish
Survivor Volunteer
Detached Discretionary effort
Only the minimum “Full on”
“Quit & stay” -mask Language of inclusion
“Play the game” “Us, we, together”
Closed Open
Prisoner Whinger
“Stuck” - “Pissed off!” Insecure
Saboteur - Spanner in Language of exclusion -
the back pocket “They, them, the system, the
High Stress
boss, HQ…..”
“generalized knock!”
Bruised

10. A Top 4 Major Bank
Customer service staff handling customer problems -
6 pro-forma letters
No power to solve the actual problems
Changed a “B” to a “W” and send out 2000 letters
signed with:
“Thank you for _anking with us”!

11. Energy goes into:
OK’ish
“Playing the game” The task – going the
Looking good extra mile
Going nowhere
Compliance
Closed Open
Making the Getting others to
organisation pay buy into the whinge –
Stuffing up the Getting conscripts
system
Bruised

12. Engaging people in workplace change…
1. In “Volunteer” mode we are unstoppable. In “Survivor”
mode we are immovable.
2. It takes one-tenth the energy to lead an organisation
through times of growth and change if it is in
“volunteer” mode.
3. People always start in Volunteer, and through a
process of erosion of identity, they disconnect
emotionally.
4. If your people are not in Volunteer, it’s a direct
response to your organisation’s leadership style and
culture. (as demonstrated by your leadership team..)

13. Creating Volunteers…A glimpse.

14. The Bridge
To Care,
To Feel
Silly Old B$%#...d True Blue
Aussie Leader
To Undermine – To Build
No Bridge Bridges
B$%#……d! Good Boss
Bad Boss
A BRIDGE + CARE Not Care,
Not feel
P28+ handout

15. 1. Care and the importance of Identity.

16. Engaging people in workplace change… Who
What
The Bridge
Today Tomorrow

17. Identity….acknowledge “Who and What”
The G’day factor
Know me personally - Shopping test
Kids, partner, interests, footy team
The role I play in the organisation
The achievements that I contribute and have contributed
Relationship is about identity and identity is about recognition
Recognition is about acknowledging who I am and what I do

18. Identity….“Honouring the Past”
Acknowledging past efforts is vital for maintaining people’s
feeling that their contribution and effort is valued.
It creates the springboard for maintaining engagement for the
new change. Bring forward and work with what’s gone before.
Failure will result in people moving into survivor…pretending to
be engaged. Lip service.
So, “in with the new and out with the old” doesn’t work.
Critical in mergers or for new CEO’s…keeping people during a
merger or change process and preventing staff churn or zoning
out is all about maintaining identity…

19. 2. Bridge: The importance of a meaningful vision.

20. Engaging people in workplace change … Who
What
Where
The Bridge
Why
Identity
Honour the Past
Today Tomorrow

21. “The impossible Dream” Archetype –
The “impossible dream” story
• You can become the President of the United States..
• You hit the home run to win the world series..
• You get the touchdown with one second left on the clock..
• The ugly guy gets the gal…
You fail, fail and fail a few more times, then you overcome…
The greater the adversity, the better the win…
Its not about identity…its about triumph over disaster.

22. “The impossible Dream” Archetype –
In “strategy world” this translates into…..
BEING WORLD CLASS…
DOMINATE THE PLANET
BEING NUMBER 1
BEING THE BIGGEST
ONE BILLION DOLLARS!

23. “The impossible Dream” Archetype –
Nothing wrong with these as goals or measures…..
They are all noble causes….
Except they don’t motivate Australians in their own
right…

24. Vision –
Where and Why
Australians are motivated by ethical, moral, social or community cause….
We need a “compelling why” to emotionally buy into the vision. Yes, we need
the “logical why”(facts, figures, numbers) but also we need the “emotional
why”.
If you can wrap your strategy around a social and/or community contribution,
Aussies are are much more likely to follow you and buy into your plans…
Vision must be concrete, so each level can see how they fit in – individual,
team, organisational level. “What I need to stop/start/keep doing is …”
So, does it pass the Bar-B-Queue test? (and your B.S. meter…)

25. Vision –
Where and Why – Keys
The “impossible dream” story tends to set off our very refined B..S..
detectors! (if not above the line, then below the line…)
Whilst we recognize numbers and targets are vitally important, they
are only a consequence of strategy achieved e.g. profit, market
share etc. They are great measures but are lag indicators..
The “how” counts - maintaining relationships and preserving
identity are just as important as reaching the goal. It can’t just be
about “the task”.
And this is is why many performance management systems fail –
you have to measure inputs (supports) not just outputs. (numbers)

26. 3. Bridge and Care: The importance of support.

27. Engaging people in workplace change… Who
What
Where
The Bridge
Why
Identity
Honour the Past
Structure and Process
Today Safety Net Tomorrow
No Fail First Step

28. Structure and safety nets: “No Fail”
Australians do not like to fail. Its about “not letting our mates down”.
As a leader, you need to create a detailed bridge to the other side
and show them how they “fit in”, and how you will walk them across
the bridge. This is about structure, step by step, process, goals,
roles.
You have to build a safety net so people are not left “swinging in
the breeze” - so they can’t wipe out. A “no fail first step” NFFS.
“Safety net” includes training, access to management, systems,
processes, freedoms, boundaries, budgets, authority, backups.
(AND no “white anting”, back stabbing, undermining, scheming,
playing politics or failing to build me a bridge…)

29. 4. Bridge and Care:
The importance of “Captain Coach”.

30. The Captain-Coach…
• Supports and nurtures through difficulties.
• Acknowledges each employee personally-
– “who and what”
• Helps others add, grow, evolve their sense of self-worth.
• Guides and supports to ensure no fail.
• Diffuses crises by creating context.
• Develops confident mature people.
• Focuses on how to achieve results. (processes)

31. The Captain-Coach…
• Helps to create maps, goals and causes.
• Rolls up sleeves and helps out.
• Is sincere and direct.
• Creates order, structure and stability by:
– explaining reality
– defusing crises
– giving clear, specific instructions
• Is close enough to have respect but….
• Separate enough to hold the tough discussions…

32. The Captain-Coach…
Trust = Transparency
In particular, around:
• Information
• Decisions
• Processes

33. Engaging People in workplace change… Who
What
Where
The Bridge
Why
Identity
Honour the Past
Structure and Process
Today Safety Net Tomorrow
No Fail First Step
Captain-Coach
Own, organisational
and Public good

34. The Captain-Coach…
Tall Poppy, sacrifice
Organisational, Own and Public Good need to be in balance
Tall Poppy Syndrome…
Anyone drive a Porsche?
Your success detract from my identity, so I cut you down to make me
feel better about myself….
…unless you give back to the community eg “Bondy”
Sacrifice. We follow leaders that go into bat, lead by example, roll up
the sleeves, take the heat for the team. Don’t follow leaders who put
self interest first.

35. Symptoms of Missing Elements
Bottom of
Clear Reward & the
+ + Capacity for + No Fail + +
Shared
Vision
Change first steps
Leadership
recognition = Box
Pressure for Capacity for No Fail Reward & A quick start
Change + + Change + first steps + Leadership + recognition
= that fizzles
Clear Anxiety
Pressure for No Fail Reward &
Change + Shared + + first steps + Leadership + recognition
= Frustration
Vision
Clear Haphazard
Pressure for + + Capacity for + Reward &
Change
Shared
Change + Leadership + recognition
= efforts
false starts
Vision
Clear
Pressure for Capacity for + No Fail + + Reward & Cynicism
Change + Shared + Change first steps recognition = & distrust
Vision
Clear
Pressure for + + Capacity for + No Fail + Go back to
Change
Shared
Change first steps
Leadership + = the
Vision old ways

36. Q: how many psychologists does it take to
change a light bulb?
A: The answer is 1, but the light bulb has
got to want to change.
It’s the role of leaders to create the
conditions for the light bulb to change

37. www.quantumedge.com.au
djp@quantumedge.com.au
David Peake – 0413-543456