46 solent 250 roundtable ... continued from previous page
“It's not simply about positioning a job advert correctly, but also what you are saying about your business, and importantly what your employees are saying about your organisation – 70% of people who reply to a job advert respond because they understand or have an opinion of that company's culture. Jobseekers today do their own due diligence on companies,it's second nature.”
Moxon said Solent University was constantly trying to impress on its students, many of them millennials, the need to be ready to contribute from day one and have a ‘can do' attitude within their future business worlds.
Equally employers seeking fresh creative talent, needed to make sure recruits “know exactly what they are walking into”.
“It is really important that you prepare people honestly for the type of business they are going to enter,” agreed Gawthorne.
The influence on culture of business change . . .
Technology had been a huge culture mould- breaker, Gawthorne noted, particularly in professional services provision, where the Internet had made online ‘experts' of everyone. Now clients are seeking added value and different support from their banking, legal and business advisers. “Our people are our differentiators.”
Neil Stevenson
Clients are not looking for people who can read and check balance-sheets, but a trusted adviser who can add true value to their business. Expectations have changed on all fronts, he added.
Moxon noted that Solent University's culture derives from institutionalised education, major and mainstream employment, and charity-type governance. “Our culture drivers are student satisfaction, teaching excellence, and now increasingly, changing demographics due to internationalisation of further education.
“The apprenticeship agenda is also going to change the dynamics of further and higher education.”
Stembridge highlighted the culture impact of ‘job or career' employees. “Being customer- facing, our business relies on them all being aligned with our culture, but getting some ‘job-only' employees fully engaged can be very hard.”
Adrian Went aspires to run an agile, worldwide-delegated business, at Griffon Hoverwork: “It's very difficult to maintain employee confidence and an open, positive and forward-thinking business throughout frequent market 'ups and downs'.” While decision-making is easy during the good times, too often decisions got pushed back upwards during the tight times, when people fear the results of their own decision-making.
David Moxon
Armstrong agreed: “In our professional services sector, clients are not looking for technical specialism so much today. It's more about expert insight, personal know-how and how to do business better. That's why Grant Thornton culture is now all about our people being fully engaged within a relevant and successful 21st century organisation – one reason we now have a shared enterprise structure.”
Reed accepted that banking culture had evolved. “The focus has to be on clients and supporting their growth ambitions. We have to be relevant and aware of our clients expectations, and work hard to fulfil these.”
businessmag.co.uk
. . . and the workplace fear factor
Stembridge said overbearing management and fear of job-loss doesn't work any more with today's more transient workforce.
“Management tolerance is driven by job availability and also millennials, many of whom don't have the backbone or the discipline for work.
“Sometimes you have to tell people things are not right. That's not to introduce fear, but to bring realism into their work. Sometimes, to meet customer standards, you can't afford to do anything other than what is right.”
Reed: “You have to trust people when they make mistakes, accept that the mistake was made because they were trying to come from the right place.” Often nowadays, the management role could be seen as a coach or mentor.
Done in the wrong way, a culture of mistrust, even fear, could develop he warned. “Managers have to do what they say. How you maintain contact is extremely important, otherwise you can very quickly destroy what has been built. It is difficult and a daily challenge, but the most important one.”
Moxon believed there can still be something of a fear culture within the public sector.
Buckingham felt progressive change often provoked more suspicion than fear. Frank, open, honest reality was the solution, he believed.
Stembridge's company had begun open staff forums to enable full discussion and acceptance – an employee pact – of the required operational standards.
Changing mindsets . . . and teaching giants to dance
Buckingham: “Whatever people's aspirations are – to be the MD or just to have a job they enjoy – we need to accommodate all those options. But, I look for people who want to work for us, hopefully people who understand what we are about, so they've already been attracted by the right reasons.”
To assist innovation, Colt has set up a process improvement team. Having visited all his offices, proposed the multi-disciplinary teams, Buckingham asked for volunteers. “I was totally blown away. We were over subscribed, with applicants from a receptionist to a pps director. People really do want to be part of positive change.
“I believe most people are innovative in some shape or form, you just have to let it out and harness it.”
Anthony Reed THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – JULY/AUGUST 2016
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52