Against this backdrop, it is imperative that we challenge our assumptions about how we manage people and find new and innovative ways to boost workforce productivity, employee engagement and competitive advantage. Based on our experience and years of research, we believe that strengths-focused approaches to people management (what we call the Strengths Advantage™ system), combined with the power of positive stretch, can play a key role in releasing the herculean levels of workforce effort and energy that will be required to accelerate the UK out of this economic quagmire.
In the same way that a professional athlete 'going for gold' needs regular practice and 'stretch' to build their physical and psychological strengths to remain at the top of their game, so do employees, particularly those with strong aspirations and potential to advance.
Employees need regular opportunities to test their 'limits' - to see what they are capable of achieving when they use their strengths (defined as underlying characteristics that are natural sources of energy and result in productive outcomes) productively in different ways. This also builds what we call "agility", or the crucial capacity to be flexible across different situations and operating environments. Although employees might not feel comfortable with the idea at first, part of the role of a manager is to coach and encourage the person through any initial reluctance and fear associated with moving outside their "zone of comfort". This may sound like "tough love", and in some respects it is, but without this positive challenge, employees are unlikely to get the most out of their strengths, skills and knowledge and will never discover the true value they offer to the organisation and society more generally.
- There are various ways people can get 'stretch' in areas of strength, including:
- Building new knowledge and skills in areas of strength
- Taking on challenging assignments or projects that play to one's strengths
- Coaching/training others in their areas of strength
- Gaining experience in different parts of the organisation through job rotations, secondments or short-term assignments
- Using strengths in new ways to tackle performance blockers and challenges
In order to achieve "flow" or total immersion in a job, research by Csikszentmihalyi has shown that a person needs to have a passion or desire to do the job, i.e., they need to feel strengthened by it. There also needs to be a good match between the level of skills required and the level of challenge and "stretch" provided. If there is no stretch, the employee is likely to quickly lose interest and becoming increasingly disengaged, undermining performance and effort.
However, if there is too much "stretch", the employee is likely to feel incompetent and frustrated, with their confidence and performance being adversely impacted as a result. It is the role of the manager to help the employee identify the degree of stretch currently being experienced by the employee through open inquiry and discussion. With a clear understanding of current levels of stretch, the manager and employee can then co-create new goals that raise or lower the degree of stretch to a point where the employee is feeling challenged and engaged, but not overwhelmed. This ongoing calibration of stretch will keep the employee's confidence, commitment and contribution high, resulting in strong business results and sustainable success.
Unlike their Western counterparts, Chinese managers understand the value of stretch. They encourage employees to aspire to and achieve nothing short of the highest standards (particularly in areas of strength and potential). This has helped fuel China's impressive economic growth in recent decades. By contrast, British and Western employers often get bogged down in trying to cultivate a happy, contented workforce and this takes precedence over productivity, effectiveness and the inevitable discomfort associated with growth.
When overdone, this can undermine not only the success of the organisation, but also the employees. Rather than helping employees, allowing them to take the "happy", comfortable path actually undermines their opportunities to flourish in the longer run, as their ability to achieve their full potential and improve their employability and rewards (both financial and non-financial) will be significantly constrained. Of course, what is important here is balance - to ensure employees are treated in a fair, considerate and decent way, whilst at the same time inspiring performance stretch and high morale. This will minimise the risk that UK workplaces become "soft play areas" as opposed to places where productivity and success are key imperatives.
James Brook (pictured), director, Strengths Partnership
