Workplace Health - The Managerial Culture

Moving from Alchemy to Chemistry

Here are a series of articles that explore the important idea that our health and development is affected by our social environment. The prevailing social environment is of course, the Workplace. Just as with parenting, the most damaging types of environment are Authoritarian and Permissive and the ideal is Authoritative.

Here you will find the new emerging science that I think will revolutionize health. For just as 150 years ago poor physical work conditions were the primary drivers for poor health, so today poor cultural work conditions affect millions of people and drive an epidemic of depression, cancer and disease. My belief is that just as a massive program of public health, and not medicine, made a large difference in clearing up the Victorian problems, so our understanding of the managerial relationship as being the key to workplace health will do the same for our own time.

My special thanks to Brian Chambers who funded much of this work in his role in Veterans Affairs in Canada as we did our best to understand stress in the Canadian Forces.

Chapter 1 - The Vice - The Pressure that is bearing down on the workplace

Chapter 2 - The Secret is Found - The Pathway and the Managerial Relationship

Chapter 3 - Discovering the Power of The Facilitator - The Holder of Trusted Space

Chapter 4 - Discovering Col. John Boyd - The Mind as the Battlefield

Chapter 5 - Discovering BP - Giving the People a Voice Inside Trusted Space

Chapter 6 - Summary - Voice, Mind, Culture, Facilitation and of Course Trusted Space

 

I am satisfied that work at CIBC, the US Army and at BP has established that with the right leadership and using the principles of Trusted Space, a conventional organization can make progress.

But the prevailing culture is so strong that when the leadership that intiated this work and protected it was gone, then the work died and the waters closed back over. So we still have a long way to go - but the way is known and the experiments have been large enough and have been replicated. The  Science is proven.

Now the task is the same task as with all breakthroughs - how do we take a novel idea that will be resisted by the status quo and make it commonplace?

Comments

[zhafran]

There are six simple tips and suggestions that can greatly increase the workplace motivation.

1. When management tries to control employees, the end result is bad. Employees need to have some control over what they are doing.
They need to be able to think on their own and rationalize why they are doing this job a certain way. If it makes sense to them, it is easier to do it.
2. There has to be rewards for a job well done. People are motivated by words of affirmation, monetary awards such as bonuses, gifts or promotions. If these are not handed out, what is the point in doing a great job?
3. Room for error has to be accepted by management. We are only human. There will be mistakes and failures. The responsibility of management needs to be having a plan in place when something does go wrong.

4. A friendly, fun environment is a must. No one wants to go to work where you are not allowed to laugh. People can socialize and work at the same time!

5. Another important issue in achieving workplace motivation is job description. Management should never be above doing the same tasks as the employee if they are needed.
6. creating a bonus plan Bonuses can be awarded for finishing work ahead of time, too. Rewards such as certificates with people's names on them can work too as the incentive need not necessarily be expensive, only desired.
http://motivationnews.com/