Here is an excerpt from an article written by Mel Stark and Mark Royal for Talent Management magazine (5/10/2011). To check out all the resources and sign up for a free subscription to the TM and Chief Learning Officer magazines published by MedfiaTec, please click here.
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Experts from Hay Group, which partnered with Fortune magazine to release the 14th annual World’s Most Admired Companies list, break down analysis on practices that have helped the top companies such as Apple and Google sustain their success.
Apple, Google, Southwest Airlines and Procter & Gamble are just some of the companies that topped Fortune magazine and Hay Group’s annual list of the World’s Most Admired Companies (WMAC).
Hay Group has performed supplemental research to uncover the business practices that make these and the other top companies both highly regarded and highly successful. A hallmark of the WMAC is consistently strong performance and reputations amid changing business conditions.
The 2010 study confirmed that many organizations drew heavily on the “reservoir of goodwill” associated with engaged workforces to manage through difficult economic times and position their organizations for future growth. Looking ahead, leaders will need to revisit strategies, systems and processes to ensure they are setting their organizations up for sustained performance and success.
Accordingly, this year Hay Group studied the approaches the WMAC are taking to sustain performance and has identified five things that make these companies stand out and how managers can put them into practice in their organizations.
[Here are the first two. To read the complete article, please click here.]
1. Involving employees at all levels in promoting efficiency and innovation. While 76 percent of peer firms regularly reach out to employees for ideas on how to increase efficiency, this is standard practice for 91 percent of the WMAC. These companies are also much more likely to encourage managers and employees to take reasonable risks to increase organizational effectiveness.
Managers should realize that those closest to the action are most aware of and best suited to recognize what could be working more effectively. Management by “walking around” is more critical than ever.
2. Recognizing that work/life balance is about more than employee comfort. The WMAC recognize that taking work/life balance seriously is essential to avoid burning out and losing key people. Half of these companies view this issue as a top priority over the next two years, as compared to only 30 percent of peers.
Managers should recognize that people’s lives are more holistic – being respectful of this and accommodating it is a winning strategy.
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The WMAC show us that sustained performance depends on giving people the conditions to contribute and succeed – whether it’s harnessing their ideas, promoting work/life balance, sharpening their skills or giving them clarity of purpose.