The mind creates our behavior. Our behavior shapes the people we lead. And the people we lead create the culture in our organization and hence determine its performance. If one wishes to increase the total performance, it is important to show care for people as a part of the business strategy. Thus, the people one has employed will feel an interconnection, a meaning and a feeling of happiness.
The initiatives of companies with regards to increasing commitment and productivity was traditionally oriented towards external ways of satisfaction, such as bonusses, trips, dinners etc. These are short-term solutions that only work for limited amounts of time. The efficacy is often decreased. It does not create motivation. If we, as Supply Chain leaders, intend to develop organizations that prosper, we need to understand what really matters for people. Employees that return home daily, with a sense of satisfaction, will want to return and perform – focus on the challenges, and work determinedly and hard.
Delve into the culture
First and foremost, you must, as a leader, be a role model and impel the correct behavior. Cultures shape organizations. Cultures are not inherently visible, but they are powerful. The culture is created, maintained and expressed through the many different mindsets, that comprise any and every organization.
The culture is embedded as feelings, values and principles, and these are all unconscious. We cannot see them, and most of the time, we have no idea that we’re affected by them. This means that we all partake in the creation of a culture, that we are a part of, but often using unconscious values and behavioral patterns.
As Supply Chain leaders, the responsibility of shaping the organization’s culture rests on our shoulders, due to human brains being programmed to see and respect hierarchies. The human brain is designed to understand where we fit in, within social structures, and to support those who seem dominant.
Focus on the health of the company
Human-oriented organizations put people first, since it is the people that make the company successful. This is why the companies, and by virtue of this, also the board of directors, should focus on the health of the company instead of the wealth of the shareholders. Only by doing this, one can recover the trust of the employees, and thereby attain a long-term, sustainable performance.
If we lead with the purpose of helping people create an immanent feeling of happiness, meaning, interconnectedness and contribution regarding their job, they will go home every day with a feeling of satisfaction. If we, as Supply Chain leaders, create an environment where the employees feel genuine care for their well-being, where we actually are present, they will become more motivated, more enthusiastic, and more cooperative team members.
The establishing of more human-oriented cultures is the most logical answer to the current organizational crisis, entailing decreasing commitment of employees and the widespread, negative occupational satisfaction.
