“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”

Peter Drucker

Every year since 1983, Bain and Company has surveyed executives in various industries to weight and rate the level of satisfaction and use of over 100 popular tools (e.g., benchmarking, six sigma, corporate blogs).  With over 8,504 surveys they have summarized their findings over the last 15 years.

Their results are interesting and can be grouped into four categories with the following tools listed by executives on the basis of both use within their company and satisfaction with the results:

1. Low Satisfaction and Low Use: Corporate Blogs, Six Sigma, Offshoring, and Loyalty Management

2. Low Satisfaction and High Use: Balanced Scorecards, Knowledge Management, and Outsourcing

3. High Satisfaction and Low Use: Mergers and Acquisitions

4. High Satisfaction and High Use: Strategic Planning, Core Competencies, Customer Segmentation and CRM

Rated as higher usage and with only a moderate level of satisfaction: TQM, Mission and Vision Statements, Scenario and Contingency Planning, Strategic Alliances, Supply Chain Management and Benchmarking.  Of course, buying a tool at The Home Depot doesn’t ensure you use it correctly–even if it is proven to be the best one for the job!

Question: Do these tools really make a difference in company’s financial performance, customer satisfaction/service and quality?

Answer: In a recent analysis of survey results from over 200 Fortune 1000 firms from 1996 to 1999, Gibson, Porath, Benson and Lawler (2007) explored three broad organizational practices and their impact on specific outcomes((Gibson, C., Porath, C., Benson, G. & Lawler, E. (2007).  What results when firms implement practices: The differential relationship between specific practices, firm financial performance, customer service and quality.  Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 1467-1480)).  The authors defined these three broad organizational practices as:

1. Information Sharing: These included distribution of information about firm financial results, business unit outcomes, new technology, and competitor’s performance to help employees understand the gap between current and desired level of firm performance.

2. Boundary Setting: These included establishing clear goals, responsibilities & procedures, and facilitating cohesion and coordination through the creation of mission/vision statements, strategic planning, training and firm-level policies.

3. Team Enabling: These practices promote the role of teams in organizations including organizational design with self-managing teams as well training on team building skills.

Evidenced based findings from these authors suggested that no single set of practices predicted all 3 firm level outcomes (financial, customer service and quality) suggesting that each has unique effects.  Their results suggested that:

• Information Sharing practices were positively and significantly related to financial performance 1 year following implementation of the practices
• Team Enabling practices were significantly related to quality improvement and innovation
• Boundary Setting practices were positively and significantly associated with customer satisfaction and service

Both the Bain & Company survey findings and recent research by Gibson et al., (2007) provide some wonderful clarity about what interventions and practices lead to specific organizational outcomes.  I’ve always like the slogan by Nike — but based on these findings it appears better to just do the right things right….Be well….

Technorati Tags: participative leadership, Envisia, Envisia learning, team building, information sharing, core competencies, strategic planning, balanced scorecard, six sigma, customer segmentation, mergers and acquisitions, corporate blogs, benchmarking, mission and vision statements, job stress, kenneth nowack, ken nowack, nowack

“Gratitude is fertilizer for well-being.”                    

Kenneth Nowack

If you want to change the world, have a lasting impact on your community, create a meaningful and psychological healthy workplace, develop a safe community, loving family or meaningful partnership–it all starts with you.

Several recent research studies have focused on the power of gratitude giving as a necessary condition for developing self esteem and enhanced social ties.

The Evidence for the Gratitude Affect

Psychologist Martin Seligman and colleagues have focused on a variety of psychological interventions that increase individual happiness¹. In a 6-group, random-assignment, placebo-controlled Internet study, he tested 5 happiness interventions and one control exercise. They found that 3 of the interventions significantly increased happiness and decreased depressive symptoms–a few for as long as 6 months.

Two of the exercises (using signature strengths in a new way and writing about three good things that went well each day) increased happiness and decreased depressive symptoms for six months. Another exercise, the “gratitude visit” was associated with significant and positive mood changes for 30 days. The other tested exercises and the placebo control created positive but only transient effects on happiness and depressive symptoms.

Another psychologist, Robert Emmons, from US Davis and his colleagues have also extensively studied the impact of gratitude².  In one study with adults with neuromuscular disorders, were asked to keep a gratitude journal every day for two weeks.  They were asked to focus on several things each day that they were thankful about and to write about what things in their life they saw as positive and meaningful.

Participants in the “gratitude condition” showed significantly more optimism and life satisfaction than a control group.  Interestingly, the researchers reported that spouses of study participants (i.e., people in the gratitude condition) seemed significantly happier than those in the control group.  Not only did focusing on gratitude change attitudes, it also apparently changed behavior of those in the study.

Gratitude Exercises

Giving gratitude is something we can develop and make an automatic part of our day.  Here are two evidenced-based gratitude exercises that have been proven by Seligman, Emmons and other researchers to enhance psychological well-being, social ties and life satisfaction.

1. Gratitude Journal:  For two weeks, write down each day several things you are truly grateful for and explain why in your own person journal.

2. Gratitude Gift.  Identify someone in your life you truly value that has contributed to your life success in some way.  This person can be a family member, friend, teacher, or another person who has touched you in a positive and signifcant way and whom you have not probably acknowledged in a heart felt manner.  Write a letter to this person describing what they have done to influence your life and why–mail it or deliver it in person.

Perhaps we can all make a step towards making our lives and those around us a bit better by first giving gratitude for what we do have….as Victor Frankl once said, “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves”…..Be well….

Technorati Tags: gratitude, altruism, positive psychology, pay it forward, Martin Seligman, Robert Emmons, gratitude giving, positive affect,  emotions, envisia, envisia learning, kenneth nowack, ken nowack, nowack

1. Seligman, M., P, Steen, T., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60(5), 410-421 [↩]
2. Emmons, R.A., & McCullough, M.E. (2003).  Counting blessings versus burdens: Experimental studies of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 377-38 [↩]

“You gotta know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away, know when to run” 

Kenny Rogers

THE PREDICTIVE POWER OF “HOLDING”

In a series of new studies by Angela Duckworth and colleagues, individuals demonstrating “grit” were more likely to be successful in both academic and job related measures of performance and success¹.  The researchers defined and measures “grit” as passion and perseverance for long-term goals, grit accounted for an average of 4% of the variance in success outcome measures (e.g., educational attainment among 2 samples of adults (N=1,545 and N=690), academic GPA among Ivy League undergraduates (N=138), retention in 2 classes of United States Military Academy, West Point, cadets).

Grit, as measured by the researchers, was not correlated with IQ but was highly correlated with the fiver factor personality construct of Conscientiousness. Grit demonstrated incremental predictive validity of success measures beyond IQ as well as conscientiousness. Many large-scale studies suggest that a mere 25% of difference between individuals and job performance and a third of the difference in school grades can be attributed to IQ.  Personality factors, such as resilience, achievement striving, emotional stability and extraversion are said to contribute to the other 75%.   It appears that grit and intelligence are completely independent traits.  Both are associated with increasing the likelihood of success, but those with high intelligence are no more likely than those with low IQ to be gritty.

THE PREDICTIVE POWER OF “FOLDING”

According to new research, quitting may be better for your health. Psychologist’s Gregory Miller and Carsten Wroshch have found that people who are able to throw feel comfortable quitting when faced with unattainable goals may have better mental and physical health than those who persevere and push themselves to succeed².

The findings build on their previous research, which found that those persistent individuals experienced higher levels of an inflammatory protein called C-reactive protein (an indicator of stress) as well as increased cortisol.  They also reported lower psychological well being. On the surface, this might not seem like a big deal but inflammation appears to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and other stress related conditions³.

Contrary to what we might have been taught, it appears that it might be in our best interests to “cut our losses” in the face of unattainable goals and life challenges and actually disengage from the goal to ensure optimum well-being and potentially long-term health.  This appears to be true whether we are in unsatisfying long-term relationships, working for leaders who are toxic or targeting a goal that is beyond our skill and ability “set  points.”

So, any good things those who persist?  In other research Carsten and colleagues found that in the face of life challenge and disengaging from unattainable goals, those who redefined and set new goals were more likely to be able to buffer the negative emotions associated with failure.  Maybe “rebound” relationships and new entrepreneurial goals might actually serve to help us find closure to the past and re-engage us for future journeys.

Research by Laura King and colleagues at the University of Missouri, Columbia has recently explored how we deal with lost opportunities and mistaken expectations play a role in health, happiness and personality development⁴.  In their research, King found that to be truly happy individuals must “divest themselves of previously sought after goals” that are no longer achievable.  Their study suggets that the happiest individuals acknowledge loss, do not spend much time ruminating on the past and can more easily disengage from failure and “what might have been” in the past.  Overall, they are more likely to be focused on and committed to current goals, passions and life activities.

If you are going to regret, it seems healthier to do it about things you have tried to do, rather than, the things we are too afraid to try.  As Wayne Gretzky once said. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”….Be well….

Technorati Tags: self-ratings, distortion, self-awareness, multi-rater feedback, 360 feedback, self-insight, emotional intelligence,   kenneth nowack, ken nowack, nowack

1. Duckworth, A., Peterson, C., Matthews, D., Kelly, D. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 92(6), 1087-1101 [↩]
2. Miller, G. & Wrosch, C. (2007). You’ve Gotta Know When to Fold ‘Em: Goal Disengagement and Systemic Inflammation in Adolescence. Psychological Science, 18 [↩]
3. Wrosch, C., Miller, G. E., Scheier, M. F., & Brun de Pontet, S. (2007). Giving up on unattainable goals: Benefits for health? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33, 251-265 [↩]
4. Duckworth, A., Peterson, C., Matthews, D., Kelly, D. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals
   Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 92(6), 1087-1101 [↩]

“Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones but Words Will Never Hurt me” 

Unknown

If performance feedback was a drug, many of us could be easily sued for malpractice.

One of the most cited research studies on performance feedback is based on meta-analysis by Kluger and DeNisi who reviewed over 3,000 studies (607 effect sizes, 23,633 observations) on performance feedback.  They found that although there was a significant effect for feedback interventions (d=.41), one third of all studies showed performance declines¹. 

Although the authors speculated about many reasons why performance feedback led to actual performance declines in 33% of all studies they seemed to suggest that in most cases it leads to individuals feeling hurt, demotivated and emotionally upset. 

No doubt someone was saying something to you that could have been emotionally hurtful.  Well, it seems this old saying really doesn’t have any scientific merit at all.  In fact, recent research suggests that indeed feeling emotional hurt, being given critical feedback from your boss, having your ideas rejected by other respected colleagues, being made fun of, or being verbally abused all seem to have the same negative impact on our health.

It seems that emotional pain and physical pain both follow the same neuro pathways in our brain and can both lead to the same outcomes of depression, immune suppression and fatigue.  In a nifty study by Naomi Eisenberger and colleagues at UCLA, she was able to use the latest technology to peer into the inner workings of our brain called functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) while a team was involved in a social exercise designed to provoke feelings of social isolation and rejection.
 
She studied what part of the brain was activated while a group of  subjects played a computer game with other individuals they did not know.  She created two possibilities of being rejected–either actively or passively (she told them they couldn’t not continue because of some technical problems). Comparison of fMRI brain activity in the active exclusion group versus inclusion conditions revealed greater activity in the part of the brain that is associated with physical pain (anterior cingulate cortex).  Additionally, the subjects who were rejected also reported feeing psychological distress based on self-report measures². Maybe dying of a broken heart isn’t so crazy…..

If Eisenberger and her UCLA researchers are correct in what they are finding (they seem to be replicating their results in several follow up studies), it would appear that indeed feedback in some cases might actually be harmful to your health. 

How often has critical, negative and awkward feedback been perceived to be hurtful by those we love, admire or even find challenging in your life?  Ever had a 360-degree feedback experience that left you feeling a bit numb (OK, you know the real reason for 360-feedback was to “out” the critics and provide supporters a vehicle to share how wonderful you are)?  OK, how about a performance evaluation meeting that just plain left you dumbfounded about why your boss mentioned something that might have occurred 10 to 12 months ago but never bothered to mention it to you?  We are know that feedback is the key necessary (but not sufficient) condition to create awareness, insight and reflection to help us do things more, less or differently in the future–it really is the only way to enlighten those with the “no clue” gene.  We also know the leaders in our lives that seemed to possess the emotional intelligence and skills to say just right thing in the right way to actually motivate us to want to change our behavior.

The big warning about feedback isn’t that some leaders are gifted, innately talented or develop the skill to provide constructive criticism.  It’s the scary research about just how often feedback leads to poor performance. Let’s try to put the current research on performance feedback into perspective. You may or may not remember when the anti-inflammatory drug Vioxx was taken off the market–one study in 2004 actually suggested that users of this drug were significantly more likely to develop heart attacks and strokes compared to a placebo.  The FDA actually pulled the drug from the market because of the risk for harm to our health.

I only wish I had a dollar for every time I was unable to “pull back” that comment, phrase or email that came from my mouth or fingertips…Be well….

Technorati Tags: leadership development, executive development, multi-rater feedback, bullying, performance feedback, emotional intelligence, emotional pain, engagement, retention, kenneth nowack, ken nowack, nowack

1. Kluger, A. & DeNisi (1996). The effects of feedback interventions on performance: A historical review, meta-analysis and preliminary feedback theory. Psychological Bulletin, 119, 254-285 [↩]
2. Eisenberger, N., Lieberman, M. and Williams, K. (2003). Does rejection hurt? An fMRI study of social exclusion. Science, 302, 290-292 [↩]