Job Sculpting The Art of Retaining Your Best People Copyright©2005 Peregrine Partners. All rights reserved.
Person By Person
Retention of talent takes place when the skill of the individual manager makes it happen by managing on the basis of individual psychology.
Work Commitment • Leadership • Compensation • Self Actualization
Leadership • • • •
Trust Vision Effectiveness Presence
Compensation • It is always an important issue but often not the most important • Extraordinary compensation does not guarantee deep commitment • An “it’s all about money” model for retention comes at a very high (literal) cost
Self Actualization • • • •
Passion Connection Achievement Power
Self Actualization: Passion and Productivity
When we are working from our deepest interests we are vastly more productive. We identify our job as a fulfilling experience. We want to stay and we want to do more.
As Managers We Must Do Three Things 1. Recognize the deep interest patterns of our most valued employees 2. Help them to recognize and articulate those patterns 3. With them, sculpt a role that allows for the realization of these interests while accomplishing the organization’s goals
Business Core Functions • • • • • • • •
Application of Technology Quantitative Analysis Theory Development and Conceptual Thinking Creative Production Counseling and Mentoring Managing People and Relationships Enterprise Control Influence Through Language and Ideas
Application of Expertise • • • •
Application of Technology Quantitative Analysis Theory Development and Conceptual Thinking Creative Production
Working With People • Counseling and Mentoring • Managing People and Relationships
Control and Influence • Enterprise Control • Influence Through Language and Ideas
Your Most Valued Employee • Which two Core Functions are most meaningful for your MVE? • What is the relative importance of these Core Functions
Business Core Functions • • • •
•
•
• •
Application of Technology The general use of technology to accomplish business objectives Quantitative Analysis Business problem-solving that relies on mathematical analysis Theory Developmental and Conceptual Thinking Activities involving broadly conceptual approaches to business problems Creative Production Business roles that require pure creativity: creating and idea, product or strategy where none existed before Counseling and Mentoring Developing relationships as an integral part of business work. Examples: coaching, training and mentoring, customer relationships Managing People and Relationships Working directly and consistently with groups of people in the roles of manager, director or supervisor Enterprise Control Having ultimate strategic and decision-making authority for complete operations Influence Through Language and Ideas Exercising influence through the skillful use of written and spoken language
Your Other Most Valuable Employee • Which two Business Core Functions are most meaningful for you? • What is the relative importance of these Core Functions?
Patterns of Satisfaction
People with different Core Function profiles are excited by different roles in organizations
General Managers
AT
QA
TD
CP
CS
MP
Business Core Function
EC
IN
Marketing Managers
AT
QA
TD
CP
CS
MP
Business Core Function
EC
IN
Investment Banking
AT
QA
TD
CP
CS
Business Core Function
MP
EC
IN
Finance In Corporate Settings
AT
QA
TD
CP
CS
MP
Business Core Function
EC
IN
Productions and Operations Management
AT
QA
TD
CP
CS
MP
Business Core Function
EC
IN
Human Resources Management/ Corporate Training
AT
QA
TD
CP
CS
MP
Business Core Function
EC
IN
Sales and Sales Management
AT
QA
TD
CP
CS
MP
Business Core Function
EC
IN
Managers of Information Systems
AT
QA
TD
CP
CS
MP
Business Core Function
EC
IN
New Product Development
AT
QA
TD
CP
CS
MP
Business Core Function
EC
IN
Public Relations and Communications
AT
QA
TD
CP
CS
MP
Business Core Function
EC
IN
How to Keep Them Job Sculpting Highlights for Dominant Core Functions
Application of Technology or Quantitative Analysis Dominant • Acknowledge and authorize their expert role (anoint your gurus) • Tie compensation to expertise growth as well as management level • Fund training and professional affiliation • When appropriate, invite their contribution to management decisions
Creative Production Dominant • Will want “early phase” and “blank page” involvement • Will want new projects more frequently (shorter time horizon) • Routine or steady-state will send them toward the exits • Creativity is a plus; restlessness is a management challenge
Theory Development and Conceptual Thinking Dominant • Intellectual challenge is paramount • Must have steady supply of problems to solve • Involvement with strategy, big picture, vision; (make sure they are invited to the brain-storming sessions)
Counseling and Mentoring Dominant • Relationships are central source of job satisfaction • Will raise “value” issues and look for organization’s responses • Counseling/mentoring role, with subordinates and customers highly valued • Guard against diminishing counseling/mentoring role with promotion (extra one-on-one time may seem inefficient, but it may keep a star performer)
Managing People and Relationships Dominant • Needs increasing management responsibility • Roles seen as “staff” or individual contributor a problem • Action orientation: needs to be “in the thick of things”
Enterprise Control Dominant • Wants responsibility and visibility (can be unrealistic) • Wants ultimately to be a “player” in the major effects of the organization • Even at earliest career stages will be restless for evidence of progress toward the above • Be careful before you interpret early career restlessness as arrogance
Influence Through Language and Ideas Dominant • Wants to be “at the boundary” of the team, business unit or whole organization • Wants “high interpersonal transaction” environment • Needs credible evidence of growing influence (invited to the meetings, etc.) • Communicator, translator and broker roles valued
Job Sculpting • Both parties recognize BCF profile • Both parties aware of organization’s goals • Next job “sculpted” with both profile and goals in mind • Pay attention to Connection, Achievement and Power
Self Actualization • • • •
Passion Connection Achievement Power
Connection • Affiliation: Which relationships are most important? • Attention: How does your MVE get it? • Authority: What is the quality of the parental dynamic for your MVE?
Affiliation
As a manager, what can you do to enable the affiliative connections that are most important for your MVEs? What have you done that has disrupted them?
Attention Consider individual difference in terms of: • Level and type of daily social interaction preferred • Level of inclusion in information exchange • Level of inclusion in formal meetings • Invitation to share perspective • Frequency of one-on-one meetings
Authority
Each of us brings to our work situation a personal history of relationship with more powerful others, based on the primal child-parent dynamic. This history is emotionally colored and unconscious to varying degrees.
Stances Toward Authority (MVEs can fall into any category) • Engaged • Reactive • Laissez-Faire
Stances Toward Authority
You cannot change your MVE’s stance. Being aware of it will allow you to anticipate his or her response and generally make things much easier.
Self Actualization • • • •
Passion Connection Achievement Power
Achievement: What Counts for your MVE? • Challenge: I have never done it before or I did it better than anyone else • Learning: I will gain new skill and knowledge • Authorship: I will create something that has my name on it; my professional identity extends beyond the organization • Recognition: My identity in the organization will be enhanced (Ex: promotion, award)
Self Actualization • • • •
Passion Connection Achievement Power
Power: Being Able to Act How will you sponsor the power relationships your MVE needs to succeed? • Authorize (explicit, public) • Connect • Promote • Protect
Self Actualization • • • •
Passion Connection Achievement Power
Measuring Business Core Functions
• “Job Sculpting” HBR article • CareerLeader Online assessment program ®
Continuing the Conversation
Tim Butler 617-776-3465
[email protected]
