Linking an employee’s individual performance outcomes with organizational goals
When employees lack a connection between their personal performance and the overall goals of the organization it can lead to a lack of engagement and motivation.
Consider the story of the 3 stone masons:
A man is passing by a massive construction site when he notices three masons labouring away on chunks of granite taken from large blocks.
He asks each mason, in turn, what they are doing.
Mason #1: “I am cutting this stone to shape all day long,” says the first describing his basic action.
Mason #2: “I am shaping this rock to use it to build the walls,” says the second one to describe his immediate outcome.
Mason #3: “I am building a cathedral,” says the third mason. “I am serving God by building this cathedral that will bring comfort to many people.”
Which of these 3 masons do you believe will have the greatest motivation and commitment to his work? The same principle holds true for your employees.
All too often, organizations create lists of responsibilities and required qualifications to identify what each employee has to “do.” However, they do not identify the outcomes that really matter to the organization. The employees are simply focusing on basic actions or immediate outcomes.
However, when employees understand the connection between their performance outcomes and the organizational goals, they can appreciate the “real value” of what they produce. The more they understand the value of what they do, the more their motivation and engagement increase. This will result in achieving sustainable business goals faster and more consistently.
When employees understand the value of the outcomes that they produce and what they do for their organizations, they find the purpose in their work. So, they will think of their “work” as a real value to help the organization to achieve its goals, not only list of tasks to complete.
Do you know what your organization needs to do to build the link between the business outcomes and the organizational goals of your employees? If not, we can help.
