A little tension adds to employees' productivity

A little properly managed tension can work wonders for organisations, according to a new report that says happy workers can easily become bored and complacent. However, human resources experts assert that a happy employee is always more productive than an uphappy one – and the post-recesson world is not the time for "tension management" strategies.

New research from Booz & Company titled "Picking the right fight" says top companies in numerous industries has shown that happy workers can become bored, complacent and less productive than those who are subjected to a little properly managed tension.

"A certain amount of healthy struggle is good for organisations, and indeed people perform optimally when they are under the right kinds and amounts of stress. A key aspect of a leader's job is to create the right battles and to make sure they are well fought," said Joe Saddi, Chairman of Booz & Company and the firm's Middle East Managing Director.

"This is called creating 'the right fight' – strategically employing tension to bring out the best in organisations and their leaders."

According to the report, such right fights unleash the creative and productive potential of teams, organisations and communities, thus making for better possibilities, but these battles must be well-designed and subject to certain rules to be effective. Alignment cannot be ignored; because with alignment and properly managed tension, organisations can start realising their potential.

Although there is still a sort of art to this kind of leadership, the thumb rules are clear. "Applying them, you can easily distinguish a right fight from a wrong one," said Bahjat El Darwiche, a partner at Booz & Company.

The report said the job of a leader is to get the alignment right first, and then to find out how and when to inject the correct amount of tension into the organisation to keep the momentum going and progress on an even keel.

But employers and human resources consultancies in the UAE feel that a post-recessionary world reeling from the impact of the worst economic meltdown in decades is not the time for this sort of management strategy. They say that far from feeling secure, complacent or bored, employees are still insecure about their jobs and financial security and are under a lot of stress because of that.

Also, as the post-recessionary world will be more challenging for businesses, this is the time for firms to keep their staff happy to maximise performance.

"If the recession was challenging, this post-recession phase will be even more challenging for most companies. With demand and sales beginning to grow, the sentiment in the market will get positive and very quickly too," Debabrat Mishra, Principal, Consulting Business Leader, Hewitt Associates, told Emirates Business:.

"In such a situation, organisations need to ensure that their staff are happy as well. Organisations that have happy employees in post-recessionary times will be 'talent magnets'. They will be able to not only retain their employees, but will be able to attract good talent that is looking for opportunities that will now start emerging.

"When employees are happy, productivity is also seen to be higher,"?he said.

Such organisations, he pointed out, will be able to quickly respond to growth in demand through productivity enhancements and workforce additions. Motivated employees will be the fuel that will enable organisations to go that extra mile.

And for shareholders, he said, "it will be wise to evaluate how motivated is the workforce in the company they have invested in. It could very well mean to be that critical difference in their 'return on equity'."

Dr Prashant Bhatia, who runs his own clinic and employs healthcare staff, said companies need to be more sensitive towards their staff in these lean times as everyone has it tough.

"If you are an employer who is earning 10 times more than your staff, then try to put yourself in their place and visualise their worries, financial problems, insecurities and fears," he said.

"As an employer it is your responsibility to ensure your staff is happy because if they are happy they will perform better and their happiness in turn will be picked up by the clients they deal with – which is good for your business.

He suggests several ways of combating boredom and demotivation among employees: "Give them new challenges at work," he said. "Give them career growth and keep them motivated through appreciative words and monetary rewards."

Prakash Chugani, General Manager, Human Resources Development, Dulsco, added: "Keeping staff happy and secure is a critical success component for every organisation regardless of the business climate. It enhances employee engagement and creates an environment of trust where employee contribution is maximised.

"In the end it benefits the business as a happy and secure member of the staff feels obliged to do everything possible within his or her capacity to return back to the company in equal measure if not more."

The report also points out that achieving the proper balance is essential because not all tensions are productive. Leaders have to avoid the wrong fights as turf battles, egos, and petty concerns dominate all too many organisations' agendas in the long term.

Three internal culprits are at the centre of most wrong fights – alignment issues, especially financial ones; runaway successes leading to complacency; personal agendas getting in the way of organisational goals.

How leaders find the right fights and enable their teams to fight them productively is a matter of personal style. "Great leaders are not just intuitive about this; they are systematic, thoughtful, and proactive in the balancing act of alignment and tension," explained Saddi.

The report says there are five rules of thumb that every leader needs to know as they step up to the job of leadership. Make it sport, not war. Good leaders ensure things don't get out of hand.

They minimise wasted energy over manipulative infighting and focus the energies of their team on the right things. They focus on creating the future. Right fights are about the future.

Right fights can't be about something internal and irrelevant to the larger purpose of the company. Creating profound alignment linked to a purpose is the first mark of all great leadership. But alignment in and of itself is not the goal. Rather, it creates the environment in which there can be right fights for a future worth creating.

Successful leaders structure fights through the chain of command, but make them work through the networks of personal and professional connections that are not on the organisational chart.

You have to make sure everyone grows, even if they do not win. When the fights are the right ones, and everyone behaves well enough, the struggle will teach valuable lessons to all those involved.

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