There’s something that’s slowly but surely sucking the life and motivation out of your workforce. And, no, it’s not constant emails or the fact that your break room coffee is a little weak.
So, what is this mysterious epidemic that’s destroying your team’s productivity and morale? Answer: a lack of engagement.
An unengaged workforce comes with a significant cost — literally. Gallup estimates that companies with a highly engaged workforce have 21% higher profitability than those that don’t. Plus, highly engaged companies see a 41% reduction in absenteeism.
But, with all of that said, many company leaders still don’t place as much emphasis on engaging employees as they should.
“Unfortunately, only 33% of employees in the U.S. are engaged,” explains Nick Sanchez, the former Chief People Officer at Namely, “Which means that if you’re not proactively working on employee engagement, your company could be at risk.”
The Role of Technology in Employee Engagement
In the digital era, technology plays a pivotal role in fostering and enhancing employee engagement. Advanced technological tools and platforms have transformed the way organizations engage with their employees, making processes more efficient and communication more effective.
Communication and Collaboration Tools: Technologies such as instant messaging apps, video conferencing tools, and project management software have made communication and collaboration easier than ever. Tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Wrike facilitate real-time communication, foster collaboration, and help teams stay aligned on their tasks and goals, regardless of their physical location. This enhances team cohesion and engagement.
Learning and Development Platforms: Online learning platforms and digital training programs allow employees to upskill and develop their abilities at their own pace. This not only contributes to personal growth but also makes employees feel valued and invested in, thereby boosting engagement.
Employee Recognition Software: Digital platforms offer innovative ways to recognize and reward employees for their efforts. Recognition can be made visible company-wide, providing a morale boost to the recognized employee and encouraging others to strive for similar acknowledgment.
Flexible and Remote Work: Technology enables flexible and remote working arrangements, which can significantly increase employee engagement. When employees have the flexibility to work in a way that suits their lifestyle and commitments, they are often more productive, satisfied, and engaged.
Data Analytics: Data analytics can provide valuable insights into employee behavior and engagement levels, helping organizations to tailor their engagement strategies more effectively. For instance, HR analytics can identify patterns in employee behavior, highlight areas of concern, and suggest areas for improvement.
AI and Automation: AI and automation can take over repetitive tasks, freeing up employees to focus on more complex and rewarding aspects of their work. This not only increases efficiency but also improves employee satisfaction and engagement.
Incorporating these technological tools and strategies into an organization's employee engagement plan can significantly enhance engagement levels. However, it's crucial to remember that technology should complement, not replace, human interaction and traditional engagement methods. The most effective engagement strategies often involve a balanced blend of technological and human elements.
Why employee engagement matters
So, what’s the big deal with employee engagement anyway? Turns out, it can have a huge impact on both your culture and your bottom line.
“Engaged employees go above and beyond the requirements of their jobs, meaning you get more productivity and output than you paid for,” shares Ben Brooks, Founder and CEO of tech startup, PILOT, “Disengaged employees not only are losers in terms of ROI, they also drag down the larger system, both in terms of team morale as well as customer satisfaction.”
The numbers are there to back this up. According to findings published by the Harvard Business Review, 71% of respondents rank employee engagement as very important to achieving overall organizational success.
But, beyond boosting productivity, morale, fulfillment, and retention, placing an emphasis on employee engagement also has positive results for managers and leaders, particularly those who have their hands full with team and company growth.
“As leaders scale, they need to be able to trust their teams, and a big factor in building that trust is believing that you have employees that are engaged,” shares Menaka Shroff, Marketing Director at Google, “Without that, you’re operating in a model where you don’t trust them, and you have to have a lot of reviews and processes to closely manage their work.”
Roadblocks to employee engagement
A passionate, fulfilled, and actively engaged workforce isn’t something that just happens by closing your eyes and clicking your heels together. It takes commitment and strategy from leaders within the organization.
“The reason morale is not better at many organizations is because senior executives’ attention is focused elsewhere,” warns Rodd Wagner, Vice President of Employee Engagement Strategy for BI Worldwide, “Most firms do not make managing — i.e. regular involvement with employees, not just supervising the particular business function — the high priority it ought to be.”
Improving your employee engagement needs to be a point of emphasis, even before you witness morale or productivity declining. “Often, people wait until it’s too late,” Shroff adds, “You can’t wait until you feel like the morale is down and then send a survey to ask people about it. That’s the worst thing you can do. You need to get ahead of the sentiment.”
As we navigate the evolving landscape of the workplace, it's crucial to anticipate the future trends in employee engagement. Understanding these trends will allow organizations to stay ahead of the curve and ensure their engagement strategies are effective and relevant. Here are some key trends to watch:
Emphasis on Mental Health: The future of employee engagement will see a stronger focus on mental health. Employers are recognizing that employee well-being directly impacts engagement and productivity. Expect to see more organizations offering mental health resources, promoting work-life balance, and creating a supportive company culture that acknowledges the importance of mental wellness.
Personalized Employee Experiences: As artificial intelligence and data analytics become more advanced, there will be a growing trend towards personalized employee experiences. This means understanding the individual needs, motivations, and work styles of each employee and tailoring engagement strategies accordingly. By offering personalized experiences, organizations can foster a deeper sense of connection and engagement among their employees.
Purpose-Driven Work: Employees, particularly millennials and Gen Z, are looking for more than just a paycheck. They want to work for organizations that align with their values and contribute positively to society. In the future, employee engagement will be closely tied to an organization's purpose and commitment to social responsibility. Companies that can articulate and demonstrate their purpose will have a competitive edge in engaging their employees.
Flexible and Remote Work: The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift towards remote work, and this trend is likely to continue. Organizations will need to find ways to engage employees who may be working from various locations and have different schedules. This could involve leveraging technology to foster collaboration, building a strong virtual company culture, and providing support to manage the challenges of remote work.
Continuous Learning and Development: The fast pace of change in today's world means that continuous learning is more important than ever. Employees will be more engaged if they see opportunities for growth and development in their roles. This could involve providing ongoing training, opportunities for upskilling, and clear career progression pathways.
Inclusive Leadership: The future of employee engagement will involve leaders who are inclusive and empathetic. Inclusive leadership involves valuing diversity, promoting equity, and ensuring every team member feels heard and valued. An inclusive leader can foster a sense of belonging among employees, which is a key driver of engagement.
These trends highlight the evolving nature of employee engagement. By staying abreast of these trends, organizations can create an engaging and supportive work environment that motivates employees, fosters productivity, and drives business success.
Employee engagement: Five strategies to know
What steps can you take to begin improving engagement within your organization? Here are a few key strategies to start with.
1. Be transparent
“When employees start to feel like a cog in the wheel rather than vital members of a team, motivation can plateau,” shares Sanchez.
As a leader, you need to create a transparent work environment where you involve your employees in planning and decision-making processes. “Transparency is a big one,” adds Shroff, “If employees don’t know why certain decisions are made or why the company is creating these five top goals, that is the sort of thing that can create a lot of internal dialogue in an employee.”
Instead of sitting behind the curtain and wielding power, leaders and managers need to be present and engage with their workers to prove to them that not only does their work matter, but their thoughts, opinions, and suggestions do too.
TIP: Follow in the footsteps of companies like Zappos and initiate a regularly scheduled all-hands or 360 meeting. This is an opportunity for people from across the organization to get together, share ideas, and look at the big picture.
2. Foster a collaborative culture
“Collaborative” and “team-focused” are additional adjectives you want your employees to use when describing the culture of your office.
“Employees are more likely to be engaged in their work when they feel a sense of loyalty to their team,” Sanchez shares, “Facilitating team building activities can increase an employee’s stake in the success of the team as a whole. Building these activities into the employee experience (and budgets) should be a priority for the senior team.”
Not only do these outings and events (whether they’re in-person or virtual) give employees a chance to connect, but just the simple act of emphasizing teamwork can have a positive effect. “Even if an employee feels slightly disconnected, peer relationships can inspire productivity and boost morale,” Sanchez adds.
TIP: Don’t feel like you have time to plan social gatherings for your team? Take a page from the book of companies like Pinterest and form a culture club or committee. This employee-led group will be responsible for coordinating the outings for employees. It takes that task off your plate and also gives those group members a chance to bond.
3. Set goals
Setting goals with employees is not only an effective way to take a temperature check on their level of engagement, but these objectives can also be extremely motivating for employees. In fact, studies show that (even with the absence of financial incentives) goal setting can improve employee performance by 12-15%.
“Set quarterly measurable and actionable goals,” Shroff explains, “And, then make sure that you’re discussing progress on those goals every week.”
Because so many individual and organizational goals span a longer timeframe — think 18 months, as opposed to one week — these frequent conversations about progress are important. “For a workforce that needs constant gratification, it can be very dissatisfying if you don’t enjoy the big moments or accomplishments in between those goals. It’s critical to stay on top of that,” adds Shroff.
“At Namely, we ask employees to set cascading goals on a quarterly basis that are both metric-driven and quantifiable,” shares Sanchez, “If goals are not being met, it may be an indication that productivity and engagement should be addressed.”
However, this doesn’t mean that managers should dole out goals and assignments without any regard for the employee. “Don’t forget that engagement can be highly personal and employees should have a part to play in their own retention,” Brooks says, “Managers can do this by encouraging employees to recognize their own unique needs and empowering them to solve and meet them by themselves.”
Employee engagement isn’t something that you can sort out and then promptly forget. You don’t get to slap a catchy phrase about your culture on your office wall and assume that will do the job. If leaders expect engagement, they need to be engaged themselves, in the form of checking in one-on-one with employees on a frequent basis.
“Ongoing feedback is so important,” Shroff explains, “We have one-on-one check-ins every week that I do with my team cross-functionally.” During these conversations, Shroff says she always make sure to ask one simple question:
Do you feel engaged?
“Based on that, it’s easy for a company to know that certain departments are burnt out or someone doesn’t have something that they need. You’ll see patterns. Frequent feedback check-ins and having ongoing two-way conversations with employees are critical,” she adds.
While managers should be sure to get these sorts of questions answered, Sanchez advises that these conversations should be largely employee-driven. “It’s a regular opportunity for employees to share their concerns, stresses, and goals with their management. The regular part is significant. By meeting weekly, managers can track employee engagement over time and follow up on previous issues.”
When it comes to these personalized conversations, engagement experts hear the same complaint time and time again: “I don’t have time to sit down with everybody that I manage!”
“My response: You have too many people reporting to you,” says Wagner, “If you don’t have enough time to give each one personal attention, you can’t effectively be their manager.”
5. Seek feedback
Those personalized conversations are sure to be enlightening. But, company leaders should take things a step further by having formal ways to collect additional feedback from employees, whether it’s anonymous or not.
Many companies utilize surveys to keep their finger on the pulse of how employees are feeling. But before you bombard your team with lengthy and overwhelming questions, keep these tips from Brooks in mind to successfully survey your employees:
Do it frequently: “Feedback is a dish best served fresh!” Brooks says, “Don’t wait a year to hear what your employees think and feel.”
Keep it short and simple: If you ask more questions, you have a ton more work to do after the survey, just in the analysis of data alone. Plus, it lowers participation rates.
Do something with what you learn: This might seem obvious, but it’s where the majority of companies fail in Brooks’ experience. “If you ask, you must act,” he warns.
Even if you utilize online or anonymous methods for gathering feedback, you might learn that many employees are still unwilling to be completely honest for fear of it negatively impacting their own careers.
But Shroff has a tactic to skirt around that issue and empower employees to feel more comfortable providing their insights.
“One of the tactics that has worked for me that I learned from Kim Scott is to actually not give feedback on the person, but to give feedback on the task,” she says, “Let’s talk about this specific project or meeting or deliverable or communication. Getting away from, ‘You are this way,’ to ‘This could’ve been better,’ takes the pressure off the employee and ultimately gets to the root of what you want to solve anyway.”
Measuring employee engagement
There’s no denying that employee engagement can feel intangible — it seems tough to assign a metric to. However, rest assured, it is something that you can actively measure and monitor.
While the Net Promoter Score is typically used to measure customers, Brooks asserts that it can be just as effective for your team. “It’s a well-established and researched methodology that applies equally well to employees as it does customers,” he says, “Plus, since it is used across industries on the customer-facing side, you have less education and confusion, since you’re using an existing measure.”
As mentioned previously, monitoring employee progress on goals, listening carefully in feedback conversations, and sending surveys are also great ways to measure engagement. “One of the best tools is to use regular pulse surveys that help you track improvements in engagement over time,” says Sanchez, “Though a survey may not be as comprehensive as a conversation, it does give you good data points to benchmark engagement.”
Metrics are important. But, don’t view them as the be-all and end-all.
“I caution my clients against focusing too heavily on the metrics,” explains Wagner, “Too often, the score becomes the end in and of itself, rather than what it ought to be—crucial feedback for improving the work environment so that performance and retention improve. Better operating results are the single most important indicator that improvements to the work environment are taking hold.”
How to create an employee engagement plan
Ready to act on these strategies (and more)? An employee engagement plan can help you turn ideas into action and ensure you’re making progress toward improving engagement within your organization.
Here are a few steps to help you use successful employee engagement strategies and pull them into a formal plan.
Identify the vision and desired outcomes of your employee engagement plan. It can be tempting to want to boost employee engagement in as many areas as possible but to execute your vision successfully and see results, you’ll need to hone in on a few focus areas. Perhaps you want to increase your employee retention rates in your first phase and then shift to increasing productivity across your organization next. Whatever the case may be, identify your vision and choose specific goals to work toward.
Get a feel for how engaged your employees are so you have a solid baseline. Once you’ve identified the focus areas you’re going to start with, you’ll need to develop a solid understanding of the current employee engagement landscape. Survey your employees, set up focus groups to obtain feedback, or conduct team meetings to gather the information you’re looking for. It’s important to understand employee engagement within your organization before you get started so you can identify your best next steps.
Create detailed plans with specific actions. Your employee engagement plan should be well-defined in each of the focus areas you plan to address. Develop short and long-term goals to help you achieve immediate and more strategic results.
Review your employee engagement plan, monitor your progress, and adjust as needed. As you start to implement your ideas, be sure to monitor your progress and review the goals of your employee engagement plan. If your vision changes or some of your strategies are unsuccessful, revise your plans accordingly. As part of your review process, make it a point to communicate progress back to employees.
Tips for remote employee engagement activities
Staying engaged in a digital world can seem daunting and impossible at times, but remote employee engagement programs can be widely successful with the right strategies in place.
Many of the same rules apply when it comes to employee engagement in the office versus in a remote environment. But there are a few remote-specific tips to keep in mind for remote employee engagement activities.
1. Foster and encourage non-work-related social interactions
At the office, you might swing by a coworker’s desk and ask if they want to grab lunch or coffee with you. Or you may see a coworker passing in the hallway and stop to catch up in between meetings.
These types of social interactions are more difficult to engage in virtually. Keep your remote employees engaged by ensuring there’s time on the calendar for non-work-related meetings and catch-ups, such as virtual happy hours, game nights, team lunches, and more. Even saving a couple of minutes for chit-chat at the beginning or end of your team meetings can make a big difference.
2. Make employee recognition a priority
It can be more challenging to see your employees’ contributions when you’re dispersed and remote, which means it’s essential to prioritize employee recognition.
Research suggests employee recognition is a top driver for employee engagement. Formal and structured employee recognition programs can hold you accountable. But don’t overcomplicate things. Even a simple “great work!” shoutout can help your teammates feel like they are part of a strong team, even if they don’t see each other in person.
3. Be flexible and trust your team
Maintaining productivity while working remotely can be tricky. While team meetings and one-on-ones need to have set hours, consider allowing some flexibility around your team’s remaining working hours.
Trust that your team will get their jobs done, but allow them to build a healthy work-life flow to boost their overall engagement and productivity.
Employee engagement strategy examples
Let’s take a quick look at some employee engagement strategies and how you might track your actions to help you move the needle.
Employee Engagement Goal
Action Item
Brief Description
Owner
Current Rating from Employees
Desired Rating from Employees
Improve employee recognition efforts
Formalize employee recognition efforts with a new software system
Understand employee view of current recognition efforts
Determine requirements and needs for a formalized software system
Research employee recognition software options
Implement the selected recognition & rewards software
Rollout to all staff
Survey employees six months post-implementation
VP of HR
Employees gave us a “C” in a recent survey
We’re aiming to improve to an “A-” rating or better
Boost employee retention through growth opportunities
Implement a learning and development program
Understand employee view of current growth opportunities and how we can retain them
Create a learning and development program
Roll out to all staff
Survey employees 1-year post-implementation
Re-measure turnover rates
Training Program Manager
Employees gave us a “D” in a recent survey and indicated they see little opportunity for growth
We’re aiming to improve to a “B” rating or better
Employee engagement tactics to avoid
Employee engagement programs can be unique to every organization because each organization’s employees may desire different engagement methods. Trial and error will help you figure out what works best, but there are a few tactics that you should nip in the bud if you spot them.
1. Showing favoritism, especially when it comes to recognition
Sometimes managers play favorites, even unintentionally. If you have a high performer on your team, recognition will likely swing in their favor. And while it’s crucial to recognize those top-notch team members, be mindful not only to acknowledge the overachievers.
Favoritism not only impacts the employee being favored, but it can leave a bad taste in the mouths of employees who never get recognized.
2. Investing in incentives that are meaningless to employees
Incentives can and should be used as part of your employee engagement plan, but don’t assume you know what types of incentives your employees want. Employees may be motivated by financial incentives, extra paid time off, gifts, or team events, to name a few examples.
Understand what motivates your employees, and make sure the incentive plans are clear and well-communicated to all team members.
3. Creating unrealistic goals for your employees to work toward
Be mindful not to develop and set unrealistic goals for your employees to work toward to receive their incentives. With unreachable objectives at the forefront of your employee engagement plan, your employees may end up feeling burnt out and become disengaged as a result.
How to create an employee engagement strategy with Wrike
Employee engagement is necessary for a productive, fulfilled, and loyal workforce.
Wrike is the best tool to help you organize and execute your employee engagement strategies.
Are you ready to get started? Start your free trial today and you’re well on your way to creating (and implementing) your employee engagement plan.
Kat Boogaard
Kat is a Midwest-based contributing writer. She covers topics related to careers, self-development, and the freelance life. She is also a columnist for Inc., writes for The Muse, is Career Editor for The Everygirl, and a contributor all over the web.
Making mistakes at work is normal. However, if people begin to avoid blame, self-serving bias may be creeping into your work culture. Self-serving bias is a way of thinking that makes a person see themselves in a more favorable way than they really are. In essence, it’s the reason why many people believe that the success they’ve achieved is purely down to them alone. It may sound like a minor issue but it’s a bias that has the potential to disrupt productivity at best and mean the difference between life or death at worst.
In this article, we’ll provide an insight into what self-serving bias is, how it is dangerous in the workplace, and how to avoid it. We’ll also share some practical tips for managers and team leaders on how to deal with self-serving bias in the workplace before it takes over.
What does self-serving bias mean?
If someone demonstrates self-serving bias, it suggests that they are more likely to blame others for their failures than themselves. We often rely on this cognitive bias to protect and boost our self-esteem. But in the workplace, it can make even the most humble fail to see their own shortcomings or errors.
This bias is incredibly common in our lives, and it can be overcome by practicing self-compassion.
Our brains are biased when it comes to making decisions because we are primed to see the world exclusively from our perspective. These biases are caused by issues with memory and attention, and they can often be dangerous in group environments. However, they help people make sense of the world and make fast decisions, which is why it’s key for survival.
But when this bias comes up in a scenario that is not life-threatening, it can affect others socially and professionally. If we work to decrease instances of self-serving bias in the workplace, managers can achieve everything from increasing overall productivity to speeding up the hiring process.
Why can self-serving behavior be damaging at work?
Self-serving behavior at a managerial level can be damaging to workplace culture and employee retention. Having an ethical climate at work (particularly one that keeps self-serving behavior in check) decreases the likelihood of having difficult employees.
According to a study published by the Journal of Business Ethics, the relationship between self-serving leader behavior and employees’ desire for retaliation and supervisor-directed deviance is stronger when unethical actions fueled by self-serving bias and other similar issues are present.
In other words, if your workplace allows managers and leaders to regularly act on their self-serving bias, your employees will notice and they won’t be happy about it.
Similarly, when self-serving bias is acted upon at the employee level, the consequences are noticeable. These include everything from quitting to leaving job-related tasks unfulfilled. At the very least, a self-serving employee is unable to perform their job to their highest potential. They can also decrease morale for the rest of the team.
It may seem like common sense, but when one employee sees another get away with unfair behavior, it makes them feel less motivated to align with expectations. After all, why should everyone else follow the rules if the self-serving employee is getting away with not doing so?
In extreme cases, self-serving bias can quite literally be the difference between life or death, especially when it is found in the medical field. According to research by Linda Babcock and George Loewenstein, even the most well-meaning doctors are susceptible to self-serving bias.
“Transplant surgeons, for example, must often decide how to allocate scarce organs between potential recipients. To maintain favorable statistics, their self-interest may not be to transplant those who would benefit most in terms of increased survival, but instead those where the probability of a successful operation is highest,” writes Babcock and Loewenstein.
“Based on the research we have reviewed, it seems likely that transplant surgeons' views of who benefits most from the transplant will be distorted by their interest in ‘cream-skimming,’” they conclude.
In other words, self-serving bias isn’t always meant to be selfish, even if the end result favors the decision-maker. It can often be perpetrated by the very systems we utilize in the workplace every day.
Even if your firm doesn’t deal with matters as high stakes as organ transplants, you may be surprised to discover the hidden ways self-serving bias negatively affects your team’s ability to conquer workplace terrors, despite the best of intentions.
Fundamental attribution error vs self-serving bias
The concept of self-serving biases emerged during the 1960s and 1970s.
It was discovered by Fritz Heider who was studying attribution at the time. His results proved the theory that people tend to believe things go well because of how great they are at whatever skills are needed to accomplish the task. And when things go wrong, it’s because of a negative situation or a third party.
Take test grades for example. It’s not uncommon for people to blame a bad grade on a teacher but take all the credit for themselves when they earn top scores.
Not sure what the difference is between self-serving bias and the concept of attribution?
These two concepts have a symbiotic relationship. Think of the concept of attribution as the cause and the self-serving bias theory as the result.
Here’s a side-by-side comparison:
Fundamental Attribution
Self-Serving Bias
Not taking responsibility for negative outcomes
Taking responsibility for positive outcomes
Focuses on situational factors
Focuses on internal factors
Negatively reinforces distrust and pessimism
Positively reinforces ego
The root cause of self-serving bias and other related biases
A type of fundamental attribution
Systematic error in judgment
Self-defense mechanism
Examples of self-serving bias in the workplace
Self-serving bias is all about taking credit for work success regardless of the situation. Here are some examples:
A vendor accepting praise for the on-time delivery of materials one week but blaming shipping freight issues for other delayed packages the next.
A manager evaluating their team’s performance solely based on the aspects their own supervisor will be looking out for in the manager’s own performance review.
A team lead assumes responsibility for the success of a project they oversaw rather than crediting it all to their colleagues who created the product.
A collaborator choosing to believe their increased productivity has more to do with their own time management skills than the new project management software they’ve adopted.
A business owner failed to recognize the support of their staff who helped them win an entrepreneurial achievement award.
How to avoid self-serving bias at work
There are plenty of ways to avoid self-serving bias at work and create an environment where employees are encouraged to maintain a healthy sense of self-esteem while also growing their skill sets. As a leader, it’s your job to implement the self-work and workplace culture listed in these suggestions:
Show gratitude
When a product is successful, the best thing you can do to defeat self-serving bias is to publicly thank the people who helped make it possible.
This can be something as simple as sending out a celebration message tagging the appropriate team members on your instant messaging platform. Or it can be something formal like a congratulatory dinner after a large or long-term project is complete.
Whatever you do, just make sure to look around you and ask yourself whether or not you really could have done this on your own.
Keep a journal
Journals are a great way to keep track of your growth over time.
At the end of each workday, take a moment to consider what you did well and one thing you like to improve on tomorrow. Building this habit will help you see your own work from a more subjective place.
Encourage employees to do the same and hold an accountability group if people are interested in participating.
If journaling turns out to be an effective tool for you, consider setting aside even more time to evaluate your skills on a big-picture level.
Set intentions
As a leader in the workplace, you have a responsibility to determine how you want projects to go. A great way to consciously practice this is to set intentions for your day, week, month, or for every assignment.
You can set the simple intention to continually monitor your own self-serving bias throughout the day. Or you can look for ways to improve when you do encounter a stumbling block.
Share your intentions with your team so that you have a shared vision you're all working toward.
Systemize feedback
The best way to systemize feedback is to clearly track who is responsible for what and whether or not they've achieved the goal for their portion of the project.
A visual project management tool will make it easy to evaluate performance at a glance. You'll also be able to fairly provide feedback since details such as due dates and expectations will be clearly laid out.
Go a step further and create a rubric for performance that is based on key performance indicators rather than opinions.
Need a place to start? Why not brainstorm solutions for self-serving bias together.
Identify motivations
Consider whether or not your team members have an internal or external locus of control.
An internal locus of control assumes that actions and outcomes are an individual's responsibility. An external locus of control assumes that actions and outcomes are the responsibilities of outside forces.
Those with an internal locus of control are motivated by themes of self-improvement.
But those with an external locus of control thrive when project elements that impact their work are thought out and managed well. This allows them to release the stress of monitoring those aspects and instead concentrate on their own contributions.
And if things do go wrong, they’re more likely to see how their actions may have affected the outcome when all other elements are in place.
Welcome feedback
It's important to create an environment in which other managers, employees, and collaborators feel comfortable providing constructive criticism and feedback on everyone else’s work.
If giving and receiving feedback graciously is part of your workplace culture, it will be easier to identify self-serving bias before it gets out of hand.
This also means providing a safe way to communicate these ideas. Some employees may feel like they can't speak to higher-ups about ways we can make their management style more compatible with the team.
But in order for the step to work, feedback must go both ways. Not only will this make employees feel more empowered, but it will also keep self-serving bias in check among management.
Focus on process
At the end of the day, self-serving bias is all about taking credit or putting the blame on someone else for the end product. But the truth is, the most important part of any project is the process.
The process will help you determine who is responsible for what, while clearly setting expectations. That way, even if an employee is struggling with self-serving bias, they’ll be able to see for themselves what tasks they've completed and how their work will affect the rest of the project as a whole.
When you have Gantt charts right in front of you, it's hard to shy away from personal responsibility. Using tools such as color-coded tasks to assign responsibilities and making timelines visible for all project members helps everyone look at their own role more subjectively.
Want to limit the influence of common cognitive biases in the workplace and get more done? Use Wrike to clearly plan out responsibilities and subjectively evaluate performance using data-backed reporting. Start your two-week free trial today.
Leadership
10 min read
How to Find Your Power as an Introvert Leader: Top Tips
Many people falsely believe that extroverted individuals are the most successful leaders. But in fact, both introverts and extroverts have equal opportunity to achieve greatness in the workplace. An introvert leader can guide, mentor, make important decisions, and network just as well as an extrovert leader. Even though their style is different, introverted leaders have valuable gifts they can harness to improve their work and the lives of those they manage.
In this article, we’ll explain exactly why you should nurture introverts into leadership roles and how to make the most of your own introverted personality with a few practical tips. Keep reading to discover the myths, qualities, and fame many introvert leaders experience.
Why introvert leaders are a benefit to businesses
The idea that extroverted individuals are better leaders than those with introverted traits is influenced by the number of people in leadership positions who are naturally extroverted. According to a collection of studies analyzed by Positive Psychology, the majority of people around the world identify themselves as either somewhere in the middle of the two extremes or almost evenly split between them.
Despite this, people still largely believe that the majority of people are extroverted, especially if they hold a position of power.
This may be because, as humans, we tend to think that whoever is more outspoken is more confident. Confident people are the most inspiring, therefore we assume whoever talks the loudest is the best possible leader.
But introvert leaders, regardless of their confidence levels, are living proof that the opposite is also true. Even the quietest person in the room has the ability to be a powerful leader, if given the chance.
Although contrary to popular belief, personality tests do not measure the differences between introverted and extroverted individuals. Instead, they look at the continuum of behaviors. Both sets of opposing behaviors, including outspoken vs. soft spoken, can be used to effectively lead people.
It all comes down to what leaders do and how they do it.
As we all know, there’s more than one way to manage a team. And you may find that an extrovert’s approach is less effective than an introvert’s when it comes to a particular group of people or the type of work you’re doing together.
Introverted leadership qualities
Here is how introverted leaders work their magic. If you have more than five of the following characteristics, you may display introverted leadership qualities regardless of how you personally identify. Here’s what to look for in yourself or other introverts:
Thoughtfulness in words and actions
Thinking deeply about fewer ideas or projects
Remaining calm in high-pressure situations
Interest in productive processes over quick end results
Prefers quality connections over fewer shallow ones
Easily maintains focus in the long term
Detail-oriented when solving problems
Myths we need to dispel about introverted leaders
There are many rumors about introverts and their leadership abilities. These may seem harmless at first, but learning about the introverted leadership style will provide guidance for everyone from directors to managers who want to help employees reach their full potential companywide. Here are some biases worth rethinking:
Myth #1: Faster is good
Extroverts thrive on sharing their thoughts as soon as they have them. This is especially true in group sightings where they can jump from topic to topic.
Introverts, on the other hand, like to take their time. They often speak slowly and think through things before sharing with the group. This adds a level of diplomacy to their actions which is especially beneficial when it comes to dealing with sensitive subject matters.
Myth #2: Louder is better
Extroverts are known for being enthusiastic. They're often seen as the life of the party or the conference room.
Introverts, however, often get labeled as sticks in the mud. But don't be fooled by their quiet disposition. A quiet confidence is more valuable in professional settings where strategic action is valued. When it comes to speaking in a group setting, introverts often demonstrate quality over quantity.
Myth #3: Expressive is best
Extroverts are confident in themselves and their achievements so you often hear them excitedly sharing them. While there are many benefits to loud and proud leaders, sometimes humility is a more effective strategy (as long as it doesn’t lead to persistent imposter syndrome).
This is especially important to consider when collaborating with clients and partners who have cultural backgrounds that are different from your own. For example, many European countries view stereotypical extroverted Americans as less agreeable than an introvert’s calmer, low profile approach.
Famous introverts that made great leaders
People often illustrate introverts as reserved and quiet, socially awkward, solitary and soft-spoken. These qualities may make it seem that introverts lack the confidence and social skills that leaders, pioneers, and change makers possess. But you may be surprised to learn that 40% of leaders and executives identify themselves as introverts:
Bill Gates
Warren Buffett
Marissa Meyer
Mark Zuckerberg
Guy Kawasaki
Barack Obama
These are only a few of the famous leaders and innovators who consider themselves introverts but you’ll find at least one major influencer in every industry, specialty, and leadership role who openly identifies as one.
Their success proves that transformational leadership is not monopolized by those with an outgoing, socially-affable, and highly-confident temperament. In fact, despite an extroverted environment, introverts can successfully take the reins in any organization.
Tips for leadership as an introvert
As Westcliff researcher Ekta Agarwal writes in their study of introvert leaders: “The goal is not to change introverted leaders, instead it is to understand their preferences and use it as a strength.”
And while Psychology Today says it’s “not necessarily fake or inauthentic for introverts to act the part of extroverts”, understanding what makes an introverted leader unique is the first step to helping them achieve truly authentic leadership.
Here are six tips that introverts and people who manage them can leverage to harness their innate management and leadership skills:
Listen first, talk later
Introverts tend to shy away from small talk because it drains their energy. Typically, they prefer to stay on the sidelines and listen first, and weigh in with their own viewpoint later (or when asked).
A study managed by Francesca Gino, associate professor at Harvard Business School, shows that introverted bosses with active teams can be extremely successful, because they patiently listen to what their team members have to say.
This trait allows introverts to be especially effective leaders, since successful collaboration requires effective communication. Introverts tend to evaluate the full picture of a situation, carefully prepare what they are going to say, and add comments and instructions that are well thought out and clearly communicated.
Step up during times of crisis
An introvert is capable of creating fully formed ideas and solutions that are rooted in his or her own inner power as much as, or sometimes more than, an extrovert.
This person may seem unproductive until they come up with a solution that everyone else missed. Then, their contribution is often valued highly since it is typically well thought out and detailed. By listening more than they speak, introverts are able to digest more information before making a proper analysis of the situation.
Combine this with introverts’ ability to listen intently to their colleagues and weigh different perspectives, and they can be a valuable voice of reason in times of crisis.
Get out of your comfort zone
Because of their low social energy, networking can be difficult for introverts. But because it is key to opening up important business opportunities, it requires introverts to step outside of their comfort zone a bit.
Introverts actually can use their natural sincerity to lessen their anxiety and better engage others in conversation, making meaningful connections.
Use your writing skills
Introverts prefer to communicate in writing because it allows them to organize their ideas as they pen their thoughts. Author John Green jokes, “Writing is something you do alone. It’s a profession for introverts who want to tell you a story but don’t want to make eye contact while doing it.” But in all seriousness, introverts make the best writers and can use this skill to their advantage when leading groups.
Take time to recharge
Given the limited social energy that introverts have, engaging in too many group activities and events drains them. Once their social energy is used up, introverts tend to withdraw from their surroundings in search of rejuvenation. Taking some time to work individually is essential to keeping efficiency and productivity high. It’s also key to preventing burnout.
As an introvert, set aside time during your day to get back into your contemplative zone and re-energize. You can actually use this time to come up with new strategies and ideas, and surprise your company with the surge in enthusiasm and passion at work.
Use collaboration and communication apps
Going digital can be especially advantageous for introverts, since they can preserve their social energy for in-person meetings with important clients and business partners, while staying connected with their team. Instant messaging, collaboration, and work management apps like Wrike can bring enhanced communication, transparency, and accountability to the workplace.
Successful managers, executives, and leaders are not defined by their personalities. They are defined more by how they handle critical situations, guide their team to achieve their goals, and inspire those around them, while being true to themselves.
Leadership
7 min read
How to Inspire Disengaged Employees and Manage Detachment
You have a rockstar employee on your team. They always go the extra mile, wrap up projects before the assigned due date, volunteer for new work, and always lend a helping hand.
Suddenly, you start to notice that employee pulling back. They stop going above and beyond and barely meet minimum requirements, start missing deadlines, and act bothered every time you interact with them.
Why the change? You might have a disengaged employee on your hands. Don’t panic yet. With a solid understanding of disengaged employees, how to identify them, what they cost your business, and how to help get them back on track, you’ll have your top-notch employee back in the groove in no time.
What is a disengaged employee?
Employees can exhibit levels of disengagement in various ways. But generally speaking, a disengaged employee isn’t enjoying their work, is unlikely to go the extra mile on any project or task, and may actively dislike the company they are working for.
Even worse? Disengaged employees are sometimes known to spread negativity amongst other employees — meaning it’s important to nip disengagement and detachment in the bud.
How to identify a disengaged employee
The first step in addressing the problem is identifying disengagement by spotting the warning signs. Keep an eye out for these red flags and common characteristics of a disengaged employee:
Employees withdraw or act disinterested. Disengaged employees may not become disengaged overnight. This change might happen slowly over time, and it starts with signs of withdrawal and general disinterest. Say you have an employee who always used to raise their hand and dive into new projects, but lately, they seem less likely to volunteer or avoid new work altogether. This is a common sign of someone who is becoming disengaged.
Employees frequently become absent without prior planning or reasoning. Absenteeism is a red flag when it comes to a detached employee. If you notice that an employee stops coming to work suddenly or starts using multiple sick days back to back, your employee is potentially displaying signs of disengagement (although, of course, remember that they could actually be ill too).
Employees miss deadlines and don’t seem to care. Disengaged employees likely aren’t striving for maximum quality and may not care if they aren’t fulfilling expectations. These employees might be doing just enough to keep their jobs or continuously ask for extensions on projects because they aren’t making any progress. If an employee’s productivity is declining, it can signal low engagement.
Employees show a negative change in attitude. We all have bad days, but if an employee repeatedly acts out through rudeness, cynicism, or other negative feelings, this change in attitude might signal a larger problem. No matter the cause of the attitude shift, it’s essential to get ahead of this type of behavior before it impacts your other employees, or even worse, your clients and customers.
Employees start defying the rules. Resistance to feedback and suggestions and refusing work when it’s assigned can be a sign of disengagement. Defiance could be an employee’s way of trying to feel heard or expressing their anger or boredom resulting from feeling disengaged. Sure, there could be other issues at hand like company-wide changes, for example, but constant defiance is a behavior that you should keep an eye on.
How can employee disengagement impact a business?
So, how costly is having disengaged employees? Disengaged employees leave their marks on businesses and can cause more of a ripple effect than you might realize.
According to a Gallup report, companies with higher employee engagement see better customer engagement, higher productivity, better retention, and higher profitability by 21%.
If that’s not convincing enough, another study revealed that disengaged employees in the U.S. cost companies anywhere between $450 and $550 billion per year. And when we look at turnover, a Korn Ferry study revealed that 33% of respondents cited boredom as their top reason for looking for a new job. So, when disengagement is severe enough, businesses have to deal not only with the cost of losing employees, but having to train new hires to replace them as well.
How to help and manage detached employees
Needless to say, employee disengagement has a big impact on businesses, from cost to culture and everything in between. With an employee engagement strategy and thoughtful plans for managing disengaged employees, you can help your detached employees and your business before it’s too late. Let’s take a look at tips for managing detached employees.
1. Communicate more frequently with detached employees
Communication is crucial for creating a high-engagement culture. A disengaged employee may start communicating less with their teammates and manager, but increasing communication is a must to help them get back on track.
Using a centralized tool like Wrike can ensure that your teams communicate and connect frequently. Keep in mind that communication is a two-way street, which means if your employee has feedback to share with you, it’s essential to hear them out and make a note of areas of improvement on your side.
2. Identify motivators and create a professional growth plan
An employee might be tasked with work that isn’t motivating or exciting, leading to disengagement. Knowing how to motivate a disengaged employee can help you get them back on track. Spend some time with your employee, identify natural talents and hidden motivators, and see if you can squeeze in new work that aligns better for them.
Maybe your employee is in a role that isn’t a good fit any longer, but there might be another role better suited for them within the organization. In this instance, you should follow the same process of identifying key motivators and where that type of work might appear within your organization.
If a transition plan is needed, consider developing a professional growth plan together. Put that plan into a project management tool like Wrike to keep track of progress and hold each other accountable for the transition’s agreed-upon timeline.
3. Reward positive behavior and improvement
Communicating with your detached employee and identifying an actionable path forward together provides the opportunity to see positive behavior change. That change shouldn’t go unnoticed.
When you see a shift in behavior and your employee starts to become more engaged, pause and take time to reward the improvement you’re seeing. Consider asking your employees how they prefer to be recognized for their achievements in advance (such as when you onboard them), so you can recognize them in a way that’s meaningful to them.
4. Regularly conduct employee engagement surveys
Employee engagement surveys are a useful tool to help you get ahead of disengaged employees by giving them an opportunity to share feedback and voice their concerns. Conduct surveys of your workforce at least annually to gather feedback and address areas of improvement on the business side.
Be mindful of any concerns that multiple employees raise. When possible, follow up with employees who seem disengaged or frustrated through their survey results to get ahead of more severe levels of disengagement down the road.
Disengagement doesn’t have to be an inevitability
When you notice an employee is becoming more detached and disengaged, that isn’t the point of no return — instead, it’s the time when you need to step in and right the ship.
Getting disengaged employees back on track isn’t easy, but it’s almost always more than worth the effort.
Give all of your employees the transparency and visibility they need to succeed. Get started with Wrike today.
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