Quelle: CIO, USA
Even in the best of times, morale is a delicate,unpredictable thing. Will one employee sulk when anotherreceives a promotion? Will a canceled project throw a teaminto a tailspin of recrimination and apathy? Will a switchfrom lobster bisque to pea soup in the company cafeteriacost you your best worker? Threading your way through theseproblems can be like negotiating a minefield. At any moment,something can blow up in your face and send productivitytumbling even as your employees commence to mumbling andgrumbling.
Of course, these are not the best of times.
It's no secret that morale is an omnipresent issue rightnow. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, last yearcompanies laid off almost 1.7 million workers, up 5 percentfrom the year before, and filed 41,000 bankruptcy claims, up13 percent from the previous year. Those cuts have forcedthe survivors, including those in IT, to shoulder moreresponsibilities even as their salaries and benefits fallunder the cost-cutting ax.
Bad morale is insidious. Bad morale skulks, it lurks, itsimmers just beneath the conversation at thewatercooler. But if you keep your eyes and ears open, you'llknow when it's there.
It's not the Economy; It's You
Morale is more than a people issue; it's a businessissue. Low morale increases turnover, and turnover (whenunplanned) is bad for managers and their reputation,department and efficiencyand, of course, the bottomline. Low morale also causes declines in productivity andquality. No figures exist to quantify those declines, saysAnne Reustle, leader of the work-life consulting group atWilliam M. Mercer in Philadelphia, but the correlationbetween morale and business functioning isself-evident.
"Stress and illness caused by excessive demands in workand personal life can seriously reduce a worker'sproductivity and have a direct impact on the bottom line,"Reustle asserts.
Those demands are magnified in IT departments, wheremaintaining morale can be singularly challenging.
"Right now, IT's workload is increasing because oflayoffs, but at the same time their energy is ebbing andthey feel overloaded and confused," says Dennis LaRosee,senior vice president of Praendex, a Wellesley, Mass.-basedexecutive training and management consultancy. "IT leadersand workers tend to be introspective and technical innature. They feel unappreciated because no one sees thecreative effort and energy that goes into writing anapplication or completing a project." And when IT staffersdo receive feedback, LaRosee points out, it's usuallynegative.
Before the problem of morale can be tackled, a couple ofground rules need to be understood. There are no easy fixesor blanket solutions. Morale isn't like a buggy softwareprogramthere are no service packs or patches. It can't befixed in one day or one week, and it won't be solved bypizza parties, free mugs, or wacky Hawaiian shirt day.
What you need to understand about morale is this: Themood of your employees can be brought down by externalfactors, such as the state of the economy, but it is yourleadership skillsor lack thereofthat will tip the moralescales one way or the other. In tough times such as these,the people you are responsible for are looking for support,leadership and reassurance. If you ignore or underestimatethat need, you'll have a morale problem on your hands. "Lackof communication and bad management, or lack of confidencein management, are the two biggest causes of low morale,"says Rick Chapman, CIO and chief administrative officer atKindred Healthcare in Louisville, Ky. "It doesn't matterwhat the economy is like."
The first step toward fixing bad morale is acknowledgingthat the problem exists. The second step is realizing thatit's your responsibility to make it better. While morale mayseem like the domain of HR, that's a cop-out, says David VanDe Voort, a principal consultant and leader of the ITworkforce effectiveness group at Mercer.
"The CIO is the head of a community, a family ofprofessionals," he says. "No competent CIO would leavemorale for HR to deal with. The CIO has to be the one whosets the tone and defines the IT culture in anyorganization."
While CIOs should not relegate responsibility for moraleto HR, you can and should lean on HR for help. Having an HRrepresentative participate in meetings can help makeemployees feel cared for by the company. The HR rep is alsoanother person an employee can talk to. No matter how openyour culture, employees aren't always comfortable talking tothe CIO, and that means they may not tell the whole truthabout how they feel if they do talk to you.
There are, however, actions you can and must take todeal with and reverse a bad morale situation, includingplacing special emphasis on management basics such ascommunication, leadership and special programs foremployees: training, rewards and recognition. Here are stepstailored for an IT staff that you can take towardrecognizing and rehabilitating low morale.
Look, Listen, Take Nothing for Granted
Morale is like the weather on the plainsit can changedrastically in the space of a minute. But on the plains, youcan see a storm coming; the warning signs of bad morale aremore subtle and difficult to detect. Some old signals, suchas increased turnover and frequent absences, aren't asreliable now as they once were. People are less likely toleave their position in the middle of a recession, when jobsare hard to find, and since Sept. 11 some companies havediscovered that turnover has decreased as employees yearnfor stability and security in their life.
Still, being able to identify a morale problem begins bybeing able to recognize situations that can bring peopledown, says Ben Holder.
As vice president and CIO of Unifi, a Greensboro,N.C.-based textiles manufacturer, Holder makes it a point tomeet with his staff on a daily basis to discuss all aspectsof IT and its place in the company. He keeps his ears openfor the red flags that could signal trouble.
"The biggest mistake you can make is to ignore theexistence of a problem or rationalize it away," hesays. "People shouldn't be constantly uncommunicative. Ifthey get negative in conversations, you have to perk up yourears. Look at their faces. Are they laughing or smiling atall around the office? Are they quiet in meetings? Ifbehavior and attitudes have changed, red lights should startflashing in your mind."
Even if you have a large staffHolder has 60 people inhis department"you have to make an effort to get to knowthem, know their spouses, know what's going on in theirlives," he says. "I've told them all about my family becauseI care about them, and they should know that. I want them tocare about me as well because I need a lot from them, and Ineed them to want to give that kind of effort."
Having daily contact with staff is essential formaintaining morale, says Theresa Welbourne, associateprofessor of organization behavior and human resourcemanagement at the University of Michigan business school inAnn Arbor, Mich. "No organization is good at being proactivewhen it comes to morale," Welbourne says. "Most companiesare reactive. CIOs will notice when productivity is down,but if you are just starting to notice, that meansproductivity has been on the way down for six monthsalready."
A CIO's first line of defense when it comes to lowmorale is to listen closely, she explains. The clues lie inwhat employees are not saying.
"Look at the level of energy," she says. "Is your staffengaged and participating in projects and meetings, or arethey withdrawn and lethargic? If people are no longercontributing, particularly if they used to speak up often,that's a sign. If people are talking but are beingpessimistic, that's very telling. When things are good, ITworkers feel like they can do anything. But when morale isdown, they tend to feel like even one project is too much toget done. The sense of urgency on projects diminishes."
Walk the corridors often, and stand at the door before ameeting starts and listen to what people say as they comein, she says. You may think your employees feel comfortablediscussing personal or professional issues that areaffecting their state of mind, but you're probablywrong.
"You might have an open culture, but people learn fromprevious jobs to keep their mouths shut," shesays. "Employees try to hide their feelings because they areafraid of a punitive backlash if they say anything."
The best way to counteract that kind of wariness is totalk to your staff in a consistent, honest manner.
Honesty Is (Surprise!) the Best Policy
The most important tool for recognizing and combatingbad morale is communication. Even if your company is goingdown the tubes and the future looks grim, tell your staffwhat's really going on, says Joseph Osbourne, CIO andexecutive vice president of Tech Data, an IT products andlogistics management company based in Clearwater, Fla.
"The biggest mistake is to withdraw and keep informationto yourself," Osbourne says. "There's nothing more miserablethan when a CIO holes up in his office and assesses asituation behind closed doors and doesn't share informationwith the staff. It's insulting to your staff's intelligence,and it's very destructive in terms of morale."
Being up front is important, as is honesty. "You don'twant to say everything is rosy and then come back in a weekand say the company is not going to make it," Osbournesays.
CIOs sometimes keep information to themselves becausethey don't want to worry their employees, but even thoughthey mean well, hiding information will only spark anger anddistrust, says Mercer's Van De Voort.
"Tell them what's going on, and don't hold back becauseyou think it will worry or upset them," he says. "If youstay silent, you won't be protecting them. In fact, you'llbe leaving them vulnerable, and that will only make thesituation worse."
Before CIO Bill Morrison came to Canton, Mass.-basedhigh-end audio retailer Tweeter Home Entertainment lastyear, he was CIO at Bradlee's, a now-defunct, low-costretail chain. As Bradlee's spiraled into bankruptcy,Morrison found that constant, honest communication was vitalto keep his staff's spirits high.
"When the company is in rough shape, the CIO role ismore about leadership than technology," Morrison says. "Youhave to talk to your staff every day and tell themeverything you know, even if the information is changing ona daily basis. Tell them that you'll update them as itcomes, but that it could change at any minute. Even if youdon't have an answer for them, tell them that you don'tknow. That helps them know you're being honest, even thoughit's not an easy situation. Be up front about layoffs andother reductions in staff. Everyone knows about layoffsbecause it's in the paper every day. You have to address ithonestly with your staff because they're concerned. Try tolook ahead so there are no surprises for them."
As a leader, even if your own morale is down, you haveto keep your head up. When morale is bad, it's more vitalthan ever that the CIO be a fount of energy and guidance,even if it's just by keeping a smile on your face, hesays.
"This is where your leadership skills come into play,"says Morrison. "Everything that you do or say or feel isprojected to your staff, and even the slightest negativitywill come across. And your staff needs that leadership. Whenyou're the CIO, they think you know everything."
Building morale through improved communication meansmore than smiling and keeping an open door, however. Itmeans developing trust between you and your employees, andthat kind of connection is made by opening up aboutyourself, both personally and professionally, says PeggyKlaus, a communications consultant based in San Franciscoand adjunct professor at the Wharton School of Business'sexecutive MBA program.
"Tell your employees about your leadership style, yourphilosophy on work and life, the environment you want tocreate with them, your vision and how you plan to achieveit," Klaus says. "Tell them how you want them to communicatewith you, and tell them what your foibles are. Let them seeyou as you are. Let them know you've been through roughtimes before and how you plan to get through it thistime. Thank them for staying with you through this. Solicittheir concerns and offer your help in getting throughobstacles. Get specific about how you intend to make thesituation better if you can, and how you'll support them."
One of the most powerful actions a CIO can take is toinvolve the staff in addressing a morale problem, Klaussuggests. Hold a series of meetings with the goal ofgathering suggestions for fixing morale. At each meeting,update your employees on what's being done and gatherfeedback on the process as it moves forward.
"By involving your staff, you give them some power overthe situation, instead of them feeling powerless," shesays. "It will make them feel like part of the solution,instead of part of the problem. By soliciting their advice,you demonstrate a level of respect and trust that they needto see."
Don't Take Away Their Training
One of the most effective ways of boosting IT morale andsolidifying a sense of commitment between you and your staffis to shore up your professional development and trainingprogram. Training is especially important during down timeswhen you're asking your staff to do more and, in some cases,take over unfamiliar jobs.
"If you shut down your training program, you'll findthat a morale problem develops very quickly," says Tweeter'sMorrison. "Training drives IT people."
Even if your budget is tight, Morrison says, you canfind economical ways to fund training. Options includeonline learning courses and self-teachingpackages. Reimburse your staff for IT textbooks or create alibrary of books they can use.
"By maintaining the training program, you let your staffknow that you're committed to helping them stay current,"says Mercer's Van De Voort. "Training indicates an ongoingdedication to employees, and taking it away is one of theworst things you can do."
No Cheap Tricks
Monte Ford, CIO of American Airlines in Fort Worth,Texas, has tackled more serious threats to the morale of hisorganization during his 14 months on the job than most CIOsexpect to deal with in an entire career. In April 2001, Fordguided his organization though a merger with TWA in thelargest airline integration in history. Last fall, the saleof Sabre to EDS meant that American Airlines lost almost4,200 longtime contract employees. And after Sept. 11, Fordhad to help his staff support the airline's IT needs as theyand the company were rocked by grief and loss.
Through each challenge, Ford kept one idea in mind: Thepeople on his staff are his single most valuable asset. Tosucceed as a leader and to keep his people's spirits up, helearned to adjust the way he viewed his employees.
"You have to treat your staff as though they'revolunteers, not paid workers," Ford explains. "You have todo something every day that will make them want to come towork. IT people are smart; if you treat them badly,particularly during tough times, they'll remember. If youtreat them well, they'll be loyal and stick around. If not,they'll leave for a better place as soon as they can."
As part of his philosophy, Ford has instituted a systemof rewards and recognition. If someone has worked allweekend to finish a project or has done something good forthe department, Ford personally applauds them. He and hismanagers also praise the staff on an individual and teambasis once a week during staff meetings.
"Appreciate your staff as much and as often aspossible," says the Wharton School's Klaus. "No matter howlong they've been at the company, treat them like they'rethe best, the hottest stars in the place. Do whatever youcan, even in small ways, through e-mails and meetings andone-on-ones, through small gifts or extra time off, to letthem know you value them and the work they do."
For such efforts to be effective, they have to begenuine. While a keg party on Fridays or meetings with freelunches may seem like a quick way to make people feelappreciated and valued, if such activities don't fit intoyour IT culture, they can backfire, says Unifi'sHolder.
"People don't stay for cheap tricks," he says. "Theystay if the environment is supportive and challenging, thebusiness is functional and there are positive workingrelationships."
The Morale of the Story
Bad morale is a very real, very serious problem thatdemands good leadership. The first step is to acknowledgethe existence of a morale problem. If you make the effort toexamine your management and communication skills and addressa need for improvement, morale will go up and you'll findyourself with a loyal, resilient staff that won't bolt forthe hills once the economy improves.