Managing Organisational Challenges

Organisational challenges impact employee retention and productivity, but there are ways to solve them and enhance the efficiency of your workplace. Organisations can focus on developing effective leaders and encourage employees' professional growth. Knowing the common sources of workplace problems can help address them and build productive relationships with employees.

What are Organisational Challenges?

Organisational challenges are difficulties employees face that prevent them from accomplishing their goals. In the workplace, problems can manifest in the environment and among team members and management. A company's operations can change over time, requiring employees to adjust to new policies and find productive ways to work together. While organisational challenges exist, there are also efficient ways to address them and prevent them from reoccurring.

Examples of Organisational Challenges

Turnover

Turnover refers to a company's ability to recruit and retain employees. With high turnover, employees start working at an organisation, only to stop working quickly. Recruiters have to spend additional time and resources launching a hiring process to replace the employees who resigned. Turnover can be a product of the work environment or leadership style. It's important for organisations to prioritise employee satisfaction, which helps keep professionals enjoying their work and attracting qualified candidates to vacant positions.

Disconnect between coworkers

Coworkers who feel disconnected from one another may find it challenging to work together and communicate effectively. Disconnect can manifest when employees work in separate environments. For example, professionals who work remotely may have limited reactions with their colleagues, which makes it harder for them to exchange ideas when working on a project. Organisational leaders can prioritise strong communication between everyone on the team, acknowledging different perspectives and creating a more pleasant professional setting.

Lack of productivity

A lack of productivity can stem from limited motivation among employees. Professionals feel unwilling to fulfil their occupational duties, which can delay operations within the company and make goals harder to achieve. Productive employees understand their expectations and work hard to meet them. Managers can set a positive example of a strong work ethic and hold staff members accountable for their assignments.

Limited innovation

Limited innovation can refer to a company's inability to harness fresh ideas and exceed its competitors. It can also impact employee motivation. Professionals who aren't passionate about their job responsibilities may not feel empowered to fulfill them. An organisation's approach may require change as time progresses. For example, a marketing team may have to tweak their strategies to reflect social media trends. Breaking the monotony in the workplace can allow new ideas to manifest and reignite the passion among employees.

How to Manage Organisational Challenges

1. Host team-building exercises

Team-building exercises are activities that encourage employees to work together to complete a task. Creating opportunities for staff members to become acquainted with one another can help them collaborate more efficiently for organisational projects. Also, closer relationships can improve the company's communication processes.

Schedule an occasion for every employee to meet in the same space, in person or virtually. For the teams, encourage professionals to partner with people they haven't met before. You can assign a task that is simple and fun, such as building something for a cause e.g bike build for charity. It may be impactful to host team-building exercises regularly, especially after an extensive project, to reinforce collaboration and increase morale in the work environment.

2. Define and promote organisational goals

Organisational goals state what the company strives to accomplish in the future. For example, for a major telecoms company, the goal might be to have the highest market capitalisation. Promoting goals throughout the organisation can provide direction, giving employees something to work towards and look forward to achieving. A goal can also show professionals the purpose of their work.

To define the goal, contemplate the ideal results for your organisation. Next, write the goal using concise, specific words, which can make it easier for employees to remember. To promote the goal, attach it to mass emails and newsletters, for instance, or emphasise it during assembly meetings. If your company has several departments, consider creating smaller goals for each team that relate to the overarching goal. Now employees can focus on one task at a time and make progress towards the ultimate achievement.

3. Deliver constructive criticism

Constructive criticism is feedback that illustrates an employee's work performance. Delivering consistent feedback can give professionals clearer instructions and enable them to learn from their mistakes. For managers, implement a process for performance evaluations. For example, you can evaluate employees every three months and cite specific instances of when they exceeded expectations. Consider offering an opportunity for the employee to ask questions about your critiques. Here are examples of ways to give feedback:

• Host a one-on-one meeting with every employee
• Rate the employee's performance on a scale
• Send an email with constructive criticism

4. Celebrate organisational milestones

While defining organisational goals is essential for productivity, it's also important to inform employees of when they've achieved those goals. Celebrating work achievements can boost morale in the workplace and present a fun occasion for professionals to gather, which can improve communication. You can also praise employees for their hard work, showing that you appreciate them.

It might be helpful to acknowledge strong work ethic even when your team doesn't achieve goals. For instance, unforeseen circumstances caused a project to come to a stalemate, but employees still mastered a technical skill and volunteered to work longer hours on the project. The supervisor coordinates a festivity to thank the team for trusting one another and putting forth effort, which motivates the team to improve for the next project. Consider using celebrations to promote future goals as well.

5. Develop a decision-making process

A decision-making process is a group of steps that dictate how employees make workplace decisions. It's typically the manager's responsibility to make tough choices on behalf of the team, but a formal process can help them remain informed about the effects of their decision and receive guidance. By making informed decisions, teams can move forward and work together cohesively.

Appoint a leader to spearhead decision-making and a panel of employees to interpret the choice before it becomes final. If staff members have ideas, require them to share their plans with management before implementing the changes. Organisational leaders can welcome the perspectives of their teams, and they can decide how to proceed without causing confusion.

6. Welcome new ideas

Welcoming new ideas can enable employees to reach organisational goals. Encourage professionals to think with innovation and provide resources for them to develop their strategies. As a manager, your staff members can create frameworks you may not have considered. If the framework is successful, then the employee you entrusted with the idea might feel a sense of accomplishment. During meetings, invite staff members to explain their forward thinking and help the company make positive changes.

How to Prevent Organisational Challenges

Recruit effective leaders

Leadership can have a direct influence on the work environment and the productivity of employees. As you hire professionals for managerial positions, consider their qualities and how staff members may react to their communication style. For example, a trustworthy leader may compel employees to feel comfortable addressing their thoughts and following the leader's direction.

Aside from a potential manager's technical skills, assess their soft skills, which might indicate if they're a suitable fit for your organisation. Evaluate their ability to solve interpersonal conflict and empathise with members of their team. Having a more extensive vetting process can help you promote a qualified employee, creating a work setting that retains employees.

Request feedback from employees

Another way to identify and prevent organisational problems is to request firsthand knowledge from employees. Ask them how they enjoy working at the company. You can pose specific questions about the work environment and leadership style, as well as how productive they feel completing their tasks. Next, analyse their responses to strategise how to address the challenges.

For example, if employees reported feeling disconnected from a manager, then you might schedule a meeting with the manager to suggest ways to improve their leadership techniques. Consider requesting feedback consistently to ensure employees feel satisfied with the organisation.

Call Gestaldt Consultants

If your organisation is experiencing several challenges, then it may be helpful to talk our consultants. Our consultants are professionals who can objectively identify the root causes of your organisational problems and help you devise solutions. They have expertise within your industry. For example, if you are in the Financial Services Industry, then you can get support from our consultants who specialise in consumer centric solutions or organising big data. Our consultants can help you overhaul the inner functions of your organisation and build stronger functions, preventing challenges from reappearing.