Before we open this can of worms, perhaps we should ask whether a company has a moral and values-based compass at all.
Do companies merely pursue the making of money?
To answer this, we can usually go the company’s website and see a section on Values and a snappy phrase which is labelled Mission Statement. The best thing to do is use a real-life case study. Let’s go visit a company called Centrica who own British Gas. Where is their compass pointed?
Their stated mission “is to energise a greener, fairer future”. OK, so far, so good.
The snag here is that British Gas is actually one of Britain’s most despised brands. It receives complaints running into the hundreds of thousands annually – a staggering 1.4 million in the last 18 months. So, the mission statement looks a bit hollow when compared to these numbers.
What’s gone wrong here?
In British Gas’ case, a lot. They seem to slip on one PR banana skin after another. Each one bigger than the last. We’re not here to fix British Gas, but we are asking about the moral and value-based compass.
Viewed from the top, most companies will have a mission statement – hopefully one that is genuinely meaningful – and there will be a prevailing company culture that recognises the importance of customers, suppliers, and staff. Also embraced are the business dimensions of fairness, diversity, and quality but, oddly, rarely age.
The general direction of travel of a business is influenced by multiple moral and values-based compasses. The simple reason is that that not only will the individual departments have their own micro corporate culture, but the individual staff will all see things slightly differently. And some outliers will see things very differently.
Senior leadership teams want, as a rule, the company’s staff to see things the same way as they do, behave as the leadership team would wish and deliver on aims and objectives set by the leadership team. Leaders want to set out a “charter” which will help deliver on a vision. We’re back at mission statements surely?
Well yes, we are but interpretation of the mission statement is often forgotten – or ignored – at the departmental level. Departmental heads are competitive souls, and they not only want to do better but be seen to be doing better than their peers.
What happens next & does it matter?
Short answer is lots happens, and it depends on the extent of it.
A department that wants to ruthlessly pursue collection of monies owed or cutting costs will soon cause an inconsistency in the customer experience. Savvy customers of such a company will seek to do business with specific people in specific departments rather than observe the notionally desired customer management protocols. Inconsistency in the customer experience will have consequences when contracts are up for renewal and prices need to move.
Conflicting interpretations of the mission statement – and a closer adherence to the department’s own non mission statement compliant “charter” – will quickly bring internal conflicts and inefficiency. This is turn hinders collaboration, cooperation and reduces the speed of decision making, as departments jockey for position and primacy.
Departments might compete for resources or prioritise different initiatives, leading to wasted effort and a lack of synergy. For example, a company aiming to be a leader in innovation might have a research and development department focused on ground breaking technologies, but a marketing department focused on short-term sales tactics.
Most readers will recognise aspects of this in existing or previous employers. It is a very common problem that does not respect national and international borders, language, local culture or prevailing legal frameworks.
The slightly shocking thing about this variance in departmental compasses is that the crown jewels of the company are what is harmed the most. The thing everyone wants to champion is being depleted, damaged and devalued. We are of course talking about the company’s brand.
As a brand’s identity becomes increasingly diluted its value diminishes, A lack of consistent messaging and action across departments can weaken the company’s brand identity and make it harder for customers to understand what the company stands for. This, in turn, can and does make it more difficult to attract and retain customers who are looking for a specific type of experience or value.
With a damaged brand and advanced inappropriate inter-departmental moral compasses, a company will witness the fast-swelling embryo of strategic failure.
For the right people this is a smorgasbord of opportunity. The problems identified are ones that everyone seems to know about, but no one seems to properly estimate, scientifically measure or seeks to solve.
It’s a brave HR practitioner that puts up his or her hand and speaks truth to power. Bad news rarely enjoys a warm welcome, sometimes quite the reverse. Being a CEO is frequently a lonely task and the truth about what is going on in the engine room is not always revealed to the captain.
But the rewards are there for those who dare.
If HR is fully conversant with prevailing sentiment and regularly monitoring sentiment in real-time, a cohesive plan can be drawn up to counter the prevailing ills of misaligned compasses.
No rocket science here, just the NoWorriesApp Digital Dashboard and then the task of addressing the issues is relatively straight forward.
Clearly define & communicate the mission statement:
Ensure that all employees understand the core purpose and values of the company.
Align departmental goals with the overall mission:
Make sure that each department’s objectives and strategies support the overarching mission.
Foster a culture of collaboration & communication:
Encourage open dialogue and teamwork between departments to ensure everyone is working towards the same goals.
Regularly review & assess performance:
Monitor how well each department is adhering to the mission statement and making adjustments as needed.
Lead by example:
Senior management should embody the values and principles outlined in the mission statement, setting a positive example for the rest of the organization. This needs to trickle down so the team “charters” – via the team leads – all allow a team to have their own identify but one that is compatible with – and not contrary to the balance of the company.
The critical success factor here will be the understanding of sentiment and the worries and concerns that may act as a barrier to implementing the resetting of the compass. The why of people’s behaviours expressed in sentiment.
We didn’t come here to fix British Gas, but, d’you what, perhaps we could and when we did there would be up to 1.4 million happier people.
To learn more about resetting the moral compass through sentiment analysis in real-time in your organisation reach out to us.
Content & photographs property of NoWorriesApp.com
About the Author: Caroline Holmyard
