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5 Steps to Build Trust and Change the Culture in an Organization
Paul Juniper, Director, Queen's IRC
How do you change the culture in a workplace where workers don't trust the leaders, where employees are not engaged, and where people just don't care about doing their jobs? A few months ago, I was speaking to a group of senior leaders and the topic of changing culture and increasing employee engagement came up. The conversation started innocuously, with a comment like, "There's too many potholes in the road and you can't get people, whose job it is to fill potholes, to care."
"Why do you think that the workers don't care?" I asked. "How does management behave?" We had talked earlier about the importance of mission, vision, values and behaviours – and the one we didn't get to was behaviours. Every organization has a mission and a vision, and most of us have values like honesty and integrity. But often in the workplace, what you actually see demonstrated is dishonesty and lack of integrity. Is it any wonder why the employees are not engaged?
As our conversation continued, there was disbelief that it was possible to change a culture, particularly from one very senior person who works in the public sector. She was fascinated. She said, "Can you really change a culture?"
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The Coaching 'Explosion': Exploring the Growing Field of Coaching, and the Value it Brings to HR
Françoise Morissette, Queen's IRC Facilitator
Have you ever wondered why the field of coaching is growing so fast? Although it has been around for ages, it is currently enjoying a worldwide surge in popularity, on both the professional and personal fronts. So how do we explain this sudden craze?
The value of coaching has never been in doubt as, over the centuries, it has more than proven itself. The difference is that now, more people "get it" and understand how to use it effectively.
Coaching has always been a cornerstone of development, when seeking to turn novices into qualified practitioners. One such system is apprenticeship, first developed in the Middle Ages: "A master craftsman was entitled to employ young people as an inexpensive form of labour, in exchange for providing food, lodging and formal training in the craft. Most apprentices aspired to becoming master craftsmen on completion of their contract (usually a term of seven years), but a significant proportion would never acquire their own workshop."1
The objective was, not only to transfer knowledge, but to enhance know-how (requiring extensive practice), and sharpen judgment (requiring judicious coaching). For instance, chefs need not only to know a recipe; they must be able to successfully make it, so that it turns out perfect… every time. This implies in-depth knowledge of ingredients' properties, and mastery of cooking techniques.
Although the apprenticeship system started in trades, it is also used in credentialed professions, such as accounting, law, medicine, and dentistry, where students complete internships to ensure their proficiency in execution.
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