The
Individual-Effectiveness Challenge
We
have entered a time of unprecedented change in how people work.
Never
has individual effectiveness been more important. Workers must do
more with less; organizations are flattening; virtual teams are
now commonplace. In short, the nature of work has shifted.
The challenge now is to help people with the potential for greatness
to realize their potential—to step up to a new era of entrepreneurialism
and global competition—and make the great contribution they
are capable of making.
Why
Individual Effectiveness Matters
FranklinCovey
recently surveyed a representative sampling of more than 12,000
workers in North America to find out if people perceive an “effectiveness
gap” in their organizations. Here are a few of the survey
questions and some telling results:
| In
my organization... |
Percentage
who agree |
- People
take the initiative to get the job done.
|
54%
|
- We
discuss tough issues candidly.
|
46% |
- We
do not undermine each other.
|
37% |
- People
avoid blaming others when things go wrong.
|
30%
|
| In
my own work... |
Percentage
who agree |
- My work goals are written down.
- I take time each workday to identify and
schedule activities around our most important goals.
- I plan activities that allow me to continuously
improve my performance.
- I spend [percentage of work time] on the
most important goals of my unit.
|
33%
36%
34%
60% |
Count
the Cost of Ineffectiveness
Consider the price paid by an organization when;
- Only half the people show initiative.
- Fewer than half feel they can talk candidly about
tough issues.
- Only a third of the people have individual work
goals.
- Only a third plan how to use their time.
- Only a third are thinking about how to improve
their performance.
- People
spend two of every five hours on unimportant matters—other
people’s issues, internal bureaucracies, hidden agendas,
politics, or departmental and interpersonal conflict.
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