When a company is not performing to its maximum potential, the culture and employees are often considered since employees are the biggest asset of a company. When employees are not engaged in an underperforming company, experimenting with culture changes that directly align with employee preferences may be beneficial. For example, a company that hires many younger employees might consider rethinking the traditional 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. work time structure to create flexibility for more integration between work, life, and personal values. In this discussion, you will explore the impact of changes an actual company made when they reexamined their employees needs and satisfaction.
Consider the following scenario:
JA Counter is a $2.5 million insurance and investment firm in New Richmond, Wisconsin. After struggling with several efforts to improve the financial performance of the firm, President Linda Skoglund found that those efforts negatively impacted morale. In response, she implemented a results-only work environment (ROWE) where employees are given autonomy to decide how, when, and where they work, and are not criticized for being out of the office during traditional business hours. As a result of implementing ROWE, both morale and productivity increased. The program applies to every employee in the firm. The keys are to set measurable goals, eradicate toxic language, and have managers set positive examples.
For your initial post, address the following:
- How do you think this type of culture change was introduced to the employees of JA Counter?
- If you were leading this culture change, how would you approach it as a leader and why?
