Role, Team, and Mission: Achieving Employee Alignment
Achieving Employee Alignment
Employee alignment is essential in a modern organization — but what exactly is it? In a 2014 Forbes article, Kate Harrison wrote, “Employee alignment means different things to different people. To some, it means getting everyone on the same page. To others, it means looking at the bigger picture and understanding everyone’s role within it.” True employee alignment does both — and something more. Shared goals and clearly defined roles get you two-thirds of the way there, but real, effective alignment requires personal investment. In an aligned organization, every employee knows and values their role, shares the goals of their team, and is personally invested in the success of your organization.
The right time to reevaluate and refresh alignment
Business and workplace strategies are constantly changing, but the pandemic’s acceleration of workplace flexibility was undeniably dramatic. Prior to 2020, work-from-home and hybrid employment models were available but rare. The trend was steadily moving to allow for more workplace flexibility, but COVID-19 propelled a sudden, mandatory shift — and a significant number of employees adapted with positive results for productivity.The extraordinary changes of the recent past present a unique opportunity. Push pause on the reflexive instinct to “get back to normal,” and take stock of your organization’s values, strategies, goals, mission, and vision. Do your existing tenets fit with evolving work models? Has your organization seen benefits from the recent, rapid evolution of flexible work options? Consider these questions:
Have recent events changed your organization’s vision?
Does your current workplace strategy fully reflect your updated vision?
Do your teams understand your updated vision and incorporate it into their goals?
Do your workflows support achievement of your new goals?
Are your employees clear on their roles in pursuit of your new vision?
Reevaluate employee alignment in light of recent events. What and how have things changed? Why does it matter?
Employee alignment improves productivity
Employee alignment is the foundation of a productive team. With a well-defined goal in place, every employee understands their role and synchronizes efforts with their team members. Collaboration extends to include cooperation in and among teams. And all employee activity flows toward the realization of your organization’s values. The productivity benefits are endless. They include:
Fast decision making
High employee engagement
Efficient use of time and resources
Well-placed effort
Self-motivation and self-governance
Happy employees, customers, and stakeholders
Open communication and mutual respect
Optimized talent and employee retention
A dynamic company culture
Optimal growth
Most executives seek a better bottom line, and alignment is the key. To jump-start your organization’s growth potential, pursue employee alignment in role, team, and mission as part of your overall workplace strategies.
Three fundamentals of employee alignment
Functional alignment requires clear definition of employee roles, team goals, and company mission at every level of an organization.
👥 Role alignment begins with the right people in the right positions. Place employees where they can make the most of their unique skills and strengths. Set them up for success with the resources and onboarding they need to be successful. Implement learning, coaching, and mentoring programs to continuously build knowledge, upgrade skills, and increase employee confidence. Matching square pegs to square holes aligns your organization with its most valuable resource — its people.
Well-aligned employees are confident, fulfilled, and invested in their organization’s success. They attach their personal accomplishments to the company’s mission — making them more creative, more effective at communicating their ideas, and more productive.
🏆 Team alignment is, to an extent, a natural result of role alignment. Productive teams understand their goals, what is expected of them, and how best to contribute to company success. Well-structured teams, comprised of people in well-matched roles, develop a clear line of sight from their production processes to the achievement of organizational goals.
The distance between role and team alignment is covered by constructive management. Good managers foster open communication, encourage creativity, and define goals for optimal team and individual achievement.
🎯 Mission alignment blends employee and team activity to positively affect an organization’s overall mission and ensure alignment of values and company culture alongside its more tangible forms. Every organization, regardless of size, should value open communication and take action on employee input. Factor individual and team experience into company strategy. Consult your frontline, on-the-ground experts to bring your mission statement to life. Ownership in the company’s mission drives personal and team investment in productivity and strategic innovation.
Alignment is an ongoing exercise in evaluation, awareness, and adjustment. Recent changes in workflows and workplace flexibility rules were initially viewed as a temporary disruption. But as you contemplate “getting back to normal,” how do you address the positive results of “temporary” solutions? A return to pre-pandemic work models is not the most effective workplace strategy for every organization. Evaluate and implement employee alignment at all three fundamental levels — role, team, and mission — to adjust your company’s approach to work and increase productivity.
Every organization can benefit from employee alignment, and Fitch Consulting specializes in strategy, change, learning, and innovation to help your organization evaluate, define, and meet your alignment goals. Reach out today!