Tuesday, 18 May 2021

Research: What Do People Need to Perform at a High Level?

 

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, American workers were struggling to reach their full potential. In a national survey we conducted of more than 14,500 workers across industries in 2017, approximately 85% of them said they were not working at 100% of their potential. In fact, only 15% of workers said they were. Moreover, 16% said they were using less than 50% of their potential. What was keeping the vast majority of workers from using all of their potential? And what was empowering the minority who reported that they were able to do so?

In this research, we identified organizational, interpersonal, and individual factors that contributed to a person’s capacity to do their job most effectively.

When the pandemic hit, with all of its uncertainty and anxiety, we revisited our research and began interviewing nurses at a large university hospital. We learned that the factors helping (or hurting) employee effectiveness that we identified earlier became even more important in the time of crisis. The insights we gleaned can help organizational leaders and managers to boost employees’ potential — even in times of crisis.

How Employees Reach Potential

In our survey of 14,500 U.S. workers we learned that employees report working to their full potential when:

  • They are clear about what they are expected to do.
  • They are willing to ask questions and feel safe doing so.
  • They are not overwhelmed with rules about how the work has to be done or with unproductive meetings.
  • Their organization supports creative problem solving (e.g., implementing employee suggestions for improvements) and provides rewards and recognition for jobs well done.
  • Supervisors notice and acknowledge employee feelings, understand how their decisions will impact employees, and help them manage their emotions.
  • They see purpose and meaning in their work and are committed to their organization.
Source: HBR