Home business Coaching Q&A: Creating a healthy and open working environment

Michael Heah June 1, 2012 1:00 am

--Uneasy Feeling

You read it well. Lack of conflict does not necessarily mean a healthy environment. When it appears smooth at the surface, it can mean many things: apathy, lack of commitment, boredom, fear to offend one another or even low self esteem of people who do not want to "rock the boat", etc. When conflict is not attended to, it can lead to (silent) resentment, lack of cooperation, lack of energy, avoidance of issues, indirect attack (or back biting) and later lead to violence.

The Bottom Line: The situation calls for a "change agent". You can be the champion of this cause. If possible, get a few accomplices who feel that the current situation needs a change. Meet and discuss with your colleagues on how to create an open environment. Look at major areas in the work environment where this can be done; for instance, at meetings, office communication, everyday dialogue and project work, etc. Agree on what every one of you will do in each of them. Continue to look for more areas where the change of culture can be slowly introduced.

Powerful Questions: What is the current situation like? What and where would you like to see changes? How can you be the champion to set up the right kind of office culture? Who can you rope into this Office Cultural Change Team?

--TAKING CHARGE TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN

For almost 10 years now, our group human resource department has played the central role in the recruitment and training of our people in all our subsidiaries. Despite this, we feel that they are not doing a good job at it. We face long delays in getting vacancies filled up. Even when they are filled, the new recruits are short of the "quality" we are looking for. The consequence of this is falling workplace effectiveness and productivity, thus affecting the results we are looking for. How can we gear up the human resource department to do a better job in what they are supposed to do?

--Frustrated

Like everything in life, total dependence on something or somebody is not healthy. More so when everyone is depending on a single soul, which can be even more dismal. So the same is with your organisation for relying on the HR department to serve your needs!

See the rest here:
Coaching Q&A: Creating a healthy and open working environment