psychology of high performance - nvidia€¦ · the psychology of high performance and the case for...

The Psychology of High Performance and the Case for Better TechnologyDavid K. Johnson, Principal Analyst

April 6, 2016

© 2016 Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited 3

Agenda

› Context: How Profit, Customer Experience, And Employee Motivation Are Linked

› How Technology Affects Motivation And Performance At Work

› Why Changing Employee Workstyles Demand More Flexibility

› What it Means for Workforce Technology


What we studied› What science knows about the links between motivation, human performance and

business outcomes• 250+ scientific papers

• 30+ related books

• 25+ interviews with organizational psychology experts

› Alignment between science, tech management and business practices at perennially successful companies

• 50+ executive interviews

• CX Index analysis

› Examples of operational excellence, past and present• Toyota, Southwest Airlines, Ericsson, etc.


Source: Forrester Research and Watermark Consulting

Employee Well-Being, CX and Profit are Linked


What is customer satisfaction?1. Makes me feel valued2. Customer service representatives have the authority to solve my problems3. Resolves problems/issues quickly4. Makes it easy to find the product/service that best fits my needs5. Ensures products/services are of high quality6. Has knowledgeable customer service agents7. Is reliable (i.e., completes tasks in the timeframe promised)8. Repairs or replaces broken/faulty products9. Makes it easy to change my service10.Offers convenient access to customer service (e.g., by phone, email, or chat)


Employee-facing tech investment results: Citibank achieved +12 on CXi by…›Redesigning core knowledge management tool for bankers and phone reps, shortening the time to get information

›Re-platforming effort to give all customer-facing employees a 360 view of each customer

›Provising an internal social platform for employees to share what’s preventing them from providing great CX

Customers Employees


Employee experience is the other half of customer experience


Examples of emotions impacting employees

81% Higher Customer Satisfaction50% Lower Employee Turnover

Each standard deviation increase in turnover = 40% reduction in productivity and 28% reduction in profit.

Companies with happy employees enjoy:


Agenda (Managers)






Sources: David Rock, Your Brain at Work and Daniel Kahneman, Thinking Fast and Slow

Facts about our brains at work› We start each day with a limited amount of cognitive fuel (glucose)

› We can only keep 6-7 things in our conscious mind at any given time

› Our conscious mind burns (System 2) many times the energy of our automatic mind (System 1)

› Things that waste cognitive fuel:• Context switching - attending a meeting when your brain is still thinking about something else

• Multi-tasking – trying to do more than one thing at the same time

• Doing email first thing in the morning

• Recovering from interruptions and distractions

• Keeping things in your head instead of writing them down in a task management system you trust


Fact - What makes us happiest at work is: Getting things done

Source: Amabile, Teresa M., Harvard Business Review, The HBR List: Breakthrough Ideas for 2010

“When workers sense they’re making headway, their drive to succeed is at its peak.”

Getting things done builds on itself

The Secret to High Performance Productivity is Flow

Data Source: Source: John E. Hunter, Frank L. Schmidt, and Michael K. Judiesch, "Individual differences in output variability as a function of job complexity," Journal of Applied Psychology, February 1990.Graphic Source: Forrester Research, A Crisis Of Attention: Technology, Productivity, And Flow, July 2014.


A typical work day for most of us…

Anyone recognize this?


› 62% say they have been distracted from completing work by checking emails, browsing the web, and engaging with social media.

› 59% admitted that the reduction in productivity caused them dissatisfaction and unhappiness

› 36% said checking emails and social media cost them more than an hour a day in productivity.

› 16% claimed they lost more than an hour a day.

Source: Webtrate, 3000 US employees

Unfortunately, we are usually our own worst enemy…


Try to create as much time for flow as you can

Flow requires intrinsic motivationSource: John E. Hunter, Frank L. Schmidt, and Michael K. Judiesch (1990), Individual Differences in Output Variability as a Function of Job Complexity, Journal of

Applied Psychology, Volume 75, Vol. 1 (p.36)


The factors that boost motivation the most…

›Autonomy• How much say employees have in how their work gets done

›Competence• That employees feel like they’re getting better at their work

›Purpose• That employees know their work is important

›Relatedness• That employees feel like they belong and are part of an inclusive group


Source: Dutcher, E. Glenn, The effects of telecommuting on productivity: An experimental examination. The role of dull and creative tasks, The Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Vol. 84, April 23, 2012

Telecommuters are more productive in creative work…


Source: Dutcher, E. Glenn, The effects of telecommuting on productivity: An experimental examination. The role of dull and creative tasks, The Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Vol. 84, April 23, 2012

…but not in mundane work


Feeling good at work, defined


Agenda






Where employees work continues to shift


Nearly half of all workers use technology they ownWhich of the following activities, if any, have you done in the past year in your job?

19%

20%

30%

45%

Use a website or Internet-based service that my company doesn't support to help me do

my job

Installed unsupported software that will help me do my job

Bought something with my own money to help me do my job

Use my own personal computer or personal smartphone to help me do my job

Base: 4018 Information workers; Source: Business Technographics Global Telecom and Mobility Workforce Survey, Q1 2014


Consumerization Fuels Productivity, Customer Service

Base: 4018 Information workers; Source: Business Technographics Global Telecom and Mobility Workforce Survey, Q1 2014

What do you feel are the benefits of using a personal device or application you’ve downloaded, chosen, or paid for on your own for work? (Select all that apply)

38%

42%

42%

46%

59%

Allows me to better serve our customers

Allows for a better work/life balance

Makes it easier for me to solve business problems

Higher job satisfaction

Makes me personally more efficient and productive


The More Career-Focused Employees Are, The More Freedom They Seek


Agenda






What it means for workforce technology› Performance and user experience are paramount

› High performance computing can enhance employee performance

• Deep learning will deliver insights for better decisions, faster• GPUs will power cloud workspace platforms• Virtual reality and wearables will transform product design, field

service and healthcare

› AI will drive the next era of workforce productivity gains


Summary1. Technology, motivation, customer experience and profits

are linked

2. When employees can reach flow regularly, they will be happier – especially in knowledge work

3. The highest role of technology is to help employees reach and sustain flow

4. High performance computing (AI) will usher in the next era of human productivity gains


Call to Action1. Learn about how the brain works and what drives high

performance

2. Orient your technology strategy to foster flow and helping employees get things done

3. Use customer experience and psychological research to bolster your business case

4. Get in early with AI for generating insights employees can use

forrester.com

Thank you

David K. Johnson+1 [email protected]: @david_kjohnsonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/david-johnson/3/720/610


Source: Stefan Falk, Expert Performance and Flow

Keystone Habit: Daily Planning› Before you do anything else, plan your most important task for the day. What will the benefits

of doing it extremely well be for:

• Our customers

• Our organization as a whole

• Each group dependent on this task, and the people in each group

• My manager and my colleagues

• My employees

• Myself and my long term goals

› What do I want the people who know I did it to think about me?

› What do I want to think about myself when I’ve completed it?


Source: Teresa Amabile, The Progress Principle, Harvard University Press

If you’re a manager, the best things you can do are:› Help employees reach and sustain Flow in their work› Provide meaningful goals, resources, and encouragement› Avoid changing goals autocratically, being indecisive, or withholding resources› Give your people autonomy and help them feel connected to their colleagues› Protect your people from irrelevant demands and help them manage their

workloads› Mitigate the effects of setbacks and negative events› Celebrate progress - even incremental› Think carefully about how decisions will affect their enjoyment of the work

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