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TRANSCRIPT
The importance
of listening:for effective leading,
engaging and serving
Dr Louise Parkes
ACSA National Conference, Sydney, September 2011
p: 02 8875 2803
listen up...• Why listen?
• Are we listening?
• Why don’t we listen?
• Tips for effective listening
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why listen? “voice” - providing a means to communicate and influence the
decision-making process in organisations
In order to improve
• workplace productivity or service quality, and performance
• workplace conditions and employee wellbeing
3
Exit Voice
Neglect Loyalty
Through our research and consulting in over
3,000 organisations we have ‘given a voice’
to 700,000 employees, leaders and clients
in a wide range of industries and countries
purposeorganisation direction
results focus
mission & values
ethics
role clarity
diversity
participationleadership
recruitment
cross-unit cooperation
learning & development
involvement
reward & recognition
appraisal
supervision
career opportunitiespassion /
engagementorganisation commitment
job satisfaction
intention to stay
progressorganisation objectives
change & innovation
customer satisfaction
believe, belong & achieve
And Langford, P. H., Parkes, L. P., & Metcalf, L. (2006).
Developing a structural equation model of organisational
performance and employee engagement. Proceedings of
the joint conference of the Australian Psychological Society
and the New Zealand Psychological Society, Auckland, New
Zealand.
4|
Based on Langford, P. H. (2009). Measuring
organisational climate and employee
engagement: Evidence for a 7 Ps model of work
practices and outcomes. Australian Journal of
Psychology, 61, 185-198.
individual performance
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6
‘Leaders should listen and listen and listen. Only through
listening can they find out what’s really going on. If
someone comes in to raise an issue ... and the leader does
not allow the individual to state their case fully and to get
emotions out in the open, the leader is likely to understand
only a piece of the story and the problem probably will not
be solved.’
safety
Testimony from Smith, M. (2003). In Report of the
Columbia Accident Investigation Board, Vol I.
www.nasa.gov/columbia
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The Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and
Research Senator Kim Carr:
‘… Maybe it is time we started thinking this way again—
especially given the evidence that workplace democracy
increases productivity and cuts downtime by involving
workers directly in the innovation process, reducing
supervisory overheads, empowering workers to employ
the knowledge that only they have, and creating
decentralised lines of communication that make it easier
to fix problems as soon as they arise. The cause of
continuous improvement is best served by cooperation
rather than confrontation, and it is most likely to
succeed when it involves the whole enterprise, from the
boardroom to the factory floor.’
Carr, K. 2009, ‘Innovation and social democracy’ A speech delivered to the John
Curtin Institute of Public Policy, Perth, 28 August
continuous improvement
a listening revolution
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http://www.youtube.com/user/voiceprojectvideo?feature=mhee
are we listening?
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At the interpersonal level - person-centred philosophy
• treated as unique individuals
• considers whole person
• empowers more involvement in decisions about their lives
• Views quality of the interaction between staff and person
as more important than getting the tasks done
Ethics
Role Clarity
Diversity
Resources
Safety
Facilities
Teamwork
Work/Life Balance
Organisation Direction
Results Focus
Mission & Values
Processes
Technology
Leadership
Recruitment & Selection
Cross-Unit Cooperation
Learning & Development
Involvement
Rewards & Recognition
Performance Appraisal
Supervision
Career Opportunities
Motivation & Initiative
Talent
Wellness
Importance
Per
form
ance
gap analysis for aged care sector
higherlower
low
er
hig
he
r
maintain
prioritise
Ideally, management practices should rest in the oval where there is a good match
between performance and importance
promote
limit
engaging
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more involvement
from people that
will be directly
affected
Get staff involved in
decision making even in
just small ways e.g.input
in developing forms that
we use ourselves
listen to staff and
work with teams
to problem solve
and support
have more
confidence in
us and take
account of our
suggestions
listen to the workers,
managers are not
always right
leading3.5 3.7 3.9 4.1 4.3 4.5
High Expectations
Happiness
Verbal Influence
Advocacy
Quality
Recognition
Developing Others
Optimism
Empathy
Speed
Cooperation
Vision & Inspiration
Problem-solving
Health & Safety
Continuous Improvement
Time Management
Stress Management
Work/Life Balance
Risk-Taking
Intellectual Stimulation
Performance Correction
Receiving Feedback12
1,248 employees
rating 211 leaders
on task, people
and change
management
behaviours
product• quality• innovation• speed• cost• facilities
people• capability• caring• coordination• contact
partnership• external communications• responsiveness• complaint handling• ethics
DR
IVE
RS
client passion
company progressO
UT
CO
ME
S13|
serving
Quality
Innovation
Speed
Cost
Facilities
Staf f Capability
Staf f Caring
Staf f Coordination
Staf f Contact
External Communications
Responsiveness
Complaint Handling
Ethics
Social Responsibility
Environmental Responsibility
per
form
ance
importance
drivers & gaps for service quality
higherlower
low
er
hig
he
rmaintain
prioritise
Examined the impact of 15 drivers of perceived service quality on satisfaction
for 3,798 consumers
promote
limit
family/carer service qualityTop quartile
• Respects my family member’s privacy
• Staff are polite and friendly
• Acts responsibly
• Provides a safe and secure environment
• Facilities are accessible / in good condition
15
Bottom quartile
• Helps me connect with other families & carers
• Helps my family member connect with others
• Communicates often enough
• Acts on my suggestions and ideas
• Lets me know what’s going on
why don’t we listen?
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at the mercy of managementDonoghue et al (2011) Employee participation in the healthcare industry: The experience
of three case studies. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources 49 (2) 193-212.
head matters
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Command & Control
Telling, assuming, directing, identifying
problems and mandating solutions,
having all the answers, controlling
Task leadership
know what and how
The Leader’s Checklist (2011)
Take charge
Act decisively
Communicate persuasively
Dampen over-optimism
Motivate the troops
Listening Leader
asking, listening, guiding, facilitating,
steering, helping others recognise and
solve problems, asking for ideas,
supporting others while maintaining
accountability
People leadership – connect, enjoy
Change leadership – voice, innovate
Chilean Mining Rescue
Build a diverse top team... collectively
capable of resolving the key challenges
heart matters• Vulnerability
� Randall White, ‘Learning leader’ (don’t know what or how)
� Brene Brown http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0
• Humility
� Jim Collins, Level 5 Leadership
• Trust
� Cycle of mistrust -> need for control
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practical matters • Frailty, communication difficulties, intellectual disabilities,
dementia
• What do you like best about HWNS?
� everything; too many to name - eg really nice staff, listen to me
� HWNS asks what i want to do in my spare time, what do i want to
do in my future, what do i want to learn
� people at hand to help me out and listen to me. Not just sitting
down with me, but really listening to me and my needs
� Having a coffee with someone that listens
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effective listening
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“Active listening”
Requires
• Direct communication
• Demonstration of understanding
• A response
listening and acting• Organisations that
provide feedback
and take action score
substantially higher
on employee
engagement
• Listening cultures
act on survey results
and show far higher
engagement
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44%
78%
42%
80%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
No Yes
Acted On Survey Results
Em
plo
yee
En
gag
emen
t
Provided feedback of survey results
Made improvements based on results
free resources: “voice bites”• In response to identified practitioner need
• Suggested actions for organisational development based on
scientific evidence
• Case study of successful client change
• Follow-up resources
• Go to www.voiceproject.com.au and link to Library: “Voice
Bites”
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free resources: “self service” surveys• We’re offering 5 free “self service” surveys, including our
engagement survey as well as our leadership 360 and service
quality surveys
• Fully automated online tool - you can set up our surveys in
minutes, receive automated response rate updates, and your
report will be ready for download when the survey closes
• Great for assessing work units or individual leaders
• Go to www.voiceproject.com.au and link to “Self Service”
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This organisation is good at selecting the right people for the right jobs
47%
This organisation fulfils its obligations to me
62%
The rewards and recognition I receive from this job are fair
51%
I am consulted before decisions that affect me are made
49%
Senior management listen to other staff
57%
% Fav Impact On Impact On
PASSION PROGRESS
gap analysis for
aged care sector
direct communication• In a case study drawn from our consulting work (Langford,
2009a) employees of a large institution rated four levels of
management ranging from senior executives through to
frontline supervisors, as well as rating relationships with
coworkers.
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% Fav Impact On Impact On
PASSION PROGRESS
Leadership - Principal Officers 57%Leadership - Senior Manager 61%Leadership - Manager 70%Leadership - Supervisor 74%Coworkers 90%