Salaries are a big part of many people’s lives, but they are often clouded in mystery. When transparency is low on the agenda, employees can feel dissatisfied. Would you be brave enough to take on the challenge of tackling salary (dis)satisfaction?
The Flying Lizards - Money
That’s exactly what the Lean Consultancy Group (LCG) set out to do. It’s a tough topic to crack, especially when you are aiming to reach a solution that works for everyone.
LCG kicked off the process by aiming to understand the team's views. Team members were asked to rate their satisfaction with their salary (after seeing what everyone was being paid–yep, they went in for full transparency) and their satisfaction with the performance evaluation process. There was room for improvement in both.
Next it was time to seek a fairer approach to compensation that worked for the whole team, regardless of their salary level, length of service and other factors. No small task! Success metrics were identified so that it would be clear when an acceptable alternative was found.
Once a solution had been identified, it was sent to the team for feedback. Even one objection would mean a return to the drawing board. Those who weren’t convinced by a suggested approach were invited to help develop further ideas. Despite numerous iterations, the team kept going, not willing to settle for a solution that didn’t meet the success criteria. And, it worked! Eventually, a suggestion was put forward that everyone accepted.
It would have been easy for them to give up and settle for a solution that was quicker to uncover. However, recognising that the right solution was unlikely to be the first one identified was key to the success of the initiative.
The iterative process of conducting experiments, taking on new information and making adjustments each time to develop and improve solutions is the Kaizen way.
Will all experiments be a success? Not even close, but the grit to keep going until you reach your goal is what separates the best people and companies from the rest.
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