Session 2.2 Work Climate Total Session Time: 2 hours (90 minutes for lecture/discussion, 30 minutes for learning activities) Learning Objectives: By the end of this session, participants will be able to: Describe how a work climate impacts performance and retention. Identify at least two ways to improve their work climate. List at least two non-financial incentives they can integrate into their programs. Session Overview Step Activity/ Method Time Content 1 05 minutes Presentation Introduction to Session, Presentation of Learning Objectives (Slides 1-2) 2 Small Group 20 minutes Activity, Discussion Activity: Leader & Follower (Slide 3) 3 45 minutes 4 Presentation, 45 minutes Brainstorm, Discussion Incentives for Staff Motivation (Slides 17-28) 5 05 minutes Presentation Key Points (Slide 29) Presentation, Discussion Creating a Positive Work Climate (Slides 4-16) Resources Needed LCD or Overhead Projector LCD or Overhead Projector LCD or Overhead Projector, Handout 2.2.1 LCD or Overhead Projector LCD or Overhead Projector Resources Needed Flip Chart, paper, and markers LCD or Overhead Projector Slides Handout 2.2.1: Work Climate & Spheres of Influence Advance Preparation Review the entire session prior to facilitating, to familiarize yourself with the slides, speaker’s notes, learning activities, and supporting materials. Prepare two flipcharts, labelled “Motivators” and “De-Motivators.” Leadership and Management Course Session 2.2: Work Climate Facilitator Guide 319 Sources/Bibliography: Refer to these materials for additional background reading, as needed. Management Sciences for Health. 2005. Managers Who Lead: A Handbook for Improving Health Services. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MSH. Management Sciences for Health. 2002. “Creating a Work Climate that Motivates Staff and Improves Performance.” The Manager, Vol. 11, No. 3. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MSH. Available at: http://erc.msh.org/TheManager/English/V11_N3_En_Issue.pdf Luoma, M. 2006. “Increasing the Motivation of Health Care Workers.” Capacity Project Technical Brief 7. September 2006. Available at: http://www.capacityproject.org/images/stories/files/techbrief_7.pdf Perry, C. et al. 2005. “Validating a work group climate assessment tool for improving the performance of public health organizations.” Human Resources for Health. Vol. 3, No. 10. Available at: http://www.human-resources-health.com/content/3/1/10 Yumkella F. 2009. “Worker Retention in Human Resources for Health: Catalyzing and Tracking Change.” Capacity Project Technical Brief 15. March 2009. Available at: http://www.capacityproject.org/images/stories/files/techbrief_15.pdf Yumkella F. 2006. “Retention of Health Care Workers in Low Resource Settings: Challenges and Responses.” Capacity Project Technical Brief 1. February 2006. Available at: http://www.capacityproject.org/images/stories/files/techbrief_1.pdf Yumkella F. 2005. “Retention: Health Workforce Issues and Response Actions in LowResource Settings. Capacity Project Resource Paper. Available at: http://www.capacityproject.org/images/stories/files/retention_paper_long050823.pdf Leadership and Management Course Session 2.2: Work Climate Facilitator Guide 320 Beginning the Session Trainer Instructions: Step 1 (5 minutes) Slide 1 Present Slides 1-2 using trainer notes to guide the presentation. INTRODUCE Session 2.2 to participants. • The aim of this session is to help you learn to create a work climate that supports employee performance and retention. INFORM participants that this session is scheduled to take about 2 hours. ENCOURAGE participants to ask questions at any time. Slide 2 All pictures and images in this session are from Microsoft Office Clip Art Gallery, unless otherwise noted. ASK a volunteer to read the learning objectives aloud to the group. ASK participants if they have any questions before continuing. Leadership and Management Course Session 2.2: Work Climate Facilitator Guide 321 Trainer Instructions: Step 2 (15 minutes) Present Slide 3 using the trainer notes to guide the activity and discussion. Slide 3 FACILITATE activity using the instructions below. This activity should take approximately 20 minutes. EXPLAIN to participants that this activity will help to get us started thinking about fostering a positive work environment. DIVIDE participants into groups of 4-5. ASSIGN one person in each group to be the leader. The remaining group members are followers. (Tip: Assign leaders based on an arbitrary characteristic, like number of coins in pocket, longest hair, etc.) Speaker notes continued here: ASK leaders to instruct their followers, and begin the activity. ALLOW 5 minutes for activity. RECONVENE the group. CONGRATULATE participants for creating such a positive atmosphere. DE-BRIEF activity: • Followers, how did it feel to follow the instructions that your leader provided? • Leaders, how did it feel to have power over your followers? • What lessons can we take from this activity that can inform our work as leaders, managers, and supervisors? WRAP-UP with key point: • Leaders and managers carry great influence within their organizations. We can choose to use our influence to help foster a positive atmosphere. Note: If there is enough time, repeat this process several times so that everyone has an opportunity to be in a position of power. Then, ask groups to share their experiences with power in this setting and formulate a list of dynamics of power. INSTRUCT participants as follows: Leaders, you have absolute power over your followers, but you must use your power only to promote joy, celebration, and positive spirit among them and with the rest of the groups. Take a minute to think of something positive that your followers could do that would promote laughter, joy, celebration, well-being, vitality, peace, calm, or confidence for people in the room. Followers, it is your responsibility to carry out your leader’s instructions quickly and eagerly. After you receive your instructions, circulate around the room for 5 minutes fulfilling your follower role. When you approach another person or group, explain your leader’s instructions and then carry them out as ordered. For example: My leader says to smile at you; my leader says to shake your hand; my leader says to give you a compliment; my leader says to sing you a song; my leader says to make you laugh. ASK if everyone understands the instructions. CLARIFY as needed. CONTINUE with speaker notes in lefthand column. Leadership and Management Course Session 2.2: Work Climate Facilitator Guide 322 Trainer Instructions: Step 3 (45 minutes) Slide 4 Animation Clicks: 1 Present Slides 4-16, using the trainer notes and Handout 2.2.1: Work Climate & Spheres of Influence to guide the presentation and discussion. Note: slide is animated. SHOW part 1 of slide: Heading (question) ASK participants: • What is a work climate? How would you define it? ALLOW time for 2-3 responses. SHOW part 2 of slide (definition). ASK a volunteer to read the definition of work climate out loud. ASK if participants have any comments or questions before continuing. Slide 5 Source: Management Sciences for Health. 2002. “Creating a Work Climate that Motivates Staff and Improves Performance.” The Manager. 2002, Vol. 11, No. 3. ASK participants: • How does it feel to work with your colleagues, including your manager and your staff? ASK participants to reflect silently. • You will not be asked to share your feelings with the rest of the group. • Think to yourself about whether your overall work climate feels positive or negative to you. ENCOURAGE them to be as honest as they can be with themselves. ALLOW 1 minute for participants to reflect silently. Leadership and Management Course Session 2.2: Work Climate Facilitator Guide 323 Slide 6 Animation Clicks: 1 Note: slide is animated. ASK participants: • What is a positive work climate? ASK participants: • Does this description reflect your work climate? • Have you ever worked in a place that you would describe as a positive work climate? ALLOW a few moments for participants to respond. SHOW content of slide (definition of positive work climate). Slide 7 Source: Paul Wong, “The Positive Psychology of ‘Climate Management.’” Quoted in Management Sciences for Health. 2005. Managers Who Lead. PRESENT slide using the following points: Motivation and Performance • The relationship between work climate and employee motivation and performance has been demonstrated in many fields. • When staff feel motivated they want to work harder and bring their full capability to the task. • This extra effort improves their performance, often exceeding expectations. Staff Retention • A positive work climate can also increase employee retention. • A literature review conducted by the Capacity Project on retention of health workers in resource limited settings concluded that retention solutions must seek to improve the work environment. • A negative work environment is often a significant “push” factor for employees to leave jobs. Source: Yumkella, F. 2005. “Retention: health workforce issues and response actions in lowresource settings.” Capacity Project Resource Paper. Available at: http://www.capacityproject.org/images/stories /files/retention_paper_long050823.pdf Leadership and Management Course Session 2.2: Work Climate Facilitator Guide 324 Slide 8 Animation Clicks: 1 Note: slide is animated. SHOW part 1 of slide (heading and picture). ASK participants: • What factors influence work climate? ALLOW time for 2-3 responses. SHOW Part 2 of slide (text boxes). ASK a volunteer to read the factors out loud. Speaker notes continued here: ASK participants: • In your day-to-day work, which of these factors do you feel that you have the most control over? ALLOW a few moments for discussion. EXPLAIN to participants that these are common factors that influence a work environment. ASK participants: • Can you think of some examples that illustrate each factor on the slide? • For example, what in an organization's history might influence work climate? Some potential responses include: • Organizational Culture: Coming to work on time, being polite, always doing excellent work or never doing this. • Management Strategy & Culture: Promotion policy, professional development, clear roles • External Environment: President has endorsed HIV prevention work, society supports teenage pregnancy prevention (or doesn’t), etc. • Leadership (Management) Practices: Supportive work environment, teamwork, director listens to staff, leadership supported at all levels • Organization History: Reputation, recent layoffs, successes, started by an important person (Clinton Foundation). ALLOW time for participants to provide 1-2 examples for each. Note that these examples can have positive influence or negative influence on work climate. CONTINUE with speaker notes in lefthand column. Leadership and Management Course Session 2.2: Work Climate Facilitator Guide 325 Slide 9 ASK participants to think of the factors influencing work climate from the previous slide. EXPLAIN to participants that: • Most managers do not have direct influence over organizational history and culture. • Senior level managers may have some influence in establishing organizational management strategy and structure. These factors are beyond the control of most managers. • Managers have no influence on the external environment that the organization exists in. • However, ALL MANAGERS can influence their own leadership and management practices. ASK if there are any comments or questions before continuing. Slide 10 Source: • Perry, C. et al. 2005. “Validating a work group climate assessment tool for improving the performance of public health organizations.” Human Resources for Health. Vol. 3, No. 10. Available at: http://www.human-resourceshealth.com/content/3/1/10 • Management Sciences for Health. 2005. Managers Who Lead: A Handbook for Improving Health Services. ASK a participant to read this quote aloud to the group. EXPLAIN to participants that in their jobs as managers, they can play pivotal roles in establishing a positive work climate. Source: Stringer, Robert. 2002. Leadership and Organizational Climate. Prentice Hall/Upper Saddle River. Quote found in Perry, C. et al. 2005. “Validating a work group climate assessment tool for improving the performance of public health organizations.” Human Resources for Health. Vol. 3, No. 10. Available at: http://www.human-resourceshealth.com/content/3/1/10 Leadership and Management Course Session 2.2: Work Climate Facilitator Guide 326 Slide 11 REFER participants to Handout 2.2.1: Work Climate and Spheres of Influence on page 243 of the Participant Handbook. PRESENT diagram, using the following points: • This diagram illustrates the importance of the leading and managing practices and competencies of a work group leader in influencing work climate and, ultimately, staff motivation and performance. • Evidence has shown that while organizational history, cultural, management strategy and structure and the external environment all influence the work climate, a work group manager influences the work climate more than any other factor. • Managers of a work group can even create a work climate that differs from the overall organization's culture. This can sometimes create pressure on the manager from the organization to conform. However, if the manager’s work group is successful, the pressure may be reduced. ASK if participants have any comments or questions before continuing. Leadership and Management Course Session 2.2: Work Climate Facilitator Guide 327 Slide 12 PRESENT slide, using the following points: Know your staff • This is one of the most important things you can do to develop a positive work climate. • The better you know your staff, the better you can align their efforts with yours to meet a challenge. • You should try to learn: o What motivates them o What their work styles are o What their interests are • This helps to establish a good, caring, and supportive relationship with each employee. • Positive relationships improve employee retention. Know what motivates you • Know yourself – your values, what motivates you, what drains your energy, and what evokes strong emotions from you. • Your behaviour and how you respond to stress have an impact on your staff. It can influence their trust and confidence in you as a leader. Provide Challenge, Clarity, and Support • You will be able to better provide challenge, clarity, and support for your employees based on your knowledge of your staff, and yourself. • We will talk more about this in the next few slides. Source: Management Sciences for Health. 2005. Managers Who Lead: A Handbook for Improving Health Services. Chapter 3, pages 56-58. Leadership and Management Course Session 2.2: Work Climate Facilitator Guide 328 Slide 13 Slide 14 EXPLAIN to participants that: • Challenge, Clarity, and Support are the key dimensions of work climate. • All three dimensions—challenge, clarity and support—are critical for fostering performance. • Each manager must find the right balance for their group’s climate. • We will cover each of the three dimensions of work climate in the next few slides. Source: Management Sciences for Health. 2005. Managers Who Lead: A Handbook for Improving Health Services. Chapter 3, pages 56-58. REVIEW slide. ASK participants: • What types of actions can a manager can take to provide challenges to employees? ALLOW time for participants to provide 2-3 examples. Slide 15 Source: • Management Sciences for Health. 2005. Managers Who Lead: A Handbook for Improving Health Services. Chapter 3, page 58. • Management Sciences for Health. 2002. “Creating a Work Climate that Motivates Staff and Improves Performance.” The Manager, Vol. 11, No. 3. REVIEW slide. ASK participants: • Can you think of actions a manager can take to provide clarity? ALLOW time for participants to provide 2-3 examples. Source: • Management Sciences for Health. 2005. Managers Who Lead: A Handbook for Improving Health Services. Chapter 3, page 58. • Management Sciences for Health. 2002. “Creating a Work Climate that Motivates Staff and Improves Performance.” The Manager, Vol. 11, No. 3. Leadership and Management Course Session 2.2: Work Climate Facilitator Guide 329 Slide 16 EXPLAIN that: • A climate of support is created when group members feel their capabilities are acknowledged, when they participate in decisions that impact the work group, and when they sense appreciation and reward for both individual and group successes. ASK participants: • Can you think of actions a manager can take to provide support? ALLOW time for participants to provide 2-3 examples. Source: • Management Sciences for Health. 2005. Managers Who Lead: A Handbook for Improving Health Services. Chapter 3, page 58. • Management Sciences for Health. 2002. “Creating a Work Climate that Motivates Staff and Improves Performance.” The Manager, Vol. 11, No. 3. Leadership and Management Course Session 2.2: Work Climate Facilitator Guide 330 Handout 2.2.1: Work Climate and Spheres of Influence • • • • • This diagram illustrates that leading and managing practices are a key factor in influencing work climate and, ultimately, staff motivation and performance. Evidence has shown that a work group manager influences the work climate more than any other factor, including organizational history, culture, management strategy and structure, and the external environment. Managers may not have direct influence over organizational history and culture. Some managers may influence the overall management strategy and structure. Managers have little influence over the external environment. All managers can influence their own leadership and management practices! Source: Management Sciences for Health. 2005. Managers Who Lead: A Handbook for Improving Health Services. See Chapter 3: Improving Work Climate to Strengthen Performance. Page 54. Leadership and Management Course Session 2.2: Work Climate Facilitator Guide 331 Leadership and Management Course Session 2.2: Work Climate Facilitator Guide 332 Trainer Instructions: Step 4 (45 minutes) Slide 17 Present Slides 17-28, using the trainer notes to guide the presentation, brainstorm, and discussion. ASK a volunteer to read the definitions of Motivation aloud. Slide 18 Source: • Management Sciences for Health. 2002. “Creating a Work Climate that Motivates Staff and Improves Performance.” The Manager, Vol. 11, No. 3. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MSH. Available at: http://erc.msh.org/TheManager/English/V 11_N3_En_Issue.pdf • Business Dictionary. Motivation. Available at: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definit ion/motivation.html ASK a volunteer to read the definitions of incentive aloud. Source: • Management Sciences for Health. 2002. “Creating a Work Climate that Motivates Staff and Improves Performance.” The Manager, Vol. 11, No. 3. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MSH. Available at: http://erc.msh.org/TheManager/English/V 11_N3_En_Issue.pdf • Business Dictionary. Incentive. Available at: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definit ion/incentive.html Leadership and Management Course Session 2.2: Work Climate Facilitator Guide 333 Slide 19 EXPLAIN to participants that: • Motivation represents energy that we can bring to our work. It is possible to adequately complete a task with low motivation. However, when our motivation is high, we put more energy into the task and we perform better. When staffs are de-motivated, performance suffers. • This “extra effort” is at the employee’s discretion. A good manager will create a work climate and incentives that encourage employees to choose to put forth that “extra effort.” • Motivation is the energy to do something. Incentive encourages the mobilization of that energy. Slide 20 PREPARE two flipcharts, labelled “Motivators” and “De-Motivators.” ASK participants to take a moment to think about the following questions: • In your career, have you ever been a member of a high-performing team in an organization? What motivated you and your colleagues to perform well? • If you have you ever been a member of an unmotivated team or organization, what held you back? INVITE participants to share responses, and WRITE on the appropriate flipchart. THANK participants for sharing. Tip: this activity may be uncomfortable if participants are in a room with supervisors/colleagues. It can be adapted as a partner activity, or as a “paper fight” activity for more anonymity. To adapt as a “paper fight,” participants can write their specific ideas for motivators/demotivators on slips of paper. When everyone has had a few minutes to write ideas down, participants crumple up the papers and toss them around the room in a “paper fight.” The goal is to mix up all of the papers so that you do not read your own responses. Everyone picks up a few slips of paper near them, and reads the ideas aloud. Leadership and Management Course Session 2.2: Work Climate Facilitator Guide 334 Slide 21 PRESENT slide. EXPLAIN to participants that supervisors and managers who pay attention to their staff may notice these signs of low motivation. ASK participants: • Do you have any additional signs and symptoms of low motivation that you would like to add to this list? Slide 22 ALLOW a few moments for participants to respond. EXPLAIN to participants that: • There are two types of motivation-external and internal. • External motivators are what managers often think about first when considering motivation and incentives for employees. • This is motivation based on incentives that are provided to the employee by someone else. Salaries and benefits are examples of incentives provided by an employer that come with a job. • External motivation is often associated with financial incentives. REFER participants to the “Motivators” and “De-Motivators” listed on the flip charts from the previous discussion. ASK participants: • How many of the items in these lists are related to external sources? EMPHASIZE that: • Managers often under-estimate the power of internal motivators for their staff. • Internal motivation comes from within the employee themselves. • Motivation is often based on something valued by the employee or related to their self esteem. Internal motivation is often associated with non-financial incentives. ASK if participants have any questions or comments before continuing. Leadership and Management Course Session 2.2: Work Climate Facilitator Guide 335 Slide 23 Speaker notes continued here: • Motivation is likely to suffer when someone thinks that nobody will notice their hard efforts or when they see others who do not work as hard or produce as much receiving rewards equal to those who try harder. • Of the three motivational components, expectancy is the easiest for managers to impact through incentives. Incentive systems have been shown to improve and sustain performance in numerous studies. Slide 24 Source: Luoma, M. 2006. “Increasing the Motivation of healthcare Workers.” Capacity Project Technical Brief No. 7. PRESENT slide, using the following points: • Valance, or the perceived importance of the work, refers to the value someone places on the work and tasks that they are being asked to perform. • If a person believes the value of their work to be extremely high, they may be willing to endure great hardships. • To increase the perceived importance of a task, managers can communicate what they know about the impact of the work and how clients, the community or society and large will benefit. • Self-Efficacy refers to perceived chance of success. This refers to the extent to which we believe we can be successful in our work. If we think we have no chance for success, we are unlikely to be motivated to initiate and sustain a particular task. • To increase self-efficacy, managers can point out where the individual has been successful at similar tasks or show them how people like them have been successful at the task in question. • Expectancy is what a person expects will happen to them if the work goal is reached. Will anyone notice? Will anyone care? Will they be rewarded? CONTINUE with speaker notes in lefthand column. PRESENT slide, using the following points: • This slide gives some examples of negative work elements that can influence staff turnover. CONTINUE to next slide. Source: Yumkella. 2006. “Retention of Health Care Workers in Low Resource Settings.” Capacity Project Technical Brief No. 1. Leadership and Management Course Session 2.2: Work Climate Facilitator Guide 336 Slide 25 EMPHASIZE to participants that: • To address the problems related to negative work environment, nonfinancial incentives are needed. • A non-financial incentive is not necessarily provided at no cost to the organisation. • The non-financial incentive may require the organisation to spend money, but the money is not provided in the form of compensation to individual employees ASK if participants have any comments or questions before continuing. Slide 26 Source: Yumkella. 2006. “Retention of Health Care Workers in Low Resource Settings.” Capacity Project Technical Brief No. 1. EXPLAIN to participants that: • Incentive systems intended to improve team or individual motivation to achieve a goal should be applied openly and transparently. • Incentives should be rewarded contingent on reaching a wellunderstood work goal. • Managers must have the ability to measure what is being rewarded. • Each worker should understand the performance required for any kind of reward and how it will be measured. • Figuring out what to measure and how to measure it can be the hardest part. • The incentive system should be applied fairly and consistently so the rules apply to all workers without favouritism. ASK if participants have any questions or comments before continuing. Source: Luoma, M. 2006. “Increasing the Motivation of healthcare Workers.” Capacity Project Technical Brief No. 7. Leadership and Management Course Session 2.2: Work Climate Facilitator Guide 337 Slide 27 Animation Clicks: 1 Note: slide is animated. SHOW part 1 of slide. Speaker notes continued here: o o o Opportunities for professional development, such as time for participating in a journal club, time for learning a new skill, or an opportunity to participate in a seminar, course, or other learning activity Career advancement opportunities, such as promotions and title changes Staff awards, for demonstrating problemsolving, leadership, creativity, teamwork, service, etc. These can be voted on by peers, awarded by a committee, or awarded by managers. EXPLAIN to participants that: • Financial incentives are not the sole source of employee motivation. • As a manager you will have to consider the best mix of financial and non-financial incentives for your work group. • Since it is often difficult to provide financial incentives, managers should think carefully and creatively about non-financial incentives that may be able to provide. • For problems related to the work environment, non-financial incentives are often more effective. ASK participants to brainstorm: • What are some non-financial incentives that can increase employee motivation? ALLOW a few minutes for participants to brainstorm. WRITE responses on a flipchart labelled “Non-Financial Incentives.” ASK if there are any comments or questions. SHOW Part 2 of slide. Source: • I-TECH. • Yumkella. 2006. “Retention of Health Care Workers in Low Resource Settings.” Capacity Project Technical Brief No. 1 PRESENT slide, building off of participant responses. • This is a brief list of ideas for nonfinancial incentives that can motivate staff. It is not complete, but may help you think of ideas that may work within your organization. • Non-financial incentives can include: o Recognition of input, contributions, and hard work o Listening to staff ideas o Offering appreciation and praise for the efforts and accomplishments of your staff o Morale-boosting activities, such as celebrations for milestones, holidays, etc. CONTINUE with speaker notes in lefthand column. Leadership and Management Course Session 2.2: Work Climate Facilitator Guide 338 Slide 28 FACILTATE a brief discussion on implementing non-financial incentives in a work setting. ASK participants: • Can anyone provide examples of nonfinancial incentives currently used by your organization? • Have you had experience implementing any ideas like these in your office? • What are the challenges you might face in trying to integrate motivation incentives into your workplace? • Do you have any strategies for addressing the challenges that other groups have mentioned? THANK everyone for their participation. ASK if there are any comments or questions. Trainer Instructions: Step 5 (5 minutes) Slide 29 Present Slide 29 using the trainer notes to guide the presentation. REVIEW key points from this session. ASK if participants have any comments or questions. THANK everyone for their attention and participation. Leadership and Management Course Session 2.2: Work Climate Facilitator Guide 339 Leadership and Management Course Session 2.2: Work Climate Facilitator Guide 340