Team Health Check Action Guide

QUESTION 9
My co-workers are accountable for doing quality work.

Watch a brief video that walks you through Gallup’s take on their version of this question.

Managers can influence the extent to which employees respect one another by selecting conscientious employees, providing some common goals and metrics for quality, and increasing associates’ frequency of opportunity for interaction.

Key Insights

"Nothing will kill a great employee faster than watching you tolerate a bad one." Perry Belcher Founder Digitalmarketer.com

  1. The need that sits behind this question is ”Help me feel proud”

  2. There is a direct link with how expectations are communicated Q1

  3. A predictor/indicator of final performance i.e. what is delivered.  Whoever is at the lowest, sets your standard.  There is a greater variance on this measure between teams than there is between organisations

  4. Quality and its measure has to be an ongoing conversation.  The power is in the proactive and aggressively playing to win.  If it is a reactive conversation it is likely to be negative, blame throwing, and playing not to lose

  5. Focus on the people problems first.  One team member can significantly impact this score as they influence those around them. They can lower or lift the standards of others.  Accountability is important and favouritism is noted

  6. A direct link to staff turnover, based on frustration.  Note: to replace a staff member costs 1.5 times their salary

  7. Link with opinion counts is critical Q7.  Need to allow forums for input and feedback

  8. This element is the tipping point for someone being assigned to a team versus feeling a sense of belonging.  The average of those who strongly agree drops from 33% to 20%, if someone is not pulling their weight.  If they think everyone as pitching in, increases to 50%

  9. We are not strong at giving or asking for enough feedback on our work

    • 19% have received feedback

    • 17% have received meaningful feedback

    • 15% routinely ask for feedback

    • 33% strongly agree that they have asked what they need to do to get their work done and why

Team Activity to Unpack

Discuss ways employees can encourage each other to increase the quality of their work:

  1. As a team, design a recognition note that can be printed and used to acknowledge other team members when they provide superior quality or outstanding customer service.  Have the recognition note printed, and distribute a handful of them to each person

  2. Ask each person to use the notes during the next month by giving them to a team member whenever they witness them providing superior quality or outstanding customer service

  3. Discuss the results of this activity during your next team meeting

Additional Questions to Ask

  1. How do we know when we have done quality work as a team?  Are we recognising this enough?

  2. What is our team known for?  When did we have the most pride in our work?

  3. What do we do or contribute to that engages our customers with our organisation?

  4. What could we do starting tomorrow that would immediately improve the quality of our work?

  5. What gets in our way of producing quality work every day?  How often does this happen?

Suggestions for Action

  1. Discuss ways team members can encourage each other to increase the quality of their work

  2. Ensure new team members know the importance you and the team place on quality

  3. Have each team member share his or her expectations for quality work during a team meeting

  4. Ask the team to keep a list of barriers to quality work for one week, and then meet as a team to review each one

  5. Create safe spaces for others to share and speak up.  As a manager (1) be the last to speak (2) be OK with silence as your team members could give you additional useful information (3) lean on the wisdom of the group

  6. Create measures and regularly give feedback "Help people reach their full potential.  Catch them doing something right."