Wednesday 27 August 2014

Dispense with job descriptions and watch your people soar

The problem I see with most job descriptions is that they list tasks and say very little about relationships or value delivery which is what every role in your business must be about. And often down the bottom of the form are the words "and anything else as directed."

Dispense with job descriptions and watch your people soar.

Replace your job descriptions with role clarity statements.

Every person in your business has a role to deliver value to other people. Value that they demand, desire, and feel that they deserve.

"Your customer is whoever gets your work next." said the great Japanese management thinker Kaoru Ishikawa.

With your people document who their customers are (relationships) and what value must be delivered to each person.

Recently I helped a client of mine to dispense with job descriptions and replace them with role clarity statements. Below are the headings we used. In conjunction with Performance Possibility Plans, where personal and business goals for the next 90 days and how they will be achieved are documented, role clarity statements enable conversations about performance to be elevated and lead to greater accountability.

In the space of a few weeks greater value is being delivered by everyone, meaning happier employees and happier external customers.

What would you and your employees write under these headings?

Business Purpose
Role Purpose
Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities
Key Performance Measures (Lead measures)
Key Relationships of the role and the value that must be delivered to each person
Key outcomes of role (Lag measures)
Required levels of commitment (will) and competency (skill)
Key gifts (talents) required and that need to be enhanced to excel in role and prepare for future roles
Learning and development and career path opportunities

All of the above can be outlined on two sides of an A4 page.

Your people don't have jobs. They have relationships with other people where value delivery is paramount to the enjoyment of the relationships and the success of your business.

Be the difference you want to see in the world.
Ian

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