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Getting the buy in for the Long term plans

People or organisations find keeping the enthusiasm for the long term goals a tough ask.

Beseiged by the immediacy of today, getting the buy in for the long haul is an onerous task.

David Maister in this post
suggests," what gets someone (us as well – don’t make this all about THEM)
to
change from acting in a short-term way to doing what they (already) know
is best
for them in the long-term:

Talk up or
create the “glamour” of the future state (“Think of how fabulous
it’s going
to be when you’re there!)

Make it a moral principal (Isn’t it consistent
with our/your values to act
this way?)
Get us/them to commit themselves
to more public disclosure on
actions, to keep them/us on track
(embarrassment rather than guilt.) "

Do you think this will reap rewards?

Managing by standing still?

One of the greatest practitioners of this was the Principal in my school.

He used to stand in one corner of the corridor, taping his cane lightly on the toe of his right foot.

The effect was a deadly silence. He made his presence felt.

Other than that I sincerely doubt whether he gained any deep insight into the functioning of the school or how good we were at learning.

But can you stand still ,see and learn?

Mike Wroblewski in his blog says "it takes a strong commitment to “stand still” at gemba and many may not feel comfortable to just stand and watch at first. This uneasy feeling quickly disappears the longer you stand still. It is amazing what you learn about your processes by seeing for yourself when standing still long enough."

This reminds me of Chuck Palahniuk who had this to say,“The best way to waste your life, ... is by taking notes. The easiest way to avoid living is to just watch. Look for the details. Report. Don't participate.”

Presenteeism is making organisations sick

Professor Cary Cooper, a psychologist specialising in organisational management at Manchester University, coined the word “presenteeism”. He used the word to illustrate that workers are not necessarily productive at work.

According to Cooper, “The phenomenon of ‘presenteeism,’ an overwhelming need to put in more hours or, at the very least, appear to be working very long hours, is another dangerous symptom of the explosive degree of pressure in the workplace.”

That word “presenteeism” in the present day has now morphed to mean “the feeling that one must show up for work even if one is too sick, stressed, or distracted to be productive; the feeling that one needs to work extra hours even if one has no extra work to do.”

The productivity loss has assumed worrying proportions today. Employees report to work sick and are unable to discharge their duties efficiently. They just go through the motions.
This drains away the benefit of having them at the workplace.

Added to this, these sick employees while interacting with their healthy colleagues manage to infect some of them. The result, another batch of sick workers turn up for work sick resulting in productivity taking a huge hit.

Reuters report that the “So-called "presenteeism," or going to work when sick, is a persistent problem at more than half of U.S. workplaces and costs U.S. business a whopping $180 billion a year.

Like its more notorious counterpart absenteeism, it takes on growing importance as employers try to keep an eye on productivity and the bottom line.”

A CCH survey cited a number of reasons why employees report to work even though they are not fully fit. The reasons include “wanting to preserve precious vacation time, saving sick days for later in the year and even company loyalty. But the No. 1 reason for “presenteeism” in the office is the fear of missing deadlines.”

There is also an element of insecurity involved. Sick employees feel that if they do not turn up for work, they may be considered as slackers and their future in the organisation may be compromised.

The banking organisation Comerica did a health study to understand this phenomenon of “presenteeism” in their organisation. Their study revealed that organisations could control the productivity loss due to “presenteeism” by making a small investment in screening, treating and educating their employees.