It is important for an employee to take initiative because it demonstrates their level of engagement and commitment s/he has to their organization. Initiatives are often misunderstood as meeting one’s performance goals; instead it is about going the extra mile by identifying a need and championing a solution for the benefit of the company without being asked to do so. Some of the reasons why taking initiatives are important for an employee can be categorized as follows:
1. Motivation at work – by taking initiatives an employee can make his/her work life more exciting, rather than treating it as a daily monotonous routine aimed at task completion.
2. Personal Growth – based on the need or problem, the employee can directly plan and see the impact of their actions, which will likely result in more opportunities for growth as a professional.
3. Self Development - Will be able to take more control of his/her professional life by learning, growing and developing through application of their acquired skills in solving real time issues and problems faced by their team or organization.
4. Comfortable with change – taking calculated risks will reduce any fear of failure and reduce resistance to change or new ideas.
5. Achievement of goals - Create more chances of achieving their individual goals and objectives.
6. Recognition - Earn respect from subordinates, peers & managers by developing the reputation of a person who gets things done.
7. Rewards - Financial and other non-monetary rewards like job enrichment, job enhancement through transfers and/or promotions.
Initiatives are not just a Leader’s prerogative!
Taking an initiative means taking the first step and doing what needs to be done without waiting to be told what to do. Hence it is equally applicable to everyone in the organization whether s/he is a leader or a ground level worker. However initiatives should not be taken just for the sake of it. One should take an initiative only when one feels that s/he knows the answer to a certain problem, it is within the realm of his/her authority and it supports the organizational or the team’s goals and objectives.
The process of being proactive and taking an initiative is the same for everyone. First one needs to Think on how the ‘needs’ can be converted into ‘opportunities’ and things can be done in a better way. Then one needs to prepare Plans based on data collected and analyzed by them with the knowledge that s/he are the best (and sometimes only) supporter of their new ideas. This should be followed by Execution of his/her plans by overcoming challenges with creativity and taking responsibility for their actions. And finally Persistence when obstacle arises and new ideas are met with resistance.
Impact of not taking initiatives on an employee’s growth prospects at work
The cost of not taking initiatives can be huge! An employee can end up being passed over from promotions and stuck in a plateau for most of his/her career. From an organizational point of view an employee who takes a “play-safe” attitude and avoids taking any initiative is typically perceived as a person with high aversion to failure, resistant to change or new ideas, and stuck on doing routine tasks. These are employees who are governed by the clock or the ‘nine to six’ workers, good at doing routine tasks but of little value to the organization for its growth and development. Since initiatives means doing things differently, there is an inherent risk involved in it, but what is often forgotten is that risk and returns/rewards are directly proportional. Without taking initiatives one might be struck in mediocrity and is unlikely to achieve high levels of success, which in turn will hamper their growth in the organization as most performance systems are designed to identify and promote achievers.
The role of HR in promoting and managing a culture of new idea generation and initiatives
HR is often seen as the custodian and facilitator of the organisational culture. Based on the Management philosophy of the organisation and the overall goals and objectives, HR can play a significant role to encourage new ideas and initiatives. This can be done in the following ways:
1. Clearly communicate the organizational goals and objectives at all levels – creativity and initiative should not be practiced in isolation but should be aimed at achieving the expected outcomes (goals) in a more timely and efficient way. This way everyone in the organization understands where s/he should direct their efforts.
2. Identify and promote uniqueness – in a diverse team every person has his or her own approach to generating new ideas. While asking for inputs/ideas, HR should remember that each employee have different work styles.
3. Channelize the focus - on areas where creative solutions are needed, instead of wasting time on areas that generate little or no return to the individual or the organization.
4. Minimize fear of failure - find ways to absorb risk and regard mistakes as learning opportunities. Having a reward policy for employees who take prudent risks will encourage them to innovate even more.
5. Develop an organizational climate for innovation – where people are encouraged to give innovative ideas for improving performance of their own team or other process areas and feel they can make a difference.
6. Encourage active communications - set up open communication channels among groups for quick and ongoing interactive idea exchanges.
7. Train people to enhance their creative skills and behavior – initiatives and leadership abilities are closely related. Hence the more an employee is trained at improving his/her leadership skills, the more s/he becomes risk averse and focuses on applying their skills, knowledge and abilities in improving the performance of his/her self and the organization.
Excerpts of this article has been published in Times Ascent - http://timesascent.in/article/8/2010071420100714172730429f8a83938/Taking-Initiative.html and Economic Times - http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/quickiearticleshow/6195971.cms
1. Motivation at work – by taking initiatives an employee can make his/her work life more exciting, rather than treating it as a daily monotonous routine aimed at task completion.
2. Personal Growth – based on the need or problem, the employee can directly plan and see the impact of their actions, which will likely result in more opportunities for growth as a professional.
3. Self Development - Will be able to take more control of his/her professional life by learning, growing and developing through application of their acquired skills in solving real time issues and problems faced by their team or organization.
4. Comfortable with change – taking calculated risks will reduce any fear of failure and reduce resistance to change or new ideas.
5. Achievement of goals - Create more chances of achieving their individual goals and objectives.
6. Recognition - Earn respect from subordinates, peers & managers by developing the reputation of a person who gets things done.
7. Rewards - Financial and other non-monetary rewards like job enrichment, job enhancement through transfers and/or promotions.
Initiatives are not just a Leader’s prerogative!
Taking an initiative means taking the first step and doing what needs to be done without waiting to be told what to do. Hence it is equally applicable to everyone in the organization whether s/he is a leader or a ground level worker. However initiatives should not be taken just for the sake of it. One should take an initiative only when one feels that s/he knows the answer to a certain problem, it is within the realm of his/her authority and it supports the organizational or the team’s goals and objectives.
The process of being proactive and taking an initiative is the same for everyone. First one needs to Think on how the ‘needs’ can be converted into ‘opportunities’ and things can be done in a better way. Then one needs to prepare Plans based on data collected and analyzed by them with the knowledge that s/he are the best (and sometimes only) supporter of their new ideas. This should be followed by Execution of his/her plans by overcoming challenges with creativity and taking responsibility for their actions. And finally Persistence when obstacle arises and new ideas are met with resistance.
Impact of not taking initiatives on an employee’s growth prospects at work
The cost of not taking initiatives can be huge! An employee can end up being passed over from promotions and stuck in a plateau for most of his/her career. From an organizational point of view an employee who takes a “play-safe” attitude and avoids taking any initiative is typically perceived as a person with high aversion to failure, resistant to change or new ideas, and stuck on doing routine tasks. These are employees who are governed by the clock or the ‘nine to six’ workers, good at doing routine tasks but of little value to the organization for its growth and development. Since initiatives means doing things differently, there is an inherent risk involved in it, but what is often forgotten is that risk and returns/rewards are directly proportional. Without taking initiatives one might be struck in mediocrity and is unlikely to achieve high levels of success, which in turn will hamper their growth in the organization as most performance systems are designed to identify and promote achievers.
The role of HR in promoting and managing a culture of new idea generation and initiatives
HR is often seen as the custodian and facilitator of the organisational culture. Based on the Management philosophy of the organisation and the overall goals and objectives, HR can play a significant role to encourage new ideas and initiatives. This can be done in the following ways:
1. Clearly communicate the organizational goals and objectives at all levels – creativity and initiative should not be practiced in isolation but should be aimed at achieving the expected outcomes (goals) in a more timely and efficient way. This way everyone in the organization understands where s/he should direct their efforts.
2. Identify and promote uniqueness – in a diverse team every person has his or her own approach to generating new ideas. While asking for inputs/ideas, HR should remember that each employee have different work styles.
3. Channelize the focus - on areas where creative solutions are needed, instead of wasting time on areas that generate little or no return to the individual or the organization.
4. Minimize fear of failure - find ways to absorb risk and regard mistakes as learning opportunities. Having a reward policy for employees who take prudent risks will encourage them to innovate even more.
5. Develop an organizational climate for innovation – where people are encouraged to give innovative ideas for improving performance of their own team or other process areas and feel they can make a difference.
6. Encourage active communications - set up open communication channels among groups for quick and ongoing interactive idea exchanges.
7. Train people to enhance their creative skills and behavior – initiatives and leadership abilities are closely related. Hence the more an employee is trained at improving his/her leadership skills, the more s/he becomes risk averse and focuses on applying their skills, knowledge and abilities in improving the performance of his/her self and the organization.
Excerpts of this article has been published in Times Ascent - http://timesascent.in/article/8/2010071420100714172730429f8a83938/Taking-Initiative.html and Economic Times - http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/quickiearticleshow/6195971.cms
Great thought flow process! Must get appreciated! We as HR professionals require our approach to be tunned-up regularly!
ReplyDeleteLets be in touch! partha!
Regards
Aman.