In-house study sessions that motivate employees and solve problems at the same time
Why don't study groups and improvement activities that bring together employees continue?
Why don't in-house study groups and circle activities that seek to improve operations and corporate culture from the frontline take root? We believe the reasons are as follows.
- When the president participates, it inevitably becomes a solo performance by the president.
- Even when only employees participate, the significance of these activities has not been widely understood, and they cannot be continued because they are driven by the convenience of the current business.
- The results of activities by employees are not in line with management policies and are rejected by the president and executives.
Employee study sessions of two to three hours per session will motivate employees and solve their problems!
This service is recommended for both presidents who say, "We can't seem to solve the problem by leaving it to the employees," and executives and employees who lament, "The president doesn't properly evaluate our efforts."
Although there have been calls for business and culture improvement from the front lines for a long time, it seems that few companies are making such efforts and continuing to do so. Why don't you turn your company's meetings into "places to think" and "places to decide"? We will realize improvement activities that even the president can give a passing grade to, and a system that motivates employees.
Planning of Study Sessions and Management Services
The following is a six-step process to ensure that internal study groups and small-scale activities can be carried out efficiently and sustainably.
- We interview the president to ascertain his/her awareness of the issues and crisis, and the employees to hear about issues at the frontline level.
- Based on the results, the theme and direction of the study session will be determined after making adjustments.
- The president is informed of the management policy prior to each meeting.
- During the workshop, we will ensure an accurate understanding of the issues and the significance of the improvements.
- We will also ensure that the themes are digested and lead to discussions on the implementation system afterwards.
- After the meeting, we ask participants to submit minutes of the meeting.
※ We can also flexibly respond to your company's needs.
For example, in the case of a study session for sales representatives, we can accompany them on a sales tour. The results can be used as a basis for sharing common talking points and approach books, etc., with the participants in an efficient and effective manner.
Q1: How many employees should be involved in a study session?
It is difficult to say, since it depends on the form of the "study group" and the company's organizational structure and shift issues, but I would venture to say that 4 to 8 employees is a desirable range. If there are two people, it will just become a meeting to reach a consensus. If there are three members, it is easy to lose the discussion after it becomes two to one, so we would like to set the minimum number of members at four. However, the basic question is whether or not it is possible to operate without generating "customers". If you want to avoid having participants who do not have to express their opinions at all and sit in a position where they can see each other's faces, the maximum number of participants should be around 8. Recently, the number of employees that each client company wants to have participate tends to increase, and in some cases we compromise slightly and say 7 plus or minus 2.
Q2: Should the president participate?
After considering the advantages and disadvantages, this is also decided on a case-by-case basis. The president is the ultimate decision maker, so in a project team, for example, it is very positive to have a president who can immediately reflect decisions in the line of work. The presence of a president within a project is also very positive when the number of project members is limited but the impact of the decisions is spread throughout the entire company or elsewhere. On the other hand, it is also true, as a matter of course, that the presence of the president alone makes it difficult for employees to express their opinions. If the president lacks discretion, thoughtfulness, and consideration, he or she may quickly draw his or her own conclusions, ignoring the space for employee opinions and discussion.
Q3: How are participating members selected?
This is also a case-by-case basis. In cases where the problem-solving aspect is clear, the president often selects a mix of members who are expected to contribute in terms of skills and experience, long-time employees who are expected to coordinate within the company, and especially young employees who are expected to grow in the future. In cases where the problem-solving aspect of the assignment is less important, we will make our own decision based on the relationships within the company, and in some cases, the members may be changed at a later date.
Q4: How do you consider absences from work?
Since we invest valuable management resources such as time, we believe that members should be able to participate with all possible expediency according to work orders, and that absences without the permission of the person in charge of making decisions should never be tolerated. In addition, in a discussion-based "study group," a high quality meeting is one in which "a large number of people and a variety of opinions are expressed," so those who are absent should be prepared to take responsibility for the quality of the meeting on the day they are absent and make up for it. The following are some of the comments we have picked up from managers and participants regarding absences in the past.
Q5: How is this different from coaching or facilitation?
It is our understanding that coaching and facilitation are very effective in drawing out the subject's strengths and guiding them in the direction they should be. It may be an ideal way for the subject to solve problems. However, in a company, especially a small to medium-sized company led by an owner-president, it is not always possible to select this optimal solution. This is mainly due to the following reasons.
