Employees rarely seem to get excited about the profits being generated in their organization. They may be relieved that the organization is financially secure, given that they are more likely to be able to retain their job if the company is fiscally healthy. There is little joy, however, in witnessing large profits going out to the stockholders or upper management through profit-sharing plans. Employees are inclined, instead, to take great pride in the services being provided by their company to their community. They can speak with enthusiasm about the benefits that their company provides to people who need homes or high-quality washing machines or nutritious meals or low cost computers.
We proposed a series of employee meetings, each meeting involving no more than eight to ten employees. These meetings should be more intimate than those conducted regarding the values of New England Standard. The reflections of employees are often very personal, especially when they are asked to identify the reasons they work at a company. Many employees are unwilling to talk in large groups about the satisfaction they find in producing something of value for their community. We suggested that the consulting team formulate a statement of purpose for New England Standard, based on results from these employee meetings. This statement would then be presented to Gary and modified and approved by the New England Standard Board.
The fifth step consists of the formulation of an integrated charter. The charter would consist of the mission, vision, values and purpose statements that our team had produced in conjunction with Gary, the New England Standard employees, and the New England Standard board. This charter would, in turn, be distributed to all employees, who would be asked to review the document. A series of employee luncheon meeting would be scheduled where Gary (or one of us as consultants) could answer questions regarding the chartering process. Employees would be informed that all members of the New England Standard Corporation are expected to sign this charter and commit themselves to work on behalf of the mission, vision and purposes, and in a manner that is consistent with the company’s values.
