The Power of Alignment

We all know what it means to align our tires, but do you think about alignment at work? Workplace alignment happens when the organization’s actions are in sync with its stated objectives and values. Alignment doesn’t usually happen on its own; it takes a conscious effort to ensure that management’s actions and the programs it implements are aligned with the overall vision of the company.

For example, a company that says it values teamwork but promotes competition among employees is out of alignment. Do a football team’s players compete with each other or with the other team? If you want a culture of teamwork, cooperation, and collaboration, you need to look at your reward and assessment programs to ensure they promote these things. While performance appraisals and related rewards don’t need to be totally team-based, there should be a component that recognizes teamwork. The old adage, “behavior that gets rewarded gets repeated” still applies.

Another common misalignment occurs in retail settings where both customer service and high individual sales performance are promoted. Sometimes these goals conflict with each other. Years ago I worked in the linen department of a fine department store. Sales staff was given aggressive sales quotas to meet to avoid receiving a cut in base pay in the next quarter. We were also told to give the best possible customer service. It didn’t take long for me to observe a clash of these objectives as sales staff competed for customers and avoided helping each other since the credit for a sale could not be shared. Often the most aggressive sales rep would get to the customer first, rather than the employee with the best product knowledge to meet that customer’s needs. If the store had clearly stated that the primary goal was to provide the best service to the customer, the most knowledgeable sales rep could have been called upon. In addition, the sales reps could have developed their own areas of expertise based on their interests, and the group as a whole would have been more effective at addressing specific customer needs.

If you’re not seeing the kind of behavior you’d like to see in your workplace, take a good hard look at what you’re truly promoting and reinforcing. Focus on your actions, not your words, for we know which of these speaks the loudest.