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One of the major differences between great organizations and the struggling ones is in their use of time. Great organizations have great time culture and struggling ones have a bad one.. As an individual many people are very bad time managers and they often carry it over to the workplace most times unconsciously. Many SME's without a clear time culture are victims of such transfer.
A little observation will reveal that lot of the organizations who seem to have achieved a measure of success with time culture are forced to sustain it through what can be best described as draconian rules. Applying some drastic and hardliner rules of engagement to erring staff.
The downside to this style however, is that obedience sustained by force is only temporary.
If your team or organization is a bad example of a time culture and you desire not only a sustainable way out ,but a means of moving your people from non impressive time culture to an excellent one, then the suggestions below may be of help:
Review Your Concept of Time
As a man thinks in his heart so is he, says the Bible. This means that peoples actions or responses emanate from their personal belief system.. In other words, perception begets attitude. When attitude follows a particular pattern over a protracted time, it becomes character and an entrenched character is what becomes a culture. If belief is what begets culture. To change a culture therefore requires diagnosing and changing the belief ( s) that drives it. One's view of time if changed could translate into a new attitude towards time. Influencing your team's culture begins with creating a whole new perception of the old.. You could start by asking: What does time really mean to me or my people? How do I change that? An example of a way to change people's concept of time is to create a way of measuring and and valuing time. Measuring time in terms of money is a good example. Let's say a wage in a particular organization is sixty dollars ($60) per hour. One minute of life in this place would automatically assume the value of one dollar. When someone idles away one hour, it would be clearer to him or her that an equivalence of sixty dollars ($60) has been lost already. Someone who has been helped to come to terms with the reality of time using this approach would,most likely appreciate the value of time and may be interested in a better use of time.
Delineate your time
It's hard to manage a territory that is not clearly mapped out. So, it is with managing a time that is not clearly defined and differentiated in terms of responsibilities and expectations. Efficient scheduling is the beginning of excellent time culture. Clearly define activities and their timeline and train your team to respect them. It curbs time wastage and unclutters expectations
Mode Your Ideal Time Expectations
People don't do what you tell them, they only do two things; what you supervise and what they see you do. Making time demands and living in the breach sends a stronger message of unseriousness than your serious orders could ever carry. It undermines the positive time values you seek to entrench. It is important you know that you are the only inspiration your subordinates have especially when it comes to time culture. Leaving by example apart from being a show of leadership is also a way of reinforcing the values you stand for and it wont be long your people will take dressing. Keep in mind that a culture is not genetically transferred it is learnt. So, the best way to change a bad culture is not by fighting it but by replacing it with a better one. It is best replaced by being a model of that "better one" It is just a matter of time and it will cascade down.
Avoid Unrealistic time demands
Some bad time culture is fueled by unrealistic time expectations. Making time demands that negate reality is nothing but a call to disappointment. Reality should be your guide in all your time proposal and demands.
Make time compliance a lot easier
Take out all the obstacles to that will hinder or make employees more inclined to non-adherence to corporate time values.. An example is posting employees closer to their place of residence or initiate their relocation closer to the office through sufficient financial grants. Anything that threatens sound time cuture should be adequately taken care of. Those obstacles are most the real enemies of corporate time efficiency not exactly the people. It was said that when a secretary at Apples came late to work on account of car trouble, Steve Jobs (the late CEO of Apple) gave her a car (jaguar to be precise) and warned her never to be late anymore. If you cannot do Jaguar, you could do a dedicated transportation system. A vehicle that conveys workers to and from work that is fully or partially funded by the organization. A non cut- throat car loan is also not a bad idea.
Value People's time
One good turn they say deserves another. Showing your appreciation for other people's time by making them count in terms of productivity will encourage further cooperation. Don't waste your teams time on frivolities. Let them see that a time spent with you is not a story of waste. It will no doubt encourage them to commit even more.
Create Accountability System
The real idea behind accountability system is to make sure actions/choices come with consequences. However, many of the so-called accountability systems existing in our corporations are more of punitive measures than it is an incentive. It punishes you when you default but looks the other way when you perform. A good accountability system is a balance of punishment and reward. Rewards as a matter of fact have shown to be more powerful than punishment when it comes to inspiring compliance. Actually, the explanation is that people naturally commit more wholesomely to the things that give them pleasure than to the things that give them pain.
Respect the Holy Time
Let agreement be agreement. It's both unfair and unwise to extend office time into your subordinates' private time just because you can. Employees life don"t begin and end at the office. They have a whole life out there.. Respect it by not encroaching on their special moments with families and self.. For example, keep the job out of their weekends. Apart from avoiding them the opportunity of refreshment, constant official intrusion in their private life always come a backlash on corporate time . They may become unrepentant time violator at work.
