complacency: Summary
In this chapter we looked at three predictors of complacent employees: 1. Poor feedback 2. Lack of Consequence and 3. Historic success.
We also looked at three outcomes associated with this negative attitude: 1. Resistance to change 2. Security risks & 3. De-motivation.
Fortunately, others have successfully dealt with organizational complacency, and you can too by following the best practices listed below!
We also looked at three outcomes associated with this negative attitude: 1. Resistance to change 2. Security risks & 3. De-motivation.
Fortunately, others have successfully dealt with organizational complacency, and you can too by following the best practices listed below!
- Shake Things Up - When the CEO of Samsung took over, his managers were unresponsive, resistant to change, and acted as if they were untouchable. The new CEO changed their work schedules (something unheard of in Korea at the time), forced them to travel to new cities for meetings, and put in place aggressive oversight policies to ensure accountability (Choi, 1995). The result? 25 years later and Samsung is profitable, productive, and competitive in global markets.
- Provide Feedback - Make sure that employees know when they are doing well and also when they are not. Positive feedback encourages positive behavior, while negative feedback discourages negative behavior. A lack of feedback encourages complacency by sending the message that the results will be the same no matter how an employee goes about his or her daily tasks (Sirota, 2005).
- Listen - Are new ideas encouraged, discouraged, or ignored? Do employees say things like "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" or "there is no need to reinvent the wheel"? If so, a culture of complacency may be festering within your organization (Ford, Ford, & McNamara, 2002).
- Stay Current - Just because something worked last year does not mean it will work again. Follow market trends, shifts in demand, and changes in production. Don't let yesterday's success become today's failure (Soosay and Sloan, 2005).
- Stay Vigilant - When it comes to security, compliance does not always mean safety. Make sure to continuously monitor secure data, buildings, and technology; thieves are constantly searching for new ways to breach security and you should be too (Valentine, 2010)!
- Embrace Change - As technology continues to improve and globalization continues to intertwine nations, industries, and organizations, the only constant in today's world is change. Be prepared to adjust on-the-fly, and favor pragmatism over nostalgia.