Paine's Chapter 10

In any company or organization, there are a few vital elements necessary to be successful. One of those elements would be employees. They help run the business in ways you would be unable to on your own. Building a relationship with them is important. If they are unhappy, it will show in their work and damage the business. Chapter 10 of Paine’s book gives a detailed description of how to measure what your employees think.

Paine’s list of steps to measure what the employees think are:

• ·         Understand the environment and where they really get information
• ·         Agree on clear, measurable goals
• ·         Select a benchmark to compare to
• ·         Define the criteria of success
• ·         Select your measurement tools and collect data
• ·         Analyze and take action

While at first glance, these steps may appear effortless, there are crucial things to consider when approaching each step. Paine writes that when understanding the environment, you should consider how messages are getting through to employees and what they are. You must also take into account the channels or vehicles employees trust, as well what’s important to them. Without considering these things, an employer will not be able to best handle the measurement of their employers and lack valuable information.

Agreeing on goals may seem like a task anyone can do but is a key component to the employee’s success. The best to do this is through clear communication and understanding from both ends. If both parties lack a consistent goal, the measurement may not be able to be gathered.

In order to measure what you want, you must first understand the proper ways in which you can measure. Some tools to consider using are message analysis tools, outcome measurement tools and surveys. Focus groups, performance ratings and phone surveys are three great tools to consider using when collecting data and information.

By following these steps, an employer will be able to clearly measure what their employees think and feel. Understanding all aspects of the steps will allow for a better representation of data.