Everyone is familiar with the term Job Description. It is that document which spells out the details of the tasks to be performed, the skills to perform those tasks and a variety of other elements to frame the job for the person filling the position. A challenge with a job description is that many that I read fall short in terms of defining for the person in the role exactly how their participation contributes to the organization. It is like the job description builds a box around the person and holds them to the confines of the box rather than inviting them into contributing to the organization’s future.
To start with, the framework of job descriptions in some organizations are left over from days gone by. The emergence of the industrial age played a role in compartmentalizing each and every part of a business operation. This allowed for the hiring of individuals and boxing them into a given set of job duties which were performed on a recurring or routine basis. The total value of the job was in the output of that particular jobs’ scope.
The widget or service performed was measured within the confines of the jobs “Boxed” deliverables. It was too often assumed that the person completing the duties of the job understood how it fit into the bigger operations of the business. Over time this compartmentalizing took deep root and festered into a common phrase of “that is not my job.”
We are no longer in the industrial age. Our business world has moved to a far more enlightened people perspective. This movement started years ago when line workers were empowered to stop production when a quality concern or defect was identified. At first this allocation of power and authority to “job” workers was unheard of. The mindset was that only managers had such capabilities. This is so outdated but was significantly rooted in business operations that it is still being gradually dissolved in the marketplace.
Part of the evolution of successful outcomes start with how we see the various roles in our organizations. Just the wording of that statement is different than calling them jobs. People participate and contribute to roles in organizations not just fill jobs. People today want and need to be part of something which they directly feel they are contributing to.
In order for the people in your business to get their energy from the role they are in they MUST understand how it directly contributes to the direction, the purpose, the vision of the organization. Thus, the migration away from JOB Descriptions to ROLE Contributions.
This week, take a look at the framework of your organization. Do you have Job Descriptions or Role Contributions? Does your team understand how their participation directly contributes to the vison and direction of the organization to achieve its next level of success?
Looking to bring your business out of the industrial age and into the enlighten people age? Give JKL Associates a call at either our Florida office (407) 984-7246 or Michigan office at (313) 527-7945