Comments on: Employee Enagement: Are You Being Served? Are You Serving? http://www.davidzinger.com/employee-enagement-are-you-being-served-are-you-serving-1817/ The best in employee engagement... Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:03:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: David Zinger http://www.davidzinger.com/employee-enagement-are-you-being-served-are-you-serving-1817/comment-page-1/#comment-2152 David Zinger Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:04:13 +0000 http://www.davidzinger.com/?p=1817#comment-2152 Dan, Thanks for the equal support. I appreciate your points so much. It makes me rethink a term I quite liked but had not looked at in the light you shone upon it. I feel more comfortable with equality and collaboration. Your comments were most helpful. David Dan,
Thanks for the equal support. I appreciate your points so much. It makes me rethink a term I quite liked but had not looked at in the light you shone upon it. I feel more comfortable with equality and collaboration. Your comments were most helpful.
David

]]> By: Dan Erwin http://www.davidzinger.com/employee-enagement-are-you-being-served-are-you-serving-1817/comment-page-1/#comment-2151 Dan Erwin Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:45:27 +0000 http://www.davidzinger.com/?p=1817#comment-2151 "Service" is often great language. On other occasions--as a number of my technology clients claim--calling themselves service providers to internal clients is quite a negative experience--and that's putting it mild. So, they've switched all the internal vendor, service language to "support" language. It works differently. They found that support language results in being treated more respectfully, and also making it possible for them to make more valuable contributions. Then too, "service" language is out of the religious metaphor tradition--just as "mission"--that term organizations use when talking strategy. I must confess that with my religious background, I consider service--at least on occasion--to be a smarmy, ingratiating relationship of unequals. That doesn't work for my business which is focused on collaboration. I've learned--context determines all, including the language that is most useful. “Service” is often great language. On other occasions–as a number of my technology clients claim–calling themselves service providers to internal clients is quite a negative experience–and that’s putting it mild.

So, they’ve switched all the internal vendor, service language to “support” language. It works differently. They found that support language results in being treated more respectfully, and also making it possible for them to make more valuable contributions.

Then too, “service” language is out of the religious metaphor tradition–just as “mission”–that term organizations use when talking strategy. I must confess that with my religious background, I consider service–at least on occasion–to be a smarmy, ingratiating relationship of unequals. That doesn’t work for my business which is focused on collaboration.

I’ve learned–context determines all, including the language that is most useful.

]]> By: David Zinger http://www.davidzinger.com/employee-enagement-are-you-being-served-are-you-serving-1817/comment-page-1/#comment-2150 David Zinger Wed, 28 Jan 2009 12:40:52 +0000 http://www.davidzinger.com/?p=1817#comment-2150 J. D. I was reading the comment and thought this is thoughtful and helpful. Then I looked and saw your name and said of course. You are a very gifted writer and I expect lots of good things from you in the years to come. David J. D.
I was reading the comment and thought this is thoughtful and helpful. Then I looked and saw your name and said of course. You are a very gifted writer and I expect lots of good things from you in the years to come.
David

]]> By: J.D. Meier http://www.davidzinger.com/employee-enagement-are-you-being-served-are-you-serving-1817/comment-page-1/#comment-2149 J.D. Meier Wed, 28 Jan 2009 07:10:06 +0000 http://www.davidzinger.com/?p=1817#comment-2149 I think trust is important and related to service. There's two flavors of trust. One is about trusting that somebody will behave a certain way. The other is about vulnerability-based trust. I'm a fan of vulnerability-based trust. It's a culture where people have your back and it's OK to make mistakes. It's a learning organization with smart risks. Asking the question, "who's got your back?" says a lot about your culture. It takes away anxiety. If you're among a bunch of people, but everybody is on their own without support or without service, it's a lot of wasted energy, worrying about the wrong things. When people feel safe, they stretch, grow, and go from surviving to thriving. I think trust is important and related to service.

There’s two flavors of trust. One is about trusting that somebody will behave a certain way. The other is about vulnerability-based trust.

I’m a fan of vulnerability-based trust. It’s a culture where people have your back and it’s OK to make mistakes. It’s a learning organization with smart risks.

Asking the question, “who’s got your back?” says a lot about your culture. It takes away anxiety. If you’re among a bunch of people, but everybody is on their own without support or without service, it’s a lot of wasted energy, worrying about the wrong things. When people feel safe, they stretch, grow, and go from surviving to thriving.

]]> By: The Only Harvard Business Review Article You Need to Read — Authentic Organizations http://www.davidzinger.com/employee-enagement-are-you-being-served-are-you-serving-1817/comment-page-1/#comment-2148 The Only Harvard Business Review Article You Need to Read — Authentic Organizations Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:40:23 +0000 http://www.davidzinger.com/?p=1817#comment-2148 [...] sustainability , complexity , innovation, social networking , organizational democracy , employee engagement , social responsibility, non-profit for-purpose business, reinventing management education , [...] [...] sustainability , complexity , innovation, social networking , organizational democracy , employee engagement , social responsibility, non-profit for-purpose business, reinventing management education , [...]

]]>