Make it clear
Once the decision has been made and the direction is set, the nextstep is communicating that message down through the levels of theorganization. Hauser has several ways to ensure the message makesit intact to everyone in the organization.
First, Hauser expects and demands his management team membersmake the same effort he does when it comes to meeting with theirdirect reports.
“I always tell them that if I’m going to take two hours a week to meetwith them, I would expect them to take time each week to meet withtheir staff,” he says.
That communication is vital to creating a totally transparentorganization. Hauser says every company should operate in aglasshouse.
“The worst thing you can do within an organization is have the staffthinking or guessing about what you’re doing,” he says.
To show his commitment to keeping employees in the loop, Hauserhas consistently made one question a staple of his staff meetings sinceSummaCare started: “So, what’s the rumor of the week?”
He usually gets a few confused looks from the newer employees,but he has been able to smash plenty of rumors and clarify any misconceptions about recent company decisions or future plans.
“The reality is rumors are fun and exciting; facts and truth are boring,” Hauser says. “But nothing destroys an organization quicker thanrumors.”
To combat the rumors that can spread like wildfire throughout anorganization, Hauser works tirelessly with his staff to ensure information is accurately relayed down the corporate ladder.
“The best way to destroy rumors within an organization is to betotally transparent and honest and candid with the staff,” he says. “Assoon as we know something, as the senior management team, weexpect it to be articulated down to the staff.”
Another way Hauser ensures the company’s message reaches everyemployee is the “management minute,” a taped message that isrecorded and e-mailed to the entire work force. If there is a change incompany policy or a news item that can be condensed into a quick-hitting, one-minute recording, it can be sent out as a managementminute.
Then when each employee signs onto his or her computer inthe morning, a message pops up informing all employees thatthey have a new message and they should listen to it.
Another way to transmit the company’s message to your staff is simply to give it to them on their first day.
Whenever SummaCare has a few new hires, the company setsup a half-day orientation program for them. During the orientation, Hauser uses symbolism to illustrate how the managementstyle at SummaCare differs from a traditional organizationalstructure.
To do this, he draws a pyramid and points out that in a typicalorganization,
t
he boss is at the peak and the layers of management filter down to the bottom of the pyramid, where the lowest-level staff members are situated.
“Visually, that makes you think that those people are not very important,” Hauser says.
Then, he tells the new hires that at SummaCare, they take that pyramid and flip it upside down so the boss is at the bottom of the organization. The upside-down pyramid is designed to show how the company values its employees who are in contact with the customersevery day, but being at the bottom doesn’t devalue Hauser’s job.
“You’re still at that one single point, but my role then changesto become a balancer to keep the organization in balance,” hesays. “The reason for that is we want the people who are actually doing the work to recognize they’re the most important peoplein the organization.”
