Data Driven Culture - Leadership and Growing People

Company Culture and Employee Engagement aren't just popular buzzwords - really understanding what makes your teams tick can lead to a significant difference in company performance, profitability, customer satisfaction. At Agile Australia in 2016 I presented a Culture Manifesto derived from data from over 100,000 survey responses from engagement and exit surveys at more than 150 companies, many of them in the New Tech space, and explained why factors such as effective company leadership, and learning and development, can have a real impact on improving engagement and reducing turnover.

In this talk I will dig in to the topics of leadership and growing people, with updated insights from more recent data, and explain some of the differences we see in groups such as engineering teams, and at different stages of company growth. I will present stories from our own company and other case studies, where people have taken action and the differences we see.
You will appreciate the importance of effective leadership and developing people and how it contributes to engagement; gain insights into the drivers of engagement and turnover; and also hear about the things that we expect would make a difference, but the data proves us wrong!

Presented at YOW CTO Summit Melbourne, 2017

Transcript

1. Data Driven Culture Leadership & Growing People @jocranford people geek A people person typically found in people operations, recruitment or leadership who gets excited about how data and insights can drive a better world to work in.
2. How do you move the world?
3. Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world. Archimedes
4. Having enough resources over flexible working arrangements Effective overall company leadership over effective direct managers Rewarding desirable behaviour over clear role definitions Aligned daily actions and decisions over total transparency Growing people over enjoyable physical workplaces Culture Manifesto
5. Having enough resources over flexible working arrangements Effective overall company leadership over effective direct managers Rewarding desirable behaviour over clear role definitions Aligned daily actions and decisions over total transparency Growing people over enjoyable physical workplaces Culture Manifesto
6. Having enough resources over flexible working arrangements Effective overall company leadership over effective direct managers Rewarding desirable behaviour over clear role definitions Aligned daily actions and decisions over total transparency Growing people over enjoyable physical workplaces Culture Manifesto
7. Surveys designed & analysed by psychologists and data scientists Over 120k responses Global data About Culture Amp data
8. Measuring Engagement Pride: I am proud to work for my company Recommend: I would recommend my company as a great place to work Motivation: My company motivates me to go beyond what I would in a similar role elsewhere Future commitment: I see myself still working at my company in two years' time Present commitment: I rarely think about looking for a job at another company
9. Effective overall company leadership over Effective direct managers
10. I have confidence in the leaders at my company The leaders at my company demonstrate that people are important to the company's success The leaders at my company have communicated a vision that motivates me The leaders at my company keep people informed about what is happening 64% 67% 70% 73% 69% 70% 74% 77% NEW TECH OTHER COMPANIES Leadership Scores
11. The leaders at my company demonstrate that people are important to the company's success The leaders at my company have communicated a vision that motivates me 70% 74% 84% 88% MOST ENGAGED (TOP 10%) NEW TECH The Most Engaged Companies +14 +14
12. People in companies with less than 200 employees are 15% more likely to have confidence in the leadership, and 10% more likely to say that leaders demonstrate that people are important to the company’s success
13. People in High Growth companies are 31% more likely to have confidence in their leaders, and 40% more likely to say that the leaders demonstrate people are important to the company’s success, than people in large, enterprise sized companies.
14. Create a Book of Signs to help employees live the company values.
15. Create a channel where leaders are present and available to answer questions.
18. What Drives Engagement for Engineers? The leaders at my company have communicated a vision that motivates me I have confidence in the leaders at my company 1 2
19. What Drives Engagement for other groups? Marketing: 
 My company is in a position to really succeed over the next three years Support:
 Day-to-day decisions demonstrate that quality and improvement are top priorities
20. Question Engineering Sales Support Marketing The leaders at my company have communicated a vision that motivates me 73 81 77 73 I have confidence in the leaders at my company 79 78 80 72 The leaders at my company demonstrate that people are important to the company's success 78 69 75 71 The leaders at my company keep people informed about what is happening 73 71 77 72
21. Question Engineering Sales Support Marketing The leaders at my company have communicated a vision that motivates me 73 81 77 73 I have confidence in the leaders at my company 79 78 80 72 The leaders at my company demonstrate that people are important to the company's success 78 69 75 71 The leaders at my company keep people informed about what is happening 73 71 77 72
22. Host an employee conference to facilitate sharing across offices.
23. Female employees are 8% less likely to agree that they have confidence in the leaders, and 11% less likely to think that leaders demonstrate that people are important to the company’s success
24. I have confidence in the leaders at my company The leaders at my company demonstrate that people are important to the company's success The leaders at my company have communicated a vision that motivates me The leaders at my company keep people informed about what is happening 48% 49% 64% 48% 63% 58% 71% 65% Leaders demonstrate that people are important to the company’s success STAYED EXITED +17 +7 +9 +15
25. Effective overall company leadership over Effective direct managers
26. What about Managers? 31 My manager genuinely cares about my wellbeing 24 My manager is a great role model for employees 45 My manager keeps me informed about what is happening 48 My manager gives me useful feedback on how well I am performing
27. Summary Leadership is strongly linked to Engagement Smaller companies score higher on confidence in leaders, and leaders demonstrating that people are important The two top drivers for Engineers are whether leaders have communicated a motivating vision, and having confidence in leaders Scores on leadership questions are generally lower from female employees
28. Ideas to try Book of Signs to connect new employees to the company values and leaders Internal communication channel connecting employees and leaders Cross company conference or alignment sessions
29. Growing people over Enjoyable physical workplaces
30. Drivers of Engagement for Engineers 2 I have confidence in the leaders at my company 1 The leaders at my company have communicated a vision that motivates me
31. Drivers of Engagement for Engineers 2 I have confidence in the leaders at my company 1 The leaders at my company have communicated a vision that motivates me 3 My company is a great company for me to make a contribution to my development 4 I believe there are good career opportunities for me at my company
32. I believe there are good career opportunities for me at my company My company is a great company for me to make a contribution to my development 74% 60% 78% 63% NEW TECH NON NEW TECH Growth & Development Scores
33. I believe there are good career opportunities for me at my company. My company is a great company for me to make a contribution to my development 75% 60% 80% 66% MALE FEMALE +6 +5 The Gender Gap
34. People who left were 38% more likely to feel that there was not a career opportunity for them at the company.
35. Share opportunities for development within your organisation.
36. People whose job contributes to their development are 21% more likely to stay.
37. Support learning by providing stretch roles.
38. People who stayed were 24% more likely to say they had access to the learning and development they needed.
39. Enable lifelong learning by providing personal coaching.
40. Summary The third and fourth highest drivers for Engagement for Engineers are related to learning and development Scores on learning and development questions from female employees are generally lower Learning and development is strongly linked to retention
41. Ideas to try Stretch Roles Internal Jobs Board Clearly defined internal transfer process Personal coaching
43. Thank You! @jocranford