Twenty years ago I would have been laughed out of the room for suggesting that organisations needed their staff to be ‘good citizens’. But now this kind of language is commonplace for describing the kind of behaviour expected from employees. In fact, many competency frameworks (the touchstone for most recruitment and development professionals) include ‘citizenship’ as a discrete competency with a detailed set of underlying behavioural indicators. And in reality you only have to look at the dedication of the BA staff who worked over the weekend at Heathrow Terminal 5, some of them voluntarily, to see how citizenship can add value (see post from 31st March).
So what is so important about citizenship? One of the key developments that is influencing organisational life and culture at the moment is the rise of positive psychology. This movement emphasises the benefits associated with taking a positive psychological approach to work and to life in general. For example, the principles can be applied to how failure is interpreted in order to ensure that it is ultimately a positive experience as opposed to a debilitating one. Good organisational citizens are positive, energetic, engaged, committed and resilient – these are some of the qualities that result from adopting a positive psychological approach.
The importance of citizenship at work has also been influenced by wider societal developments as well. The ‘respect’ agenda which tries to encourage respectful attitudes and good behaviour in the young has now made its way into mainstream language. Businesses, in this sense, are microcosms of society and therefore, the better the citizens the better and more productive the community.
Of course, it’s usually easier to manage behaviour in organisations than it is in society at large. A business is a more discrete entity and there is always more of a shared vision among the workforce based on the purpose of the enterprise. Having said that, just like governments, much depends on the ability of the top team to impart a credible and attractive vision to the members of a business community.
High quality leadership and honest communication are critical for encouraging good citizenship and a leader’s first responsibility is to create the conditions in which the right behaviours can flourish. Their second is to model these behaviours every day - if leaders are seen demonstrating contradictory behaviours - like a politician being caught committing fraud - the whole system is undermined.
So, do you think your business is filled with good citizens? If so what does this look and feel like? If not, what’s preventing this kind of behaviour? And what’s the result? I’d love to hear your experiences.
Posted by Cary Cooper
