Do you know how to get from point A to point B? Without a guide, signposts or a clear set of directions, even the most motivated hikers in the world will be challenged and conflicted. To reach your organizational goals or future destinations, a clear set of Original Postages/organizational-values.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-uipath_custom_id_23_4_59_15687="509">values serve as a road map, guiding supply chain’s people and teams on where to go, how to work together and respond to change.
However, sometimes the stated values of our organization oppose the values that are carried out. Values may not always reflect the way things are being done. “How” we do work — our policies, principles or practices. When conflicting values or directions exist, lack of certainty in what the organization values makes navigating change difficult for employees to understand and support. And it makes it even more challenging for chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) and other leaders to communicate and implement effectively.
Supply chains resist change in direction because employees don’t know what to value, who to trust, how to engage or behave. What’s right, wrong or expected of them and why becomes disconnected and unclear. Significant change and macro shifts in the business operating environment can challenge, and inspire, organizations to rethink, reshape and rework their values; “what” work they prioritize, as well as “who,” “how,” “where” and “when” they execute work.
For years, supply chain organizations have been clear on values like efficiency, agility, creativity and innovative ways of working to reach their strategic goals. These widely accepted values of organizations became a part of their culture and identity, enabling leading supply chains and their leaders to build adaptive, resilient and high-performing teams. Supply chain professionals use their values to guide their behaviors, work and response during times of change and disruption.
Since the outset of the pandemic (and in many cases even before) supply chains demonstrated their adaptability to remote and hybrid working models to remain resilient. After nearly three years of adjusting to agile, innovative and collaborative ways of working, remote and hybrid work have proven possible and are the default preference for many workers.
Now, organizations around the world are pivoting on their values by reverting to pre-pandemic work design policies that mandate full return-to-office or shifts to their hybrid work models. Supply chain professionals and their teams who have successfully adapted to remote work, more flexibility and autonomy are required to scale back and follow suit.
With workforce challenges already top of mind for supply chains, including low engagement, unwanted voluntary turnover and scarcity of talent, new and revised work design policies are difficult changes for CSCOs and other leaders to navigate. This begs the question, how do you go back on your organizational values without losing trust, further disengaging employees or pushing them away?
Of work design shifts that have already taken place, Gartner’s 2022 Future of Work Reinvented: Implementation to Drive Talent and Business Outcomes survey showed organizations that mandate back to the office (compared to those with a purposeful return-to-office approach) see poorer results in levels of fatigue, performance and intent to stay. CSCOs and supply chain leaders must take a purposeful approach to communicating and managing changes in work design that reinforce organizational values, build trust, combat resistance and retain your workforce.
Communicate A Clearly Defined Purpose for Remote, Hybrid and On-Site Work
Open, honest and transparent communication from supply chain leaders drives trust, as well as positive performance and talent outcomes. Gartner’s 2021 Executive Leader Communications Strategy survey analysis revealed that an executive communications approach focused on executive sensemaking had the largest impact on improving organizational trust compared to other message (e.g., tone, readability, length) and leader characteristics (e.g., seniority).
Clarify the “why” and strategic imperative for change, as well as what the organization values now. Provide a clear rationale and valid purpose to help employees make sense of the change. Contextualize what this change means for your team and direct reports. And be clear about what is changing and what will remain the same.
Establish (and Model) New Hybrid Work Norms for The Supply Chain
Norms influence daily habits and shape broader employee behaviors. Establishing clear expectations and working norms provides greater transparency and certainty about the ways of working. This helps employees spend less time figuring out what is valued and how to behave.
Establish specific norms and working principles to guide work design, flexible working patterns and employee adoption of change. Improve schedule visibility and share work preferences (within your team and across the supply chain) to boost transparency and keep employees informed with relatively little effort. Determine the critical moments (meetings, communications, etc.) for people to come together in-person or virtually.
Provide Compelling Incentives for Employees to Work On-Site
Gartner research shows the top three reasons why employees use the office are to build relationships, collaborate and to bring a change to their routine. To provide compelling incentives that encourage employees to commute and commit to working on-site, start by asking employees outright through surveys, one-on-one interactions and focus groups why they value working on-site.
Build (or rebuild) experience-based and immersive destinations that draw employees back to your facilities with team building, learning and development opportunities, and celebrations. Stack moments that matter most to your workforce, uphold and demonstrate your organizational values.
Most importantly, stay true to your values. Remain agile and resilient by experimenting, testing and piloting work-design solutions. Together, determine how to get from point A to point B and back, if needed. For more insight on how to communicate and manage change, Gartner clients will have access to relevant research.
Danielle Torgerson
Principal Analyst
Gartner Supply Chain
[email protected]
How to Manage Return-to-Office or Revised Hybrid Work Mandates