It won’t make any difference anyway!
Posted: 31 March 2015 at 2:51 pm | Author: Laura Morris
Definitely not with that attitude! This belief is unfortunately heard far too often within the corporate environment. Too many employees can have the attitude that their opinion isn’t significant as no matter what it will never get heard, and more importantly it will never get impacted upon.
Learned Helplessness was originally identified within the 1960’s and demonstrates the belief that our own behaviour does not impact upon results and therefore the individual no longer even attempts to make the effort. This belief can be devastating for a business and massively reduce productivity.
As a manager there are several things that you can do in order to stop Learned Helplessness developing within the workplace.
Demonstrate
By providing current and real examples of when a particular action has resulted in a tangible impact this encourages staff to continue with their efforts such as putting forward suggestions for improvements.
Be Honest
Always provide honest feedback to your team – whether it is positive or constructive criticism. It is important for your employees to understand what their role was within the result that was gained. It is a common mistake for managers to also blame external circumstances which allows team members to underestimate their role.
Teach Ownership
Instil a company culture whereby each employee learns to be able to account for their decisions made. When talking about their role within a project for example their sentences should frequently begin with I did or I chose to do.
It is important not to let Learned Helplessness manifest within a company as it is only once an individual has learnt to identify what their own contribution has been and what the outcome of this has been can they learn to amend their way to improve their future input and ultimately, improve your business.
Want to know more about managing your team effectively? Check out CAW Business ILM accredited Leadership and Management Courses or call 01480 422060 for more information.