Mushroom picking and the need for monitoring and evaluation (a guest post by Nigel Scott)

How and what we monitor and evaluate at work is important.  We are often so caught up in “doing stuff” that we lose track of our focus on the bigger strategy picture.  But being able to demonstrate progress gives us a sense of achievement, helps us learn and improve, and also supports us raising funds to move forward and do more.

In this blog we reflect on where we are going and why, what the point is of tracking progress , discuss methods of monitoring and evaluating, and what this might mean for you.

Many years ago I was up in the North Western Highlands of Scotland on holiday and decided to head into the forest with a friend to collect mushrooms for supper.  We kitted up with a couple of bags, some lunch, waterproofs (of course!)  and wellies.  Not far inside the forest we found our first chanterelles.  Immediately your eye is drawn to the forest floor, you search for mushrooms, and as you pick the ones you find others appear out of the corner of your eye.  You slowly move towards each new find, moving left and right across the forest floor, pick a few and move on to the next collection.  

After a good half hour we stopped to compare our harvests.  And it was at that point we realised we had no idea where we were.  Deep in the forest it was impossible to tell where we had come from, nor could we get a fix on where North was.  We were lost.  All that time with our noses and eyes focused at ground level on the job at hand had led us astray.

Where are we actually going and why?

It was this story that came to mind recently whilst in conversation about how we get lost in day to day activities.  As organisations we tend to set our strategy, break this down into a series of actions, gather our resources and get to work on the actions.  Sounds similar to mushroom picking right?  But other than completing the action (getting a bag full of mushrooms), we tend not to:

• Reflect on the process we have been through

• Identify what worked and did not

• Acknowledge what might do it better next time and how

• Recognise the difference we have made (or not)

So you could say we don’t really know where we are (like stopping in the forest after picking mushrooms) and experience disorientation as a result.  Yes we know that we have completed a bit of the strategy (we have the mushrooms collected for supper), but we haven’t linked  the actions we have taken back to the strategy (how do we get home to cook supper), nor do we identify how what we have done has improved us as an organisation. 

At a personal level, introspection, self reflection and contemplation are all activities we tend not to give enough time for as we are busily pulled in many directions. Yet this concept of deliberately slowing down and reflecting on what has happened, how it went and what we have got from it, is not a new concept.  Some researchers make links to it as far back as the early Buddhist teachings.  More recently it has been used in university teaching (and study) for many years in the form of “reflective practice” - the ability to reflect on one's actions so as to engage in a process of continuous learning , improvement and development.  It is also found in coaching and mentoring, in the health professions and a growing number of professional bodies include reflective learning within their continuous Professional Development frameworks.

Monitoring and evaluation is, if you will, the use of reflective practices in an organisational sense and context.  And one of the reasons we tend to shy away from it is that it can be made overly complex.  Wikipedia’s definition is certainly enough to put most people off!  But, recognising that our imperfect world of management and business strategy is as much subjective as it is objective, art as much as science, it is possible to set suitable criteria to assist in evaluating projects, tasks, training, strategic plans and so on. 

Why track progress in the first place?

There are a number of reasons for us to monitor and evaluate, including:

• Checking money has been spent wisely - both effectively and sustainably

• Providing proof of achievement (and highlighting success) to the board and funders

• Clarifying changes expected as a result of a project 

• Confirming readiness to move to a next stage

• Identifying learnings for general sharing

• Exposing issues affecting organisation success

• Directing specific organisation focus and effort

Monitoring and evaluation is also an implicit part of becoming a “Learning Organisation” .  However, it is worth noting that there is no value in simply collecting data for the sake of it.  Be clear why you are tracking what you are tracking and establish the purpose and benefit for using the information gained.  Know at the outset how (and why) the evaluation data will be used by the organisation.

Methods of evaluation

The methods you use to evaluate are highly dependent on what you want to evaluate and to what purpose.  Any method that gives you the information you are looking for is suitable.  These may include:

• Financial measurements

• Measurements against objectives set at the outset

• Other measurements, ratios, statistics

• Interviews with staff, clients, suppliers

• Questionnaires

• Observations

• Action plans

Some organisations use a balanced scorecard approach to capture information which evaluates the overall performance of the organisation on a monthly basis, this brings together the key measures as determined by the organisation in four perspectives:

              Financial – Customer - Internal Processes -  Innovation and learning

But there are shortcoming to this approach as it tends to rely on statistics, removing the human input from staff, customers and suppliers.  This eliminates observation, subjective comment and views – all of which can provide much needed feedback to confirm effectiveness or otherwise. 

Choice of data 

If you choose to rely on statistics alone then the choice of which statistics and how they are collated can have a fundamental effect (bias) on the accuracy of your data.  For all of the data you choose consider ease of access, relevance, how the data is collected, who is collecting it, what questions are being asked, validity, what is best collected quantitatively or qualitatively, how you wish it to be presented, and frequency of collection. For monitoring and evaluation to be maintained, above all else ensure that you select an approach which is simple to put into practice, easy to understanood, and able to give clear information.

What this might mean for you

It’s fun to collect mushrooms, it might not matter if you lose a few hours in the forest and you’ll probably end up with a tasty snack. But is that enough? If you have an organisational strategy, don’t you want to know how well you’re achieving it (and possibly your funders too). Do you want to know what it is you do that makes the biggest, most effective, most value for money (not just cheapest) difference? Don’t you want to be able to say how great your work is, what it costs and why someone should support/fund it? 

If you do, and you’re feeling a little lost despite your appealing bag of mushrooms, then fear not, we can probably help. Reach out and see if we can help you Build Back Better (and avoid the Deadly Nightshade on the way).

Managing remote workers to everyone’s benefit - productivity, wellbeing, results (a guest post by Nigel Scott)

The statistics tell us that up to 60% of workers are currently working from home [1] as we continue to to overcome Coronavirus.  What was previously considered a luxury for the few has become a necessity for the many.  A recent Gallup study [2] indicated that 35 percent of employees want to work only remotely from now on. And 68 percent of organizations will "probably or definitely" adopt work-from-home flexibility for all workers. It seems likely that working from home (WFH) is going to grow in the future.

But here’s the rub, we currently have a predominantly office based culture of management that subtly blends a combination of presenteeism, regular oversight from a manager who is satisfied if s/he “sees” busyness around the office, many meetings, unannounced drop in discussions, and pressures to work harder and longer . Granted, It’s not like this for everyone but you get the picture!  And how can that kind of management behaviour even begin to work across the ether to a home worker?  More to the point, should it?  There must be a better way.

Anecdotal evidence from our colleagues indicates that many managers are struggling to cope with managing and supporting staff WFH. Tales are told of frequent phone calls to check on progress, persistent multi-channel messaging, unreasonable expectations of outputs, and insistence on minutely detailed time recording against projects, and yes - of course – many zoom call meetings!

And for employees, working from home is not an easy opt-out from the office.  There are all sorts of distractions from finding a space to work at, children and pets, to the incursion of daily home duties. And then there are the personal mental challenges around feeling valued, wanting to do a good job, fear of failure, loneliness from work colleagues and so on.

How do we manage better online?

So what are the tools and behaviours that an ‘online’ manager needs to create and maintain productive and content employees?

Start with work structure (work process and work rhythm).  This is about setting the ground rules clearly, shifting focus from inputs to outputs, and creating a working rhythm that suits both the employee and the manager.  In essence creating a clarity of purpose and expectation with each employee, so they can contribute fully in the context of the circumstances that they are working in.

The work process needs:

• Specific task and behaviour objectives, defined in terms of outputs, to be accomplished during an agreed cycle
• An agreed process to measure objectives
• Work prioritisation agreed by identifying those results that are most crucial and those that can be delayed.  Attaching milestones or deadlines helps focus on what is important.
• Clarifying how individual objectives support group work goals
• Online access to all of the necessary resources

The work rhythm needs us to [3]:

Establish “rules of engagement” at the outset: Remote work becomes more efficient and satisfying when managers set expectations for the frequency, means, and ideal timing of communication for their teams. For example, “We use videoconferencing for daily check-in meetings, but we use IM when something is urgent.” Also, if you can, let your employees know the best way and time to reach you during the workday (e.g., “I tend to be more available late in the day for ad hoc phone or video conversations, but if there’s an emergency earlier in the day, send me a text.”) Finally, keep an eye on communication among team members, to ensure that they are sharing information as needed.

Agree different communication options.  Email alone is insufficient. Remote workers benefit from having a “richer” technology, such as video conferencing, that gives participants many of the visual cues that they would have if they were face-to-face. Video conferencing has many advantages, especially for smaller groups: Visual cues allow for increased “mutual knowledge” about coworkers and also help reduce the sense of isolation among teams. Video is also particularly useful for complex or sensitive conversations, as it feels more personal than written or audio-only communication. 

There are other circumstances when quick collaboration is more important than visual detail. For these situations, provide mobile-enabled individual messaging functionality (like Slack, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, etc.) which can be used for simpler, less formal conversations, as well as time-sensitive communication.

Provide opportunities for remote social interaction: One of the most essential steps a manager can take is to structure ways for employees to interact socially (that is, have informal conversations about non-work topics) while working remotely.

The easiest way to establish some basic social interaction is to leave some time at the beginning of team calls just for non-work items (e.g., “We’re going to spend the first few minutes just catching up with each other. How was your weekend?”). Other options include virtual pizza parties (in which pizza is delivered to all team members at the time of a videoconference), or virtual office parties (in which party “care packages” can be sent in advance to be opened and enjoyed simultaneously). While these types of events may sound artificial or forced, experienced managers of remote workers (and the workers themselves) report that virtual events help reduce feelings of isolation, promoting a sense of belonging.

Offer encouragement and emotional support: (apply the principles of EI), Especially in the context of an abrupt shift to remote work, it is important for managers to acknowledge stress, listen to employees’ anxieties and concerns, and empathize with their struggles. If a newly remote employee is clearly struggling but not communicating stress or anxiety, ask them how they’re doing. Even a general question such as “How is this remote work situation working out for you so far?” can elicit important information that you might not otherwise hear. Once you ask the question, be sure to listen carefully to the response, and briefly restate it back to the employee, to ensure that you understood correctly. Let the employee’s stress or concerns (rather than your own) be the focus of this conversation.

What is EI or EQ?  It was in 1995 when Daniel Goleman, a psychologist, wrote “Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ” [4].  He and his team identified that the behaviours of introspection, self awareness, understanding, empathy, sharing emotions and being open to criticism were synonymous with “good management”.  These behaviours help considerably when managing at a distance, because not having direct contact makes trying to “read” an employee much more difficult.

Studies show that there are significant links between high EI and more successful interpersonal relations. people who exhibit higher levels of EI also show a greater level of empathy and cooperation with others, which builds closer and more satisfying relationships as well as greater social skills in general [5].  Goleman described managers with a low EI as capable of becoming destructive to their employees and the organization. This type of low EI can result in management not being trusted, poor understanding and a limited ability to motivate employees.  This hinders good work performance.

Here are some tips to increase your own emotional intelligence and that of your team [6]:

1. Identify your strengths and weaknesses by asking for feedback and observing other people’s reaction to your behaviour. Instead of blaming them for their reaction, ask yourself what could you have done differently.
2. Get a mentor or a coach that will offer you honest feedback and challenge your behaviour.
3. Pay attention to when you feel negative emotions. They are usually a sign. If you are frustrated, ask yourself why. If you have explained the same thing three times and people still don’t understand what you mean, take responsibility. Doing the same thing and expecting different results is Einstein’s definition of insanity. Explain it differently. Don’t change the outcome, change the methodology.
4. Observe your team closely, notice their mindset and emotional state. Address any issues in a constructive manner.
5. Be empathetic and try to understand how others feel. You may not feel the same way as they do but you may have experienced the same emotion for a different reason. Use this experience to show empathy.
6. Have the courage to be wrong. Admitting mistakes and learning from them shows character and integrity.
7. Encourage open communication by listening and being curious about what is being suggested. People in the workplace can often be defensive and showing you are interested in them can open up better communication.
8. Take the time to acknowledge and thank your team for their effort, and celebrate success.

How to make it work for you and your team

Managing (and leading) at a distance is likely to become more commonplace over the coming months and years.  It does require a different management approach, principally from control to support, which is much enhanced by ensuring the ground rules of communication and work processes are agreed, understood and practiced.  Developing a stronger EI strengthens the awareness and bond between manager and staff, enhancing support which results in better work outcomes and more content staff. 

If you are struggling with any of these issues, or seek support to improve on any of then contact us for a confidential discussion to find how we can help you.

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[1] https://www.finder.com/uk/working-from-home-statistics

[2] https://www.mis-solutions.com/2020/07/should-your-employees-continue-to-work-from-home/

[3] Adapted from https://hbr.org/2020/03/a-guide-to-managing-your-newly-remote-workers

[4] Daniel Goleman “Emotional Intelligence – why it can matter more than IQ” 1995

[5] https://positivepsychology.com/importance-of-emotional-intelligence/

[6] https://www.theguardian.com/careers/2015/aug/20/emotional-intelligence-why-managers-should-show-a-softer-side