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Take a look around your workplace and try
to find the following items:
- A statement of business objectives.
I think it's in that pile by the copy machine.
- A schedule of divisional goals. Everyone
got that e-mail last year.
- Clear performance standards. They're
in the employee handbook.
- Team workflow documents. On the bulletin
board, sticking out from under the first aid sign.
- Regular communication and motivation
from management to employees. We have the quarterly
meeting, and we send out memos.
Stop. Is the information your employees
need every day truly accessible? Just because it's "there"
doesn't mean it's present. When information is hard to find,
outdated, nebulous, or incomplete, the effect is profound.
If they can't see it, it's as good as nonexistent.
The fact is, the visual elements in a workplace
have a tremendous impact on education, morale, and productivity.
And it's not just about information access. A visually dynamic
workplace energizes employees, builds pride and ownership,
and conveys the strength and currency of the organization.
Design and graphics, art and color, sculpture and dimension
-- all have profound effects. Far from simply "prettying
up the office," your organization needs to create an
environment of visual stimuli that convey goals and expectations,
that engender a collaborative attitude, and most important,
that cannot be ignored.
This book represents a milestone in the
science of workplace design. Whereas there are countless
approaches for improving the "comfort factor"
of work environments through color, lighting, furniture,
and spatial flow, Seeing is Believing is the first
book to link visual elements directly to specific organizational
objectives and individual tasks.
The authors have created a step-by-step
plan for creating and implementing a Visual Management program
in any environment. You'll learn how to create a dynamic
VM system that:
- Replaces information overload with information
sharing and dramatically improved workflow
- Seamlessly incorporates clear information
exchange into an aesthetically pleasing and energizing
workplace that will make people want to come to work
- Resonates with workers of every generation,
whether they identify with Life magazine or MTV
- Enhances relationships not only among
employees, but also with customers, business partners,
investors, and the public
- Ensures uniform understanding of crucial
requirements and desired outcomes
Seeing is Believing features many
examples of how VM has improved performance in corporations,
government offices, schools, and other organizations. The
dozens of photographs and illustrations not only show the
theory in action, they also show the many different approaches
and alternatives you can consider in creating a VM program
that's perfect for your workplace.
Somewhere buried in the piles of paper and
the daily torrent of e-mail, your organization does have
great ideas, worthy goals, talented employees -- and a lost
of potential. Bring them all together with Visual Management.
Because seeing is believing.
Stewart Liff is recognized as a pioneer
in the use of Visual Management techniques and has received
many awards for his work on performance management. He is
a senior executive with the federal government. Mr. Liff
lives in Saugus, California.
Pamela A. Posey is a nationally recognized
authority on leadership, performance, and change management,
and is widely acknowledged for her seminal work on first-line
supervisors. An active consultant, award-winning speaker,
and former academic, her work is published in a variety
of business and academic journals. Dr. Posey divides her
time between the Seattle, Washington, and Burlington, Vermont,
areas.
Learn more about the authors and their
work in Visual Management at www.EyesOnPerformance.com.
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