Nurturing Human Needs

My musings in this electronic journal often reflect on the need for leaders to recognize the special connections we all have with one another and to pay particular attention to the way we treat employees and customers. Recently I came across some writings by David Cooperrider where he offers this theory about three universal human needs. While others have espoused these needs in different ways, Cooperrider believes that each person has the need to: (1) Have a voice and be heard; (2) Be viewed as essential to a group; and (3) Be seen as unique and exceptional. In many organizations the leaders will insist they encourage open dialogue and embrace different ideas and diversity of opinion, while the company’s culture does little to support or nurture these assertions.

There have been some high profile examples of organizations that paid a price because the need for employees to be heard and valued was usurped by a greater need for power, control or expediency. One of the most notable took place at NASA over a period of years leading up to the 2003 Columbia space shuttle accident where seven astronauts lost their lives. In the investigation that followed the disaster, NASA’s culture was implicated at nearly the same level as the piece of foam that tore a hole in the heat shield of the orbiter’s wing. While NASA said they believed that safety was the most important concern, everyone behaved as though meeting the flight schedule was really most important.

The experience at NASA is not unlike what happens every day in other organizations, both large and small. As leaders, we see reality through our particular lens often unaware of the very different way our employees may see the same issue or problem. Over time, if trends or habits occur frequently enough, we accept them as part of doing business and may even adjust our expectations to fit this new, often warped, view of the truth. Leaders tend to underestimate the impact of their words and actions, and so subtle messages may soon become facts, often with terrible consequences.

Confronting these tendencies or, better yet, embracing the three human needs in the opening paragraph can have an amazing affect on the workplace. Employees who know that their opinions matter will begin to tell leaders things about the business that can improve morale, productivity, customer satisfaction, and profits. Words like “they” and “I” will be replaced with “we”. Everyone, regardless of position, will feel like they can challenge the status quo. Arrogance and blame will be replaced with humility and questioning one’s own contribution to the problem.

Long-term organizational health depends on leaders who recognize the power they have to nurture human needs by giving people a voice, including them as an integral part of the group, and acknowledging the gifts they have to offer. Are you up for the challenge?