The Dysfunctionally Connected Workplace

ESCONDIDO, Calif. - Sept. 10, 2013 - PRLog -- San Diego—More than 80 percent of leaders don’t listen, according to recent research by The Ken Blanchard Companies^®. And 82 percent don’t praise, redirect, or give appropriate feedback. Despite the fact that more than 60 percent of people in the workplace have smartphones (source: Pew), and are presumably more connected than ever before, most of the human connections between people in the workplace seem to be alarmingly deficient.

In fact, the statistics indicate a dismal malaise in the workplace. People crave meaningful connection at work, with their bosses and their peers, but few are satisfied with the quantity or quality of the connection at work. Blanchard’s research illustrates that the typical workplace seems to be dysfunctionally connected. Download (http://www.kenblanchard.com/KBCPublic/media/PDF/TheDysfunctionallyConnectedWorkplace.pdf) an infographic to learn more about The Dysfunctionally Connected Workplace.

·  Twenty-eight percent (28%) of people say they rarely or never discuss future goals and tasks with their boss; seventy percent (70%) wish they did. Blanchard thinks this is because people lack the skills and language to carry out these conversations effectively.

·  Sixty-four percent (64%) of people wish they could talk to their boss about problems with their colleagues; but only eight percent (8%) actually do. Blanchard thinks this is because people don’t feel safe talking about their weaknesses and deficiencies or asking for help.

“The typical workplace is at risk of becoming dysfunctionally connected,” says Ken Blanchard, author of more than 55 business books and world-renowned leadership expert. “People crave a deeper human connection at work. They need to feel a more personal and authentic connection with their managers and their peers that goes beyond what technology can provide.”

A game-changing cure to this widespread malaise

Blanchard’s announcement today of The SLII Experience (http://www.kenblanchard.com/Solutions/Situational-Leaders...) provides a way to help people understand each other and work better together, which creates a stronger connection at work. For the first time, there are five generations working together in the workplace. At no other time has the need for a shared common language been higher.

Creating connection in the workplace starts with conversation. Yet most working people spend the better part of their waking hours at work, feeling disconnected from each other. To help people shift from “human doings” to “human beings,” they need a shared language of leadership. The Ken Blanchard Companies recommends six different kinds of conversation to help ensure alignment, frequent contact, and honest feedback. They are rooted in frequent One on Ones, Alignment Conversations, and Four Leadership Style Conversations for different developmental situations.

Backed by research, these business conversations are centered on Blanchard’s Situational Leadership^® II (SLII^®) developmental model. The abbreviations D1, D2, D3, and D4 are used to describe an individual’s development level with a new task or goal. The goal for the leader is to help the individual move from novice to expert as quickly as possible, by being able to diagnose his or her development level and then use the appropriate leadership style—described by S1, S2, S3, and S4—that matches the individual’s needs.

Blanchard is hosting a free webinar on Creating a Shared Leadership Language: 3 Reasons (and Ways) to Get Started, on September 25, 2013, at 9 a.m. PST. Register (https://webexevents.webex.com/mw0307l/mywebex/default.do?...) now to learn how to cure a dysfunctionally connected workplace.

Media Contact
Wendy Wong, Senior Vice President of Marketing
Email: wendy.wong@kenblanchard.com
+1.760.233.6710

About The Ken Blanchard Companies
The Ken Blanchard Companies^® is a global leader in workplace learning, productivity, and leadership effectiveness that is best known for its Situational Leadership^®II program—the most widely taught leadership model in the world. Because of its ability to help people excel as self-leaders and as leaders of others, SLII^® is embraced by Fortune 500 companies as well as mid- to small-size businesses, governments, and educational and non-profit organizations.

Many Blanchard^® programs for teams, customer loyalty, change management, and leadership development blend the use of assessments with elearning and instructor-led training. Self-paced elearning modules are available via Blanchard Online Learning—a cloud-based curriculum that is interactive and easy to use via mobile tablets.

Using best practices based on the company’s continual research, Blanchard’s world-class trainers and coaches support people in making the shift from learning to doing and in driving organizational and behavioral change into all levels of organizations.

For more information about Blanchard Global Locations, visit www.kenblanchard.com or call +1.760.489.5005 from anywhere.