By the End of This Session, Participants Will Be Able To

Session 2.2Work Climate

/ Total Session Time:2 hours (90 minutes for lecture/discussion, 30 minutes for learning activities)

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

Describe how a work climate impacts performance and retention.
Identify at least two ways to improve their work climate.
List at least two non-financial incentives they can integrate into their programs.

Session Overview

Step / Time / Activity/
Method / Content / Resources
Needed
1 / 05 minutes / Presentation / Introduction to Session, Presentation of Learning Objectives (Slides 1-2) / LCD or Overhead Projector
2 / 20 minutes / Small Group Activity, Discussion / Activity: Leader & Follower (Slide 3) / LCD or Overhead Projector
3 / 45 minutes / Presentation,
Discussion / Creating a Positive Work Climate(Slides 4-16) / LCD or Overhead Projector, Handout 2.2.1
4 / 45 minutes / Presentation,
Brainstorm, Discussion / Incentives for Staff Motivation (Slides 17-28) / LCD or Overhead Projector
5 / 05 minutes / Presentation / Key Points (Slide 29) / LCD or Overhead Projector
/ Resources Needed

Flip Chart, paper, and markers
LCD or Overhead Projector
Slides
Handout 2.2.1: Work Climate Spheres of Influence

/ Advance Preparation

Review the entire session prior to facilitating, to familiarize yourself with the slides, speaker’s notes, learning activities, and supporting materials.
Prepare two flipcharts, labelled “Motivators” and “De-Motivators.”

Sources/Bibliography:

Refer to these materials for additional background reading, as needed.

Management Sciences for Health. 2005. Managers Who Lead: A Handbook for Improving Health Services. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MSH.
Management Sciences for Health. 2002. “Creating a Work Climate that Motivates Staff and Improves Performance.” The Manager, Vol. 11, No. 3. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MSH.
Available at:
Luoma, M. 2006. “Increasing the Motivation of Health Care Workers.” Capacity Project Technical Brief 7. September 2006.
Available at:
Perry, C. et al. 2005. “Validating a work group climate assessment tool for improving the performance of public health organizations.” Human Resources for Health. Vol. 3, No. 10.
Available at:
Yumkella F. 2009. “Worker Retention in Human Resources for Health: Catalyzing and Tracking Change.” Capacity Project Technical Brief 15. March 2009.
Available at:
Yumkella F. 2006. “Retention of Health Care Workers in Low Resource Settings: Challenges and Responses.” Capacity Project Technical Brief 1. February 2006.
Available at:
Yumkella F. 2005. “Retention: Health Workforce Issues and Response Actions in Low-Resource Settings. Capacity Project Resource Paper. Available at:

Beginning the Session

/ Trainer Instructions: Step 1 (5 minutes)

Present Slides 1-2 using trainer notes to guide the presentation.

Slide 1 /

/ INTRODUCE Session 2.2 to participants.
•The aim of this session is to help you learn to create a work climate that supports employee performance and retention.
INFORM participants that this session is scheduled to take about 2 hours.
ENCOURAGE participants to ask questions at any time.
All pictures and images in this session are from Microsoft Office Clip Art Gallery, unless otherwise noted.
Slide 2 /

/ ASK a volunteer to read the learning objectives aloud to the group.
ASK participants if they have any questions before continuing.
/ Trainer Instructions: Step 2 (15minutes)

Present Slide3 using the trainer notes to guide the activity and discussion.

Slide 3 /

Speaker notes continued here:
ASK leaders to instruct their followers, and begin the activity.
ALLOW 5 minutes for activity.
RECONVENE the group.
CONGRATULATE participants for creating such a positive atmosphere.
DE-BRIEF activity:
•Followers, how did it feel to follow the instructions that your leader provided?
•Leaders, how did it feel to have power over your followers?
•What lessons can we take from this activity that can inform our work as leaders, managers, and supervisors?
WRAP-UP with key point:
•Leaders and managers carry great influence within their organizations. We can choose to use our influence to help foster a positive atmosphere.
Note: If there is enough time, repeat this process several times so that everyone has an opportunity to be in a position of power. Then, ask groups to share their experiences with power in this setting and formulate a list of dynamics of power. / FACILITATE activity using the instructions below. This activity should take approximately 20minutes.
EXPLAIN to participants that this activity will help to get us started thinking about fostering a positive work environment.
DIVIDE participants into groups of 4-5.
ASSIGN one person in each group to be the leader. The remaining group members are followers. (Tip: Assign leaders based on an arbitrary characteristic, like number of coins in pocket, longest hair, etc.)
INSTRUCT participants as follows:
Leaders, you have absolute power over your followers, but you must use your power only to promote joy, celebration, and positive spirit among them and with the rest of the groups. Take a minute to think of something positive that your followers could do that would promote laughter, joy, celebration, well-being, vitality, peace, calm, or confidence for people in the room.
Followers, it is your responsibility to carry out your leader’s instructions quickly and eagerly. After you receive your instructions, circulate around the room for 5 minutes fulfilling your follower role. When you approach another person or group, explain your leader’s instructions and then carry them out as ordered.
For example: My leader says to smile at you; my leader says to shake your hand; my leader says to give you a compliment; my leader says to sing you a song; my leader says to make you laugh.
ASK if everyone understands the instructions.
CLARIFY as needed.
CONTINUE with speaker notes in left-hand column.
/ Trainer Instructions: Step 3 (45minutes)

Present Slides 4-16, using the trainer notes and Handout 2.2.1: Work Climate & Spheres of Influenceto guide the presentation and discussion.

Slide 4
Animation Clicks: 1 /

/ Note: slide is animated.
SHOW part 1 of slide: Heading (question)
ASK participants:
•What is a work climate? How would you define it?
ALLOW time for 2-3 responses.
SHOW part 2 of slide (definition).
ASK a volunteer to read the definition of work climate out loud.
ASK if participants have any comments or questions before continuing.
Source: Management Sciences for Health. 2002. “Creating a Work Climate that Motivates Staff and Improves Performance.” The Manager. 2002, Vol. 11, No. 3.
Slide 5 /

/ ASK participants:
•How does itfeel to work with your colleagues, including your manager and your staff?
ASK participants to reflect silently.
•You will not be asked to share your feelings with the rest of the group.
•Think to yourself about whether your overall work climate feels positive or negative to you.
ENCOURAGE them to be as honest as they can be with themselves.
ALLOW 1 minute for participants to reflect silently.
Slide 6
Animation Clicks: 1 /

/ Note: slide is animated.
ASK participants:
•What is a positive work climate?
ASK participants:
•Does this description reflect your work climate?
•Have you ever worked in a place that you would describe as a positive work climate?
ALLOW a few moments for participants to respond.
SHOW content of slide (definition of positive work climate).
Source: Paul Wong, “The Positive Psychology of ‘Climate Management.’” Quoted in Management Sciences for Health. 2005. Managers Who Lead.
Slide 7 / / PRESENT slide using the following points:
Motivation and Performance
•The relationship between work climate and employee motivation and performance has been demonstrated in many fields.
•When staff feel motivated they want to work harder and bring their full capability to the task.
•This extra effort improves their performance, often exceeding expectations.
Staff Retention
•A positive work climate can also increase employee retention.
•A literature review conducted by the Capacity Project on retention of health workers in resource limited settings concluded that retention solutions must seek to improve the work environment.
•A negative work environment is often a significant “push” factor for employees to leave jobs.
Source: Yumkella, F. 2005. “Retention: health workforce issues and response actions in low-resource settings.” Capacity Project Resource Paper. Available at:
Slide 8
Animation Clicks: 1 /
Speaker notes continued here:
ASK participants:
•In your day-to-day work, which of these factors do you feel that you have the most control over?
ALLOW a few moments for discussion. / Note: slide is animated.
SHOW part 1 of slide (heading and picture).
ASK participants:
•What factors influence work climate?
ALLOW time for 2-3 responses.
SHOW Part 2 of slide (text boxes).
ASK a volunteer to read the factors out loud.
EXPLAIN to participants that these are common factors that influence a work environment.
ASK participants:
•Can you think of some examples that illustrate each factor on the slide?
•For example, what in an organization's history might influence work climate?
Some potential responses include:
•Organizational Culture: Coming to work on time, being polite, always doing excellent work or never doing this.
•Management Strategy & Culture: Promotion policy, professional development, clear roles
•External Environment: President has endorsed HIV prevention work, society supports teenage pregnancy prevention (or doesn’t), etc.
•Leadership (Management) Practices: Supportive work environment, teamwork, director listens to staff, leadership supported at all levels
•Organization History: Reputation, recent layoffs, successes, started by an important person (Clinton Foundation).
ALLOW time for participants to provide 1-2 examples for each. Note that these examples can have positive influence or negative influence on work climate.
CONTINUE with speaker notes in left-hand column.
Slide 9 / / ASK participants to think of the factors influencing work climate from the previous slide.
EXPLAIN to participants that:
•Most managers do not have direct influence over organizational history and culture.
•Senior level managers may have some influence in establishing organizational management strategy and structure. These factors are beyond the control of most managers.
•Managers have no influence on the external environment that the organization exists in.
•However, ALL MANAGERS can influence their own leadership and management practices.
ASK if there are any comments or questions before continuing.
Source:
•Perry, C. et al. 2005. “Validating a work group climate assessment tool for improving the performance of public health organizations.” Human Resources for Health. Vol. 3, No. 10. Available at:
•Management Sciences for Health. 2005. Managers Who Lead: A Handbook for Improving Health Services.
Slide 10 / / ASK a participant to read this quote aloud to the group.
EXPLAIN to participants that in their jobs as managers, they can play pivotal roles in establishing a positive work climate.
Source: Stringer, Robert. 2002. Leadership and Organizational Climate. Prentice Hall/Upper Saddle River. Quote found in Perry, C. et al. 2005. “Validating a work group climate assessment tool for improving the performance of public health organizations.” Human Resources for Health. Vol. 3, No. 10. Available at:
Slide 11 / / REFER participants to Handout 2.2.1: Work Climate and Spheres of Influence on page 243of the Participant Handbook.
PRESENT diagram, using the following points:
•This diagram illustrates the importance of the leading and managing practices and competencies of a work group leader in influencing work climate and, ultimately, staff motivation and performance.
•Evidence has shown that while organizational history, cultural, management strategy and structure and the external environment all influence the work climate, a work group manager influences the work climate more than any other factor.
•Managers of a work group can even create a work climate that differs from the overall organization's culture. This can sometimes create pressure on the manager from the organization to conform. However, if the manager’s work group is successful, the pressure may be reduced.
ASK if participants have any comments or questions before continuing.
Slide 12 / / PRESENT slide, using the following points:
Know your staff
•This is one of the most important things you can do to develop a positive work climate.
•The better you know your staff, the better you can align their efforts with yours to meet a challenge.
•You should try to learn:

What motivates them
What their work styles are
What their interests are

•This helps to establish a good, caring, and supportive relationship with each employee.
•Positive relationships improve employee retention.
Know what motivates you
•Know yourself – your values, what motivates you, what drains your energy, and what evokes strong emotions from you.
•Your behaviour and how you respond to stress have an impact on your staff. It can influence their trust and confidence in you as a leader.
Provide Challenge, Clarity, and Support
•You will be able to better provide challenge, clarity, and support for your employees based on your knowledge of your staff, and yourself.
•We will talk more about this in the next few slides.
Source: Management Sciences for Health. 2005. Managers Who Lead: A Handbook for Improving Health Services. Chapter 3, pages 56-58.
Slide 13 / / EXPLAIN to participants that:
•Challenge, Clarity, and Support are the key dimensions of work climate.
•All three dimensions—challenge, clarity and support—are critical for fostering performance.
•Each manager must find the right balance for their group’s climate.
•We will cover each of the three dimensions of work climate in the next few slides.
Source: Management Sciences for Health. 2005. Managers Who Lead: A Handbook for Improving Health Services. Chapter 3, pages 56-58.
Slide 14 / / REVIEW slide.
ASK participants:
•What types of actions can a manager can take to provide challenges to employees?
ALLOW time for participants to provide 2-3 examples.
Source:
•Management Sciences for Health. 2005. Managers Who Lead: A Handbook for Improving Health Services. Chapter 3, page 58.
•Management Sciences for Health. 2002. “Creating a Work Climate that Motivates Staff and Improves Performance.” The Manager, Vol. 11, No. 3.
Slide 15 / / REVIEW slide.
ASK participants:
•Can you think of actions a manager can take to provide clarity?
ALLOW time for participants to provide 2-3 examples.
Source:
•Management Sciences for Health. 2005. Managers Who Lead: A Handbook for Improving Health Services. Chapter 3, page 58.
•Management Sciences for Health. 2002. “Creating a Work Climate that Motivates Staff and Improves Performance.” The Manager, Vol. 11, No. 3.
Slide 16 / / EXPLAIN that:
•A climate of support is created when group members feel their capabilities are acknowledged, when they participate in decisions that impact the work group, and when they sense appreciation and reward for both individual and group successes.
ASK participants:
•Can you think of actions a manager can take to provide support?
ALLOW time for participants to provide 2-3 examples.
Source:
•Management Sciences for Health. 2005. Managers Who Lead: A Handbook for Improving Health Services. Chapter 3, page 58.
•Management Sciences for Health. 2002. “Creating a Work Climate that Motivates Staff and Improves Performance.” The Manager, Vol. 11, No. 3.
/

Handout 2.2.1: Work Climate and Spheres of Influence

•This diagram illustrates that leading and managing practices are a key factor in influencing work climate and, ultimately, staff motivation and performance.

•Evidence has shown that a work group manager influences the work climate more than any other factor, including organizational history, culture, management strategy and structure, and the external environment.

•Managers may not have direct influence over organizational history and culture.

•Some managers may influence the overall management strategy and structure.

•Managers have little influence over the external environment.

All managers can influence their own
leadership and management practices!

Source: Management Sciences for Health. 2005. Managers Who Lead: A Handbook for Improving Health Services.

See Chapter 3: Improving Work Climate to Strengthen Performance. Page 54.

/ Trainer Instructions: Step 4 (45minutes)

Present Slides 17-28, using the trainer notes to guide the presentation, brainstorm, and discussion.

Slide 17 / / ASK a volunteer to read the definitions of Motivation aloud.
Source:
•Management Sciences for Health. 2002. “Creating a Work Climate that Motivates Staff and Improves Performance.” The Manager, Vol. 11, No. 3. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MSH. Available at:
•Business Dictionary. Motivation. Available at:
Slide 18 / / ASK a volunteer to read the definitions of incentive aloud.
Source:
•Management Sciences for Health. 2002. “Creating a Work Climate that Motivates Staff and Improves Performance.” The Manager, Vol. 11, No. 3. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MSH. Available at:
•Business Dictionary. Incentive. Available at:
Slide 19 / / EXPLAIN to participants that:
•Motivation represents energy that we can bring to our work. It is possible to adequately complete a task with low motivation. However, when our motivation is high, we put more energy into the task and we perform better. When staffs are de-motivated, performance suffers.
•This “extra effort” is at the employee’s discretion. A good manager will create a work climate and incentives that encourage employees to choose to put forth that “extra effort.”
•Motivation is the energy to do something. Incentive encourages the mobilization of that energy.
Slide 20 / / PREPARE two flipcharts, labelled “Motivators” and “De-Motivators.”