When we are healthy, we find it easier to take on difficult situations, recover from illnesses and strive to reach our goals. Meanwhile, ill health can make us vulnerable to stress and disease. The same is true for workplaces. When a team is not healthy, environmental issues can disrupt the team and even cause it to crumble, whereas healthy teams are better placed to tackle obstacles that come their way.
This is where organizational health comes in. Organizational health refers to the dynamics of a team in the workplace. Teams that have cultivated strong relationships and work in a happy, healthy environment can operate effectively and productively. But many workplace teams have not managed to nurture organizational health.
Defining Organizational Health
Organizational health grew out of the concept of occupational health, which, in its simplest form, refers to building a workplace where all team members feel valued. Meanwhile, organizational health connects this concept to the overall success of a company.
Definitions of organizational health differ, but they typically suggest that workplaces can achieve a healthy culture through change, whether in the form of political, social, environmental or economic events. For example, while Forbes has defined organizational health as the ability to “cope with change and continue to function with a high-performance workplace culture,” the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health refers to organizational health as the ability to “operate effectively, grow sustainably and adapt smoothly to change”.
When organizations focus on creating healthy change, they can build the resilience they need to flourish, even in the event of hindrances.
Assessing Organizational Health
There is no way to decide exactly what constitutes a healthy organizational culture. This depends on the needs and goals of the individual organization. That said, these six factors tend to affect organizational culture and, in turn, productivity and team satisfaction. Leaders can focus on these areas to foster good organizational health in their workplace.
1. Leadership Approach
Often, it is a company’s leaders who dictate the organizational health in a workplace. Executives and managers are role models for employees who tend to reflect their leaders’ empathy, energy and honesty in the workplace. Leaders who are positive role models usually motivate employees and operate a workplace with good organizational health. But leaders who are not consistent with the company mission, do not communicate clearly or do not make time for their employees may cultivate poor organizational health.
2. Accountability
As it is difficult to measure organizational health, it can be difficult for teams to work toward organizational goals. But when leaders are transparent about their expectations of their team and set clear goals, it is much easier for employees to know which responsibilities they are accountable for and how they should contribute to the company’s mission. This way, they can avoid bottlenecks and inefficiency.
3. Direction
Clear direction stands hand in hand with transparency and is key to organizational health. Even if employees know which goals they are accountable for, if they have not received direction on how to reach these goals, their motivation and productivity may suffer. To offer direction effectively, leaders can empower employees by helping them shape important skills and learn how to overcome barriers independently and not by micromanaging them, which can also lead to poor organizational health.
Leaders may also create clear guides that cover common business processes to help employees complete these processes independently. On top of this, they may craft a simple company hierarchy so employees always know where to direct questions.
4. Coordination
While direction ensures leaders interact well with employees, coordination ensures employees interact well with each other. A lack of coordination can lead to poorly defined roles, which can then lead to unclear working processes and an uneven distribution of work among team members. Plus, when team members do not or will not communicate with each other, they may miss important tasks or even repeat tasks unnecessarily. To avoid this lack of clarity, leaders can clearly define each employee’s responsibilities and who they should collaborate with.
5. Motivation
When leaders know how to motivate their employees, they can provide the energy that raises morale and enthusiasm in the workplace, which can help teams hit targets and improve productivity. Leaders can talk to employees directly to find out what motivates them, such as opportunities for professional development and reward schemes.
6. Values
An organization’s values can give its employees a clear sense of direction and sense of purpose in their day-to-day work. But simply stating these values is not enough. When leaders lace the company’s values throughout its operations and their own approaches, employees are more likely to align their work with the values, too. Meanwhile, leaders who contradict the company’s values may weaken trust in their relationships with employees.
The Importance of Good Organizational Health
When a company’s leaders nurture good organizational health, they can reap both short- and long-term benefits. From improved productivity and problem solving within the team to improved employee retention and business reputation, good organizational health ripples through the company from top to bottom.
Those who are interested in optimizing business health, strategizing to help businesses flourish or even starting their own company can consider studying for a business degree at University of Phoenix.
Learn more about University of Phoenix’s online business degrees.
About University of Phoenix
University of Phoenix advances the educational goals of adult and nontraditional learners and helps students pilot the career options and degree programs that best suit their interests and aspirations. The University’s degree programs are aligned with a variety of in-demand career paths including in cybersecurity, nursing and business, and they provide flexible start dates, online classes and abundant scholarship opportunities so all students can earn the degree they need to get ahead.
What’s more, University of Phoenix’s Career Services for Life® commitment to active students and graduates offers these individuals the resources they need to be competitive in the workforce for no additional charge. These services include resume and interview support, career guidance and education and networking opportunities.
