The People Analyzer – Your Culture Changer

By David Saxe BBA, CPA, CA CBC

In a previous article, I discussed how to change the culture of your organization by establishing your core values.  These core values should be defined, circulated and followed by everyone in the organization.  One key question is “how do you ensure that these core values will be followed by all?”

The other important issue is to ensure that you have all of the right people in all of the right seats.  The first step is to add your core values to the People Analyzer.  A People Analyzer is a form which lists the 3-5 core values of the enterprise across the top of the page.  Each employee is then compared to these core values to determine if they are actually following them.  Along the left side of the page should be the name of each employee in the department in order to assess how the employees in that department measure up, as a group.

The other measure is to ensure that each employee meets the GWC test.  This stands for “Gets it,” “Wants it,” and has the “Capacity to handle it.”  I’ll explain these terms shortly.

A People Analyzer looks like this:

Note that under each core value, there is either a plus, a plus/minus or a minus.  A plus indicates that the employee demonstrates that core value most of the time.  A plus/minus means that the employee demonstrates that particular core value about half the time, while a minus indicates that the employee demonstrates that core value only sometimes, at best.  Each company will establish its own “Bar” meaning that the number of each indicator is determined in advance.  For example, one company may set their bar at a minimum of 3 pluses and no minuses.  Another may require 4 pluses and allow one plus/minus or even 1 minus. Whatever that bar is, each employee must meet or surpass that measure on an ongoing basis.  In the above example, the bar was set at no less than 3 pluses and no minuses.

Once it is determined that an employee meets the standard, that employee is measured against the GWC category.  They must earn a check mark under all three of the GWC columns.  The “Gets it” means that the employee has an intuitive feel or grasp of what the job is, how it works and how to do it.  The “Wants it” means that this is the job the employee really wants to be in and it is not a temporary situation until they can find their ideal job.  And finally, the “Capacity to handle it” means that the employee has the ability and skills to actually do the job.

In the example above, Sally demonstrates all pluses for the core values and rates tick marks under the GWC columns.  This indicates that she is following the core values and is the right person for the right job.  George, on the other hand, does not demonstrate two of the core values.  In this case, three meetings are arranged, 30 days apart, to try to help George understand how he can improve his ability to follow the core values.  If he is still unable to demonstrate the core value(s) he is weak in after this process, it would be determined that he is not the right employee for the organization.  Notice that the GWC does not even come into play unless the core values are being followed.

John has 3 pluses and 2 plus/minuses so he would pass the core value test.  However, without the capacity to handle the job, it would be determined that John may not be the right person for that particular seat.  Unless the company could find another position that John had the skills for, he would likely be terminated on the basis that he is not right for the job.  Linda would be another example of an employee following the core values and being in the right seat.

Each department should maintain their own People Analyzer records.  Every employee should be reviewed against the People Analyzer no less than quarterly while monthly would be even better.  Employees who don’t measure up should be supervised more closely and be given the opportunity to improve the core value(s) they are weak in.  If after three meetings, as described above, the employee does not improve, he/she should be terminated.

The People Analyzer should be implemented for existing employees and used for hiring new employees, as well as for reviewing, rewarding and recognizing all employees.  It is especially useful in helping to determine when to terminate employees.  When used faithfully, the organization can then be sure that all employees are following the core values and are in the right seat.  This will create a much more cohesive group of employees, all focused on creating high performance teams within the organization.  In addition, following the core values will ensure that all employees continue to deal with customers and each other in the manner established by the company.  Once transformed, the culture of the organization will be changed in a sustainable manner.

David Saxe, BBA, CPA, CA, CBC

Authorized Partner – The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team

Certified Ownership Thinking™ Facilitator

Base Camp Trained EOS implementer

Business Performance Specialist

David has over 40 years of hands on business and business related work experience and is the Senior Associate of Next Level Business Planning.  The firm provides leadership teams with the tools, training and skills to build high performance, productive teams within their businesses organizations.  David has a passion for working with leadership teams to help them create a laser-focused vision and provide the tools, training and traction to achieve that vision.   He also helps to create a culture of engagement and accountability to maximize efficiency and profitability by training employees to think and act like owners.  David can be reached at david@nextlevelbusinessplanning.com.