creating a firm culture that enhances the lawyer experience
It’s widely reported that a workforce favoring idealism and work-life synergy (pdf) is taking up residence in the legal profession and affiliated industries. Because of this population shift, law firms with an authentic culture in which employees feel connected to the larger organization and to each other by deeply held values, standards and principles will likely gain a competitive edge with workers and clients alike.
While the task of fostering a genuinely engaging business culture may seem daunting to some firms, there’s ample empirical evidence that it’s a smart and effective business strategy. As blogger-author John Moore observes in a recent post on competitors’ ill-fated attempts at Mimicking Whole Foods Market: “It’s the people that matter more in creating a brand than do products or programs.” Moore then states: “WFM understands the power of a knowledgeable, caring, and passionate workforce in creating highly satisfied customers. They’ve created a company culture which connects with their team members (employees) and they in turn, pass that connection onto WFM shoppers.”
Similar proof is offered in a post on the ROI of Employee Engagement from the Be Excellent blog. It cites a recent study evincing that “a well-substantiated relationship exists between employee engagement – the extent to which employees are committed, believe in the values of the company, feel pride in working for their employer, and are motivated to go the extra mile – and business results.” Among the statistics the post culls from the study is this impactful one: “High engagement companies improved 19.2 per cent while low engagement companies declined 32.7 per cent in operating income over the study period.”
Beyond reasoning by anaology from the outside business world, law firms can look to one of their own to glean the importance of enhancing the lawyer experience [what I refer to as Lawyer Experience Management (LEM)]. In a candid article featured at lawjobs.com, midsize firm Steefel shares the remedial steps it’s taking in the face of marked lawyer turnover. Notably, a “renewed emphasis on mentoring” is central to its efforts to make the firm “more attractive to lawyers and clients at a time when both are gravitating toward national firms.”
Businesses are embracing the power of totally engaged workforces, but are they really ready?
Yes, passion and caring are desirable qualities in a workforce that can lead to tremendous market advantages. However, I doubt that companies, or professional firms, are making a serious effort to provide employees with the conflict management skills, or to offer an organizational resource like an Ombudsman, to coach employees and guide management to deal with issues the flow from having an authentic culture. Are firms willing to invest time and money in what is often called ‘soft skills’?
Building connection between employees requires that they are self-aware of their own biases, values and preferences and are willing and able to explore those of their colleagues in a respectful, effective way. And, all of that takes time, which is in very short supply in today’s business environment. Are businesses willing to slow down so employees actually have time to think and talk together?
I raise these questions not as a skeptic, but rather as an experienced Ombuds who seen the results of well-intentioned yet poorly planned employee initiatives. To paraphrase a Japanese quote:
Ideas without action are dreams. Actions without deep thinking are nightmares.
I encourage companies and firms(especially small ones) to thoughtfully consider the intended and unintended ramifications of shifting to a genuinely authentic and integrated culture.
Dina Beach Lynch, JD, Ombudsman
http://www.workwelltogether.com