David Kolman 5 14 Color 58e2b4ef3993e

Kolman’s Komments: Keep this ‘disease’ away from your organization

May 22, 2017
Expectation Alignment Dysfunction is be spreading.

Heard of Expectation Alignment Dysfunction (EAD)? It’s not what you might be thinking.

I was unaware of this condition until I read an article by Tracy Maylett, CEO of DecisionWise  – a management consulting firm recognized for developing leaders and organizations through assessments, feedback, coaching and training – and co-author of the award-winning book MAGIC: Five Keys to Unlock the Power of Employee Engagement.

EAD is “fast becoming the leading killer of employee engagement and a detractor from the Employee Experience (EX) in organizations today,” he writes. “Expectation alignment is the degree to which employee expectations for their experience in the workplace line up with their actual experience.

“When those expectations don’t align, EAD is the result,” and it is “an unfortunate condition affecting organizations of all types.”

Contributors

According to Maylett, the biggest contributors to Expectation Alignment Dysfunction include:

- Implied promises from the work environment and company culture.

- Poor management communication or perceived secrecy.

- Rumors and stories.

- Unclear employer expectations.

- Over-promising.

Remedy

There is a cure for EAD, however, says Maylett. Among the measures to take:

- Managers should to find out – on a regular basis – what their employees are thinking and what they expect from their EX.

- Managers should connect with individual employees about what they expect and how that aligns with what the employees expect.

- Minimize or excise aspects of the organization’s internal culture that may encourage employees to either form unrealistic expectations or cause their expectations to mutate irrationally.

- Check to see if the language the organization uses – especially in written documents – might inflate expectations, over promise or provoke fears of secrecy or falsehood.

About the Author

David A. Kolman | Contributor - Fleet Maintenance

Sponsored Recommendations

Ask the Experts: Boost Profitability by Capturing Body Repair Materials Billables

Quality body repairs on medium- and heavy-duty trucks depend on the use of specialized adhesives, sealers, and other allied materials. Unfortunately, many shops face challenges...

Fleet Maintenance E-Book

Streamline your fleet's maintenance and improve operations with the Guide for Managing Maintenance. Learn proven strategies to reduce downtime, optimize in-house and third-party...

Celebrating Your Drivers Can Prove to be Rewarding For Your Business

Learn how to jumpstart your driver retention efforts by celebrating your drivers with a thoughtful, uniform-led benefits program by Red Kap®. Uniforms that offer greater comfort...

Guide To Boosting Technician Efficiency

Learn about the bottom line and team building benefits of increasing the efficiency of your technicians in your repair shop.