” Fake ”Work” is Stealing Profits, Productivity, and Morale.

Life-Saving Strategies that Translate into Daily Work that gets Results.

Brent D. Peterson Gaylan W. Nielson

The Work Itself Group

The Outcome of 25 Years of Research In Organizations Worldwide

Doing too much Fake Work.

Working all over the World with Fortune 500 down to very small companies, government, non-profits…

“Named the Beast”

Getting Results in the Real World

•  We are making life-altering changes in organizations by helping them identify Fake Work and do more Real Work.

•  These aren’t simple problems, but they have simple solutions: getting organizations to clarify strategy, align teams, and ensure that every employee is doing Real Work every day.

TODAY

•  Help you better understand the depth and breadth of Fake Work and it’s ominous consequences.

•  Discuss some paths to Real Work and driving results that make a difference for you, your team, and your organization.

On a Cold Day In Scandinavia

The Iceman Video

The Iceman’s Work

•  Was the Iceman working hard? •  Did he have clear intent? •  Did he get results? •  Was he focused on the right thing?

Hard Work Is Not the Same As Real Work!

FAKE WORK

The work employees do that is not aligned with their company’s strategies and goals. It looks like work—it feels like real work—but it doesn’t accomplish company strategies.

REAL WORK

What employees do when they are really executing, when they are completing work tasks that contribute to their company’s strategies and goals.

The Problem

Let’s better understand the depth and breadth of Fake Work and it’s ominous consequences.

Fake Work Is Bigger & More Ominous Than Most Think

Fake Work is a very troublesome distraction because it is embedded in:

• Systems • Structures • Processes • Projects • Cultures

We get caught up doing hard work that is often Fake Work!

The Work Itself Group Research

Understand what you are dealing with before you attack!

1. What % of employees . .

. . would say they do not know their organization’s strategies and goals?

73%

Say they do not know their organization’s strategies and goals.

2. What % of employees . .

. . do not know what to do to support their organization’s strategies and goals?

70% Say they do not know what to do to support their organization’s strategies and goals.

3. What % of employees . .

. . do not feel a strong commitment to their organization’s strategies and goals?

81% Say they do not feel a strong level of commitment to their organization’s strategy and goals.

4. What % of employees . .

. . are not satisfied with the results of their work at the end of most weeks?

87%

5. What % of employees . .

. . are recognized and rewarded for the things they do to support their organization’s strategies?

67% Say they do not get recognized and rewarded for doing things that support their organization’s goals.

6. What % of employees . .

. . indicate they worked harder this year than last year?

92% Say they worked harder this year than last year.

7. What % of WORK . .

. . is FAKE WORK?

50% is FAKE WORK Our research indicates that across all the organizations we have studied, half the work that people do is not related to their organization’s strategies.

Average Salary

(Per Employee)

Savings per year per employee

$38,000 $3,800

$48,000 $4,800

$58,000 $5,800

The Cost of FAKE WORK. 

With a 10% reduc;on of Fake Work and a 10% increase in Real Work, imagine how much money your organiza;on could save for 

each employee? 

REAL WORK SAVINGS

Average Salary

Savings per year per 100

employees

Savings per year per 1,000

employees

Savings per year per 5,000

employees

$38,000 $380,000 $3,800,000 $19,000,000

$48,000 $480,000 $4,800,000 $24,000,000

$58,000 $580,000 $5,800,000 $29,000,000

The Cost of FAKE WORK. 

Keep in mind that these numbers represent salary savings alone:  not lost opportunity, product loss, turnover, etc. 

REAL WORK SAVINGS

Paths to Real Work

Getting on the Path to Real Work: 1.  Decrease exposure and risk by linking to

strategy. 2.  Increase your personal leadership skills for

improved focus that leads to better results. 3.  Increase cooperation and communication. 4.  Learn new ways to contribute to your team

and to overall results.

1. Know Your Job & Your Value

Decrease exposure and risk by linking to strategy.

--As an Organization --As Leaders --As Teams --As Individuals

THE REAL WORK PROCESS

When employees align their daily work with their company’s strategies and goals, real work and execution occur.

2. Leadership

Increase your personal leadership skills for improved focus that leads to better results.

–  A.C.T. like a leader –  Start the process of Real Work

strategically and then make it an evergreen process.

THE A.C.T. MODEL Fake Work starts at strategy development and spirals down through a chain of events, such as:  

– Ar;cula;on – Communica;on 

– Transla;on

Ar;cula;on:   

Is the strategy: • Clear   • Readable • Understandable

Communication: •  Is the strategy

communicated properly?

•  Is the strategy understood by all employees?

Nobody is Hearing Me

The Message heard by, well, by Nobody.

Transla;on Do managers & workers at all levels of the organiza;on translate strategy into daily work? 

3. Alignment Thru The Team

Increase cooperation and communication. •  Talk strategy. •  Translate strategy into work. •  Have ongoing strategic conversations. •  Set priorities as a team. •  Talk, discuss, and help each other have a

collective focus. •  Help each other succeed.

•  Alignment is ensuring that all team members are working toward the same goals—aligned for execu;on. 

•   So, who can do the alignment?   

•   Is this the managers’ job? 

•   Is that the value of performance    management? 

ALIGNMENT

39

 Unlike a car, you can’t align people. Alignment is a process requiring individuals to re‐posi;on themselves in coopera;on with every other team member.   

That’s what we mean by “empowerment.”  

ALIGNMENT

40

4. Contribute Real Work

Learn new ways to contribute to your team and to overall results.

–  Short-term focus on long-term goals. –  Narrow and prioritize. –  Work through the lens of the team.

Execu;on  •  Do you see it at work? Can you measure it?  

•  Are you holding each other accountable? •  Are you talking, adjus;ng, and re‐aligning? •  Are team members helping each other succeed? 

•  Are you running it back up to the top? 

EXECUTION

Execution is Exposing Reality

“Execution is a systematic way of exposing reality and acting on it. Most companies don’t face reality very well . . . that’s the basic reason they can’t execute.” Ram Charan, Execution

Barriers to Execution •  No compelling vision of change •  Vague goals and strategy or too many goals •  React to crisis rather than focus on the priorities •  No system for tracking goal and project

implementation •  Unclear roles for employees / Lack of

accountability •  Poor collaboration between departments •  Individuals fail to take responsibility •  Don’t ‘Confront Reality’ - discourages openness

»  - Wharton School of Business, McKinsey Quarterly

The Work Itself Group, LLC

For more information regarding this presentation or the book FAKE “WORK” visit us at:

www.fakework.com

Gaylan W. Nielson – gaylan@fakework.com 801 652-6198

Brent D. Peterson – brent@fakework.com 801 362-5643