Mediocrity in the workforce certainly lacks luster. Not only does it deflate drive and motivation, but it inhibits productivity. Yet, what if that’s the standard being encouraged in your office?

Recently, BusinessWeek provided five ways to successfully achieve mediocrity in the office:

1. If you desire a mediocre workforce, make sure your employees know you don’t trust them.

Just because you’re not lingering around their cubicle all the time or asking for hourly updates on their work, doesn’t mean you’re placing full trust in your employees. Take notice in other areas. If you insist on viewing data, reports or invoices on a regular basis, are hesitant to allow full ownership over a project or expect to be carbon copied on every email, ask yourself whether or not your requests are inhibiting employee growth and accountability.

2. If you want to drive talented people away, don’t tell them when they shine.

Praise does more than just satisfy a momentary need of approval. It boosts your employees’ confidence and overall performance. Don’t be afraid to say “job well done” every so often. You may just find that such a simple phrase pays off in future projects.

3. If you prefer a team of C-list players, keep employees in the dark.

Failure to communicate the relevance, impact and/or  importance of a task to an employee does more than make their job difficult. It reduces the overall effectiveness of the team. However, be cognizant of the information given. Provide only the details vital for understanding. This allows for project ownership and innovation.

4. If you value docility over ingenuity, shout it from the rooftops.

Encouraging employees to innovate and speak their minds just might rejuvenate a project or process. Basing job duties off of decade-old procedures because they worked well then, doesn’t mean they work well now.

5. If you fear an empowered workforce more than you fear the competition, squash any sign of individualism.

Anyone who has read The Methodology Blog before knows that empowering employees is crucial to both the efficiency and effectiveness of work. The team at Slaughter Development promotes this value everyday not just with our clients, but in our office as well.

Contact us to learn more about avoiding mediocrity, improving stakeholder satisfaction and achieving successful workflow through methodology engineering.

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