How Will American Businesses Compete?

A Harris Poll of 23,000 U. S. residents employed full time within key industries and key functional areas showed some surprising results.

The overwhelming majority agree the vast majority of the workforce in their organization possesses far more talent, intelligence, capability and creativity than their present jobs require or even allow.

About the same percentage acknowledge that they are under immense pressure to produce more for less.

People face the expectation to produce more for less in a terribly complex world, yet they are simply not allowed to use a significant portion of their talents and intelligence.

Additional results showed:

• 50% were satisfied with the work they have accomplished at the end of the week;
• 37% said they have a clear understanding of what their organization is trying to achieve and why;
• 20% were enthusiastic about their team’s and organization’s goals;
• 20% said they have a clear “line of sight” between their tasks and their team’s and organization’s goals;
• 20% percent fully trusted the organization they work for;
• 17% felt their organization fosters open communication that is respectful of differing opinions and that results in new and better ideas;
• 15% felt their organization fully enables them to execute key goals;
• 15% felt they worked in a high-trust environment;
• 13% have a high-trust, highly cooperative working relationships with other groups or departments;
• 10% felt that their organization holds people accountable for results.

Key industries included:

• Accommodation/food/services;
• Automotive;
• Banking/finance;
• Communications;
• Education;
• Health care;
• Military;
• Public administration/government;
• Retail trade;
• Technology services; and
• Telecommunications.

Key functional areas included:

• Accounting;
• Administrative;
• Assistant/secretary;
• Advertising/marketing professional;
• Business executive;
• Computer specialist;
• Education administrator;
• Financial professional;
• Government professional;
• Health care professional; and
• Sales agent/representative.

A comparison would be to a soccer team where:

• only four of the eleven players on the field would know which goal is theirs;
• two of the eleven would care;
• two of the eleven would know what position they play and know exactly what they are supposed to do;
• nine of the eleven would, in some way, be competing against their own team members rather than the opponent.