MANAGING THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTRACT

 
By Brenald Chinyowa & Freemen Pasurai
Some few months ago I was invited for an interview by a leading bank in Zimbabwe. Upon my arrival at the offices I was impressed by the venue of the interview and the treatment I received not until my first six months on the job. From the onset I had admired the corporate colours of the company including its numerous vehicles that patrolled the city up and down. I had also been impressed by the office set ups and its adverts in the papers. Unfortunately the disclosure of my work and the benefits I was entitled got me disappointed as I was expecting to be paid as much as they can afford not as little as I can get away with.
This occurred to me unconsciously until I recalled the psychological contract. The psychological contract I had in mind had already turned negative without having spent a week on the job, and the employment relationship had kick-started with my disappointment. The psychological contract is defined as an unwritten contract, the sum of the mutual expectations between the organization and employees. Generally psychological contracts are mental models or schemas that develop through an individual’s experiences or interactions.
It is most commonly viewed as ‘unwritten expectations operating at all times between every member of an organisation and the various managers and others in that organisation’. It therefore typically operates at an unconscious or at least semi-conscious level. It is not written anywhere but both parties always practice it sometimes consciously or unconsciously. Employee expectations may include obvious things such as pay, as well as softer issues such as personal support or development. Organisation expectations may refer to working hard or results, as well as more subtle expectations such as loyalty or enhancing the reputation of the organisation.
In the Zimbabwean economy, the nature of the psychological contract has changed. Most graduates get the shock of their lives as they spent few months at the company. Myself I was also expecting a continuous learning opportunity, career advancement, promotion and high welfare, recognition and rewards for my contributions. The closure, restructuring of companies and economic meltdown has negatively affected the psychological contract as it has left many companies unfortified to meet the pre requisites of the psychological contract.
Though in the midst of such an environment the state of the psychological contract in an organisation is a strong determinant of employee behaviour at any given organisation hence making it an significant variable in the organisational success equation, if well managed it is a panacea to organisational industrial relations, performance, and success upheavals, but if not it can be problematic and can adversely affect the organisation indirectly. Therefore giving fastidious treatment of the psychological contract is based on the idea that the organisation can only create value and confidence for clients through outstanding solutions and services by giving the highest attention to people’s growth , satisfaction and implied expectations.
An organisation has to explicitly expose its psychological contract to evade ambiguity, because ambiguity of the contract will lead to a scenario where neither part is aware of the expected behaviour from them and hence the employee can be restricted on how to perform and behave at the work place, a partner in a relationship where parts are not open to each other on what they expect from each other , the partner will be like a blinded person sitting on the edge of a balcon of a 16 storey building, he can’t make any move as he afraid of falling down, just like an employee who is not aware of what he is expected from him, his activities are circumscribed. This will now lead to no innovation and creativity.
Also in managing the contract it has to be noted that employees expectations change with time, that is the e the expectations of employees gradually change as they progress through their life. At a very simple level, employees’ needs from employment could be viewed as falling into three stages:
Early work life during their 20s many people try out, experiment and explore alternative job and career options. This is done in an effort to seek and identify job and career options and paths which are most appealing and personally fulfilling, so that the individual can pursue the paths which are most in their future interests.
Development This occurs once the individual has identified a positive path from a work content, lifestyle and reward perspective. It occurs after exploring alternatives, and they then decide to develop and increase their skills and expertise in the chosen area of work, and develop their careers in the area.
Maturity Having found and developed their work niche, the individual typically seeks stability so that they can provide for their increased and continuing family responsibilities. The goal is essentially one of sustaining the chosen direction.

Brenald Chinyowa & Freemen Pasurai write on their own capacity, for comments inbox to chinyowab@gmail.com (0777 897 586) or fripas0285@gmail.com (0776 601 610). Feel free to contact them for advice & consultation on any HR related issues in your Organisation.

HOW TO DEAL WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE

 

By Brenald Chinyowa

Difficult people are everywhere. Maybe you’re one of them? Or maybe, everyone is difficult during certain moments of their life. Either way, eventually you’ll need to work or compromise with a person that you think is difficult. Over the years, I've encountered my fair share of difficult people. People who don't turn their work in as promised, people who don't show up for meetings, people who stick vehemently to their views and refuse to collaborate, people who push back on work that they're responsible for. After a while, I learned that these people are everywhere. No matter where you go, you can never hide from them. Sure, it might be possible to avoid the 1st one or two difficult people, but how about the 3rd, 5th, 10th person you encounter? Hiding isn't a permanent solution. What's more, in the context of work, it's usually difficult to avoid or hide from someone, unless you quit from a job totally. Well - I don't know about you, but it doesn't seem feasible to quit every time someone has an opposing view or is being difficult. Here are some useful strategies for dealing with difficult people and hopefully avoiding conflict! So rather than turn to some drastic decisions each time, why not equip yourself with the skills to deal with them.

The easiest way to deal with someone difficult is to be calm, because losing your temper and flaring out at the other person is not the best way to get him/her to collaborate with you, but rather it can make that person rebel. Unless you know that anger will trigger the person into action and you are consciously using it as a strategy to move him/her to action, but it is better to assume a calm persona because a loose temper or a flaring behavior can revoke the spirit of rebellion. Also someone who is calm is seen as someone being in control, centered and more respectable. Would you prefer to work with someone who is predominantly calm or someone who is always on edge? When the person you are dealing with sees that you are calm despite whatever he/she what he is doing, you will start getting their attention. And always remember the old rule which says you cannot put off a fire by another fire but you need water, therefore you don’t manage a difficult persona by being difficult too but by being calm or soft.

Also when dealing with difficult persona understand the person’s intentions before you react or act. I'd like to believe that no one is difficult for the sake of being difficult. Even when it may seem that the person is just out to get you, there is always some underlying reason that is motivating them to act this way. Rarely is this motivation apparent. Try to identify the person's trigger: What is making him/her act in this manner? What is stopping him/her from cooperating with you? How can you help to meet his/her needs and resolve the situation? This is a very critical part because everything has a reason or a trigger, do not act on the symptoms but rather on the root cause, it’s like when you are driving your car then the oil indicator starts indicating that the oil level is too low, if you take a bubble gum and close the indicator it won’t solve the problem but rather the car will boil. That is the same concept I am trying to convey here, because maybe the employees are trying to communicate something with you or maybe there are some circumstances at the workplace which makes the employees behave in such a manner. A highly effective manager has the eye of a chameleon which sees beyond the normal eye, he/she sees in all angles & all directions. Maybe employees seem difficulty simply because the working conditions are unbearable to them. So the best way to act is to solve the root cause like I said above if an oil indicator of your car signals that you are running low on oil then buy another pint of oil before your car boils because if you close the indicator nothing will change.

Also the other strategy you can use when you encounter someone difficult at the workplace just change your attitude or perception towards that person, because negative perceptions to others are equally dangerous in destroying relationships. For example if you view someone as if he/she is an I know everything person who do not agree to any idea of anyone, it’s not healthy because every time that person opens his or her mouth you will think it’s an argument coming out, then you will become defensive before that person say anything, but maybe that person was not about to argue with you. Or if you view someone as a nagging person then each time that person makes a request you will be tempted to think he/she is nagging even when the person is not. So what I am trying to unearth here is that some of the people whom we say are difficulty they are not really difficulty but it’s our perceptions about them, it about the labels we give to our workmates. So the rule is avoid negative perceptions about others, but view everyone positively, and also remember that it will initiate the self-fulfilling prophecy achieved from labeling.

Also get perspectives from others, remember you don’t live in a vacuum but in a community with others then ask for advice when dealing with difficult people, this is because sometimes we tend to solve issue when we are angry and end up adopting wrong decision emanating from our emotions. In all likelihood, your colleagues, managers and friends could have experienced similar situations in some way or another. They will be able to see things from a different angle and offer a different take on the situation. Seek them out, share your story and listen to what they have to say. You might very well find some golden advice in amidst of the conversation and also make use of independent consultancy firms to avoid the incidences of conflicting interests.

Then there is the golden rule of management first look at yourself before you claim that the wrong doer is out there, maybe you are the one who is difficult, as humans it’s our nature that we quickly to point out and denunciate the next person for any cataclysm. A story was told, Brenald was happily married to his wife Joy, then it come to pass when Brenald started saying my wife has a hearing problem because if he calls his wife there was no response at most of the times. Then one day he went to see a doctor together with his wife saying my wife has developed a hearing problem. So the doctor said, before I treat your wife go and do this experiment and come tell me the results. So when Brenald gets home he did exactly what the doctor told him to do, he was in the sitting room and he said, ‘honey what’s for dinner’, there was no response, he reduced the distance up to the kitchen’s door and he said, ‘joy what’s for dinner!’, then no response, reduced the distance again and shout right into joy’s ears, ‘JOYCE WHAT’S FOR DINNER !’, then his wife also shouted into his ears, ‘BRENALD I HAVE TOLD YOU THE THIRD TIME its rice & chicken’. So it was Brenald who had a hearing problem because he failed to hear the responses from his spouse, when they returned to the doctor Brenald’s ears were operated. The moral meaning of the story is that so many times we rush to point out that the next person is the one wrong but we will be the ones wrong. Management and leadership require someone who focuses much on what he or she is doing to the subordinates. This implies that sometimes managers you are the one who make your subordinates difficult to manage, but you are the first ones to label them difficult and stubborn. So to get along or to get things done with difficult people you need to equip yourself with various leadership or managerial qualities that promote collaboration in the midst of employee miscellany. Follow my next article next week as we divulge into the qualities needed to be an effective manager or leader

Brenald Chinyowa writes on his own capacity, for comments inbox to chinyowab@gmail.com (0777 897 586) 0715 764 862. Blog: profbrenald.blogspot.com or follow him on Facebook: Professor-Brenald Chinyowa. Feel free to contact him for free advice & consultation on any HR related issues in your Organisation, Also for strategic conferencing facilitation all free of charge.

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EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND ITS IMPACT ON LEADERSHIP

 By Brenald Chinyowa

Defined as the skills or ability necessary to identify, assess and control the emotions of oneself, other people or entire groups, emotional intelligence is a concept that has become widely popular in management texts and related literature for its ability to enhance and capitalize on the human potential of an organization.
Seeking to support a leader’s cognitive, emotional and physical resources, the use of emotional intelligence is a modern tool of effective management, enabling the individual to manage a wide range of employees that are often performing in a unique set of roles. In addition, emotional and personal competencies are two primary factors that are shown to be directly linked to performance within a work environment, making their identification and analysis essential for effective management as well as the increased development of the organization’s human capital.

It Pays to be ‘Likeable’

In part, emotional intelligence is a response to the problems businesses face in the modern world. With tighter budgets, escalating costs and the continuous demand to produce more for less, there’s a need to develop a higher standard for leadership skills, ones that will effectively address the challenges of high employee turnover, a rapidly changing business environment and the ever-increasing demand for improved products and services. And at least in part, the solution to these problems is found in a leader who possesses technical knowledge as well as the social and emotional abilities that will enable them to meet and beat the afore mentioned challenges and maximize the human potential of their organization while achieving their own personal agenda.
Any organization at the forefront of its industry needs to retain the best employees to remain competitive. And if you take a look at the factors that contribute to the highest levels of creativity and effectiveness in the workplace within these types of businesses, you’ll find components of emotional intelligence 9 out of 10 times.
That’s because duration of employment is directly linked to an individual’s relationship with their immediate supervisor, with some figures reporting that only 11 percent of employees who rated their boss as ‘excellent’ would consider looking for a new job. This figure is in comparison to the 40 percent who would consider leaving after rating their boss ‘poor’.

Moving Up Requires More Than Just Technical Capability

Your skills can land you a great job but emotional intelligence is what enables you to keep it and, more importantly, get promoted and motivate those around you. In fact, some psychologists believe that emotional intelligence matters twice as much as both technical and analytic skills combined. And the higher the individual moves up within an organization, the more crucial emotional intelligence becomes – not really a surprise given the high degree of loyalty required to inspire people toward achieving an expansive, complex or long-term goal.
To climb the modern corporate ladder, a leader must be competent within their chosen field but also have a finely-tuned sense of emotional intelligence. Specifically, they are typically expected to be more positive, approachable, warm, empathetic and optimistic, traits many believe to be more important than traditional cognitive intelligence in the successful achievement of workplace goals. The reason for this may be due to the fact that a focus on emotional intelligence often includes the ability to contain any negative feelings and focus instead on a positive outcome – a capability that is vital for high-reaching leaders and executives.

Brenald Chinyowa writes on his own capacity, for comments & feedback inbox tochinyowab@gmail.com or cell: (0777 897 586) 0715 764 862 

LABOUR ACT REFORM, NEEDS CAUTIOUSNESS

By Brenald Chinyowa
Debate and confab have loomed the industry so lately, about the contemporary move by the Honorable Minister of Finance Cde Patrick Chinamasa availing the intent of the government to neo-liberalise the labour legal frame work of Zimbabwe all in the name of economic growth through improved firm level productivity, labour market flexibility and investor attractiveness. But the Zimbabwean labour law trajectory can be best assumed by paying a preview to its antique or historical development, because it explicitly unveils the paradox of employee vulnerability that need strong defense mechanisms to counteract their susceptibleness.

The development of labour law in Zimbabwe can be traced back to the pre colonialism/the primitive accumulation era where the central coercive legislation of this period was the Master and Servants Ordinance/1901 and Natives Pass Ordinance /1902 which were designed to fast track the establishment of racist capitalist system on the back of cheap and forced black labour. In the colonial era the industrial act of 1935 was enacted to deal with white working class, co-existing side by side with a unitary law applicable to the majority of the black working class. It saw the establishment of Collective Bargaining, conciliation and arbitration for dispute resolutions, recognition of trade unions one per industry but with highly restricted freedom of association, but it was based on openly racist lines with blacks being prevented from competing with whites for skilled jobs and excluded from the definition of employee in the Act. The 1945 and 1948 strikes led to amendments of the Act. In the Post colonialism era there was the enactment of Minimum Wages Act/1980, Employment Act/1980 and later the Labour Relations Act #16 of 1985.
This was an epoch of triumph for the black- middle class which led to the anti-colonial crusade over settler colonialism. The Act declared fundamental rights of employees including protection from unlawful discrimination and the right to organize. The single labour federation ZCTU was formed in 1981, an alliance of the new government led by the triumphant people’s party ZANU PF. Neo liberalism that is 1990 to present resembles the adoption of free market policies under Economic Structural Adjustment Programmes (ESAP) as a recommendation of the International Monetary Fund. The main legal instrument used to achieve deregulation of labour policies was the L R Amendment #12 of 1992 signified by the removal of state controls on minimum and maximum wages and introduction of NEC sectorial bargaining, streamlining disciplinary handling system by introducing employer controlled by codes of conduct, restrictions on the right to strike and abandonment of the one industry one union policy, destruction of permanent jobs through easy retrenchment and dismissal laws and their substitution by contract/ casual jobs paying lower wages.
The labour law reform in the form of the new Labour Act was brought in by LR Amendment Act # 17 of 2002 which aimed at advancing social democracy in the workplace. Then 2005 the Labour Act was amended by Act #7 and it improved maternity rights, strengthened the jurisdiction of the Labour Court and provided remedies on unfair dismissal among other incorporations, the implied sense of the amendment it was more of redressing the relaxation of the legal frame work by amendment # 12 of 1992.
From the historic development of the labour laws in Zimbabwe it is probable that the employees are subject to abuse if not fully protected. The new millennium witnessed a deepening economic crisis in Zimbabwe, aided and exacerbated by the twin forces of political authoritarianism and neoliberalism. However, whilst these two forces had previously acted in concert, by the end of the 1990s they began to diverge. The labour multitude’s radical dual-agenda against both neoliberalism and political authoritarianism therefore became more problematic, as these two malignant forces had now diverged to some extent and retrenched a polarization which appeared to split rights-based and redistribution-based struggles.
This emanated into a labour movement that remained not only a viable, but a vital force within Zimbabwe.  The continued activism of a radicalized rank-and-file connected to a broader labour multitude has been accentuated as vital for emancipatory tussle in Zimbabwe, and despite the challenges posed by the political crisis which reached its zenith in 2008 and neoliberalism, there are a number of encouraging signs. Labour has retained its internal cohesion whilst fostering greater solidarity across the Southern African region, with the continued presence of rank-and-file activism even during the horrific repression of the 2000s offering hope for continued struggles in the more peaceful climate of the power-sharing government. Equally, ZCTU has proven itself uniquely adept at fostering further solidarity within the expansive informal sector, facilitating the empowerment of informal sector workers even in the most abject of circumstances.
The Zimbabwean labour movement is certainly battered and bruised, and its own internal contradictions between a social-democratic leadership and the radical agenda of the rank-and-file may yet fashion glitches.
The current intent of the government of the present day to go for labour act reform, is not new but rather the same with the Labour Relations Amendment #12 of 1992, as part of the ESAP, the technical sense of the amendment was rational to the business owners which are the capitalist operating on the motive of profit making through full exploitation of the factors of production at the lowest possible cost, to this end the labour is the one that always to suffer. The effects of ESAP were disastrous to the Zimbabwean populace as responded through collective job action and a sporadic rise of poverty levels emanating from rampant retrenchments by companies. These have remained unmitigated with growing unemployment and social poverty that led to massive and unprecedented working class struggles with the huge felt national strikes and stay aways of 1997. It then christened the ‘Eternal Suffering of African People’. It also led to a rise in political consciousness, and ZCTU-ZANU PF alliance was broken culminating in the emergence of the MDC political party in 1999.
Neo-liberalization of the current labour legal frame work will actually see the rebirth of the ‘Eternal Suffering of African People’ (ESAP). Let it be in the cognizance of every legislator & industrial stakeholders in Zimbabwe that the relationship between an employer and the employee in a relationship of a power bearer and one who is powerless, the bearer of power owning the means of production making the employee dependant on him, hence the employee is prone to exploitation from the unruly capitalist who is in pursuit for profits, someone was quoted “the central feature of an employment relationship is un ceasing power struggle”. Hence the employee will be at the vulnerable end due to incapacity to compete with the capitalist whom he depends on for a living.
The only hope for the susceptible employee is the legal figment (labour act), it is the only way in which the employees can be protected hence It’s my strong conviction that the labour Act is the army force (defence mechanism) which protects the interest of the employees and advance social justice at the work place, hence if the government proceeds in reforming the act in bid to boost the so called economic growth and investor attractiveness. It simply means the government will be weakening the defence system of the employees and their pillar for social justice at the work place
It has to be known that there the issue of remunerating employees on the bases of productivity is a little bit fiddly because productivity is a multifaceted displine and it is sculpted by various variables (factors of production) were labour is just but only a singular factor, hence I believe it is restrictive to define production in the sense of the labour factor. Relaxing the law will not increase productivity, but rather focusing on the real cause of decline in the productivity of the country.
Brenald Chinyowa writes on his own capacity, for comments & feedback inbox to chinyowab@gmail.com or cell: (0777 897 586) 0715 764 862