Ten Reasons to Implement Choice Theory in Your Organization

What is Choice Theory (CT)? CT is a theory of the explanation of human behavior. CT has applicability to both a person's personal and professional life. It teaches us about our five basic needs, how to meet those needs in a responsible way, and how to take personal responsibility for getting those needs met.

I have assisted many company with implementing the concepts and principles of Choice Theory (CT) in the workplace over the years. Their reasons ranged from mere curiosity to desiring a total immersion of their company into the concepts and principles of CT. Those companies that were committed to learning the CT model and implementing it correctly received better than expected results.

One of the elements of implementing CT in the workplace is to put the three conditions of quality in place. Those three conditions are:

1. Create a need-satisfying environment for your employees.

a. Employees need to feel connected to each other, management and the mission and vision of your company.

b. Employees need to feel empowered by having their opinions sought out and listened to and having their work respected.

c. Workers need to feel safe on the job. This pertains to their emotional, as well as physical safety.

d. Workers need to have the ability to make choices and exercise some independence within the definition of their jobs.

e. Workers need to experience some fun and learning on the job.

2. Workers must only be asked to do useful and meaningful work. If this is not clear, management must take the time to explain it if quality is what you are seeking.

3. Finally, workers need to be asked to self-evaluate their work. This self-evaluation component is far beyond the scope of this article but suffice it to say that two main components are required for employees to be able to accurately and honestly self-evaluate.

a. There must not be fear in the workplace. If employees believe that management will hurt them with the information shared during self-evaluation, then one can hardly expect honesty.

b. Also, there must be a very clear and definite matrix of what quality looks like. The employee must have an ideal to compare their work against.

When these components and others are added to the workplace, you can expect:

1. Increased employees' satisfaction. Employees will be taught that they have the potential, capability and responsibility to personally get their five basic needs met. This awareness will result in a decrease of a sense of victimization and complaining, because employees will be focused on solutions they can implement instead of the problems that exist.

2. A unified approach to conceptualization of issues. Once all your employees understand CT, they will be conceptualizing problems in the same way. This unified approach will decrease a lot of competition amongst your employees and will result in the creation of a unified, cohesive and committed group of workers who believe in the direction your company is headed.

3. Room for individuals' strengths and unique approaches. CT is a framework within which to operate that encourages people's personal expression. Employees will be able to include their unique and creative talents, as long as they don't conflict with CT principles.

4. More effective communication. When everyone in your company understands the basic framework for conceptualizing human behavior, then communication is enhanced. There will be fewer misunderstandings because all are speaking the same language.

5. Less employees stress. Many employees experience stress on the job. This usually comes from a lack of understanding about responsibilities. CT assists employees to understand that the only person they can control is themselves. Once people stop expending energy trying to change people or circumstances beyond their control and instead begin to focus on what adaptive response they can take, stress levels dramatically decrease.

6. Decreased employee turnover. When management learns the steps to create a need satisfying environment for employees, while holding them accountable for their work, employees become dedicated and committed to the work they do. When people are in environments that meet their five basic needs, there is motivation to stay in that environment.

7. Increased creativity. When employees work in an environment created by their employer that allows for self-expression and encourages personal power, limitless creativity is unleashed, which often results in business improvement and expansion.

8. Enhanced relationships. CT teaches people to get their needs met without interfering with others meeting their needs. When this happens, the status of their current personal and professional relationships improves both at work and at home. The possibilities are endless!

9. Improved services to customers. Using CT/RT, employees assist customers to clarifying what it is they want and to evaluate the best ways for getting there. Customers appreciate this approach, which will improve customer satisfaction, resulting in repeat business and an increase in referrals.

10. Decreased Resistance/Increased Cooperation. When CT is implemented in the workplace, employees become less resistant and more cooperative because they are being heard. When we stop pushing people in the direction we think is best and focus instead on building better relationships, resistance is decreased and cooperation is increased.

If you are interested in learning about implementing CT in your company, visit www.CoachingforExcellence.biz and check our calendar for upcoming teleclasses, chats and workshops.

Kim Olver has a graduate degree in counseling, is a licensed professional counselor and a business coach in the area of interpersonal skills. Since 1987, Kim has extensively studied the work of Dr. William Glasser's Choice Theory, Reality Therapy and Lead Management. She was certified in Reality Therapy in 1992 and continued her studies to become a certified instructor for the William Glasser Institute. She is an expert at empowering people to navigate the sometimes difficult course of life---teaching them how to get the most out of the circumstances life provides them. These are incredibly powerful ideas with equal application to one's work and personal lives. Kim can work with you to empower your staff and clients and propel your organization to the next level.

---

7 Tips on How To Prepare for Business Events

Are you scratching your head after business events wondering why... Read More

Business Profitability - 10 Ways To Boost

10 Ways to Boost your ProfitabilitySo many business owners work... Read More

The Ten Best Kept Secrets For Protecting Your Business Property Against Theft

1. Locks and Padlocks ? Locks on all outside entrances... Read More

My 7 Most Important Business Lessons

Millions of people start new small businesses in the United... Read More

Top Seven Reasons to Publicize your Business with Articles

Do you want to be #1-10 on Google and other... Read More

Entrepreneurs - 7 Business Mistakes You Must Avoid

Many mistakes can be made in business and if you... Read More

Top 10 Items to Review & Build Your Business Now!

In building and runnng an independent private practice or small... Read More

Shaking Your Money Tree: Seven Ways to Make Quick Cash

Does your business have a money tree you can shake... Read More

How To Make Money With Your Junk Mail

The term "junk mail" is a well-known term. To... Read More

7 Tips for Home Business Start-up Success

1) Prepare a realistic business plan.Think of this as your... Read More

Yummy Yummy: Top 7 Business Lessons from the Wiggles

At Macquarie University in the early '90s, three Australian early... Read More

Performance-Stress-Motivation: 7 Sanity Saving Business Boundaries

The lack of strong boundaries is one of the chief... Read More

7 Ways To Make A GREAT First Impression!

1. Focus on the other Being known as a... Read More

Top Ten Ways to Manage Interruptions

So many people I worked with said they got more... Read More

Media Training: Seven Ways to Instantly Improve Your Media Interviewing Skills

Imagine if you were going to address a stadium full... Read More

I WANT IT NOW - 10 Tips for Freight & Drayage at Trade Shows

Gas prices continue to go through the roof and increased... Read More

10 Dos and Donts Of Customer Services

Email etiquette is the key to help calm down anxious... Read More

Event Planning: Seven Best Practices Successful Planners Use

Do you plan events for the corporate world like product... Read More

10 Things To Ask Your Accountant

This is a quick checklist of a few things that... Read More

Ten Tips For Staying Connected While Working Alone

Ten Tips for Staying ConnectedMany of my business clients tell... Read More

7 Things You Can Do To Weather The Lows Of A Business Cycle

Hey, as hard as this may be for you to... Read More

Bookkeeping Techniques For Morons

Please don't think I am calling you a "moron" to... Read More

10-Point Checklist for High Visibility in Google

Google is the pre-eminent search engine (SE) with no close... Read More

How To Finally Unlock Your True Potential And Discover The Secret To Lasting Success

Did you know that there is one critical difference between... Read More

How To Use Bartering To Gain An Advantage Over Your Competition

If you have a business on the Internet you should... Read More

The Warning signs of Online Fraud and How To Avoid It

The number may seem grim for Web-based commerce. In 2004... Read More

Advice for New Coaches: 10 Ways to Attract Your First Paying Client and Receive Endless Referrals

Many new coaches struggle to attract their first client. Often,... Read More

How To Use The Power Of Focus To Build Massive Momentum In Your Business

Getting focused on what you want to achieve and creating... Read More

7 Keys to Running a Successful Business

Although dentistry may appear to be different than other types... Read More

No More Lists To Remember

Are the endless lists of Top-7's and Top-10's taxing your... Read More

How to Become an Expert in Your Niche Business

What is a niche business? A niche business is one... Read More

International Shipping/Freight for Dummies

There are lots of benefits for some businesses to import... Read More

Surviving When Clients Arent Rolling In

As the holiday season starts to settle in, the workload... Read More