Sometimes, even the most dedicated employees can let important tasks slip through the cracks. This can lead to major problems – from safety hazards to frustrated customers.
So how do you get your team to complete critical duties consistently?
When I was a professor at Western Michigan University, I worked with a fine dining restaurant that was struggling with inconsistent task completion by servers and dishwashers. Things like properly stacking dishes and cleaning work areas were often being overlooked, causing safety issues and customer complaints.
To address this, we used a behavior science tool called the Performance Diagnostic Checklist.
This allowed us to identify the root causes of the performance problems – a lack of clear task instructions and insufficient feedback.
Armed with these insights, we implemented a simple three-part solution:
- Task Clarification: We created detailed checklists outlining all the closing duties and posted them in the work areas.
- Verbal Feedback: Managers started giving regular feedback to employees, highlighting both positive performance and areas for improvement.
- Graphic Feedback: Visual performance graphs were posted so employees could easily track the team’s progress.
The results? For the server team, task completion increased from 75% during the baseline period to 90% after the solution was implemented. For the dishwashers, it jumped from just 49% to an impressive 87%.
The combination of clearly defining expectations, providing both positive and corrective feedback, and using visuals to track progress over time – this is stuff that actually works.
The great thing about these strategies is that they’re based on well-established principles of behavior science. And they’re inexpensive and easy to implement in any organization, from restaurants to office settings.
So if you’re looking to take your team’s performance to new heights, consider tapping into the power of behavior science. With a few simple tweaks, you can get everyone on the same page and ensure critical tasks are completed consistently. The benefits to your organization’s safety, efficiency, and customer satisfaction could be huge.
Read the research article here.
