Into the Frame: 5 Ways To Help Employees See the Bigger Picture

It is a very overstated part of business-speak, but the bigger picture is critical to how an organisation is going to function. When we have an understanding of how the pieces fit we will be a far more effective company. The problem is when employees do not understand where they fit. So we must show our employees how they fit into the grand scheme of things. Here are 5 methods.

Show Employees How They Fit

When we show an employee how they fit into the big picture, it helps them to understand the vision. A very useful metaphor here is cogs in the machine. You may have a business that relies on very specific items of machinery, but they also need the right tools to function. If you were to not have a specific Allen-Bradley replacement parts that fits your machine your business is not going to function as it should. It’s something that many factory workers understand inherently, because they know the importance of the smallest piece of equipment, but employees in a much larger organisation can fail to see where they fit. Show employees exactly how their work impacts others.   

Ask Employees for “Their Vision”

You can ask an employee how they believe they fit into the big picture and tell you that they have no idea. In order to communicate that bigger picture, you must ask for feedback. Asking employees what they think can be done to steer the ship in the right direction is critical, but when you start to think about what an employee actually believes their is role in the business. you can steer them in the right direction so they become more in line with your vision.

Constantly Communicate the Vision

Communication is critical but we also must constantly communicate. If we do not communicate our vision, employees may not have a greater understanding. New employees can always benefit from seeing how they fit into the grand scheme of things, but low-level employees too. We can all benefit from some positive reinforcement. It is critical that we make the big picture a consistent part of our messaging, but not to the point where we become a broken record!

Focus on Transparency

A transparent business is a far more culturally effective company. Transparency is something that should form part of your choices, but also part of your attitude to doing business. It’s critical to keep our employees in the loop, whatever the cost.

Constant Employee Development 

When members of our team understand how they fit into the bigger picture, we’ve got to reinforce the vision. If you want to increase their productivity and help them to work better within the environment, you’ve got to prioritise continuous training. Employees may want to contribute to the organisation in more ways than just their duties, and you can encourage collaboration, but you can also focus on education and making this a key part of your investiture. 

Employees should see the bigger picture and when we apply some of these approaches, we could very well see a positive impact on how everybody fits. It should never be a fragmented approach to doing business, which is why we must help people to recognise their individual inputs as part of a larger effort.