THE ORGANIZATIONAL CIVILITY SCALE Assessing Civility in Your Workplace

BY IDENTIFYING THE SYPMTOMS OF INCIVILITY AT WORK YOU CAN MANAGE AND REDUCE THE COST OF RUDENESS  TO YOUR BOTTOM LINE!

Research confirms that there is a tangible cost of incivility to business. Whether you are a small business or a multi-national corporation, fostering civility in your workplace can: increase morale,  help you leverage Social IQ,  facilitate cultural competence, encourage effective communication, decrease turnover, boost service-orientation and significantly impact the bottom line.

WORKPLACE CIVILITY ASSESSMENT

Is your organization susceptible to, or already infected with, the incivility virus?  Here is a quick-check of your organizational vital signs for SYMPTOMS OF VIRAL INCIVILITY in the workplace:

  • persistent miscommunication; nonresponsive employees, misunderstandings, arguments, withholding of information, lack of effective internal and external communication strategies
  • diminished employee morale; negative attitudes, lack of energy, poor engagement, lowered corporate confidence and measureable lack of accountability
  • decreasing productivity; lateness, laziness, reduced quality and quantity of output, diminishing collaborative effort
  • increased customer service complaints; visible decrease in product and/or service standards
  • growing gap in alignment between corporate goals and leaderships’ abilities; lack of integrity and ethics
  • inability for organization at one or more levels to adapt effectively to change
  • growing cultural and communication barriers with/among employees and customers
  • increased difficulty recruiting and hiring competent personnel
  • inability to build and maintain capacity
  • difficulty identifying and/or practicing core corporate values

There are measurable links between the above listed symptoms of incivility and bottom-line business metrics. If you can identify 3 or more of the symptoms listed above as current issues in your workplace, incivility could already be costing your organization money, time and personnel. Left unchecked, these symptoms could have significant, irreparable impact to your business.

Civility Experts is proud to be an authorized distributor of the Organizational Civility Scale (OCS) – call the experts at 204-996-4792 to have a complete Organizational Civility Assessment conducted at your workplace today. Click here to download details about The Civility Scale.

Fostering civility at work requires that an organization have clear standards, and that there is opportunity and ability to increase competency in the following four areas:

  • General knowledge of Business Etiquette
  • Understanding of the key tenants of Civility which are: respect, restraint, and responsibility
  • Increasing Social Intelligence
  • Building Cultural Competence

CivilityExpert.com s is an authorized distributor of the OCS.

Civility Experts a is pleased to offer a comprehensive Organizational Civility Assessment Package which includes:

  • Administering of the Organizational Civility Scale
  • Comprehensive Civility Analysis Report with Training Recommendations
  • Customized Civility Training Plan which may include:
  • Customized Workshops
  • Infusing Civility Content into Existing Workplace Documents
  • Train-the-Workplace Civility Trainer
  • Planning and Initial Facilitation of a Workplace Civility Initiative

Chose 1 or all elements of the package depending on your needs and budget.

The Organizational Civility Scale  was created by Dr. Cindy Clark and Dr. Eric Landrum;. The scale has been approved by the    Institutional Review Board at Boise State University.

The Scale is an effective  tool for  measuring:

  • civility
  • incivility
  • job satisfaction,
  • stress
  • and c;oping—

It takes about 20 minutes to complete and it  can be  used for any number of  employees in  any organization.

“The mini Organizational Civility Scale (mOCS) is an evidence-based 5-minute 20-item measure that provides an overall snapshot of the levels of civility in the workplace; scores are compared to an international research database and mOCS scores can be used to indicate if more detailed, diagnostic measures are needed.”

The OCS is:

evidence-based: conclusions are based on empirical data and thousands of observations
practical: mOCS can be administered in a paper-and-pencil or electronic form
valid: studies indicate that mOCS scores are global measures of civility/incivility in the workplace
predictive: mOCS scores can be indicators of further diagnostic testing is necessary (OCS), leading to finer-grained recommendations
economical: mOCS can be administered for as little as $3 per person, which includes a summary report
scalable: mOCS and OCS efforts can be upscaled or downsized to meet the needs of large or small organizations
non-disruptive: completing the mOCS should take organizational members/employees less that 5 minutes to complete
utility: mOCS outcomes yield one overall score (like a barometric reading); changes in the climate can be tracked over time.

Also available: the short-form “mini” Organizational Civility Scale (mOCS)

SPECIAL OFFER:

BOOK Canada’s leading expert on Civility in the Workplace Lew Bayer to do a presentation on any of the following topics and the mOCS assessment and reporting will be included at no additional charge.

1. The Business of Civility

There is no doubt that civility at work impacts the bottom line. And, most progressive organizations recognize that incorporating best practices that build trust, boost employee confidence, decrease stress, and foster effective communication, is essential to retaining both employees and market share. But how do you do all those things? By getting down to the business of civility- that’s how!

Join Lew Bayer, Canada’s leading expert on civility in the workplace and learn how to:

  • infuse civility practices into existing training tools and best practices
  • ensure a constant “drip” of civility theory and action in your organizations
  • foster continuous buy-in and engagement
  • maintain current levels of civility, and build on them, in hectic workplaces amidst stress, deadlines and multiple priorities

2. Building a Culture of Civility

Lateness, bullying, complacency, theft, gossiping, low service standards, dishonesty, poor quality, sloppy dress, cell phone interruptions….the list of rude behaviours experienced in the workplace is endless. Left unchecked, incivility is like a virus that infects our workplaces. This interesting and relevant workshop assesses your current workplace situation, and offers solutions for stopping the incivility virus from spreading in your workplace.

After completing the Organizational Civility Scale™, participants will engage in discussions and solutions-oriented activities towards:

  • Understanding what civility is exactly, and learning why they should care about it?
  • Identifying symptoms of viral rudeness in their workplaces
  • Recognizing if/how they as individuals contribute to a toxic workplace
  • Adopting behaviours that foster civility in the workplace

3. NEW – The Power of One: Workplace Civility Initiative Workshop with Comprehensive Toolkit Option

It just takes one minute to make a difference. One choice can change your life. One committed moment of courage can show your true character. And one person choosing civility can have tremendous, long-term impact on others. This practical and timely workshop is for organizations that are ready to take one small step towards fostering civility in their workplace by starting a civility initiative.

This interactive full-day workshop includes discussions, advice, instructions, tools and techniques for planning, implementing and sustaining workplace civility initiatives. Topics covered:

  • Recognizing the tangible costs of rudeness to business?
  • Leveraging civility; the benefits of introducing a workplace civility initiative?
  • Understanding the elements of workplace culture
  • Bridging personal and professional values
  • Managing factors that contribute to incivility in the workplace
  • Guiding principles for creating civility and conduct codes
  • Best practices for fostering and maintaining civility in the workplace

Optional Toolkit Option includes:

  • Planning Template for a Civility Initiative
  • 2-day Train-the-Workplace Civility Trainer delivered on-site for up to 4 participants of your choice e.g., Human Resouce professionals, managers, workplace trainers, or employee designates
  • Ready-to-use workshop content so you can begin teaching civility in house immediately
  • Tools, resources and training materials.

Sample of Civility Initiative Tools and Content that may be included:

  • The Civility Rubric™
  • The Organizational Civility Scale®
  • Quick and effective “Workplace Culture” assessments
  • Social Intelligence Assessments to use when hiring
  • Cultural Competence Suveys
  • Toxic behavior assessments to use in performance reviews
  • Civility Needs Assessment to use when outlining civility initiatives
  • Civility vocabulary and how to infuse it
  • Civility best practices e.g., Plain Language, elements of cultural competence, communication style guides

4. Civility in the 21st Century- is it Possible?

The world as we know it is changing at a rapid pace and these changes are impacting each of us- in our homes, communities, and workplaces daily. In a work-world where downsizing, recession, labour shortages, demographic and other issues are common how do we overcome feeling, tired, scared, overwhelmed, and stressed on a regular basis? Is there hope for kindness and civility?

Bring along your toughest workplace civility issue and join expert Lew Bayer in an information and interactive discussion on workplace civility in the 21st century. In this “open-forum” style workshop, some of the topics discussed include:

  • Are we really more uncivilized or just less tolerant?
  • Which, and how, do social trends that impact civility at work, e.g.,
  • Technology
  • Labour Market Issues
  • Sustainability as a core value
  • Transparency
  • Risky business
  • Immediate gratification
  • Mass mingling
  • Imbedded generosity
  • How can organizations- big or small, survive the civility crisis?

5. Real-life Civility in a Virtual World

The benefits of social media are many. But the anonymity, convenience, accessibility and immediacy of social media have also provided an avenue for ranting blogs, tasteless “tweets”, cyber-bullying, bookmarked social bashing sites, and countless other opportunities for incivility. So how do we balance free speech and good manners? How can we infuse common courtesy and current social technology? Join civility expert Lew Bayer, and learn to practice real-life civility in a virtual world. Some of the topics discussed include:

  • Social Media- What is it and what are the issues?
  • Understanding the impact of “continuous partial attention” on civil communication.
  • General etiquette for online communications.
  • The “rules” for exhibiting emotion electronically.
  • Virtual values; setting boundaries for privacy, ethics and morality.
  • Best practices for fostering collaboration, community and civility through social media.

6. Setting Workplace Standards; Civility in the Workplace

Have you ever felt tied up in knots, wondering how to interpret something someone else said or not knowing how to say something you need to say? Is negativity and rudeness impacting productivity, loyalty or morale in your workplace? Effective, positive communication between co-workers, higher ups and clients is imperative in today’s workplace. Tight timelines, competition, and the struggle to find balance leave no place for rude behaviour, negativity, interpersonal conflict or a lack of clarity.

This session focuses on modern guidelines for civility in the workplace. Topics include:

  • Defining “professionalism”
  • Expectations for interacting with work teams
  • Understanding the difference between “friendly” and “familiar”
  • Communicating in a way that sends an impression of competence and credibility
  • Choosing words and nonverbal cues that show respect and build confidence
  • Knowing the expectations for mixing business and social responsibilities
  • Consistently conveying high personal standard
  • Practicing modern guidelines for courtesy and technology
  • Navigating challenges and conflicts with grace and civility

CULTURE AT WORK™ WORKSHOP

7. Navigating a World of Differences© – Building Cultural Competence With labour pool shortages looming in almost every industry sector, employer’s are increasingly reliant on recruiting and retaining immigrants and internationally trained professionals. This necessary influx of diversity in our workplaces creates an opportunity to embrace and build on the wealth of experiences, histories, customs and perspectives of others. But, to reap all those benefits, we need to be able to set aside our fears and biases and embrace change. To effectively retain diverse employee pools, organizations must reach beyond cultural awareness and consciously choose to build cultural competence.

With assistance from civility and culture expert Lew Bayer, participants in this workshop will engage in compelling self-assessments, interactive exercises and lively discussions, and learn to do just that. Topics covered include:

  • Recognizing how the current immigration demographics impact your organization
  • Differentiating between cultural awareness and cultural competence
  • Identifying your personal biases, values, and assumptions and learning how these hinder your cultural competence
  • Choosing respectful language that shows you value others
  • Being attentive to culture-based differences in work style and motivation
  • Having a stronger comfort and knowledge level in communicating and interacting with people of multiple cultures

Contact us for more information.