Quality improvement is necessary for any business to thrive. Passion for action (PFA) is a concept that creates an environment where this is strived for in every aspect of your business.
Overview: What is Passion for Action (PFA)?
A passion for action can be defined as the dedication to quality improvement in all aspects of an organization by highly motivated individuals.
3 benefits of Passion for Action (PFA)
There are some major benefits to having a culture of PFA in your organization:
1. Required for transformation
A benefit of having a passion for action is that it can completely transform your business, in fact, it is a requirement!
2. Engagement
There is much more widespread engagement amongst all levels of staff if there is a passion for quality improvement.
3. Productivity
An impassioned staff means that there is likely a greater amount of productivity.
Why is Passion for Action (PFA) important to understand?
An understanding of passion for action is important for the following reasons:
You need to be able to build it
Understanding passion for action is an important step in being able to help build it for your company.
Operational leaders have a massive impact
If you are an operational leader, you actually have a sizeable impact on the passion of the employees. Understanding how to get them excited and engaged about quality improvement will go a long way.
Recognizing blockage
Having a knowledge of what passion for action is will help you recognize any blockage that is hindering it. Communicating with your employees will help you to find these blocks.
An industry example of Passion for Action (PFA)
Since the pandemic, a company has seen a swift decline in productivity. A meeting is held by management and staff in order to determine what the blockages are. In order to determine what everyone is feeling, management asks the employees what they want to see from the company. These are worked into the company’s goals, which are outlined for the organization. A clear plan is developed for continuous improvement as well as incentives for the employees. Beyond that, the staff are made to feel integral to the health of the overall organization. Plans are decided on that should be helpful in getting more engagement from the employees as well as how to cultivate a culture of PFA in the company.
4 best practices when thinking about PFA
Here are some practices to consider when hoping to build a passion for action amongst your crew:
1. Purpose
Make sure that your employees see purpose in their work and have as much independence as possible to find ways that they can make real contributions and a difference.
2. Growth potential
Foster an environment where employees see the potential for growth in their roles and careers with you.
3. Proper feedback
Be sure to give employees feedback that will help them improve as well as feel connected to their fellow employees and the overall organization.
4. Job variance
Keep jobs varied along with being sure that everyone feels that the work is shared equitably and fairly.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Passion for Action (PFA)
Who developed the PFA concept?
The concept was first coined by Rick Carangelo, an organizational change consultant.
Is strategic leadership the biggest factor on passion?
No. It has been suggested by research that this only has an indirect effect. The activities and perspectives around operational leadership have the largest effect.
How much of an effect does a lack of passion have on productivity?
Gallup has shown that $350 billion is lost each year in productivity due to a lack of passion.
A passion for action in your organization
Your employees will feel passion for their work if they feel an understanding of what is happening in the work culure and they like how it is going. By implementing some of the practices above, you will likely see an increased passion for action in the workplace.
