HR HIGHS
’B’ players crucial for organisation stability
Every organisation wants to have the best people on board, star performers who can get the job done on time, efficiently and bring in further business. Managers focus their attention on them and try hard to keep them happy and retain them. They are equally worried about their poor performers who are generally incompetent but still find a place in the organisation.
This leaves us with the rest of the workforce, which are the average performers who perform their work efficiently albeit without any extraordinary results. On an average, star performers comprise the top 15 percent of the workforce while the poor performers constitute the bottom 15 percent. The rest are average performers who are competent and steady in their work.
According to HBS Professor Thomas J. DeLong who terms the average performers as B players and the stars as A players and the poor ones as C, the most important component of the workforce are the B players. Of B players, Delong says, "These are the people who create the ballast for the organisation."
B players are the ones who form the backbone of the organisation and do their work quietly and efficiently and even hold the fort during periods of transition like mergers, acquisitions or takeovers. They ensure that the day-to day operations run smoothly. Most B players are in their jobs for a long time and thus are a bank of knowledge of the company’s processes and systems. This information is invaluable and helps in maintaining continuity when there are changes in the organisation. They provide the necessary stability and maintain the workflow.
In these days of economic uncertainty, B players can prove to be the most valuable assets for the organisation. Star performers may not think twice to jump ship for a better offer or they can make costly mistakes and miscalculations based on their ‘superior expertise’. On the contrary B players can provide the required stability because they are not volatile and prefer a more static way of life. These average performers are loyal to their company and rarely seek growth. They are sure of their goals and the methods and rarely need feedback or guidance.
Unfortunately, these employees are taken for granted or ignored or worse some managers fail to identify the B players in their teams. In such a scenario companies run the risk of losing these valuable employees. So managements have to identify these employees and take efforts to recognise and motivate them.
B players can be identified through their career history, attitude, work performance, their reputation among co-workers and their reaction to change. Some of the B players are former star performers who have chosen to go off the fast track for a more balanced life. They still work like star performers but are not ambitious like them and they are quick to act during crises.
These employees are honest and forthright in their opinions and are not afraid to speak the truth to superiors. Co-workers value their opinion and seek answers to problems from them. During times of change they are most likely to be retained for the indispensable knowledge they can provide. They provide support and mentor younger workers at such times.
When organisations realise how crucial these average workers are to the organisation, they should step up their efforts to motivate and retain them. The first thing is to understand the differences between workers and avoid expectations of uniform performance from everybody.
The management has to devote time and effort to communicate the company’s goals and mission to these employees. The usual tendency is to talk about exciting plans and ventures with the star performers while ignoring the rest. This can alienate B players who are consistent performers and contribute significantly in such initiatives.
Efforts have to be made to find out the career ambitions of these workers and provide them the necessary support and coaching to achieve them.
They should be given training to upgrade their skills and given better opportunities to use their expertise.
Managers should promptly acknowledge and appreciate the contribution of these employees. Their unique skills and abilities should be recognised. Since vertical promotions are rare for these employees, lateral moves can motivate them. Their contribution and loyalty can be rewarded with bonuses and pay rises.
According to De Long managers who try and bring out the best in B players succeed in discovering a valuable resource from which they and their organisation can greatly benefit. It is time companies realised this fact.
