Reducing Stress & Boosting Performance at Motorola

Testing the Theory Early in HeartMath's development, demonstrating our ideas of organisational coherence in a world-class organisation was a high priority. In late 1994, the director of emerging technologies for Motorola approached HeartMath about one of the firm's core objectives: enhancing the performance of its people. The company already had a global reputation for product innovation and an unusually strong focus on people. It entered markets where it had no expertise and quickly dominated them. The company often credited the organisation-wide focus on training as fundamental to its market leadership.

But now the company's issues were changing. Technological advances in their key industries were becoming so rapid, leadership no longer was assured. Stress on people was increasing, partly due to the organisation's size and challenge to sustain its healthy growth, partly due to societal and family issues unrelated to the organisation. The HeartMath team was asked to design a series of Inner Quality Management® programs for a wide range of staff members to address and measure multiple issues, such as productivity, teamwork, communication effectiveness, health and stress, creativity, and innovation.

Three teams of employees were recruited for the pilot programs, which would be held in two different locations in the United States. The pilot groups consisted of one group of executives, middle managers and administrative staff members; one intact software engineering team; and a team of assembly line workers.

Improvements in Productivity, Teamwork, Health, and Empowerment
The programs were conducted over a six-month period. Dramatic improvements in productivity were measured in the assembly line workers (see graph):

• 93% demonstrated increased productivity.
• 90% experienced improved teamwork.
• 93% acknowledged an increased sense of empowerment.
• 93% felt healthier, including significant gains in energy and vitality, less tension, fewer physical problems, a reduced need for medication, and greater personal and professional fulfillment.
• Not only were they feeling better, but their input was being received: more than 20 recommendations made by the associates for improving productivity were implemented by the management team.

A key factor of concern to the company was cardiovascular health and efficiency. Of the adult working population in America, 28% have high blood pressure. The figures are similar in Europe. High blood pressure (or hypertension) is the leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke and can dramatically inhibit performance and productivity. While this intervention had not been positioned as a wellness program--the intent was increasing business productivity--our clients intuitively knew the relationship between individual health and productivity:

• 28% of the executive, administrative, and engineering teams were hypertensive at the start of the study, in line with the national average.

After six months, all participants had regained normal blood pressure. They had also learned to lower their blood pressure during highly stressful situations.

Further, there were significant improvements in other productivity-affecting factors:

• 18% less anxiety
• 26% less burnout
• 20% less hostility
• 32% increase in contentment

There was a 36% reduction in overall stress symptoms, which included the following:

• 56% reduction in sleeplessness
• 31% decrease in rapid heartbeats
• 27% reduction in headaches
• 33% reduction in heartburn
• 30% reduction in trembling due to stress

HeartMath also received many comments reflecting greatly increased personal and team coherence.

• "More inventions were disclosed in the last six months."
• "Since my stress levels are now lower, I am more relaxed and able to think more clearly. My negotiation skills have improved."
• "My number of patents per month literally doubled."
• "I feel happier with myself. I perform better with my job. I communicate more--without being afraid."
• "I'm handling family life a lot better with less worries, and I've resolved a lot of prolonged issues. I can listen to others, be open-minded, willing to train coworkers, and come to work feeling happy and ready to work."

To date, more than 1,000 people at Motorola have gone through the IQM program, coherence is increasing, and morale is up. The primary division where these tools were implemented saw record growth and the corporate university began offering IQM at headquarters.

For Information
Telephone: (02) 9412 2500 (Australia)
Telephone: +61 2 9412 2500 (International)
E-Mail: info@macquarieinstitute.com.au

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