The Keil Centre

Success - Tailored Solutions - Evidence Base

Recent research shows that the most common problems facing Scottish businesses are those that need tailored, evidence-based solutions. The Keil Centre recently hosted a research project as part of the University of Edinburgh’s MBA degree programme investigating the main people-related problems organisations in Scotland are currently facing. The major issues it revealed are:
● Re-structuring and resistance to change
● Difficulty increasing motivation and tackling stress
● Lack of leadership skills

Reacting to problems vs being proactive
It is often difficult to act promptly on these issues as their symptoms can be unclear. Organisations want to act proactively but find themselves lacking the understanding needed to enable them to do this. In practice, this often means that the issue escalates before a resolution can be found. For example, signs of stress are often not spotted until an individual becomes absent; or motivation difficulties are not picked up until someone leaves.

‘Off-the-shelf’ vs. tailored solutions
These are also issues where a simple solution is not always easy to identify. Organisations are often faced with the dilemma of choosing between an ‘off-the-shelf’ programme or a tailored solution. The first may seem less risky as it has been successful elsewhere but it may not necessarily fit the current circumstances and can lead to the need for further interventions.

The importance of evidence
The research reported that most organisations use a mixture of internal and external expertise in helping them deal with these issues. The range of peoplemanagement experts to choose from can be overwhelming. How do you know what will work for these complex issues? At The Keil Centre, we can be confident of our solutions as they are all evidence-based. Our psychologists have the training,
knowledge and expertise to know what works and what does not. Their background also means they can develop or tailor interventions secure in their understanding of the key elements that will ensure success. We combine our in-depth knowledge of
people-related issues with our expertise in applied psychology to ensure what is introduced actually works.

For more information, please contact Catriona Young.

Optimising Performance and Wellbeing

Organisations rely on their staff for effective delivery of their strategy – the difference between a successful organisation and one that struggles is often the enthusiasm and motivation of their staff. Usually managers are expected to be able to motivate and enthuse their staff on a day-to-day basis; external experts are called in when things have gone wrong. If experts are brought in when things go wrong, their impact is likely to be limited to reducing the negatives, helping those in trouble. Organisations are now becoming aware of the value of focusing on building staff's strengths and positive resilience – before problems emerge.

Research has been emerging in the field of positive psychology of the value of focusing on people's strengths and using these to increase their ability to cope with challenges in their lives. Building resilience and coping skills will buffer staff against the stress that they might encounter in their personal and work lives, making them more enthusiastic, more motivated and more engaged.

The Keil Centre applies this approach in coaching and personal development, 360 degree feedback, stress management and many other related fields. We use many of these principles in our work with both individuals and organisations, increasing individual well-being and developing potential. When working with managers, this is likely to benefit employees across the organisation.

For more information, please contact Alicia Pena.

Reducing Stress, Reducing Accidents

It is well-established that suffering from stress can negatively impact psychological and physical wellbeing and affect behaviour. Yet there is little information to help answer the question on the lips of many health and safety leaders...

The Keil Centre is undertaking some research for BP looking at how suffering from psychological ill-health can impact on performance at work. This research focuses on specific forms of psychological ill-health such as anxiety and depression and specifically looks for evidence of the impact on performance, and how this can affect safety. The research is ongoing but some useful results have already been highlighted. There is a clear negative impact of common psychological ill health states on performance and, specifically, safety performance. Though the specific effects can vary, there is evidence to suggest psychological ill-health can negatively affect performance on a range of duties: from simple recognition tasks to more complex decision making about risk.

There is also less difference than imagined between the negative effects suffered by those experiencing more severe conditions and those experiencing less severe conditions. This means businesses cannot limit themselves to taking action on those members of staff that are known to be clinically unwell. Greater improvements in safety performance will come from increasing awareness of and
improving the psychological well-being of all staff.

The next phase of the work will examine accidents where psychological ill health was cited as a causal or contributory factor to
identify common psychological ill health states that cause or contribute to accidents. This will help us understand where businesses can target resources to improve safety performance.

For more information about this research or how you could apply the lessons learnt in your organisation, please contact Chiara Amati.

Managing Critical Incidents at Work - how to deal with trauma

Traumatic incidents can happen to anyone at any time. Events may be as serious as the recent bomb attacks in London, a car accident, or finding out about a major illness. These events affect people in different ways. Some typical responses may be an ongoing fear about a repeat of the incident (as in the bombings) or distress as a result of having witnessed a horrific accident. The worry and distress may reduce concentration, cause restlessness and change in mood. These reactions will be evident not only at
home, but also in the workplace and this presents managers with a challenge that many find uncomfortable – how to support staff who are distressed.

There are some steps that managers and individuals in general can take to manage the impact of traumatic events.
1. Regaining control – when affected by a traumatic event it is common to feel a loss of control. People often find it helpful to concentrate on making small decisions and taking time to reflect on what they can influence rather than become pre-occupied
with what they can’t control. By focusing on a daily routine, the reassurance of having a predictable structure to the day can help individuals regain a sense of normality.
2. Acknowledge feelings – it is normal to experience shock, confusion, fear, and/or anger after a critical event. Trying to ignore the emotional response can increase the problem. Accepting these feelings as normal and allowing ourselves to experience them can
help to reduce their intensity, and for most people they will decrease over time.
3. Avoid making big decisions – as a result of the intense feelings it is best to allow ourselves time to regain a sense of normality before making big decisions. Consulting with others can help keep things in perspective and ensure the implications of options
are fully thought-through.
4. Reframing thoughts – after a traumatic event it is common to become pre-occupied with the worst case scenario and this can increase the distress that is felt. Considering alternative perspectives can help to challenge unrealistically negative assumptions.
5. Listen & share – it can be very helpful to work through feelings and concerns by sharing with others. The listener’s role is just to give the individual their full attention and listen – s/he doesn’t need to have an answer or a solution or express an opinion. One of the
best ways to help a distressed individual is just to give them the experience of having been listened to and feeling understood.
6. Exercise & relax – exercising and taking time to breathe properly can help to restore a sense of physical well-being and reduce physical symptoms of stress.
7. Seek support – if you or someone you know is experiencing ongoing distress beyond one month after the traumatic incident, it is best to seek professional help. The first contact should usually be a GP, who can then refer on or give guidance on finding
more specialised support.

The Keil Centre can provide training to help organisations prepare their staff to deal with critical incidents. We can provide them with knowledge to increase their understanding of how such events can affect people, along with the skills to help others when they are
distressed. Employees who have experienced a traumatic event may benefit from individual psychological support to help them deal with the effects of trauma. For example, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is a technique that is effective in the reduction of post-traumatic stress. At the Keil Centre, we can provide a range of 1:1 therapeutic support to meet individual clients’ needs.

For more information, please contact Alicia Pena.