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MANAGING CHANGE THROUGH ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Organizational Behavior An organization consists of individuals with different tasks attempting to accomplish a common purpose. (For a business, this purpose is the creation and delivery of goods or services for its customers.) Organizational behavior is the study of how individuals and groups perform together within an organization. It focuses on the best way to manage individuals, groups, organizations, and processes. Organizational behavior is an extensive topic and includes management, theories and practices of motivation, and the fundamentals of organizational structure and design. The only thing permanent is change. In this changing era, organizational development becomes very important. The business environment is forever changing, and managers and human resources departments must be flexible enough to adapt to these changes, including the evolving laws, demographics, and business strategies. Organizational Development Planning and Strategy Just like any other aspect of business management, planning and strategy development are the first items on the agenda when tackling a project. Managers, professionals, and entrepreneurs are often faced with the task of developing a plan for how human resources will be needed to meet short and long-term goals and objectives. In its simplest form organizational development starts by conducting an analysis of staffing needs throughout the organization. This could mean either assessing the current staffing requirements or projecting future requirements if changes are expected. In either situation there are several questions that need to be answered and fully understood prior to the analysis. 1. What is the organizations strategic vision ? 2. What are the short-term and long-term goals ? 3. Are there any major changes in the market that will impact the organizations future ? 4. What changes in staffing requirements, if any, are needed to support the strategic vision of the organization ? 5. If changes are needed within the organization, what type of resistance can be expected to the changes ?

Once these questions are answered, assessing the staffing requirements can be completed. Assessing the staffing plans involves evaluating the human capacity needed to meet the goals and objectives of the organization, estimating the number of people needed for each department or role, and making adjustments as needed. Signs that the current staffing needs are not in line with the condition of the organization : Regular breakdowns in the process flows, which jeopardize relationships with clients and customers. These include missed deadlines, increased returns, decreased customer loyalty, and regular administration mistakes. Frequent employee absenteeism and turnover caused by employees being overstressed, having poor morale, or looking for other employment. Regularly occurring overtime caused by employees being overworked or given too much responsibility. Overworking employees can lead to burnouts and increased costs in the long run. Once the staffing plan is developed that meets the current and future plans for the organization, job descriptions can be created. This process involves analyzing each job in the organization in order to generate a job description and job specifications, and then these are aggregated at a company-wide level. Job descriptions can be a very important management tool in some organizations. The job analysis involves collecting sufficient information to form a complete understanding of what is entailed to perform the job. A job description lists the activities that the employee performs, as well as the skills and qualities that are needed to successfully meet the job objectives. Once the job analysis and job descriptions are determined, this information can then be aggregated to form a human resource inventory to track what skills and capabilities need to be filled in to complete the human resources requirements. When completed correctly, job description can be a very important tool and can be used in many different functions, including : Giving employees a gauge of how they will be evaluated within the organization. Helping determine the compensation level for individual positions. Establishing hiring criteria for specific positions, and giving candidates responsibility expectations.

A typical outline of a job description : JOBTitle : Specific title that would be included in an organizational chart. Overall Description : A brief description of the responsibilities an individual holding this position would have: Reporting To : List of person(s) to whom this position reports, and any subordinate positions. Duties : A detailed list of regular duties this position would be expected to perform. Requirements : A list of mandatory or preferred requirements for the position, Including number of years of experience, certifications, and licenses. Criteria : A list of standards that will be used to evaluate the possible candidates, including specific skills, experience, or knowledge.

Implementation of the Organizational Development Once the planning part of the process is complete, the firm will set forth to implement that plan through the next set of human resource concepts and tactics such as recruitment, selection, appraisal, rewards, and employee personal and professional development. Here, changing market scenario should be kept in mind. Recruitment Recruitment is the process by which companies attract candidates to fill present and future positions, and the appropriate method varies from company to company. In most cases, the human resource department in the company will work together with managers in departments throughout the company or with others familiar with the personnel needs to determine a recruitment method and approach. Employee Leasing and Outsourcing. In the past decade, the use of employee leasing and temporary, or project-based, outsourcing of human resource needs has become more prevalent. In this scenario, the company contracts with another company that provides the employees for a specific need or project. The contracted worker is an employee of the provider company, with the provider company responsible for payroll, employee taxes, benefits, and other employee-related expenses. These leasing or outsourcing arrangements are attractive to new or emerging companies or mature companies that may be experiencing an unusual spike in demand, or some other kind of nonrecurring event, presenting a solution for a company that needs to modify its workforce capacity with some upside or downside flexibility.

Recruitment : Inside versus Outside the Company. One of the first questions the companys human resources department is likely to ask is whether to fill job needs internally or to look outside the company. Hiring internally allows the manager to choose from a known pool of talent and can minimize misperceptions among candidates about the actual requirements of the position. Generally, it is advisable to look outside the company which specific skills are required for the position and existing employees may not be reasonably expected to train for or learn these skills. Finally, recruiting outside the company can be an effective way to import experience and creativity or new ways of doing things. This infusion of outsider perspectives and approaches can infuse the company with a fresh look at its processes and systems. Selection The recruitment process just described will result in a pool from which to select the right employee and this usually involves a combination of different selection methods in order to make the best employee selection decision. Interviews and reference checks are the most commonly used, but other methods are available depending on the specific demands of the position. For example, background checks are appropriate when a position requires that the employee have significant customer interaction or if the prospective employee has a fiduciary involvement or responsibility with the company. Other selection methods include : Skill performance tests / work samples for example, a graphic artist may bring in a portfolio of past projects, or a data entry candidate may be given a simulated work assignment. Personality testsused especially in customer contact recruitment and selection (e.g., salespersons and customer service candidates). Physical abilities testsused in many job requirements where physical condition is an essential element in job productivity or success (e.g., a product installation or delivery job). Interviewing. Face-to-face interviews can be extremely revealing but must be well prepared. The goal of an interview should be to learn whether the candidate has the competencies and technical skills that are most critical to the job, and questions should be prepared for each area. The interviewers questions should focus on behaviors, not opinions, and may involve asking applicants to provide examples from their past experiences. Four rules for more effective reference checks :

1. Ask the applicant to inform prior employers that you intend to contact them. Former managers are much more likely to provide useful information if they are aware before hand that they will be contacted. 2. Open the call by describing the corporate culture of the organization. This provides some context for the previous employers comments on the previous employee. 3. Reassure the previous employers that the information they provide will not determine the final hiring decision, but that your goal is to learn how best to manage the prospective hire. 4. Save formal questions such as dates of employment and title until the end of the call. Employee Training and Development It is one thing to be able to recruit and hire good employees, but to tap into and help them attain their full potential is just as or even more important. Training and development is an essential part of all organizations today. The main benefits of employee development and training : Increases the value and capacity of the human assets of the company. Provides an alternative to recruiting, by having qualified personnel to fill vacant positions. Creates potential future leaders of the company. Helps reduce employee turnover by keeping individuals motivated and interested in their positions with the possibility for advancement. Orientation. Training should begin on day one of employment, with every employee given an orientation. Getting employees off to the right start is a very easy way to build a company that embraces learning and development. Formal orientation programs can range from an hour to several days, and the level of orientation usually depends on the level of the positions. Whereas entry-level or unskilled labour will need very little orientation, experienced professionals will need quite a bit more to get up to speed with the organization. Each organization needs to define its own orientation needs and programs. Assigning mentors is often done in place of an orientation program to give new employees a helping hand during the first few weeks on the job. At a minimum for small or large organizations, orientation programs should include :

Detailed company history and overview of the current structure and products. Overview of employment policies and handbook (if applicable). Basics of compensation, benefits, and all other legal issues that arise. Health and safety issues. Information about business systems such as phone, e-mail, voice mail, and office equipment. Employee rewards and incentives. Skill Training. Skill training is exactly what it saystraining employees on new skill sets. This could take many forms, including training on new software, accounting, customer service techniques, or even team-building exercises. Skill training has two main goals : (1) to maintain employees current skill level with ever-advancing technology and business practices, and (2) to give employees the necessary skills to advance through the organization. Prior to implementing training, organizations need to follow a few basic steps : 1. Conduct complete skill assessments, involve all levels of employees, develop core skill competencies for each position, and assess current gaps in the skill set. 2. Choose the training source. Whether you choose outside consultants, assign internal trainers, or devise online training, the source has to be effective for the given skill set. 3. Align training with the broad goals and objectives of the organization. This will help employees see the importance and be more likely to jump on board with the training. 4. Conduct training during working hours this will help keep a positive attitude toward the training. 5. Conduct training in suitable facilities. Sticking a class in a dirty warehouse is not likely to be very effective. 6. Plan for feedback and assessment of all training programs. Professional Development and Leadership Training As organizations grow, adapt, and mature, there comes a time when existing managers and leaders will begin to think about stepping down and looking for replacements either inside the organization or out. When this situation arises very often

managers find themselves not being able to find qualified candidates with the right experience and who will be a good fit with the current organization. Leadership development programs are very common in todays business world, the risk of not planning for the succession of current leaders is too high for most organizations to beat. Leadership development programs take many forms, but they all have similar goals of providing certain employees with the necessary skills and experience to fill the shoes of top management in the future. The programs can be formal or informal, usually span several years, and should be a recurring program that is well accepted within the organization. Organizational Development as a Competitive Tool Organizational planning has evolved over time from a basic tool used by companies to identify personnel needs to an integral part of an organizations strategy for making the most of its human capital. Increasingly, companies are finding that the strategic management of human resources can actually be a source of competitive advantage. Management Management used to be focused on direction and control. Now it is more involved with support and facilitation and the evolving notion of the manager as coach. In conjunction with this role as a supportive facilitator, managers are now focusing on efficiently and effectively utilizing the intellectual capital of an organization. In practice, managers accomplish organizational goals through the process of defining, goals, organizing structures, motivating employees, and monitoring performance and outcomes. In performing these processes a manager often takes on several different roles. In order to fill these roles effectively managers use skills that allow them to translate knowledge into action. Emotional Intelligence and the Manager Daniel Goleman defined an important aspect of human skills in his work on emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is tied closely to management effectiveness and ultimately organizational behavior; it suggests that a managers performance may be influenced by several factors : Self-awarenessunderstanding your moods and emotions.

Self-regulationthinking about your actions and controlling destructive ones. Motivationworking hard to accomplish your goals. Empathyunderstanding the emotions of others. Social skillsdeveloping good connections and relationships with others. Understanding emotional intelligence is especially important in light of changes in organizational structures, which have created firms with less hierarchy and closer peer contact. Motivation Motivation is an important driver in an organization and is crucial to the management of intellectual capital. Motivation underlies what employees choose to do (quality and / or quantity), how much effort they will put into accomplishing the task, and how long they will work in order to accomplish it. Employees who are motivated will work more effectively and efficiently and shape an organizations behavior. A motivated workforce will have a strong effect on an organizations bottom line. Motivation is strongly tied to job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is how individuals feel about the tasks they are supposed to accomplish and may also be influenced by the physical and social nature of the workplace. They more satisfied employees are with their jobs, the more motivated they will be to do their jobs well. In shaping and directing an organizations behavior, the important factors are:Needs. Employees have needs. In order to motivate employees, supervisors should attempt to understand the breadth of their employees needs. This is not always an easy task and requires open and frequent communication between managers and employees. By structuring a job so that it meets these needs a supervisor can increase an employees motivation. Compensation. Compensation is an important part of motivation, with a goal to compensate employees according to the contribution each employee makes to the firm. Employees will be dissatisfied if they feel that they are getting less than they deserve. In order to decrease the likelihood of perceived inequities, a manager needs to be proactive and informative regarding reward structures. Rewards. Employees need to know that the goal they are working toward is achievable and that when they accomplish this goal that they will be rewarded in an appropriate and timely manner.

Organizational Structure Examining organizational structure will help answer questions about the ways in which a firm conducts business. Who is responsible for accomplishing various tasks within the firm ? How are these individuals grouped ? Who manages these individuals or groups ? How do they manage them ? Five Structural Factors In essence, the primary goal of an organizational structure is to coordinate and allocate a firms resources so that the firm can carry out its plans and achieve its goals and objectives. The fundamentals of organizational structure revolve around five factors : the division of labour, departmentalization, the nature of the managerial hierarchy, the managerial span of control, and the amount of centralization or decentralization in the organization. Division of Labour. The division of labour involves two steps : dividing work into separate tasks and assigning these tasks to workers. What are the different tasks carried out by your firm ? Who is responsible for accomplishing these tasks ? Departmentalization. Departmentalization is the process of grouping similar types of jobs together so that they can be accomplished more efficiently and effectively. There are five different ways in which to departmentalize business activities. Different types of departmentalization can exist to varying degrees within a business. What types of departmentalization exist within your firm ? Could your firm be departmentalized differently ? Managerial Hierarchy. Managerial hierarchy relates to the way in which management is layered. It usually includes three levelsupper or top management, middle management, and supervisory roles. The higher levels of management generally have fewer employees, but more power. Span of Control. Span of control is closely related to managerial hierarchy. At each level of management within a firm an individual is responsible for a different number of employees. Span of control relates to the number of employees that a manager directly supervises. Span of control is determined by a number of factors, including the type of activity, the location of the workers, a managers ability to delegate tasks, the amount and nature of communication between the manager and the individuals being supervised, and the skill level and motivation of the individuals being supervised. Centralization versus Decentralization. Centralization is the degree to which formal authority is centralized within a unit or level of an organization. Decentralization is the process of actively shifting authority lower in a firms hierarchical structure. This

effectively gives more decision-making power and responsibility to those in supervisory roles.

Methods of Control Managers achieve organizational goals by managing intellectual capital in order to get the most out of organizational resources. An important part of this process is monitoring performance and outcomes. This can be done in several ways. Two of the more common ways that directly affect organizational behavior are output controls and process controls. Controls relate to setting standards, obtaining measurements of results related to these standards, and taking corrective actions when these standards are not met. Managers must be judicious in their use of controls so as not to overburden the organization. Output Controls Output controls are about setting desired outcomes and allowing managers to decide how these outcomes can best be achieved. Output controls promote management creativity and flexibility. This type of control serves to separate methods from outcomes and subsequently decentralizes power by shifting it down the hierarchical structure. Process Controls Once effective methods have been determined for solving organizational problems, managers sometimes institutionalize them in order to prevent the problem from recurring. These types of controls are called process controls and are a way of regulating how specific tasks are conducted. Three types of process controls are (1) policies, procedures, and rules; (2) formalization and standardization; and (3) total quality management controls. Current Trends in Organizational Behavior and Design Modern organizational structures are currently undergoing changes in response to new trends in the global business environment. One of the more prevalent trends is the increase in the network organization. A network organization is one that consists of a group of independent firms communicating via the latest advances in information technology. It can include suppliers, customers, and even competitors. These firms operate as an alliance in order to share skills, costs and access to each others markets in order to work together quickly and take advantage of business opportunities. These types of firms are

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characterized by technology, opportunism, trust, and a lack of borders. They assemble and disperse in response to business opportunities. Another trend affecting organizational structures is the increase in large global mergers. By their very natural these types of mergers necessitate that a firm reexamine its existing structure in light of its new position within the larger structure. In addition, management decisions designed to increase employee motivation must take into account the culture context in which they are made. Global mergers can also increase the use of virtual groups and the diversity of membership characteristics. Project Management An organization will create a project as a way to focus resources on an opportunity or issue and to serve as a way to effectively organize its efforts to achieve a specific goal or objective. In a small firm, practice, or business, a project may be the installation of a new accounting software system or the introduction of a new product or service. In large, complex organizations, several projects may be in play at the same time, with some midlevel managers whose only responsibility is the management of a stream of these short-term assignments. In the dynamic nature of todays organizational environment, project management is an important concept and tool to understand and effectively implement.

INPUTS
Mission Team Resources Project Management Skills

PROJECT

Project Goals and Objectives

Simple Project Management Process Role of Project Manager It may also be concluded that a considerable number of projects fail from not having a skilled and experienced project manager to manage the process. This hole is quickly being filled, however, as companies recognize that successfully managed projects increase productivity, yield a greater return on investment, increase profits, and improve customer service.

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Another reason for the importance of the role of a project manager is the increasing rate of change in the workplace. Project management skills transcend corporations and industries; with change happening at such rapid rates, whether in technology, business, or construction, project managers are increasingly in demand. Project Scope Management Plan When the product scope is understood, a project scope management plan needs to be created. This plan describes how the project scope will be managed and therefore, any changes in scope will be integrated into the project. It also serves as an assessment of the anticipated stability of the project scope. In other words, it documents the characteristics of the product or service that the project was undertaken to create. As shown in Figure the project scope management plan begins at initiation of the project and moves through scope planning scope definition, scope verification, and scope change control (should this be needed). The initiation phase includes beginning to develop the scope statement. The scope statement serves to put some boundaries on the project and keeps the scope from increasing as you delve into the meat of the project, which is a common phenomenon.
Initiation Scope Planning Scope Definition

Scope Verification

Scope Change Control

Project Stages Also considered in the initiation phase is the overall strategic plan of the organization. All projects should be supportive of the performing organizations goals, and having a strategic plan helps to make this possible. The elements included in the initiation phase may include creating a project charter. The project charter is the product description and business needs the project addresses. The scope planning phase includes the scope statement (scope justification, project product description, project deliverables, project objectives, and supporting details). The scope verification portion of the system is what may be used to determine if the job is complete.

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After formal acceptance of the scope (scope verification), scope change control takes place. A change control system will include : Recognizing that a change is needed. Reviewing all requested changes. Ensuring that any change is beneficial. Evaluating the benefits of the requested change. Identifying alternatives that would achieve the same result. Identifying all impacted tasks. Analyzing these impacts and how they affect project performance in terms of time, money, and scope. Approving or rejecting the request. Communicating the approved changes to all stakeholders. Changing the baselines for performance monitoring. Updating the project scope definition. Implementing the change. Documenting the change. It is critical that all change gets documented by the client prior to the change taking place. The agreement should detail not only what changes need to take place, but also how each change will occur and what the impact of the change will be on the overall scope. Project Schedule In order to adjust for things such as scope changes, we need to be sure that there is a solid project schedule in place. The project scheduling process needs to include the activity definition, activity sequencing, activity duration estimating, schedule development, and the schedule control.

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Project Budget The next step is figuring out the project budget. Project budget estimates can be derived by using a variety of techniques ranging from pure estimation based on experience and knowledge to complicated financial models. An accurate, detailed cost estimate is necessary as soon as the project concept gets approval. A detailed and accurate budget also helps forecast the project funding needed and during which phase it will be needed. As the project progresses, the cost information will also be used to help control the project, monitor the progress, identify potential problems, and help to find solutions. The first thing to think about is the internal labour costs. One of the biggest oversights that occur during the budgeting process is leaving out the cost of internal staff. Getting an accurate cost for internal equipment used can be more complicated. If you will be purchasing and using equipment for a single project, then it is fairly straightforward to add up the cost of each piece and add it to the budget. External labour cost and equipment costs are usually simpler to figure out. This is because contractors have already calculated their costs for products or services ahead of time. Sometimes these rates can be negotiated. The final piece of consider is the cost of materials. Material costs will vary widely depending on the nature of the project that you are working on. Once the projects schedule and costs have been determined, you may generate a cash flow projection. Again, it is important to realize that estimating the costs that go into the budget is the responsibility of all the project stakeholders. A cooperative approach yields more accurate results and it helps to reduce the uncertainty of the project. Risk Management Next, it is time to manage the projects risk. Not many project managers realize that managing risk is their primary responsibility, but they tend to do it without even thinking about it. Risk management is the total process to identify, control, and minimize the impact of uncertain events. The objective of the risk management program is to systematically reduce risk to increase the likelihood of having the project objectives met. In effect, as project managers know, all project management is risk management.

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The project definition takes into account a lot of risk management activities. The project definition establishes what the goals and constraints for the project will be. In this process it is critical to identify that the risks for your project are. At the end of this whole process, you end up with a solid project plan. You have identified the key or required staff; the key risks including their constraints and assumptions (and have planned responses for each); the scope and schedule management plans; the project charter; a description of the project management approach or strategy; a scope statement that includes project deliverables and the project objectives; WBS to the level at which control will be exercised; cost estimates; scheduled start dates, and responsibility assignments that stem from WBS performance measurement baselines for schedule and cost; and finally, major milestones and target dates for each. Project Estimation Although estimation, by definition, is making an attempt at forecasting the future and trying to predict the time and money necessary to produce the stated result, it is important for your stakeholders that you get good at accurately estimating when a project will be done and what will be needed to ensure its completion. This means getting the right people on board to help make the estimate, making estimates based on personal or institutional experience, and taking the time and making the effort required to make good estimates. The most accurate type of estimation is bottom-up estimating. Bottom-up estimating, however, also requires the most amount of work because it makes an estimation of all of the detailed tasks individually and then adds them all up for the project as a whole. Although the most accurate form of estimating, this level of detail usually isnt available at the very beginning of the project, so its best used for building the detailed phase estimates. Project Team During the estimation phase, it is critical that you know that the skill sets of the team with whom you will be working. You must know the expertise of others, even if you dont know them personally, and be able to ask for help. It is also important to look at what technology will be required to complete the project. Does it rely on new technology ? Will you need members of your team to have a new skill set to accommodate for the technology ? What is the reliability of the technology you will be using ? The team of people you will be working with on your project management team is probably the most critical ingredient of the whole process. It is the responsibility of the project manager to motivate and guide the team to complete the project at hand. This may oblige the leader to administer a variety of management techniques to develop a cohesive group.

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The most successful leaders, however, create outstanding teams. A successful team has numerous links between team members and frequent and comfortable communication among them. It is important not to overly rely on one person two much with critical information, and put the project at risk by consolidation of data or information. Just as it is important not to rely too heavily on one individual, it is critical that there isnt someone in the middle who slows down communication or decision making. In an effort to communicate effectively, the project team should make responsibility or task assignments and deadlines very clear from the beginning. Reporting Close-out reporting is possibly the most neglected activity in project management. When the project is complete, it is tempting to have the final product speak for itself. What has been found, however, is that closing-out activities can bring a high return to the project managers. The closing out of a project can bring closure to the project in the eyes of the stakeholders and can also provide an excellent learning opportunity. Quality Management Systems For more than two decades quality and quality management systems have been leading buzzwords in the business world. Numerous consultants have built their careers around these topics, and quality issues in business have been responsible for the development of new organizations and even industries, for instance, the American Society for Quality and Six Sigma consulting. The notion of quality in business focuses on the savings and additional revenue that organizations can realize if they eliminate errors throughout their operations and produce products and services at the optimal level of quality desired by their customers. Errors can take almost any formfor example, producing the wrong number of parts, sending bank statements to customers who have already closed their accounts or sending an incorrect bill to a client. All of these errors are very common, and the costs incurred seem minimum . But over time when mistakes are repeated the costs add up to a significant amount, so eliminating errors can result in significant increases to the bottom line of business. What is Quality ? According to the American Society for Quality, quality can be defined in the following ways : Based on customers perceptions of a product / services design and how well the design matches the original specifications.

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The ability of a product / service to satisfy stated or implied needs. Achieved by conforming to established requirements within an organization. What is a Quality Management System ? A quality management system is a management technique used to communicate to employees what is required to produce the desired quality of products and services and to influence employee actions to complete tasks according to the quality specifications. What Purpose Does a Quality Management System Serve ? Establishes a vision for the employees. Sets standards for employees. Builds motivation within the company. Sets goals for employees. Helps fight the resistance to change within organizations. Helps direct the corporate culture. Why is Quality Important ? Business success may simply be the extent to which your organization can produce a higher-quality product or service than your competitors are able to do at a competitive price. When quality is the key to a companys success, quality management systems allow organizations to keep up with and meet current quality levels, meet the consumers requirement for quality, retain employees through competitive compensation programs, and keep up with the latest technology. Standardized Systems ISO 9000 is a series of quality management systems (QMS) standards created by the International Organization for Standardization, a federation of 132 national standards bodies. The ISO 9000 QMS standards are not specific to products or services, but apply to the processes that create them. The standards are generic in nature so that they can be used by manufacturing and service industries anywhere in the world.

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Total Quality Management (TQM) TQM is a management approach in which quality is emphasized in every aspect of the business and organization. Its goals are aimed at long-term development of quality products and services. TQM breaks down every process or activity and emphasizes that each contributes or detracts from the quality and productivity of the organization as a whole. Managements role in TQM is to develop a quality strategy that is flexible enough to be adapted to every department, aligned with the organizational business objectives, and based on customer and stakeholder needs. Once the strategy is defined, it must be the motivating force to be deployed and communicated for it to be effective at all levels of the organization. Some degree of employee empowerment is also encompassed in the TQM strategy and usually involves both departmental and cross-functional terms to develop strategies to solve quality problems and make suggestions for improvement. Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Continuous quality improvement came into existence in manufacturing as a different approach to quality and quality systems. It does not focus as much on creating a corporate quality culture, but more on the process of quality improvement by the deployment of teams or groups who are rewarded when goals and quality levels are reached. CQI allows individuals involved in the day-to-day operations to change and improve processes and work flows as they see fit. CQI has been adapted in several different industries, For example, in health care and other service sectors, it has taken on the acronym FOCUS-PDCA work : Find a process to improve. Organize to improve a process. Clarify what is known. Understand variation. Select a process improvement. Then move through the process improvement plan : Plan create a time line, including all resources, activities, dates, and personnel training. Doimplement the plan and collect data.

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Check analyze the results of the plan. Actact on what was learned and determine the next steps. Elements of a Quality System There are several elements to a quality system, and each organization is going to have a unique system. The most important elements of a quality system include participative management, quality system design, customers, purchasing, education and training, statistics, auditing, and technology. Participative Management The entire quality process, once started, will be an ongoing dynamic part of the organization, just like any other department such as marketing or accounting. It will also need the continuous focus of management. The implementation and management of a successful quality system involves many different aspects that must be addressed on a continuous basis. Vision and Values. The starting point for the management and leadership process is the formation of a well-defined vision and value statement. This statement will be used to establish the importance of the quality system and build motivation for the changes that need to take place, whether the organization plans to exceed customer expectations, commit to a defined level of customer satisfaction, or commit to zero defects. Developing the Plan. The plan for the quality system is going to be different for every organization, but there are similar characteristics : There should be clear and measurable goals. There are financial resources available for quality. The quality plan is consistent with the organizations vision and values. Communication. Change, especially a movement toward higher quality, is challenging to communicate effectively, yet the communication process is essential for the companys leaders to move the organization forward. Communication is the vital link between management, employees, consumers, and stakeholders. These communication lines also bring about a sense of camaraderie between all individuals involved and help sustain the drive for the successful completion of long-term quality goals. Rewards and Acknowledgement. Rewards, compensation, and acknowledgement for achievements in quality are very effective ways to motivate employees. They tell

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employees at the end of the day exactly what management is trying to accomplish Rewards, compensation, and acknowledgement may also be seen as a form of communicationthey are tangible methods that senior management uses to let employees know that quality is important. This could come in the form of individual rewards or team rewards. Quality System Design A quality system is composed of the standards and procedures that are developed to ensure that the level of quality desired is repeated in every unit of a product or service. The eight steps of the design process are : 1. Understand and map all business structures and processes. This forces employees involved in designing a performance measurement system to think through and understand the entire organization, its competitive position, the environment in which it operates, and its business processes. 2. Develop business performance priorities. The performance measurement system should support the stakholders requirements from the organizations strategy through to its business processes. This order of priorities must be in place well before the process enters the actual design phase. 3. Understand the current performance measurement system. Every organization has some kind of measurement system in place. For this reason, there are basically two ways to approach the design and implementation of a new performance measurement system. Either you can scrap the old system and introduce a new one as a replacement, or you can redevelop the existing system. Both approaches can work, but the former approach is more likely to lead to trouble. 4. Develop performance indicators. The most important element of a performance measurement system is the set of performance indicators you will use to measure your organizations performance and business processes. This is the point in the design process where the top-down approach meets the bottomup design approach and where the broad masses of the organization become involved. 5. Decide how to collect the required data. Developing perfect performance indicators that will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about what goes on in your organization is one thing, but being able to collect the data required to calculate these performance indicators is a completely different matter. 6. Design reporting and performance data representation formats. In this step, you decide how the performance data will be presented to the users; how the

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users should apply the performance data for management, monitoring, and improvement; and who will have access to performance data. 7. Test and adjust the performance measurement system. Your first attempt at the performance measurement system will probably not be perfectthere are bound to be performance indicators that do not work as intended, conflicting indicators, undesirable behaviour, and problems with data availability. 8. Implement the performance measurement system. Now its time to put your system to use. This is when the system is officially in place and everyone can start using it. Designing Part Two of the Quality System This portion of the quality system is conceptual. It is more about managements role in increasing motivation and the determination to make the first part run smoothly. Customers The inclusion of customers in a quality program can take many different avenues, including the cost of losing a customer, the customers perception of quality, and the satisfaction level of the customers. The customer portion of a quality program is going to be unique for every industry and organization, but it must capture how quality plays into the customers value system and how quality drives the purchase decision. In service industries, in particular, quality is measured in customer retention rates and the cost of losing a customer. If typical accounting measures could capture the exact cost of losing a customer it would be easy for managers to allocate the exact amount of resources needed to retain customers. Purchasing Purchasing is an area in an organization where substantial gains in quality can be realized through the implementation of just a few policies and procedures designed around quality. Todays suppliers need to be partners in the quality effort. A companys products or services are only as good as the combination of all the inputs. The first step in molding the purchasing system to collaborate with the entire quality system is to take all the standards developed for all incoming materials that can be qualified as an input to routine process or activity. The second step is educating the purchasing personnel on how the standards are important to the process flows of the organization. If standards are not upheld, the quality of the product or service will be jeopardized.

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Once steps one and two are complete it will be the purchasing departments responsibility to communicate the requirements to suppliers and hold them accountable for the quality. This sometimes may not be a simple task and could involve finding new suppliers or working with current suppliers to develop higher quality standards. Education and Training The education of employees for the purpose of reaching higher quality standards has many different facets. For example, the quality education of management is going to be different than the quality education of the general workforce, because they play different roles in the process. Because most quality problems start at the top, so too should education. The education of management on quality issues should start with a general discussion of quality systems and the roles management plays in quality programs. With respect to general knowledge, management must understand the history of the quality movement, who the major players were, and how quality programs have affected the business world. More specifically, managers must know how quality programs have affected their specific industry in the past, and they should have an idea of what role quality programs play in the future of their industry. Data Development and Statistics Statistical analysis is a very important aspect of quality systems. It could be considered a cornerstone of the quality improvement process and is very closely tied to auditing a quality system, which is discussed later in the chapter. Statistical process control (SPC) was what Duran taught as a decision maker in quality systems. Statistical analysis is the measurement portion of quality systems and allows it to be managed. A very common saying in management, which relates well to quality, is you cannot manage what you cannot measure, and statistical analysis will give you the measurements necessary to make management decisions. Here are some common traits of statistical measures used in quality systems : Are driven by the customer. Reflect vision and values. Benchmarked to the competition. Are achievable. Auditing Auditing a quality management system is just as important as any other aspect of the system. The audit process allows everyone involved to see if the quality management

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system is working correctly and if the goals and objectives are being reached. Auditing also plays major roles in motivating employees and allows for rewards and acknowledgement measures to be assessed as well as possible compensation. Mystery Shoppers. Shoppers are sent to businesses to interact with employees and assess the overall service quality and report back to management. This is usually done on a regular basis, and reports are produced for the employees. Customer Surveys. Customer surveys are now well used as a means to find out how your business is viewed by consumers. These surveys can range from mail-in forms to short forms the consumers complete at the time of purchase or even having a sale person or clerk asking the customer to rate the product or service at the close of the purchase. Getting direct input from your customers is invaluable and should be done in some form in every organization. New Customer Measures. Measurement over time of the number of new customers can be a very effective tool to assess quality levels. Customers who are very happy with your service are going to tell others60 percent of new customers in service organizations come from referrals. New customers can be an important litmus test of quality. Quality in Services. Quality in service industries has more recently come into the mainstream, and the benefits reaped by service organizations initiating solid quality management programs have been substantial. Some of the metrics applied as the basis of service quality are : The iceberg principle, in other words, the average service company never hears from more than 90 percent of customers who are not happy with the level of service they received. For every legitimate complaint received there will be more than 20 percent of those problems could be considered serious enough to warrant investigation. Of the customers that make a complaint, more than half will do business again if the complaint is addressed and resolved. If the complaint is resolved quickly, and the customer feels the organization cares about its customers, the number will jump up to almost 100 percent. If a complaint is not resolved, the average customer will tell more than eight other individuals about the negative experience. If the complaint is resolved, the customer will tell at least five others about the positive experience. On average it costs six times more to gain a new customer than to keep an existing one.

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MANAGERIAL Managerial Leadership LEADERSHIP

A managerial leadership always identifies new challenges for his Team work. Concept of Leadership : Leadership is interpersonal influence directed toward attaining goals and auctioned through communication. Leadership is an act that causes others to act or respond in a shared direction. Leadership is the art of influencing people by persuasions or example to follows a course of action. Leadership is the key dynamic force that motivates and co-ordinates the organization in the accomplishment of its objective.

Besides these, some views of great thinkers are also given here A strong leader knows if the develops his associates, he will be stronger. J. F. Lincoln A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way. John C. Maxwell

From all of these definitions and thoughts, we can draw out that leadership deals with persuading, inspiring, motivating others, and initiating the useful changes. A leader creates a sensible vision for others, and then directs them towards achieving that vision. A vision is an idealized scenario of what the future of an organization or an organizational unit can become. Leadership V/s Management To clearly understand leadership, it is necessary to grasp the difference between leadership and management. Here are some point of differences : Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something that you want done because he wants to do it. Eisenhower A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better. Jim Rohn

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One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency. Arnold H. Glasaw Management is more formal and scientific than leadership. It relies on foundation of skills such as planning, budget control and making effective use of IT. Leadership involves having a vision of what the organization or organizational unit can become. The role of management is to implement the vision. Leadership deals with change, inspiration, motivation and influence, while management deals more with maintaining equilibrium. Leadership frequently requires to display enthusiasm, passion and inspiration to get others to attain high level of performance. Managing involves less emotion and more careful acting to achieve goals after they are defined. A leader makes frequent use of creative problem solving and imagination to bring about change. A manager tends to make more frequent use of standard, wellestablished solutions to problems.

Effective leaders have to be good managers, or be supported by effective managers. Leadership is vital for the success of organization and society, but management is also necessary for achieving good results. Suppose you are dutifully going about your role as a manager; your results are satisfactory but your group is not achieving the exceptional, its time to exercise leadership. You need to be passionate, persuasive, imaginative and visionary. Leadership as a Partnership Another way of understanding leadership is that it is a partnership between the leader and group members. For a valid partnership to exist, the following conditions must be met : The leader develops a vision only after receiving input from his or her partners. Group members have the right to disagree with the leader because they are regarded as valuable contributors to the group effort. Both the leader and the group members are held accountable for results. If the group members want to be treated as partners, they also have to risk being accountable for accomplishment as well as failures. Both the leader and the group members are honest with each other.

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As a partner the leader provides direction and inspiration while regarding group members as partner rather than employees or subordinates. When you empower people, you manage by exception, not by direction. Management cannot create leaders. It can only create the conditions under which potential leadership qualities become effective; or it can stifle potential leadership. Leadership requires attitude even good chief engineers or general managers are rare without attitude for leadership. Leadership also requires basic attitudes. Practices can always be practiced whatever a mans aptitudes, personality or attitudes are there. They require no genius only application. They are things to do rather than to talk about. The right practices should go a long way towards bringing out, recognizing and using whatever potential for leadership there is in the management group. They should also lay the foundation for the right kind of leadership. It is not making friends and influencing people that is salesmanship. Leadership is the lifting of a mans vision to higher sights, the raising of a mans performance to a higher standard, the building of a mans personality beyond its normal limitations. Leadership can be acquired only through day-to-day practice, and most appropriate words of the saving bank advertisement (as commonly used by American banks) would apply to leadership : wishing wont make it so, doing will. An approach to team leadership must cover the following concepts : (1) Leadership is never exercised in vacuum. It is always exerted in a situation towards an objective and it involves the co-operation of other people in reaching that objective. (2) The exercise of effective leadership essentially requires the fulfillment of certain conditions the task facing the group or team is sufficiently understood by all those expected to contribute. He creates the necessary enthusiasm for the group in its collective capacity to surmount outstanding difficulties. He must be able to pinpoint responsibilities for getting things done when it rightfully belongs. He has an authority to give his command to do or not to do. He is limited to the extent of his authority, and therefore, should not make decision or exercise his leadership that affects other persons of the same rank. Above all, he must be able to define the problem. It is far important that he can do this than that he should know the most appropriate method or solution. It should not be that if he is thinking about the best method he is trying to do some one elses job.

(3)

(4)

(5)

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Leading a Team The performance of any team depends on the quality of its collective thinking. How good are its decision ? This reflects the quality of leadership in the decision making process. The leader should strive to achieve a positive atmosphere, in which people compete with idea. Teamwork does not function if the leader puts forward ideas before others have got the chance to speak. A true team leader has to play a role rather than to control. He has to :a) facilitate the making decisions b) inspire lateral thinking, motivation and hard work within the team and c) implement decisions made by the team Leader-role in team Facilitator Inspirer Implementer

Skill and talent are two different things in management. Skills are basic tools, but they alone cant carry you if you lack the talent to apply them in performance. Measuring Performance : There is a basic principal : If something cannot be measured, it cannot be improved upon. This applies to any job. The leader should always define the individual and Team Standards that they meet. They should be given a targeted objective by which their performance can be measured. The leader should look for wide-ranging measures when analyzing performance. For instance, in Call Centre Team, he should monitor a percentage of calls and survey customer satisfaction by making follow-up calls, to measure the Team Performance. The leader should ask each member for their opinion of how targets were handled, if working methods could be improved and whether the results are realistic. Team member will give his appraisal of Team Performance. Further, leader should measure those standards whose improvement will ensure real economic benefits to the organisation and accordingly the leader should tell the individual member which measured set the standards.

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Evaluating Leadership Qualities


INTEGRITY LOYALTY ACCOUNTABILITY

CONFIDENCE LEADERSHIP QUALITIES

FLEXIBILITY

SELF-CONTROL

PREPAREDNESS

COMMUNICATION

RESOURCEFULNESS

PATIENCE

(1) Integrity : Integrity is one absolute requirement of a leader, the one quality that he has to bring with him and cannot be expected to acquire later on. In any organisation whether it could be an service provider, electronics company, a law firm, or a football team we find a definite philosophy. The success stories have integrity : They stick to their organizational principles. What some people fail to realize is that it makes no difference what that philosophy is, as long as it meets these standards : a) b) c) d) The philosophy has a sound basic structure. It reflects the leaders vision and values. It is communicated and accepted throughout the organization. Most important, it remains in a workplace long enough to allow for success.

When leaders have a vision, they can visualize the desired result of a project before they begin; they rely on their own measuring stick. And when organizations stay the course and hold fast to their philosophy, through good times and bad, they work from a firm foundation. They gain an identity. They stand for something. Example : A company makes copper wire conduits with only high-grade metal, ignoring what the cost of raw material is. Then a copper shortage hits, and the company faces a crossroads. The high-level team has three options in solution to this problem :

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a) Either to increase the price of its conduits at the risk of losing market share; or b) Resort to using lower-quality copper hoping that its customers wont notice the difference in quality, or c) Maintain both its pricing and quality, absorbing a temporary dip in profit margin. You, as a smarter team leader with integrity will more likely suggest the company to try the third option, even at the risk of lean times until the shortage is relieved. In an unstable environment, it is especially vital for leaders to articulate their vision for the organization - clearly, explicitly, and often. Thus, when you act with integrity, in accordance with the organizations philosophy, you are not taking a risk rather you are giving yourself the best possible chance to succeed. (2) Flexibility : A wise person once said, Inflexibility is one of the worst human failings. It carries the seeds of its own destruction. To succeed over the long haul, leaders must stay true to their commitment - their core philosophy. But to flourish in a given situation, they must also be flexible in strategy and opportunist in tactics. As change accelerates in the business world, only the adaptable will survive. A national brand company is on top in its market for years with a powdered laundry detergent. The competition comes out with liquid concentrates. The top one cannot assume that its old flagship product will still dominate on its own, even though its powder is cheaper to use and more effective than the liquids. Brand loyalty buys you some time, but not for eternity. So the company puts its R & D people to work to stay ahead of the trend to come up with a liquid concentrate that removes stains better than the rest. A leader is obliged not to be consistent, but to be right, to doing what is best for the organization. A climate of high risk - taking requires more flexibility from those seeking to compete. Rigidity only makes an organization less effective and more predictable to its adversaries.

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Flexible leaders understand how to bend to without compromising their philosophy. They know that there is only one unbreakable rule : Locate the best path that presents itself at the time, then move ahead without looking back. (3) Loyalty : Three things can ruin any organization : One is your competition. If your product line cannot compete, you are in big trouble. The second is public perception, as shaped by the media. If you are always seen in negative light, your teams morale will likely go under along with your performance. The third factor is division from within - and this is the greatest threat. When your team is united, it can guard off any risk from negative perceptions; it wont make any difference what the outsiders think. And when your team is working together, your competition will have fewer weaknesses to exploit. But a team divided against it can break down at any moment.

Therefore, the first task of leadership is to promote and enforce collective loyalty that is also known as teamwork. But a leader cannot take teamwork for granted. Selfishness is all around us in this society, and a leader has to stay vigilant to keep it out of the team. In order to sustain the loyalty, the employee has to make some personal sacrifices, which the employer must compensate. For example, a company has embarked on a crucial marketing project and calls a leading sales representative to shore up the team, even though it will mean a personal sacrifice of commission. A smart manager will acknowledge the sacrifice and suggest a bonus to compensate his sacrifices while affirming the sale representatives value to the organization. A lack of sincerity, a tendency to deceive, to play of one person or department against another, will damage loyalty and morale. (4) Confidence : The most basic way to demonstrate confidence is by enabling the people to act by delegating authority. It starts by making a strong team. If you fail to give your team meaningful tasks and inputs, you stop getting quality advice and innovative ideas. The challenge is to find the best way, and then collectively commit to it. When you ask your team members to try something out of the ordinary, and then lead the way, it shows them that you are unafraid. And when you give them an impossible work to convert into possible, they become even more confident in your 30

leadership. This act builds a kind of mutual trust, you trust them to get a difficult job done; they trust you to do everything possible to help them succeed. The result is a stronger, more cohesive team.

REMEMBER : Explain clearly what you are trying to accomplish. Good communication expands your leadership base, as people realize that you are on their side, and vice versa. Accept false steps as opportunities to learn. When taken in the right spirit, a failed risk can be a valuable lesson, even a stepping - stone for the organization. Confidence is only born of demonstrated ability.

(5) Accountability : Accountability starts at the top. You cannot build an organization that is accountable without leaders who take full responsibility. Most leaders have no problem in setting up criteria to evaluate their people productivity, efficiency, appearance and so on. But sometime they forget that scrutiny is a two-way mirror-that people look at their leaders every day, and from their opinions based on what they see. They want to know whether their leaders practice what they preach. A true leader assumes responsibility for the common good, subordination of his actions to an ethical standard of conduct, confinement of his self-interest and his authority wherever their exercise would infringe upon the welfare and freedom of the individuals. Leaders are also responsible for making sure that their actions and decisions will not threaten the enterprise, its freedom and its economic success. Therefore, accountable leadership starts and ends with hard work. But while hard work is essential, by itself it is not enough. A leaders style of work is equally critical. There is a big difference between leading and managing. You can manage from a far, with fax machine and cellular phone; but you have to be close and personal when it comes to leadership. Leadership is the most visible thing-because if it is not visible, there is no leadership. People need to know who is driving the train. If they think that the drivers are not qualified, you are going to have refusal of members.

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It is not very easy to make an important decision, but effective leaders keep their doubts to themselves, concealed from their organization. And once that decision is made, they throw their heart and the full weight of their office behind it. It is, therefore, better to decide wrongly than weakly; if you are weak, you are likely to be wrong anyway. It takes self-confidence and will to hold yourself accountable. And it is the skill the right approach and technique - to get others to accept responsibility. Remember a) Excuses are the main enemies of accountability. b) You cannot make people responsible unless they have clear expectations from you. c) You cannot make people responsible just by laying out what they need to do. You have to continually monitor and assess them, and do it as objectively as you can. d) The accountable leader doesnt sit back and watch people fail. He steps in and assumes responsibility, and strengthens them for the next time. e) Confident leaders freely admit their own mistakes. And by doing it, they set an example for others to take responsibility. (6) Preparedness : You cannot be a top performer unless you are ready for the demands of your job. If you are trying to sell big screen televisions, you better be able to anticipate customers questions. It is not enough to know the size, cost and payment terms. You need to be able to talk about delivery and service, rear projection versus front projection, why one brand is better than others, what special features are on the remote control, so on. And you need to do it without running every minute to the manual. The more you prepare beforehand, the more relaxed and creative and effective you will be when it counts. Well-prepared leaders plan ahead for all contingencies, including the ones they consider unlikely or distasteful. Before the team proceeds, they budget their time for the week, and set their priorities. They decide which points they will emphasize much in depth, when they will go through quickly, and what they will skill altogether. When leading a group toward an important achievement, you should not compromise your standards just on peoples complaints. Settle for what you want to settle for and what serves the groups best interests. Preparation involves diminishing return. You can tell your people everything you know; you cannot tell them very much of what you know; but what you do, you must tell them, they get better.

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People perform most reliably when they are sure that they can handle the task in hand. And that sureness comes only with specific preparation.

(7) Self - control : Self-control is an indispensable quality of leadership. Self-control means stronger motivation, a desire to do the best rather than just enough to get by. It means higher performance, higher goals and broader vision. Example : You are a leader of management team to deal with any strikes, which are common in an industry. When a crisis hit, you would go off for two or three weeks at a stretch, working twenty-hour days to hammer out an agreement-because you have self-control to achieve the goal. You see a lot of foolishness at the bargaining table, by the union and management; and at such scene if you loose your cool, you are giving the other side of the table a diagram on how to push your buttons. You must be smart, intelligent, poised and self-disciplined in your action. Finding a way to win means avoiding ways to lose. There is always a way to compete, even against superior forces. But it requires strict adherence to a calculated mind. (8) Patience : We are living in an era of instant gratifications. Today impatience, even in business, is epidemic. Quick profits are all that counts. The greed for easy money means lying off productive people, or losing sight of product quality, or passing way the business opportunities. People do not want to hear about the realities of building a business; they ask just two questions : a) How much money did you make for the last quarters b) How much will you make for me today ? This short sightedness is hurdle in the continual yield of profits and growth of economic success. In any business there is a process at work. There are stems you need to take to build a successful organization. You need to be smart, efficient and patient, too. You need to show some urgency but you cannot rush to see the adversity. When people constantly perform below their level of ability, at some point they will have to be replaced. But even here a leader must be patient. He needs the discipline to keep using a lazy member until he finds someone better; he has to keep the team at work until he takes in a new member.

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Remember a) Patience is most valuable, when a team is performing poorly. Its not enough to know what changes must be made; it is equally important to decide when to make them. b) (b) In business, there will be lots of times that you will not have as many resources as the people you are up against. And there will be occasions where you will not be able to function as efficiently. But patient leaders never give up. They keep trying and bring out solutions at last. c) (c) The disciplined course gives you the best chance to succeed. (9) Resourcefulness : When the economy takes a down turn and you are suddenly operating at a loss, it is human nature to become conservative and lock up your remaining assets rather than attack your problems with new initiatives. Resourceful leaders become more imaginative when they are at a disadvantage. They know that a crisis calls for a higher level of problem-solving, and that solutions are no longer luxuries, but necessities. They boost up the morale of their teams and treat crisis as an adventure. The challenge is to identify exactly what the problem is, and then to solve it. Then the leader takes on the action-step rather than doing merely as an analyst. He will say, this is what we are going to do now, and it is time to do it. Dont go on telling me why things are the way they are. Its time to find the solution. Its time to do something. A truly resourceful person will not always find the solution through some methodical, preconceived plan; there are times when sheer instinct leads you to your goal. successful organizations must be ready to adapt to new environment, no matter how well they have done in the past. (10) Communication : One of the basic elements of any teamwork is communication. Leadership requires the ability to communicate intelligently the message, feelings and information to all concerned. Leader has to maintain a full two-way communication in face-to-face talk to plan and evaluate group activities. Co-ordination of activities requires communication. It is an act to unite the group effort towards the achievement of common purpose. Through the communication a system of understanding between the co-operative individuals are developed. If the activity is to stay correlated, the leader must convey the new facts, including the adaptation, to other points in the system. The decisions and methods must be made known to all people in the activity. Power Tips : Excellence is measured by performance, not reputation.

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Confident leaders freely admit their own mistakes. And by doing it publicly, they set an example for others to take responsibility.

The leader : A team builder Impact of Leader - Team Builder To become an effective team builder, and not just managing groups that produce energy is a challenging task. The goal for the Team Builder is to produce An alignment of the needs of the individual The dynamics of group and The requirements of the task with the result that a high performing, synergy team is produced.

Vision, Mission and Process

Task

Group

Individual

Synergistic teams high performance.


. Impact of Leader-Team Builder The keys to unlock this outcome are vision, mission and process. Following fig. develops and connects these through applying a simple powerful model, based on the work by Ned Herrmann. The left side focuses on task, using logic, analysis, systems and processes to define and implement the task. The right side focuses on people, using creativity,

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intuition and emotion to define the vision and implement the vision through achieving the values supporting it.

TASK

PEOPLE

What & When ? = MISSION

Why ? = VISION PURPOSE

HOW ? = PROCESS

How ? = VALUES

STRATEGY

Focus on Logic Uses analysis, systems and process for completion of task

Focus on Reasoning Uses creativity, intuition and emotion for defining implementing vision

The effective leader of the future is the coordinator of process and not controller of people - applying process to develop a shared understanding of the team vision and task mission, and then helping the team develop and apply the processes required to formulate and implement the strategy to turn the vision into reality and the mission into a triumph of achievement. For the approach to be integrated, there must be interlinking between the task and the people, the mission and the vision building a team requires right combination of logic and reasoning, the vision and the process, and the task and the people.

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The Leader as a Team Builder does not control the team-members but promote discovery of the right processes and co-ordinates the effective implementation of those agreed processes. PROCESSES USED BY TEAM LEADER A process is a series of actions or activities carried out in a specified order that, if effectively co-ordinated would maximize the probability of achieving the desired outcome in both an efficient and effective manner. We look at specific processes involved to achieve the objectives, which are : 1. Promote discovery 2. Create a team vision 3. Complete a team task 4. Run a successful meeting 5. Build a team. When a group is at the confusion level, we know there needs to be some direction and guidance to remove the feelings of insecurity and uncertainty that are present. The difference between a leader as a Team Builder, and a conventional leader is that the conventional leader tends to give immediate guidance on how to complete the task, whereas, an effective team builder gives guidance to the group on how they, with his help, can build a team and complete the task effectively. Promote Discovery : Generate new ideas. This requires the Team Builder to use his skills of effective questioning and listening that enable the team to discover ideas through creative thinking and brainstorming. Create a team vision : Creating a team vision ensures the question Why are we building teams ? The very basis of existence of the team is an important starting point. The stages to create a team vision and values can be enumerated as such in the given figure

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ask the team members to list all aspects of working in groups in the past they have disliked / demotivated them and the reasons.

Develop the collective view and cause

Reverse the causes and effect to paint the positive picture

Agree vision statement that distills the essence of the vision

Agree values that is the basis of vision

A process to create a team vision and values Complete a team task This is known as the task process - the process used in achieving a given task. The actual steps and timing will vary, according to the complexity and nature of the task that the team faces. Nevertheless, A complete process is provided in the flow diagram below, which can act as a benchmark for teams to design their own processes for a completion of a specified task.
Appoint a process coordinator Ensure that task is clearly defined and understood by all identify and remove invalid assumptions

re-define task in light of discovery

determine measurable timed objectives and milestones

develop time plan

discover options or alternative actions

evaluate options, and agree actions and contingencies

Agree individual roles and resource requirements

Agree initial phase and first deadline, set time for feedback and review

Execute first phase individuals / sub groups implementing agreed action plans Feedback and review - and continuation of process

Process to complete a team task

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Run a successful meeting. Meetings form an important part of effective teams - but only when the process involved in conducting the meetings is effective. The processes we have discussed so far are essential components (sub processes) of the overall process to build a team - to become a better team builder. THE OVERALL PROCESS : BUILD A TEAM The team builder must have a clear idea of what he wants to achieve and why at the first meeting. Let us look at each individual component of the process. Acknowledge uncertainty The team builder generally acknowledge uncertainty and agree to the objective in his own style. Style consistency is critical. The less-naturally team-oriented leader might, as an example, outline the process to build the team, achieve the task and gain verbal agreement, whereas the more team-oriented leader might involve the group in deciding the process. It doesnt actually matter. The heart of team-building and synergy is effective problem-solving whether the problem is the vision, task definition, or the process to achieve the task.
Acknowledge Uncertainty Agree objectives

Share Knowledge

Explain role

Introduce and apply Brainstorning techniques

Agree process

Agree actions

Agree date and purpose of next meeting

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The overall process : Building Teams. The things will work out only when the right behaviors in terms of questioning, listening and not criticizing are being practiced by all. If the team builder can manage an act of effective discovery by the group at the first meeting, he will be setting the pattern of behavior, which will generate success. He will also be proving to his team, whatever his particular style, that he means what he says when it comes to improving team performance.

Agree the objective. Once everyone knows and understands why they are there, that will ease the tension visibly. Share knowledge The team builder knows much more about teams than anyone else present. So he should share his knowledge, eg. the importance of process to team-building and task achievement, and how the team will decide together the right processes, how it is important that the team discovers and plays to its strengths and so on. Explain the role of the team builder : The team builder already possesses a image in the eyes of his team if it is an already functioning unit; if not the new team members form ideas and expectation from a leader from their past experience and views of good leadership. If he makes clear to his team members that he is not going to tell them what to do but will manage an already agreed process (by their consensus through the use of sub process), it will definitely lead to effective team building. He should also make clear that during periods of turmoil and change, he would have to take control. That will also be understood and accepted, especially if he adds that he will always explain the whys and wherefores. Introduce and apply Brainstorming technique It is vital that only a small part of the meeting is devoted to the team builders talking and the team listening. It is a necessary part of the meeting, as the members want to listen to the team builder.

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Agree process Out of this brainstorming should come the process to build the team. The team builder is an active contributor whenever there is brainstorming so the team builder can put forward such things as developing a vision and values for the team, developing a clear definition of the task and the process to achieve it. It is a good idea if he has a clear view, in advance of the meeting, of the process he wants. He should not impose it, and be prepared to alter his views, and modify for the better. If the team gets the process right, it will get the performance right. If it does not, it will not. Agree actions Before any meeting finishes, there should be a review of what has taken place, to confirm understanding. Then there should be agreement as to who is going to do what, why and when before the next meeting. To promote new ideas, it is important that the two principles are applied earnestly 1) 2) The principle of no criticism by word or body language and The separation of exploration from evaluation.

Then the team and the individuals will achieve a high degree of creativity. The role of the team builder is to ensure that the principle and separation is followed, to explain why it is necessary, to create the right environment and then facilitate group to discover new ideas. The team builder should encourage the development of ideas during the discover process, and if that does not happen as a matter of course, pick some of the ideas that may be only half-formed and focus the group on developing them, with the no criticism rule still in place. What is delegation ? Delegation is when you give a task to someone else to do. This is often someone who works for you directly. It does not have to be. Some people get rid of a lot of work by delegating it upwards to their managers ! Why delegate ? No manager can do all the work him or herself, so some delegation is essential. Delegation can help the person receiving the work develop new skills and confidence. A new person will put a new mind on a task and may discover a better way to do it. 41

Delegation may free you to concentrate your special expertise on the highest value tasks. How to delegate ? Think about the task and the person you propose to give it to. If it is to be developmental, the task should be a stretch and be possible for the person to accomplish. Talk about the task with the person and give lot of background so she or he understands what the results will be used for. Discuss the objectives, standards and time scales you require. Dont ask for higher standards than you need. Agree when you will have a chat about how it is going. Be clear when you are available if there are major problems. Be prepared to accept that the way someone else will do the job will not be exactly as you would have done it. When you get the result avoid being too picky or you will make it more difficult to delegate in future. If the person comes to you for help with the task, first ask questions and help her or him solve the problem, or investigate resources to solve it, for her or himself. If you give detailed expert help, you will encourage dependence and the task may end up back with you. When the task is complete you can both talk about how it went and if there is anything you can learn to make the next one go even better. Ask the person you delegated to what she or he has learned and what else she or he might like to attempt. When to delegate ? When you are spending too much time on day-to-day tasks with no time to think about the big picture. When you have someone working for you who could do higher value work. When you can see the potential of someone and you will lose that person unless he or she is stretched. When you need a new way of tackling a task that comes up regularly. When you want to see what a promising person is capable of.

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Delegating is a definite skill. It is a six-step process : Selection Training Competence Confidence Trust Delegation

People are selected for a job and before delegation can be considered they must be trained. Training brings Competence which in turn brings confidence both for the individual concerned and for the linker. Confidence allows trust to be established and trust in turn allows task to be delegated, with both parties happy that successful outcomes will be achieved

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TEAM BUILDING AND MOTIVATION

A team is a group that shares a common purpose and recognizes that it needs the efforts of everyone of its members to achieve it. A team is a group of people who share a common aim and in which the skills of each individual complements those of the others to be able to achieve that common task. Characteristics of a team : A team has a definable membership which is sometimes given a name. The members consider themselves a group, they have a conscious identification with each other. There is a shared sense of purpose within a team to achieve the common task. The members rely on one another to be able to complete the common task. The members communicate, influence and interact with one another in the process of working towards the common task. A team acts in unity, almost like a single organism.

To work together effectively a team needs to have : A defined membership A common goal A good interaction amongst its members A dependence on each other to link the individuals together. Team is supportive to its members. Understanding teams and their structures As a leader you must have a clear understanding of team properties : Common background/history (or lack of it) Participation amongst team members Communication Cohesiveness

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Atmosphere Standards structure and organisation Changes over time

Lets look at each of these properties in more depth. Common background : Team should have a common background. Participation amongst team members Every member of the team should take active interest in discussion. leader should ensure that every member of a team should be free to speak no member should be prevented from speaking. Every member should remember that communication is a two way process. Communication For communication to be effective, each member of a team should use terminology that all other members should understand. The skills of verbal communication include : Speaking clearly Keeping things simple without too much jargon Explaining things vividly so listeners can really visualise the material at hand Being prepared about the topic to be discussed Being natural, not putting on a show for the audience Being concise and not filling out your point with lots of waffle. The art of listening rather than just hearing is very important. Really take an interest in understanding the core meaning of what is being said. Watch your body language; it can give away much about what you are thinking at the time. Posture, facial expression and gestures, such as crossing your arms or staring out of the window, can all say a lot about you. Cohesiveness The factors which help a team come together and create the we feeling include : Physical proximity : working closely together for a period of time builds cohesiveness. Similar work : People doing similar jobs are faced with similar problems and in trying to solve these, bonds are built. Homogeneity : people tend to work better together if they are of similar age and hold similar values and attitudes. Personality : personalities dont have to be similar for people to get on, sometimes opposites attract.

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Communication : if communication is easy between a group it will aid cohesiveness. Size : smaller groups are much more likely to develop bonds between individuals.

Atmosphere By atmosphere we are referring to the social climate of the team. It is not something you can see but you will certainly be able to feel it. A good atmosphere usually indicates good morale within the group and vice versa. As a leader you can affect the atmosphere of your group, so, if you do not like what you find, take steps to change it. Standards Team members have to follow organisations rules and standards of behaviour. Sometimes they build their own codes of conduct to be followed in the interest of team. Every member of the team should follow these unwritten rules in the best interest of the team. Team standards can be applied to : Work : how fast it is carried out, to what standard it is carried out and by what methods. Attitudes : the attitudes of the group are generally drawn from experiences of the past that they have shared. Interpersonal behaviour : what can be discussed and what cannot, where to go for lunch and for social occasions. Shared routines can keep conflicts to a minimum. Moral standards : how much time is wasted during a working day on coffee and cigarette breaks.

Structure and organisation Teams have both formal and informal structures. Formal structures are normally set in place by the organisation, i.e. the appointment of certain positions, whereas informal structures are usually generated within the team itself. These can come from the influence, seniority and persuasiveness of the members. Structures may be flexible in relation to different tasks and the knowledge needed to achieve them. Changes over time A team acts as a unit but dont forget it is made up of individuals who are constantly changing and growing. These changes will affect the group dynamics in respect of

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morale, efficiency, cohesion, levels and types of participation and structure. Groups can go through identifiable stages of development but these stages may come in leaps and bounds or in a more cyclic or spiral form. Team roles and team member functions As a leader you must have a clear understanding of tema roles and functions : The role of the leader Team task roles Group building and maintenance roles Individual roles Lets look at each of these points in more depth. The role of the leader The position of leader of a team is a most important one. Without a leader the team would have no guide or direction and would, most likely, soon become very unproductive. The main role of all leaders, therefore, is to help the team achieve its common task, to maintain the teams unity and to ensure that individuals give their best. This applies to leaders in all working situations. Leaders own personality to the role he plays is also important. He should have specific knowledge and experience suited to the task to be achieved. Some roles will need certain personal qualities (individual traits) that allow us to be creative as leaders. All leaders also have obligations to their superiors and their colleagues on the same level as themselves. This means the leader also has the roles of subordinate and colleague. This balance of roles can be quite a challenge and can cause : insecurity a lack of confidence a lack of clarity irritation anxiety stress low morale communication difficulties and sometimes even anger from those around you. Some ways of counteracting these problems include : Learn to prioritise your commitments Agree with your superior to reassign or delegate some of your responsibilities Lower your self-expectation levels to a more acceptable standard Ask for clarification if you are uncertain of your obligations

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Make sure you take time out to spend with family and friends

Team task roles Each member of a team may take on more than one role within a team and, indeed, the roles may change depending on the task in hand The roles found within a team include : Initiator/contributor : suggests new ideas, goals, procedures or new definitions of a problem. Information seeker : asks for clarification about tasks and tries to find information relevant to specific problems. Opinion seeker : ask for clarification of the values, rather than facts, relevant to problems. Information giver : passes facts or relevant experiences to the other members of the team. Opinion giver : states his beliefs in relation to the problem or to the suggestions being made about how to solve it. Elaborator : details suggestions, and reasons for the suggestions, to solve a problem and tries to deduce the consequences of these suggestions. Co-ordinator : clarifies the relationships between various ideas and suggestions and tries to co-ordinate the groups activities. Orienter : defines the position of the group with respect to its goals. Evaluator/critic : looks critically at the groups achievements and goals. Energiser : stimulates the group into making a decision or a higher quality of activity. Procedural technician : performs routine tasks to keep the group moving. Recorder : writes down suggestions, decisions made and minutes of meetings. Group building and maintenance roles Members of a team take on various roles, often more than one which help build team attitudes and maintain them. These roles can be carried out by either the leader or the individual team members :

Encourager : radiates a warmth and sense of encouragement towards other team members contributions. Harmoniser : attempts to reconcile any difference of opinion and reduce tension between other group members. Compromiser : offers compromise regarding his own ideas in order to maintain group harmony.

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Gate keeper /expediter : encourages communication and participation between and from all team members. Standard setter : expresses and applies working standards for the group to adhere to. Group observer / commentator : keeps records of data produced by the group and feeds it back to the group so they can evaluate their procedures.

Follower : takes a back-seat in group discussion and accepts the ideas of others. Individual roles The role of the individual in a group or a team should be such that his expectations and needs should be relevant to the group task and should not hamper its progress. The individual within the team As a leader you must have a clear understanding of the individuals who make up the team : commonalities between individuals treat people as individuals Commonalities between individuals Individuals are just that, individual, but there are also certain elements which are common between individuals. As humans we share certain common needs, for example food and shelter, security and preservation. We also share the human social practice of giving and receiving, and exchanging things. One of the attractions as an individual to work in a team is that it allows us to expand our knowledge, ability and experience. This is what we receive from the team in exchange for our hard work and dedication. Treat people as individuals Every person is unique even though we have similarities in temperament, habits, our jobs etc. Organisations that treat their members as individuals, rather than numbers, are much more likely to get the best out of them. Individuals that are not treated as such will feel : Suppressed Cajoled Trapped Pressured Manipulated 49

They will no longer feel able to use their initiative, judgement and creativity. When a person is recognised for his individuality it will be realised what a unique contribution he could make to the common task and the team as a whole. There are three important needs of a group i) task ii) Team iii) Individual There should be effective interaction between Task team and individual to produce desired results. By achieving the common task a sense of unity is created within the team which will also affect the individual. A good team will mean you are more likely to achieve the common task. If the individuals are fully motivated they will have a greater input to the team and therefore the task. If one of these areas fails or under-performs it will affect the other areas dramatically. Leadership functions and needs In order to meet task and team needs, certain functions are to be carried out by the leader or other team members. Initiating : getting the team motivated to begin work. Regulating : influencing the direction and the speed of the work. Informing : bringing new information to the group as it becomes available. Supporting : harmonising, relieving tensions, encouraging and motivating. Evaluating : helping the group to evaluate decisions or procedures. If any of these functions are missing it will affect how the team performs. Teams It is not difficult to establish teamwork or co-operation between a group of people but it can be more difficult to establish a high-achieving, high performing team. High performance teams need a very good leader who has personal and functional qualities in both the task and team areas. A good leader will know how to inspire and motivate the team into performing at their best. The other important part of a high-performing team is the team members. The most effective team members are those who can provide functions to be able to achieve the task, and who are willing to build and encourage relationships with others. Individuals come together under a leader to form a team to try to achieve a common task between them. It may be that the task is too big for one person to carry it out in the time allocated or that several different functions need to be performed at the same time. The group becomes the instrument for achievement.

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Experts in a team Members of the team with an expert knowledge in a specific area will benefit the other team members thorough communication and interaction. The team as a whole will become more knowledgeable and experienced. The experts needs to have good inter-personal skills to stimulate new thoughts and ideas to find solutions to the problems. Inter-dependence of team members to achieve common task. The jobs of team members are inter-dependent and interlinked. They depend on each other to do their jobs to their best abilities to be able to achieve the common task. For example, when building a house the bricklayer builds the walls, then the joiner will build the roof, the tiler will complete the roof and then the plasterer will come in to do his work. Without each other this team would not be able to build the house. If one of the team members doesnt do his job well it will affect the end result and let down the whole team. Who manages this type of team to ensure effective productivity ? The manager cannot be there all the time so each team member has to lead himself and make sure he sticks to his own and his teams high standards. The sense of belonging and commitment to a team and wanting to do a good job within that team is what motivates the individual to achieve the high standards required. The leader Effective leadership comes from respect and trust, which creates real commitment from a team, not from fear or submission which produce compliance. A good leader is able to focus the efforts of the team towards the common goal, enabling them to work together as effectively as possible. A leader brings together all the parts to make a whole. Successful leaders can be very different from each other. All leaders have strengths, knowledge, personality and character but these vary between individuals. No two leaders are exactly the same as individual personalities and traits are just that, individual. One of the main results of good leadership is a good team : Good leadership characteristics Enthusing Team outcomes Team members are purposefully busy and have a basis to judge priorities Gives a sense of excitement and achievement with people willing to take risks and higher work loads Consistency in knowing the leaders values

Practices values such as integrity

Leads by example

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Generates good leaders from the followers Aware of own behaviour and environment

Is trusted by the team members Individuals aspire to the leaders example Confidence in leadership The led start to lead (with leader less indispensable), being delegated to, coached and supported Inspires confidence and performance Confidence of contribution to aims and commitment to them

Intellect to meet the job needs Aware of team and individual needs

Exhibits trust Represents the organisation to the team and vice versa

Outcomes of effective leadership Effective leadership will enable the team members to : have a clear sense of direction and work hard and effectively have confidence in their ability to achieve specific challenging objectives believe in and be identified with the organisation hold together when the going is tough have respect for and trust in managers adapt to the changing world. In achieving the task, building the team and developing the individual, whilst leadership style may differ, effective leadership emphasised that the leader must : feel personally responsible for his/her human, financial and material resources be active in setting direction and accepting the risks of leadership be able to articulate direction and objectives clearly and keep his/her people in the picture use the appropriate behaviour and methods to gain commitment for the achievement of specific objectives maintain high standards of personal performance and demand high standards of performance from others. The leaders core responsibility The first responsibility of the leader is to define the objective and therefore the task. Until you know what you want to achieve you cannot begin to achieve it. Once the team have understood and accepted the objective each individual needs to have their target and role defined. If possible, this should be worked out jointly between the leader and the individual concerned.

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Good targets should be : Measurable Have a time limit Realistic Challenging Agreed Leadership functions in teambuilding Effective leaders in teambuilding need to provide the functions of : Planning : - seeking all available and relevant information - defining the task, purpose or goal - devising a realistic framework for achieving the desired outcome Initiating : - clearly briefing the team on the aims and the plan of action - explaining why the task is necessary and the reasoning behind the plan - allocating tasks to team members - setting group standards Controlling : - maintaining the group standards as previously set - keeping a watch on timing and progress. - ensuring all actions are moving towards the desired end result - keeping discussions relevant on-track - keeping the group moving and active Supporting : - expressing recognition of individuals contributions - providing encouragement to the whole group as well as to individuals - disciplining where necessary and appropriate - creating a team spirit and boosting morale - watching and dispersing tension between team members - reconciling disagreements or controlling the exploration of them Informing : - clarifying the task and the plan as the project makes progress - sharing new information with the team and keeping them informed of developments - listening to the group and receiving feedback from them - discussing ideas and suggestions within the group

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Evaluating : - checking the feasibility of ideas - testing the consequences of new ideas and proposed solutions - evaluating group performance and giving feedback - allowing the group to evaluate themselves against the standards set

Not all these function will be needed all of the time but together they will allow the leader to : Build and maintain the team Develop the individual Achieve the task Selecting the team members : Leader should consider three key factors while interviewing people for their selection as team members Their technical or professional competence Their ability to work as a team member The presence of the desired personal attributes.

You may know the people you are interviewing quite well, or you may not, but everyone should be given a fair hearing via a process of interviewing and testing. Technical or professional competence The candidate should possess the relevant skills and knowledge required to be able to achieve his part in the task at hand. As a leader you may not have specialist knowledge in the required area but you will need enough insight to be able to judge your candidates abilities. If you dont have the relevant knowledge you may need to involve a specialist who can make a better judgement. This may be someone from within the organisation or within the team as it stands. Ability to work as a team member Your selection process should eliminate those that are not motivated to achieve or to work in a team, or indeed as individuals. They will hinder the groups progress. The difficult comes when you meet people who do not seem motivated but could be, given the right environment and encouragement. They may lack motivation about their present position but could become inspired under your leadership and do great things. Disruptive people should not feature on your team. They do not make good team members and will not advocate the harmony you are trying to achieve. 54

Be sensitive to the chemistry of the group and the balance of personalities within it. A variety of personalities which complement each other will draw out the best from the team. Desired personal attributes Desirable attributes include : The ability to listen to others Having a flexible approach to problems Being confident enough to express views and opinions The ability to give and inspire trust A sense of integrity Group processes and procedures All teams have procedures and ways of working. These are usually quite informal but how they are approached can affect the atmosphere, participation and cohesiveness of the group. Problem-solving A problem is a task for which the person or group confronting it : wants or needs to find a solution has no readily available procedure for finding the solution must try to find the solution. Therefore, the team is motivated and consciously tries to find the solution which isnt necessarily easily reached. As the leader it is your responsibility to present the problem to the team in a sufficiently attractive way for them to be interested in and motivated by it. They should be made to feel that the solution is within their grasp even if it may take a while to discover it. The leader needs to remember that it is the individuals who are creative and will use this attribute to solve problems. The team provides a positive environment for this to happen in. It provides atmosphere, communication, standards, morale and leadership which all contribute to the climate which stimulates, triggers, encourages and develops creative thinking. The skills needed for effective problem solving include : Analysing : the ability to divide a problem into pieces, to discuss the whole into more manageable parts. Reasoning : the ability to think in logical steps. Synthesising : the reverse process of analysing - putting together parts to make a whole, a solution. Holistic thinking : the ability to see the whole rather than just the parts. 55

Valuing : the ability to judge the value of something, depending on the context and conditions. Intuition : the ability to use and recognise the use of the depth mind, the subconscious. Memory : the important part of the active depth mind. It is our storage and retrieval system for knowledge and experience. Creativity : the ability to relate together more than one idea that may originally appear unconnected. Imagination : the ability to think in pictures. Numeracy / literacy : the natural ability to think in terms of numbers or words.

As a leader you should have good skills in all these areas and be able to encourage them in others. Decision-making How are decisions made within your team ? Group processes can work in the following ways : Apathy : nobody is sufficiently interested or concerned. Plops : there is no response to a suggested decision. Self-authorised decision : an individual assumes the authority to make a decision. Pairing : two group members join forces to make a decision. Topic-jumping : jumping to another topic can lead to a quick or different decision. Minority group : a small group makes a decision away from the other team members. Majority views : using a voting system. Does anyone disagree ? : a decision made under the pressure of not disagreeing. Although the final decision may not be everyones preferred decision, everyone in the team should be prepared to act as if it were. This means everyone has the same commitment to carrying it out and making it work to the best of their abilities. When there are decisions to be made you will find some team members look to the others to tell them how they should be thinking and reacting. They are dependent on the authority figure. Other team members may resist the guidance of the leader in making a decision. They may feel that the leader is taking away their freedom and telling them what to do. This is known as counter-dependency.

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The dependent person can be nurtured and encouraged to be more independent and have more confidence. Counter dependency should be tackled using your personality and knowledge, rather than blatant authority. Ideally, all leaders would like a team of people who are inter-dependent - individuals who are free and equal and who accept that their ideas, skills, knowledge and needs compliment and benefit each other. A framework for problem-solving and decision-making The classic framework involves five steps : 1. Defining the objective or problem : this is mainly analytical. 2. Collecting data or reviewing the information held : this involves experience, memory, information-seeking, research skills, literacy and numeracy. 3. Generating alternative feasible solutions or courses of action : this stage mainly uses the skill of synthesis but will also involve a certain amount of valuing. 4. Selecting the right answer of best course of action : this mainly uses the skills of valuing. 5. Evaluating the decision or solution : this can be before, during or after implementing it, or at all three stages. Maintaining your team A team which is permanently in place can become very comfortable and committed to each other. They will have a history together which builds familiarity and a good team spirit. However, there will still be a requirement for team maintenance to uphold their level of excellence and efficiency. From time to time it is good to ask yourself and your team : What is our purpose as a team ? What and who would be affected if we didnt exist ? Is this team the most cost effective way of achieving our purpose ? Has our purpose changed and, if so, are we clear how it has changed ? Are we still the right people to be doing this work ? Maintaining standards Over a period of time a teams standards can slip. If a team has been very successful a sense of complacency can creep in. On the other hand, the team might be working to the standards it has always abided by but things may have changed outside of the team. Targets may have become higher and more may be expected from the team without them being aware of it. Injecting a sense of competition into the teams work can raise standards. Telling a team where they stand in relation to the competitions standards should motivate them to compete and move up the ladder of success again.

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Regard your team as a living entity than needs to be nurtured to maintain its growth and existence. To maintain standards you constantly need to aim for higher standards. Coping with conflict What do you do if there is conflict amongst the team members ? The first strategy is to depersonalise the issue so they focus on the difference of policies or ideas. Remember that as the leader you can only help as a mediator, you cannot solve the conflict for the people involved. Ultimately they have to sort it out for themselves on a personal level. You can set them a time limit, suggesting a third party be present to help, or you could act as a consultant or change agent yourself to bring about reconciliation. As the leader you must judge if the negative emotions should be made public. This will depend on the situation at the time. If both parties value the common task they should realise that they need to get on with each other in order to achieve it. This is usually the ultimate resolution to any conflict within a team but if the situation cannot be resolved you may need to take more drastic action. A checklist for team leaders As a leader you should ask yourself the following three sets of questions to help you analyse and improve the way that your team operates : TASK Purpose : Am I clear what the task is ? Responsibilities : Am I clear what mine are ? Objectives : Have I agreed these with my superior, the person accountable for the group ? Programme : Have I worked one out to reach objectives ? Working conditions : Are these right for the job ? Resources : Are these adequate (authority, money, materials) ? Targets : Has each member clearly defined and agreed them ? Authority : Is the line of authority clear (accountability chart) ? Training : Are there any gaps in the specialist skills or abilities of individuals in the group required for the task ? Priorities : Have I planned the time ? Progress : Do I check this regularly and evaluate ? Supervision : In case of my absence who covers for me ? Example : Do I set standards by my behaviour ? TEAM Objectives : Does the team clearly understand and accept them ? Standards : Do they know what standards of performance are expected ?

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Safety standards : Do they know consequences of infringement ? Size of team : Is the size correct ? Team members : Are the right people working together ? Is there a need for subgroups to be constituted ? Team spirit : Do I look for opportunities for building teamwork into jobs ? Do methods of pay and bonus help to develop team spirit ? Discipline : Are the rules seen to be reasonable ? Am I fair and impartial in enforcing them ? Grievances : Are grievances dealt with promptly ? Do I take action on matters likely to disrupt the group ? Consultation : Is this genuine ? Do I encourage and welcome ideas and suggestions ? Briefing : Is this regular ? Does it cover current plans, progress and future developments ? Represent : Am I prepared to represent the feelings of the group when required ? Support : Do I visit people at their work when the team is apart ? Do I then represent to the individual the whole team in my manner and encouragement ? INDIVIDUAL Targets : Have they been agreed and quantified ? Induction : Does she/he really know the other team members and the organisation ? Achievement : Does she/he know how her/his work contributes to the overall result ? Responsibilities : Has she/he got a clear and accurate job description ? Can I delegate more to him/her ? Authority : Does she/he have sufficient authority for her/his task ? Training : Has adequate provision been made for training or retraining both technical and as a team member ? Recognition : Do I emphasise peoples successes ? In failure is criticism constructive ? Growth : Does s/he see the chance of development ? Does s/he see some pattern of career ? Performance : Is this regularly reviewed ? Reward : Are work, capacity and pay in balance ? The task : Is s/he in the right job ? Has s/he the necessary resources ? The person : Do I know this person well ? What makes him/her different from others ? Time/attention : Do I spend enough with individuals listening, developing and counselling ? Grievances : Are these dealt with promptly ? Security : Does s/he know about pensions, redundancy and so on ? Appraisal : Is the overall performance of each individual regularly reviewed in face-toface discussion ? BE A LEADER, NOT A BOSS The boss drives his men, the leader inspires them. The boss, depends on authority, the leader depends on goodwill. The boss evokes fear, the leader radiates love. 59

The boss says, I the leader says, we. The boss shows who is wrong, the leader shows what is wrong. The boss fixes the blame for the break down;the leader fixes the breakdown. The boss know how it is done, the leader knows how to do it. The boss orders, go, the leaders says, let us go. The boss demands respect, the leader commands respect. So, be a leader and not a boss.

Motivation Motivation means an inner whole-some desire to do the job without external stimulus of any money, material, gain or source of personal benefit. It is a force which encourages and promotes the willingness of every employee to cooperate with other employees. Motivation is about something within you impelling you to move forwards, to achieve a goal, to make progress in a task. The something which is the driving force may be a need, or a desire, or an emotion but it leads you to act in a certain way. Signs of motivation in a person are an energy and determination to achieve. Typical qualities of a motivated person include : A willingness to work Dedication to the project or common cause Alignment of the person with the organisational goals Commitment An appetite to achieve An energy Drive and determination Tenacity Strength of purpose Orientation to work To be able to get the best from people, to achieve results through individuals and teams and to maintain consistent high performance, is all about inspiring oneself and others into action - this all depends on the skills of motivation and leadership. Only a self motivated person can motivate others. What brings motivation ? Appreciation for good work or good job done. Admiration of layout, caliber, competence, potential, skill merit, knowledge, experience and capabilities and creativity of a team member Reward or prize for outstanding work done Healthy environments Positive work culture 60

Able and dynamic leadership Opportunity for personal development & advancement Opportunities to prove ones abilities Job of interest and biking Problem solving, caring and helping attitude of a leader encouragement for constructive and innovative ideas and positive suggestions from the members of a team Leader inspiring confidence and enthusiasm in team members Opportunity given to a team member improve performance. Freedom to set ones own goals and make ones decision Appreciation of sincerity dedication and devotion of a team member Why is motivation necessary ? To boost up morale of team members. To build positive attitude and encourage positive thinking. To promote sense of responsibility and commitment To promote sense of belongingness to a team and to the organisation. To increase output and productivity To promote faith in leadership and trust in organisation. To promote team spirit and confidence To make a person self directive and self-governed To promote sense of empowerment To create sense of job satisfaction To create interest and involvement in job. To reduce mental stress and fear of punishment.

To motivate others means to provide an incentive for them to do something, to initiate their behaviour and to stimulate them into activity. This can be done by infusing them with your own spirit, sense of achievement and motivational thoughts. You can improve your ability to inspire and motivate other people by : Understanding what motivates you and others at work : If you have a clear picture of what motivates you, you will be able to better understand what motivates others. Being aware of different dimensions of motivation : you can easily learn the generalisations about people and how to motivate them, but you need to remember that each individual person is unique and will therefore respond to different stimulants.

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Developing your skills as a leader : part of the role of being a manager is the ability to lead. This ability to lead means what you do as a leader, and includes motivating and inspiring your team.

Adairs eight rules in motivating people 1. Be motivated yourself 2. Select people who are highly motivated 3. Treat each person as an individual 4. Set realistic and challenging targets 5. Remember that progress motivates 6. Create a motivating environment 7. Provide fair rewards 8. Give recognition The 50:50 rule 50:50 rule has it that :50% of motivation comes from within a person; and 50% from his or her environment, especially from the leadership encountered therein. Theories of motivation : Most of the theories of motivation are based on simple psychological concepts, psychologist assume that behaviour of human beings is mostly goal oriented. Human beings undertake various forms of activities because of a desire to obtain some specific end or goal such as Promotion, status, financial gains, financial security. Motivation therefore refers to internal needs wants or drives that prompt the individual to strive for goal achievement. Thus motives stir the individual to specific action. It demonstrates that an individuals strength of motivation can be affected by the expectations of outcomes from certain actions and further strengthened by the individuals preferred outcome, as demonstrated by Victor H. Vroom in the 1960s. Individuals are consciously self-interested in the outcomes of their actions. For example, a worker may put in extra time and effort to a project and expect to get paid more money. That is his desired reward and what he expects. If he doesnt receive what he expects his motivational level will fall dramatically. One important point about expectancy theory is that individual perceptions can be very different, and the motivation and behaviour of individuals will vary considerably. Leaders have a vital role to play in creating a motivational environment in which their team members can excel by in turn using the motivation within themselves. To be able to do this, we as leaders need to begin by looking at ourselves and getting our contribution right before we can criticise others. Good leaders respect the integrity of others and base their relationships on mutual trust, support, a sense of justice and a belief in the common cause.

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Maslows hierarchy of needs Abraham Maslow suggests that a person is motivated by an inner programme of needs rather than by external motives such as rewards or punishments. When one of these sets of needs is met we move onto the next. Maslow thought that once a need is met it can no longer be a motivator. Human beings have a characteristic of always desiring something so once one need is fulfilled we automatically move onto the next, and so on. Maslow identified five motivating factors in his hierarchy of needs : 1 Physiological needs (including hunger, thirst and sleep) 2 Safety needs (security and protection from danger) 3 Social needs (belonging, acceptance, social life, friendship and love) 4. Self-esteem (self-respect, achievement, status and recognition) 5. Self-actualisation (growth, accomplishment and personal development). Satisfied needs no longer motivate for example, if you have finished a lavish good and tasteful meal and someone will to offer you attractive dinner, you would probably say No, I am full. Since your stomach is full, offering something to eat may not motivate you. Later on, when you are hungry again, an offer of simple meal might even very well motivate you. Each individual has a unique need pattern. Some needs are more powerful or important and potent than other needs. Our psychological and security needs and if we are threatened we will move down the ladder of hierarchy to defend-ourselves. Culture, age and other factors can affect the importance of the different needs to different people, and at different stages in their lives. The satisfying of some needs can be sacrificed in order to try and satisfy higher level needs. For example, some people would be willing to go without the more basic needs in order to fulfill their needs for achievement and recognition. Each person will have individual differences and unique sets of needs which will change at different stages of their lives. Despite these points the hierarchy can still be useful to the leader in considering each of the team members and their motivational priorities. McGregors Theory X and Theory Y THEORY X - THE TRADITIONAL VIEW OF DIRECTION AND CONTROL i) The average human being has an inherent dislike of work and will avoid it if possible.

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ii)

Because of this dislike of work, most people must be coerced, controlled, directed or threatened with punishment to get them to give adequate effort toward the achievement of organisational objectives; and The average human being prefers to be directed, wishes to avoid responsibility, has realitively little ambition and wants security above all.

iii)

THEORY Y - THE INTEGRATION OF INDIVIDUAL AND ORGANISATIONAL GOALS. i) The expenditure of physical and mental effort in work is as natural as play or rest. External control and the threat of punishment are not the only means for bringing about effort toward organisational objectives. People will exercise self-direction and self-control in the service of objectives to which they are committed.

ii)

iii)

Commitment to objectives is a function of the rewards associated with their achievement. The average human being learns, under proper conditions, not only to accept but to seek responsibility.

iv)

v)

The capacity to exercise a relatively high degree of imagination, ingenuity and creativity in the solution of organisational problems is widely, not narrowly, distributed in the population. Under the conditions of modern industrial life, the intelectual potentialities of the average human being are only partially utilised.

vi)

The three circles model There are three areas within a working organisation : the need to accomplish the common task, the needs of the team for unity and the needs of the individual, both human and personal. These three areas overlap and because they each have their own motivational forces they can interact both positively and negatively. Task

Team

Individual

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Examples of positive interaction : Achievement of a common task builds a sense of team unity and boosts morale. Good internal communications and a vibrant team spirit developed from previous successes make a group more likely to achieve common tasks more effectively. This in turn gives the individual a morale boost. If an individual is recognised for their input and contribution to both the task and the team, they are more likely to be motivated in both these areas to succeed again.

Examples of negative interaction : If a team fails in its task this will lead to negative feelings both within the group and within each individual. If there is a lack of team spirit and relationships arent good between team members this will affect job performance and also individual needs. If individuals arent happy in their environment and in their work they will not be motivated to make their best contributions to achieving the common task or to the spirit of the group. As a manager and leader it is your responsibility to meet the three areas of need : Achieving the task Building and maintaining the team Motivating and developing the individual.

The achievement of the task, the building and maintaining of the team and the development of the individual can only result from motivating people by providing the leadership functions of : Planning Initiating Controlling Supporting Informing Evaluating and by being able to inspire others. Motivation is the result of performing all these functions well. Managers should check that individuals have : 1. a sense of achievement in their job and feel that they are making a worthwhile contribution to the objective of the team

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2. jobs which are challenging and demanding with responsibilities to match their capabilities 3. adequate recognition for their achievements 4. control over their delegated duties 5. a feeling that they are developing along with their growing experience and ability. Motivation and decision-making The more that people are involved in making the decisions that affect them, the more they are likely to be motivated to carry them out. However, there are always situational factors that can limit the amount of involvement possible : The nature of the task The time available The attitudes, knowledge and experience of the individuals The personality of the leader The philosophy of the organisation. Even if it is not possible to involve the team in making a decision, for example in a crisis situation, it is usually possible to involve them to some degree in the means of carrying out the decision - i.e. methods, techniques, conditions and plans. Getting the best from people There are seven important strategies you should consider and put into practice if you want to get the best out of the people who work for and with you : Be motivated yourself select people who are or who have the potential to be highly motivated Treat each person as an individual with individual needs Set challenging but realistic targets and tasks Remember that progress and achievement motivates Provide fair rewards linked to progress and achievement Give recognition publicly when it is due. By using these seven strategies you will have a clear sense of direction towards creating a high-performance team. You will also be better equipped to help your organisation transform itself into a stimulating and motivating place to work. Lets look at each of the seven strategies in turn. Be motivated yourself You will never be able to inspire others if you do not feel inspired yourself. Enthusiasm is infectious, and when its combined with commitment and trust its a great example as a motivator to others.

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Motivation is contagious so you should be infectious ! If you are not motivated yourself, you cannot motivate others and you should examine the reasons why you lack motivation. Symptoms include : Having little or no interest in the job Having a sense of not fitting in and being out of place Avoiding talking about your job Wanting to arrive late and leave early Wanting to leave the job and having an active dislike for it. You can strengthen your motivation by reminding yourself : 1. to feel and act enthusiastically and in a committed way in your work 2. to make responsibility when things go wrong rather than blaming others 3. to identify ways you can lead by example 4. act on the 50:50 principle 5. to motivate by word and example rather than manipulation 6. to set an example naturally rather than in a calculated way and never ask someone to do something you would not do yourself. 7. not to give up easily 8. to ensure you are in the right job for your own abilities, interests and temperament 9. to be able to cite experiences where what you have said or done has had an inspirational effect on individuals, the team or the organisation. 10. that the three badges of leadership are enthusiasm, commitment and perseverance. Select people who are highly motivated Recruiting people who are already highly motivated is not that simple. Remember the 50:50 rule - the extent to which you can motivate someone is limited, for 50 per cent of their motivation has to come from within themselves and is therefore in their hands. When you select someone for a job it is better to choose someone who is highly motivated but has modest talent, rather than the very talented with little or no motivation. If the motivation is present they will leap to the challenge of developing their talents. The seven key indicators of thigh motivation in an individual are : 1. Energy : not necessarily shown in an extrovert way but with an alertness and quiet resolve 2. Commitment : consider if the person appears to be willing to commit to the common purpose 3. Staying power : consider if in the face of problems, difficulties or set-back this person would stick with it or give up too easily 4. Skill : the possession of skills indicates aims and ambitions, possibly in a certain direction

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5. Single-mindedness : a person who pushes their energy in a single direction is likely to be more motivated than a butterfly who flits from one job arena to another 6. Enjoyment : if a person does not enjoy their job and find some fun in it they will not be motivated. Enjoyment goes hand in hand with motivation 7. Responsibility : a willingness to seek and accept responsibility is a person who wants to advance themselves and has the motivation to do so. Managers should check whether individuals are in the right job with the right skills and abilities, otherwise motivation techniques will fail. The aim is to select people who are motivated for the most appropriate job. Treat each person as a individual Find out what motivates an individual, do not rely on generalised theories or assumptions. Each individual is just that, individual. Not all individuals will be clear about what motivates them. It is part of your responsibility as a leader to find out that makes them tick. By entering into a dialogue with each team member you can help them to clarify what it is that motivates them - and use what you find to your mutual benefit. Individuals can often be vulnerable if they, or the team as a whole, dont succeed at a task. People suffer when they are subjected to repeated failures, criticisms, frustrations or defeats. By being more in touch with them you will be able to reassure, inspire and make them believe in themselves again. These are the skills of a good team leader. Take time with each individual to : Encourage : Give hope, courage and confidence, accompanied by help if necessary Inspire and urge along Stimulate an individual with the promise of a reward, and make sure they receive if they achieve the goal. Hearten : Give fresh courage if someone is flagging Renew their spirit Inspire : Infuse them with confidence and enthusiasm Guide them Animate them with good feelings of being able to achieve

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Support : Give them help if they are in need to get them back on track Guide them until they can stand alone again Embolden : Give them the confidence for them to believe in their ability Impart courage on them Stimulate : Prod or goad them into the right form of action Incite them into doing a task Remember, each individual matters and is important, both in their own right and as members of the team, to be able to achieve the common task. Set realistic and challenging targets One of your main aims as a leader is to understand the organisations aims and purposes. By understanding the common task you will be able to break it down into areas of purpose, and then targets and objectives can be identified. These are the attainable steps which a team can focus on to achieve the desired result without becoming overwhelmed by the enormity of the whole task. The PURPOSE is the common task at hand. AIMS are about the direction of the effort in one or more areas of the common task. The OBJECTIVES are tangible, specific, attainable and towards which the effort is directed. Purpose , Aims & Objectives HOW ? & WHY ? Jacobs ladder model The answer is by breaking down the purpose into the main aims, and the main aims into short and long-term objectives or goals. Moving up the ladder, ask Why are we doing this ? The answer is to achieve this objective in order to achieve this aim and to satisfy this purpose or achieve the common task. Targets set, for both short and longer-term objectives, should be : specific; clear; and time-bounded.

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An objective or target must be realistic (feasible) and challenging. If you aim for the best you can often get it. A challenging task should test your abilities, powers and resources to the full. It should not be threatening but stimulating, provocative, inspiring and, above all, motivating. But, remember that everybody is an individual and what challenges one person may be far too dauting for another. There is no benefit in setting unrealistic targets as they will not inspire or motivate people. If they cannot be met, why bother trying in the first place ? On the other hand, if they are too easy to attain they will not be inspirational or motivational. It is up to the leader and their management skills to be able to get the balance just right.

If possible, targets should be agreed with those who will be trying to achieve them. If a person accepts the target and the required objective as being realistic, even if it is challenging, they are more likely to want to succeed at achieving it and will be committed to doing so. They will draw upon the 50 per cent of their motivation which comes from within. However, it is not always possible to involve the team in making decisions. As a leader you need to consider the ability, maturity and experience of the team when deciding whether or not to ask for their participation. Also, sometimes there may not be enough time for others to be consulted. It may be a crisis situation where every minute counts. If you, as a leader, involve your team as often and as much as possible, subject to the limits of the task, time and circumstances imposed on you, you will gain the respect of those you need the commitment and motivation from. This will stand you in good stead in the times when you are unable to involve them in the decision-making process. Remember that progress motivates There is a lust to finish and the key principle is that progress motivates. We are motivated, not just our own progress in meeting our individual needs, but also in meeting the needs of the group emanating from the commitment of achieving the common task. If people know and feel that they are moving forwards they tend to put in more effort. Human beings like to succeed. Feedback on the progress made is crucial. Without feedback people dont know if they are making progress or not. Progress (or even the relative lack of progress) helps motivation - either to spur people on or to concentrate the mind on what yet needs to be done to achieve the desired outcome. Giving feedback and information on progress has the effect of topping up motivational levels. By giving praise for a job well done or a task successfully completed, you are helping individuals and teams to build on their strengths and take steps towards further progress. Praise is a great morale and motivation booster. Improvement suggestions or 70

constructive criticism, handled in the correct way and given at the appropriate time, helps to maintain performance levels. It allows people and teams to continue to move in the right direction with confidence despite difficulties or set backs. It is easy to criticise and sometimes we spend too much time doing that rather than praising the achievements, however small. Remember though, dont praise without reason otherwise it becomes meaningless, empty and insincere and will not achieve the results you were hoping for. Briefing the team about the task that lie ahead is an effective way of communicating your own enthusiasm and inspiration for the plan of action about to be embarked upon. This is a good time to energise and motivate the team, and lift their spirits. Maintaining motivation depends on informing and inspiring, and the rule is always to give information first before you attempt to encourage. Remember, truth is the basis of inspiration. The reality of the situation is what motivates people, not you the leader. You are just the conveyor of that truth and reality. Maintaining high morale is key to high motivation and covers the individuals and the team. Morale is the mental and emotional attitude of an individual or a team, to the task or targets in hand. It is also about the sense of a common purpose and respect within a team. Where an individual has low morale, the issues have to be addressed on an individual basis, but where group or team morale is low, the answer lies in deciding whether there is a lack of confidence : of ultimate success in the present plan(s) in the leadership/management in the minds of team members. It can be necessary to re-motivate the team by rebuilding self-confidence and by readdressing : aims - and clarifying objectives plans, resources needed leadership overlooked factors Also, think about the following areas of the task which may make a difference to morale : What is the value of the task(s) to those trying to achieve it ? Are the objectives and purposes of the task clear to all those involved ?

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Does everyone in the team understand why they have been asked to help achieve this task ? Has the task been clearly broken down into aims and objectives ? Are all the necessary tools and resources available for the achievement of the task to be possible ? Is there good team leadership in place ? Did the team and the individuals have an involvement in the key decision-making and planning stages ? Should the present plan be changed or modified in light of new findings ? Have any factors been overlooked that could make a difference to the structure of the plan ?

Be certain to communicate any changes of direction or changes to the plan carefully and clearly to all those involved. If possible, allow the team to have an input into the decision making process. This will boost their sense of belonging and value, and therefore heighten levels of morale. Let the team know that you believe in them, that you have confidence in them and that you know you can work together to get the project back on track. Do not give them false promises or hopes but do give them the truth-they will respect you for it and be motivated by it. To create a motivating environment, remember the following points : 1. Beware of creating a restrictive organisation with an overemphasis on controls 2. Never criticise individuals publicly, do it in private and in a constructive manner 3. Ensure Herzbergs hygiene factors are catered for - the physical and psychological well-being of people should have high priority 4. Control systems should only be introduced where necessary 5. Give people an opportunity to input into the decisions which affect their working lives (especially in respect of substantial change) 6. Keep units and sub-units as small as possible (for large units tend to be bureaucratic and de-motivational if they lack inspired leaders) 7. Pay attention to job design - avoid repetitive work, introduce variety and avoid boredom and monotony 8. Give people autonomy and a job with a product that an individual can recognise as his / her own 9. Ensure an individual understands the significance of their job in relation to the whole, which will also encourage new ideas and innovation. Provide fair rewards Money is a key incentive for the majority of people. Although it is difficult to ensure that the financial reward an individual receives is fair (commensurate with contribution), effort must be applied in trying to get it right. If there is a lack of fairness this will lead very quickly to a lack of motivation and low morale. Also, if monetary rewards are too low they will be seen by workers as insulting and will lead to less effort being put into the job. 72

There are other movtivating returns that individuals look for from jobs (as in Maslows hierarchy of needs), such as professional development and personal growth opportunities. Salaries should be in-line with performance and responsibilities. A good salary will motivate people but an above average salary for the job will not necessarily give you an above average performance in return. However, a poor salary will cause dissatisfaction and de-motivation. A good motivator for most individuals is the combination of a fixed salary with a variable element related to performance or profits. Profit sharing is a strategic way of relating performance to pay. It is also a great way to get commitment from workers as they feel they are really part of the organisation. From the employers point of view there are no payouts if there are no profits. Motivating by incentives is more tactical. It can be a good way of : Increasing productivity from a sales team Improving after sales customer service Increasing product knowledge amongst employees. Give recognition Everybody is receptive to positive recognition. Financial reward is seen by the recipient as a tangible form of recognition. There are other ways whereby appreciation is expressed for what has been contributed. If recognition is not given, an individual can feel unnoticed, unvalued and un rewarded. This leads to a drop in motivation and energy levels. The power of recognition as motivator should not be underestimated. Herzberg rated it highly as a factor in job satisfaction. Recognition should be formal or informal, for the individual and / or the team, as appropriate. In giving recognition, you should try to ensure that you : 1. Treat everyone in a fair and equal way 2. Reward real achievements or contributions 3. Reflect the core values of the organisation 4. Use it to guide and encourage all concerned 5. Give it in public if possible 6. Give it formally and informally 7. Give it genuinely and sincerely. Being sincere is key when giving recognition. Remember also to give the recognition when it is due. when you see a reason for it say something there and then, dont wait until later as the impact of the moment may be lost. You may have to look for opportunities to give recognition as some people work very diligently and are high

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achievers but dont put themselves in the limelight to attract attention. They are likely to accept the compliment in an understated, quiet way but it would still be very much appreciated and highly motivating. Make sure you recognise the people that carry out routine tasks consistently well. This is an achievement on their part and if its not recognised they may begin to feel they are being taken for granted. Dont forget the receptionists, the security guard or the typist as they are the people that keep the organisation running smoothly. Everyone wants to feel they have a worth and they are appreciated for it. Tips of Motivation As a leader you will be doing better on motivation if : you can recognise whether people are not as motivated as you would like them to be. you can identify any aspects which may be causing demotivation you can recognise negative reactions and negative atmosphere indicating that all is not well. you are able to distinguish where poor performance may be due to factors other than demotivation. you understand various levels of driving forces required to satisfy the people you understand that less the basic need is satisfied more importance it assumes. you understand that satisfaction of basic needs does not necessarily motivate people to improve their performance you ensure that people are doing things which they control you ensure that they know what is significant about what they do you enable them to be as responsible as they wish to be you provide regular feedback on their performance you are doing every thing you can, to apply right conditions for satisfactory work to take place you encourage people to make their own decisions. you make sure that they are capable of carrying out their task effectively.

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