Wednesday, 23 June 2021
Saturday, 14 July 2007
Teambuilding Skills for Managers and Supervisors by James Kronefield
The ability to build a team is an essential aspect of the management skills required for all managers and supervisors to be successful.. Managers need to be able to take a group of individuals, with different experience, skills and performances and get them working together as a team. At times this can be a daunting challenge.
Managers don't always get to choose who is on their team. Often managers inherit a team and many of the team members have been working there far longer than the manager, and may know more about the work and have many years of experience behind them.. Whatever the situation, it is the role of a manager to motivate the team to all work together an one unit, not as individuals.. . Typically teams are comprised of very diverse members, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and work styles. The team dynamics can also often complicated by internal disagreements and personal conflicts. Managers, not only have to work with this group of people, but also need to achieve the results expected by their superiors.
The old style model of the manager taking the role of authority, giving out instructions and expecting loyalty and compliance no longer is an effective style. Typically the model that is the most effective today is that of a team coach. This management style is similar to that of the coach of a sports team. Using this analogy, this article will discuss some of the key skills involved in building an effective team .There are some important teambuilding skills required for getting results. These include the ability to:
Analyze the Players
Before building a team the manager needs to take a close look at the players he has to work with. Take each player plot and analyze their performance by identifying their skills and attitudes. Look at the strengths and weaknesses of the individual players.
Create a Game Plan
Look at the results that the team needs to be able to achieve, and determine which players have the best strengths required to complete the job effectively. Strategically position the players, balancing strengths and weaknesses using as many of the players strengths as possible.
Clarify the Goals and Objectives
Share the game plan. Team members need the 'so what' answered, and the freedom to give feedback and suggestions. Give clear expectations, and timelines
Coach, Train and Encourage
Throughout the process it is important to follow up, clarify, coach and train individual players as necessary.
Reward and Celebrate
Recognize, and celebrate checkpoints, milestones and accomplishments, both large and small. Keep positive and hold up the vision of the goal and purpose.
Recognize the Team and not Individuals
To build a sense of team always recognize the team in public, and let the players recognize individuals. Individual effort should only be recognized privately.
There are many similarities to the sports coach analogy for managers in the business setting. Watch the sports coach and you will soon build a team that works well together, and are motivated to achieve the goals.
About The Author
Do you have enough management skills? Find out at http://www.mangementskillsinfo.com/
Managers don't always get to choose who is on their team. Often managers inherit a team and many of the team members have been working there far longer than the manager, and may know more about the work and have many years of experience behind them.. Whatever the situation, it is the role of a manager to motivate the team to all work together an one unit, not as individuals.. . Typically teams are comprised of very diverse members, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and work styles. The team dynamics can also often complicated by internal disagreements and personal conflicts. Managers, not only have to work with this group of people, but also need to achieve the results expected by their superiors.
The old style model of the manager taking the role of authority, giving out instructions and expecting loyalty and compliance no longer is an effective style. Typically the model that is the most effective today is that of a team coach. This management style is similar to that of the coach of a sports team. Using this analogy, this article will discuss some of the key skills involved in building an effective team .There are some important teambuilding skills required for getting results. These include the ability to:
Analyze the Players
Before building a team the manager needs to take a close look at the players he has to work with. Take each player plot and analyze their performance by identifying their skills and attitudes. Look at the strengths and weaknesses of the individual players.
Create a Game Plan
Look at the results that the team needs to be able to achieve, and determine which players have the best strengths required to complete the job effectively. Strategically position the players, balancing strengths and weaknesses using as many of the players strengths as possible.
Clarify the Goals and Objectives
Share the game plan. Team members need the 'so what' answered, and the freedom to give feedback and suggestions. Give clear expectations, and timelines
Coach, Train and Encourage
Throughout the process it is important to follow up, clarify, coach and train individual players as necessary.
Reward and Celebrate
Recognize, and celebrate checkpoints, milestones and accomplishments, both large and small. Keep positive and hold up the vision of the goal and purpose.
Recognize the Team and not Individuals
To build a sense of team always recognize the team in public, and let the players recognize individuals. Individual effort should only be recognized privately.
There are many similarities to the sports coach analogy for managers in the business setting. Watch the sports coach and you will soon build a team that works well together, and are motivated to achieve the goals.
About The Author
Do you have enough management skills? Find out at http://www.mangementskillsinfo.com/
Squeezing greater performance in a tight market - The New Business Paradigm
Brice Alvord
A recent study showed that 87% of Americans expect to continue to do things the same way and still get different results. Does this philosophy drive your company's performance?
In today's market, many managers have retrenched their approach to managing their company. Many have given lip service to new ways of managing while continuing to use old, outdated measures of performance and success.
Not enough business leaders are stepping to the plate and asking: "Why are we in business?" What is our vision? What is our true goal? The companies lead by these leaders equate growth with size, they implement Strategic Planning by multiplying the previous year's volumes and profits by a growth factor derived from the value of the company's stock. What they are doing is taking a shortcut to sustaining growth; they are doing it in terms of physical expansion and short-term profit results.
These leaders are placing greater and greater unrealistic demands upon the infrastructure of their companies. These demands are not unlike the forces placed on the earth's crust when the giant tectonic plates rub against each other. The results are the same in either case - an earthquake.
How long can these companies sustain these artificial levels of growth? How long can the employees of these companies endure the added strain? The short-term focus of American Management has to change and it has to change for real. A new paradigm for business management is needed.
In the old paradigm, managers focused on what happened in the past to determine where they should head in the future. Often times they had little or no understanding of the causes of what happened in the past, they merely reacted to it. Budgets are generally based upon what you did the previous year and held to that level or less. Managers expect their employees to do more with fewer resources, yet do not have a realistic plan of action to achieve their objectives. The old paradigm also maintains that objectives are written to ensure "performance" in order to achieve maximum bonus, instead of needed results.
The old paradigm is nothing but an illusion that often confuses motion with progress. It gives us a false sense of hope and security, which often brings about economic instability. The old paradigm adds many distractions that distort the real picture of what is happening in business and creates an optical illusion.
A Paradigm Shift Is Needed
It is time to discard the old paradigm and usher in a new one. The new paradigm must champion creativity and innovation at all levels of the organization. It must foster true empowerment of all stakeholders - not just the investors.
The old paradigm promotes firefighting and engenders a focus on problems and reaction to them. Its focus is in the past, not on the vision of what could be. It produces a CYA mentality and encourages an atmosphere of blame, all of which is counter-productive.
The new paradigm promotes creativity and innovation. It is based on the logic of: * Continuous improvement * Deployment of empowered cross functional teams * Communication of information across all levels of the organization * Organization-wide system of accountability
Differences Between The Two Paradigms
What are the differences between the two paradigms? Figure 4 below, shows the differences between the two paradigms. First of all, the old paradigm embraces responsibility rather than true accountability. Responsibility is assigned and limits the employee while accountability is negotiated and allows the employee a greater degree of anticipation and innovation.
The reliance on mass production often holds the organization firmly in the grips of the old paradigm. The system makes large quantities at statistically acceptable quality levels and disposes of unused inventory at fire-sale prices. Mass production is the comfort zone of most managers, it is what their bonuses are paid on, it is how they have been taught to manage, and it is ingrained in the cost accounting principles that drive traditional manufacturing. Lean production on the other hand requires new ways of looking at manufacturing, new processes and procedures, new management styles, and above all a new cost accounting system. It requires a system that makes what the customers want with zero defects, when they want it, and only in the quantities that they want it.
Under the old paradigm, budgets are built based on what the budget of the previous year was plus or minus a few adjustments here and there. Under the new paradigm, budgets are built according to the needs spelled out by the accountability system and requirements of the lean management system. The old paradigm encouraged a sharp focus on the needs of the investors (many of whom make up executive management) and less attention to the needs of other stakeholders. The new paradigm requires a balanced approach in addressing the needs of all stakeholders.
Organizational structure under the old paradigm promotes individualism and is often bureaucratic and primarily line and staff oriented. The matrix management system adopted by some companies still relies on the principles of the line and staff organization, it just spreads out and clouds the responsibility issues. Leadership under the old paradigm is primarily leadership by executive fiat and coercion. The new paradigm requires a truly empowered team-based organization where leadership is based on vision and broad participation.
Making The Change
Shifting from the old paradigm is not easy; it often requires a complete management style change. It requires the design and implementation of a total lean management system. Management considerations include: * Setting up a lean management system requires assistance and time * The process of transforming a company from the old paradigm to the new requires many physical procedural changes which are often accompanied by major upheavals in company structure and processes.
Despite these considerations, the question to ask is not: Can we afford it? Rather the question can we afford not to do it and still survive?
It is often tempting for many executives to try and piece-meal the transition and put in place many of the components. Still living in the old paradigm, they react when they don't get the results they expect and go on to something else. Success in making the transition from the old paradigm to the new paradigm requires bold initiative and a strong vision coupled with determined leadership.
A Complete System Is Required
Management must be totally committed to making the transition. The transition requires outside assistance from someone who is not tied to the old ways of doing things. The transition also requires the formation and support of a transition steering committee. The organization also needs to appoint a champion to execute the day-to-day planning and implementation of the transition.
At Alera, we help organizations build, nurture and support the logic and mechanisms that drive the transition to the new paradigm. Our "Improving Performance Through Lean Management" system is specifically designed to assist with the transition from the old paradigm to the new paradigm. The Alera Improving Performance Through Lean Management system is a practice built around several key concepts and physical tools. It is a comprehensive approach that builds, promotes, and sustains lean management by incorporating: * Accountability structure * Business renewal process * Organizational learning structure * Employee involvement * Empowered team structure
We at Alera are committed to helping you make the transition to the new paradigm
www.AleraGroup.com
About The Author
Brice Alvord has over thirty years experience as an internal and external performance improvement consultant. He holds a BA in Sociology/Psychology from Central Washington University and an MBA degree from City University of Seattle. He is the author of over two dozen books on continuous improvement and training.
A recent study showed that 87% of Americans expect to continue to do things the same way and still get different results. Does this philosophy drive your company's performance?
In today's market, many managers have retrenched their approach to managing their company. Many have given lip service to new ways of managing while continuing to use old, outdated measures of performance and success.
Not enough business leaders are stepping to the plate and asking: "Why are we in business?" What is our vision? What is our true goal? The companies lead by these leaders equate growth with size, they implement Strategic Planning by multiplying the previous year's volumes and profits by a growth factor derived from the value of the company's stock. What they are doing is taking a shortcut to sustaining growth; they are doing it in terms of physical expansion and short-term profit results.
These leaders are placing greater and greater unrealistic demands upon the infrastructure of their companies. These demands are not unlike the forces placed on the earth's crust when the giant tectonic plates rub against each other. The results are the same in either case - an earthquake.
How long can these companies sustain these artificial levels of growth? How long can the employees of these companies endure the added strain? The short-term focus of American Management has to change and it has to change for real. A new paradigm for business management is needed.
In the old paradigm, managers focused on what happened in the past to determine where they should head in the future. Often times they had little or no understanding of the causes of what happened in the past, they merely reacted to it. Budgets are generally based upon what you did the previous year and held to that level or less. Managers expect their employees to do more with fewer resources, yet do not have a realistic plan of action to achieve their objectives. The old paradigm also maintains that objectives are written to ensure "performance" in order to achieve maximum bonus, instead of needed results.
The old paradigm is nothing but an illusion that often confuses motion with progress. It gives us a false sense of hope and security, which often brings about economic instability. The old paradigm adds many distractions that distort the real picture of what is happening in business and creates an optical illusion.
A Paradigm Shift Is Needed
It is time to discard the old paradigm and usher in a new one. The new paradigm must champion creativity and innovation at all levels of the organization. It must foster true empowerment of all stakeholders - not just the investors.
The old paradigm promotes firefighting and engenders a focus on problems and reaction to them. Its focus is in the past, not on the vision of what could be. It produces a CYA mentality and encourages an atmosphere of blame, all of which is counter-productive.
The new paradigm promotes creativity and innovation. It is based on the logic of: * Continuous improvement * Deployment of empowered cross functional teams * Communication of information across all levels of the organization * Organization-wide system of accountability
Differences Between The Two Paradigms
What are the differences between the two paradigms? Figure 4 below, shows the differences between the two paradigms. First of all, the old paradigm embraces responsibility rather than true accountability. Responsibility is assigned and limits the employee while accountability is negotiated and allows the employee a greater degree of anticipation and innovation.
The reliance on mass production often holds the organization firmly in the grips of the old paradigm. The system makes large quantities at statistically acceptable quality levels and disposes of unused inventory at fire-sale prices. Mass production is the comfort zone of most managers, it is what their bonuses are paid on, it is how they have been taught to manage, and it is ingrained in the cost accounting principles that drive traditional manufacturing. Lean production on the other hand requires new ways of looking at manufacturing, new processes and procedures, new management styles, and above all a new cost accounting system. It requires a system that makes what the customers want with zero defects, when they want it, and only in the quantities that they want it.
Under the old paradigm, budgets are built based on what the budget of the previous year was plus or minus a few adjustments here and there. Under the new paradigm, budgets are built according to the needs spelled out by the accountability system and requirements of the lean management system. The old paradigm encouraged a sharp focus on the needs of the investors (many of whom make up executive management) and less attention to the needs of other stakeholders. The new paradigm requires a balanced approach in addressing the needs of all stakeholders.
Organizational structure under the old paradigm promotes individualism and is often bureaucratic and primarily line and staff oriented. The matrix management system adopted by some companies still relies on the principles of the line and staff organization, it just spreads out and clouds the responsibility issues. Leadership under the old paradigm is primarily leadership by executive fiat and coercion. The new paradigm requires a truly empowered team-based organization where leadership is based on vision and broad participation.
Making The Change
Shifting from the old paradigm is not easy; it often requires a complete management style change. It requires the design and implementation of a total lean management system. Management considerations include: * Setting up a lean management system requires assistance and time * The process of transforming a company from the old paradigm to the new requires many physical procedural changes which are often accompanied by major upheavals in company structure and processes.
Despite these considerations, the question to ask is not: Can we afford it? Rather the question can we afford not to do it and still survive?
It is often tempting for many executives to try and piece-meal the transition and put in place many of the components. Still living in the old paradigm, they react when they don't get the results they expect and go on to something else. Success in making the transition from the old paradigm to the new paradigm requires bold initiative and a strong vision coupled with determined leadership.
A Complete System Is Required
Management must be totally committed to making the transition. The transition requires outside assistance from someone who is not tied to the old ways of doing things. The transition also requires the formation and support of a transition steering committee. The organization also needs to appoint a champion to execute the day-to-day planning and implementation of the transition.
At Alera, we help organizations build, nurture and support the logic and mechanisms that drive the transition to the new paradigm. Our "Improving Performance Through Lean Management" system is specifically designed to assist with the transition from the old paradigm to the new paradigm. The Alera Improving Performance Through Lean Management system is a practice built around several key concepts and physical tools. It is a comprehensive approach that builds, promotes, and sustains lean management by incorporating: * Accountability structure * Business renewal process * Organizational learning structure * Employee involvement * Empowered team structure
We at Alera are committed to helping you make the transition to the new paradigm
www.AleraGroup.com
About The Author
Brice Alvord has over thirty years experience as an internal and external performance improvement consultant. He holds a BA in Sociology/Psychology from Central Washington University and an MBA degree from City University of Seattle. He is the author of over two dozen books on continuous improvement and training.
Improve Performance With Effective CRM by Daniel Travers
Today's customer is not someone who merely decides to buy or not to buy. He is educated, well-informed, widely traveled, discerning and knows that he can always get it elsewhere at a price which he is more comfortable with. Gone are the days when a company rested happy if it sold a product or service to a customer.
Advertising and promotion were the only tools to inform, educate and attract new customers. Customization, break-neck competition amongst multiple-players, price wars and globalization - all this and more have made marketing companies wary of not only wooing the new and potential customers but to retain them on a long term basis. Companies are spending significant amount of resources to track customer interactions and adding more value to the next.
CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, is also referred to as customer management or relationship marketing. Some people associate CRM specifically with those software applications that are installed to support CRM within a business, but CRM is more than a mere software, it is a way some leading companies are conducting their business. If you have an opportunity to integrate the tools of the CRM software with that of ERP, you have in your hands, a magnificent and powerful tool to handle a large database of customers, the interactions, their present and future choices and vital data on customer preferences and trends. It is no wonder then that many leading companies are busy in CRM integration within their business processes.
When do you know that your company is ready for CRM integration? To put it simply, when you have a large customer base and you wish to undertake preventive measures to retain their loyalties and you feel that you have the adequate product lineup even for any product or service upgrade. Come to think of it, in most interactions, both the customer and the company are faceless. The customer representative is probably the only person who has seen his face and knows his preferences. If only the product development, marketing and sales personnel of your organization knew what he is like and could give a face to this unknown entity, how meaningful the interaction it would be! Similarly, if only the young man who bought your laptop knew that within the next year, this company is coming up with a far improved version of the laptop, how convenient it would be for the customer!
CRM integration with your existing ERP systems would focus on building a loyal customer base through the creation and development of individual customer relationships. It lends a face to your company. Likewise, it makes the customer appear more 'human'. When all staff in an organization can access a customer's history, it allows them to deliver better personalized service to the customer. This opens up a meaningful communication channel, between the two, which can be utilized profitably to educate, inform and court a customer for product upgrade, cross-sell, addressing grievances - otherwise maintain a personalized contact. CRM integration most importantly can add tremendous competitive advantage in an otherwise fiercely competitive market environment. It can open up a Direct Marketing channel of communication which has been found effective the world over.
About The Author
Daniel Travers owns and operates http://www.ERP-benefits.com Benefits Of ERP
Advertising and promotion were the only tools to inform, educate and attract new customers. Customization, break-neck competition amongst multiple-players, price wars and globalization - all this and more have made marketing companies wary of not only wooing the new and potential customers but to retain them on a long term basis. Companies are spending significant amount of resources to track customer interactions and adding more value to the next.
CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, is also referred to as customer management or relationship marketing. Some people associate CRM specifically with those software applications that are installed to support CRM within a business, but CRM is more than a mere software, it is a way some leading companies are conducting their business. If you have an opportunity to integrate the tools of the CRM software with that of ERP, you have in your hands, a magnificent and powerful tool to handle a large database of customers, the interactions, their present and future choices and vital data on customer preferences and trends. It is no wonder then that many leading companies are busy in CRM integration within their business processes.
When do you know that your company is ready for CRM integration? To put it simply, when you have a large customer base and you wish to undertake preventive measures to retain their loyalties and you feel that you have the adequate product lineup even for any product or service upgrade. Come to think of it, in most interactions, both the customer and the company are faceless. The customer representative is probably the only person who has seen his face and knows his preferences. If only the product development, marketing and sales personnel of your organization knew what he is like and could give a face to this unknown entity, how meaningful the interaction it would be! Similarly, if only the young man who bought your laptop knew that within the next year, this company is coming up with a far improved version of the laptop, how convenient it would be for the customer!
CRM integration with your existing ERP systems would focus on building a loyal customer base through the creation and development of individual customer relationships. It lends a face to your company. Likewise, it makes the customer appear more 'human'. When all staff in an organization can access a customer's history, it allows them to deliver better personalized service to the customer. This opens up a meaningful communication channel, between the two, which can be utilized profitably to educate, inform and court a customer for product upgrade, cross-sell, addressing grievances - otherwise maintain a personalized contact. CRM integration most importantly can add tremendous competitive advantage in an otherwise fiercely competitive market environment. It can open up a Direct Marketing channel of communication which has been found effective the world over.
About The Author
Daniel Travers owns and operates http://www.ERP-benefits.com Benefits Of ERP
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