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Legal and Negotiating Strategies Every Manager Should Know

admin — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 18:52:29 +0000

Today, in what I like to call the civilized world, disputes are resolved in courtrooms. Sure, that’s a step in the right direction. But surprisingly, the strategies and tactics of today’s business disputes are remarkably similar to those used by past leaders on the battlefield.

What’s changed the most, on the other hand, is that today’s leaders are surprisingly unprepared to lead their “troops” into battle. It’s shocking, frankly, how naive and ill-equipped most executives and business leaders are, both before and after they enter the modern-day legal battlefield.
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Style Of Training

admin — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 17:00:35 +0000

You can find them almost everywhere. Myers-Briggs, Enneagrams, leadership styles, learning styles, communication styles, teaching styles, conflict management styles…all designed to classify or label people so they can better understand themselves and others. More and more training vendors are using style questionnaires as a basis for training and development. The question is: are they really useful, or are they just fun exercises akin to astrology?

Overview
Style questionnaires usually consist of a number of items. Format may vary. In some, you may be asked to choose one of two activities (forced choice), while in others you may choose one option from a set of four or five. After you have completed all of the questions, you tally up your scores to determine which category of style is your most dominant. If it’s a decision making/ leadership style instrument, you may fall into one of the following categories: autocratic, consultative, participative or laissez faire. If it’s a conflict
management style instrument, you may fall into the following: avoider, confronter, compromiser, or co-operator. Generally, your results will give you a “reading” of your preferred style, a secondary style, and your least preferred style. Things You Should Know

1. Psychological research indicates that people’s behaviour is not very consistent. It is naturally situational specific. For example, you may use one conflict management style with a subordinate, and an entirely different one with your boss, regardless of what your “preferred style” might be. Your behaviour, in any given situation, is largely determined by the situation, NOT your preferred style. So, style questionnaires are a relatively poor predictor of what you (or someone else) will do in the real world.

2. There is a tendency for people completing these types of questionnaires to respond in a way that is consistent with how they would like to be, rather than the way they actually behave. For example, few people want to see themselves as wimpy conflict avoiders, so it isn’t surprising that you don’t come across too many people that fall into this category. Since many instruments are pretty easy to “figure out”, there is a tendency for people to respond in ways that they feel will present themselves in a positive light.

3. In many cases, the descriptions you receive as part of the interpretation of your score(s) are sufficiently general as to fit almost anyone. At least some of it is going to fit, much like the astrology predictions one finds in the newspaper.

4. Many trainers, or test administrators know that people are interested in themselves, and will become highly motivated when they are given the opportunity to “find out about themselves”. Taking a test about oneself is fun, and exciting, and often this excitement will obscure the fact that the instrument is poor, and the interpretations overly general.

5. Many trainers or test administrators have had little training in the use of instruments. Almost anyone can purchase questionnaires and offer them to clients. As a result trainers may not be aware of the limitations of the instruments or the interpretations, having had little or no education in test theory, or psychology.

On The Negative Side The negative side of training based on these instruments is that things appear scientific. The limitations of the approach are not always explained, and it is possible to take the enterprise far too seriously. In the hands of an unqualified trainer or consultant, the process becomes more of a fun parlour game, rather than a useful one. The primary danger here is that we will take the results far too seriously. Human behaviour is so complicated that a quick style assessment instrument simply cannot do justice to human complexity. In the hands of trainers with a limited background in testing or psychology, the results can be “oversold”.
Finally, there is no guarantee that a person’s behaviour will change as a result of taking one of these courses, or instruments. There is no guarantee that they will become better team members, more tolerant, or more effective. What they will be able to do is label themselves or others as being of a particular style. They may learn to explain a person’s behaviour (or their own) as being a result of a style preference, and that explanation will almost always be overly simplistic.

On The Positive Side

Besides being fun, these kinds of instruments have one primary benefit. They encourage people to be reflective about themselves and others. Even if the results of these instruments are totally bogus, and have no relationship with real world behaviour, people tend to look at themselves a bit more carefully. This is good. Whenever people think about themselves and their own behaviour, there is a chance that they will find better or different ways to behave.

Recommendations

1. Approach test results as suggestive at best. Be aware that your behaviour is determined by many factors, and that most tests are very general.

2. If you are contemplating attending a training course based on style identification, inquire as to where the trainer learned to administer the test. If they “learned it from a book”, then it is likely that they will have insufficient background to use the test properly. Look for people that have some form of formal training or certification. This is no guarantee that they will have the breadth of knowledge to point out the test limitations, but at least they will understand the instrument they are using.

3. If you think that having your team identify their particular styles is going to increase tolerance and team effectiveness, think again. On its own, it can create as many problems as it solves. It is possible that people will understand each other, but it is just as likely that they will use style labels to justify their intolerance.

4. Find out how the particular test was developed. Ask how the validity of the test was determined, and whether it is reliable. Validity and reliability of tests are very technical topics. However, if the trainer can’t answer your questions, or doesn’t understand them, then you can pretty much assume that he or she is not competent to use the instrument.

5. Finally, approach these forms of tests as fun exercises that may encourage reflection. Don’t get fooled by the appearance of science here unless the instrument has been thoroughly tested, and take the interpretations with a grain of salt. They should be seen as suggestive, not absolute, and can be used to stimulate discussion and thinking. Remember that no test can capture the complexity and flexibility of human behaviour.
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IMPORTANCE OF RECEPTIVENESS

vicky113 — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 05:49:41 +0000

The Receptiveness Hypothesis is applicable at a number of levels. For example, it applies to organizations in general, and the ability of the organization to respond to the needs of customers, staff and other stakeholders (e.g. politicians, etc). It applies to non-supervisory staff, and their ability to respond to the needs of their managers, customers and co-workers. Here we are going to look at Receptiveness as it applied to managers, leaders and/or supervisors.
Influence Of The Receptive Manager
The Receptive manager tends to succeed by building bonds of respect and trust with those around him/her. Staff respond positively to Receptive managers; they work more diligently, work to help the manager and the organization succeed, and will go the extra mile when necessary. That is because Receptive managers act consistent with the principle that their jobs are to help their staff do their jobs. So, a basic inter-dependence emerges based on behaviours that show concern, respect and trust.
Receptive managers also influence those above them in the hierarchy. Because Receptive managers have the ability to read and act upon the needs of their “bosses”, they are perceived as helpful and reliable, or in a simple way, very useful. This allows them to get the “ear” of people above them in the system, and further helps get things done when needed.
Contrast this with the limited influence of the UNReceptive manager. The unReceptive manager is restricted in influence because those around him/her do not respect or trust them to look out for their welfare. Influence is more limited to the use of power coming from the formal position, and fear, a motivational component that is hard to sustain over time. UnReceptive managers tend to be perceived as self-interested, or at best uninterested in the needs of those around them. They also tend to be perceived by those above them as less reliable and less useful due to their focus on empire building, organization protection, and self-interest, rather than getting done what needs to be done.
How Do They Do It?
Receptive managers apply a number of specific skills and abilities to the task. Above all, they appear to be “withit”. Withitness has a number of components. First withit managers are able to put aside their concerns to listen to (and appear to listen to) those around them. As a result, they know what is going on, and know what is both said, and said between the lines. They have the knack of appearing to know what people need even if those needs are not expressed directly.
However, knowing what is going on, and identifying the needs of those around them is not sufficient. The Receptive manager also acts upon that knowledge, attempting to help fulfil the needs of employees, superiors, etc. Receptive managers wield influence to solve problems for those around them, often before even being asked.
Here’s an example:
John was responsible for automating an office system in a government department. As happens sometimes, the Management Information Systems people were not keen on their going their own way on the project, despite the fact that they had indicated they could not do it for them in the near future. As a result their cooperation (needed for the project) was patchy. As team leader, John faced a number of roadblocks, despite the fact that their Assistant Deputy Minister wanted to see this project come to fruition. He regularly reported back to his Director, outlining progress and roadblocks. Every time he communicated roadblocks to the Director, they were removed within a short time, despite the fact that he did not request direct action. In addition, the Director advised and counselled him on how to deal with the “systems people” so he could have maximum impact. Despite the roadblocks, the project was completed on time and was very successful, much to the chagrin of some of the systems people, who he thinks were hoping it would fail.
This is a simple story, but one full of meaning. In this situation the Director was able to identify the project leader’s needs with respect to the project, listening carefully, and identifying actions he could take to “smooth the path”. Not only was the Director able to remove obstacles and fulfil the need of the project leader, but the Director responded on a deeper level, helping to teach the Project Leader methods of becoming more effective, fulfilling yet another need. All of this was assumed to be the proper role of the Director, and was done without expressing all of the needs specifically or explicitly.
We can contrast this with the unReceptiveness of the MIS people. They lectured, they fussed, they predicted dire consequences, rather than offering consistent, Receptive help. They focused not on responding to the needs of their clients, but on some other factors having to do with control, and their own needs. Eventually, their lack of Receptiveness resulted in the very thing they did not want; loss of control of the project. As a result of this project their overall status in the organization suffered, simply because at both an organization and individual level they were seen as barriers, rather than useful.
Let’s look at one more example.
An employee had been working for a government branch for about a year, having moved to the city as a new resident. In a casual conversation, the supervisor noted that the employee wasn’t looking at his best, and asked how he was feeling. The employee explained that he hadn’t been feeling well lately, and sounded very tired and overwhelmed. The supervisor determined that the staff member didn’t have a local family doctor, asked if he would like the supervisor to arrange an appointment, and proceeded to do so immediately. The problem turned out to be a minor one.
In this example we see again the ideas of “withitness” and Receptiveness. The supervisor was able to identify that the staff member was in need of some help, despite the fact that the staff member did not state this explicitly. Note that the supervisor didn’t pressure the staff member to go to the doctor, but identified needs, checked them out, and then acted upon them. In this case, help consisted of direct, helpful action.
Conclusion
These two examples are the stuff of loyalty and commitment. They are remembered years and years after the fact, and continue to extend the influence of managers. In this sense Receptiveness is a critical component of management success, because it allows managers and supervisors to get things done, for the benefit of all players.
In the limited space we have, we have attempted to give you a feel of what Receptiveness means. You might want to extend your own understanding by considering some of the following questions.
1. If you are a manager or supervisor, how can you modify your own behaviours so that you become and are perceived as more Receptive by a) your staff, b) your boss and c) your customers?
2. Again, if you are a manager or supervisor what is your definition of the “Receptive employee”? Can you identify your “favourite employees”, and consider how they are Receptive to you? Our bet is you will find that your most valued employees are Receptive.
3. If you are non-management, what would you need to do to be perceived as more Receptive by the people around you?
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Cheat Your Way to Success!

maddy — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 05:34:29 +0000

When launching a new initiative, such as Lean, employee buy-in is critical. Many employees will not put much stock in a new strategy until they see that:
1) It works!
2) It makes their jobs easier, not harder!
It is management’s responsibility to prove that a change in strategy will work. How can this be accomplished? Easy, Cheat!
These simple techniques of cheating are found to be very effective in the Lean transformations.
To know what are these cheating techniques, Read more

How Do I Convince My Boss?

maddy — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 04:32:36 +0000

Companies often make the mistake of thinking the best programmer will be the best manager of programmers. This is rarely the case, as programming and managing are different skills.
The problem is, as you know, that it’s super obvious that the best programmer is the best. Your “soft” skills are less quantifiable. You do need to toot your own horn. Let’s figure out a way to do that.
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KBR: Roles and responsibilities within an organisational structure

admin — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 08:51:42 +0000

KBR (Kellogg, Brown and Root) is a Texas-based global corporation. It employs over 57,000 people worldwide and is a leading engineering, construction and services company. It supports the energy, hydrocarbon, government services and civil infrastructure sectors. KBR’s business is based on project management activities.
The core values of the business are a central part of the culture throughout KBR. These include an uncompromising commitment to health & safety and open and honest relationships between employees that are based on mutual respect. The company’s values focus on transparency, accountability, financial responsibility and discipline. Conducting business with the utmost integrity and ethics is the foundation of KBR’s day-to-day business.
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Forestry Commission: Developing people through training

admin — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 08:34:40 +0000

The Forestry Commission is a government department, making it a public sector organisation. Its mission is ‘to protect and expand Britain’s forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment’. It is Britain’s largest land manager and is responsible for some of the UK’s most spectacular landscapes. Over the last 20 years it has expanded Britain’s woods by an area more than three times the size of Greater London.
The case study will show how training and development is central to the work of the Forestry Commission and how it benefits the career development of its people. It will particularly highlight the work of Julie McMorran, a civil engineer with the Forestry Commission, for whom training and development has provided the springboard to promotion.
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Use of PEST analysis at UNISON

maddy — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 11:34:41 +0000

UNISON is Britain and Europe’s biggest public sector trade union, representing more than 1.3 million members working in public services.
UNISON campaigns on a variety of issues relevant to its members. Currently, it is running the Migrant Workers Participation Project. This campaign focuses on the issues faced by migrant workers in the UK. Migrant workers are employees who have moved from overseas to the UK to find work. They form an important and growing part of the workforce in both the private sector and public sector.
These workers are at particular risk of being exploited in the workplace. This may be due to lack of knowledge of their rights, their limited command of the English language and the fact that they are often reluctant to complain about their treatment by employers. They may also be exploited because of racist attitudes. UNISON believes that the best way of preventing exploitation is through trade union representation in the workplace. One of the objectives of the current UNISON campaign is to increase the number of migrant workers who are part of the union.
UNISON looks at a range of issues to assess the external factors it needs to take account of when considering the needs of its members. UNISON considered these factors when setting its aims and objectives for protecting the rights of migrant workers. An understanding of many external factors helped it to decide which strategies and tactics were best for achieving these objectives.
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Sustaining Top Talent : 5 Biggest Mistakes

newuser — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 06:04:24 +0000

Executives have a unique opportunity to boost the motivation and productivity of their top talent without spending lots of money, with today’s stale job market limiting employees’ mobility. But the fact is that when it comes to managing their emerging leaders or high potentials, many companies are missing the mark, reports Roland Smith of The Wall Street Journal.
Here are the five biggest mistakes companies are making with high-potential talent:

Ignoring the view from the pipeline
This is the first big mistake and it fuels the others.
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Run the Extra Mile: Sales force reward system

admin — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 14:10:43 +0000

Few areas within management control have gained as much attention as incentives and reward systems. However, in the current media discourse, the focus has been on bonuses for management. In the competitive business environment of today, companies need to enter new markets, win new customers, and continuously improve their retention of current customers, in order to in-crease profitability and shareholder value. The sales force is a vital link between a company and its customers and is therefore the key to business growth and profitability.
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