By the end of this unit the learner will be able to: ¥ Improve your communications skills, including listening, questioning, and being more assertive. Page1|23Communication Skills We will be talking about communicating through writing and non-verbal communication a bit later, but with all forms of communication, understanding is the key. Worry less about whether or not others, understand you, and worry more about your ability to understand other people. What are some of the barriers we face? ‘© The speaker's words. Ifthe speaker is hurried, uses complicated words, or speaks withan accent, they can be interpretednegatively. © The speaker's expression. Looking stern, distracted, or disdainful can have anegative impression, Tone of voice. A sharp, loud, angry sounding voice can beinterpretednegatively. Body language. Hands on hips, drumming fingers, or rolling eyes can beinterpreted negatively. Other barriers can include: © Noise Distance Hearing difficulties Distractions Inattention Disinterest Emotions Experience Vocabulary Culture Educational level Moods Asking and Listening Asking Questions The two most powerful communication skills we have, other than our non-verbal skills, are our abilities to listen and to ask questions. These are the tools we use to overcome our communication barriers, and this may surprise you, but most of us don’t do either of them very well. Page2|23First, let's look at asking questions. There are two main types of questions: closed and open. Closed Questions Closed questions are those that can be answered by either “yes” or “no,” or with a specific bit of data, such as your name, date of birth, occupation, etc. These questions restrict our responses and give us little opportunity to develop our thoughts. As a result, they require little effort and can even close down a conversation Closed questions tend to be over-used, partially because they require very littl effort on the ‘questioner’s part as well. They are easy to phrase and we get quick answers. Unfortunately, such ‘questions also can lead us to assume, and assumptions can be big barriers to good communication. ‘Open Questions ‘Open questions, on the other hand, encourage people to talk. These questions are phrased so they cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” Open questions often begin with a variation of the five W's, (who, what, when, where, why), or can ask how. Examples ‘Open questions are used to: © Get information ® Focus conversations © Solicitopinions © Gain consensus The unintentional use of a closed question can often be overcome by following it with a simple open question. For example: © "Do you feel that was the right thing todo?" Page3|23© "Yes, Ido." © "Can you help me understand why you feel thatway?" Clarifying Questions Remember the saying from Stephen Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” You will want to gather information from others in order to understand them better. Most of us are better at presenting our own point of view than we are at drawing out information from others. Here are some useful clarifying questions: What do you think we can do aboutthis? What would you like me to stop doing? Would it be helpful if. Supposing we wereto...? Can you help me understand where you're comingfrom?, Can we set a time to discuss the changes we're both preparedtomake? '’m prepared to... Would that ease thesituation? Active Listening Active listening means that we try to understand things from the speaker's point of view. It includes letting the speaker know we are listening and that we have understood what was said. This is not the same as hearing, which is a physical process, where sound enters the eardrum and messages are passed to the brain, Active listening can be described as an attitude that leads to listening for shared understanding. When we make a decision to listen for total meaning, we listen for the content of what is being said, as well as the attitude behind what is being said (is the speaker happy, angry, excited, or sad?) Responding to Feelings The content (the words spoken) is one thing, but the way people feel really gives full value to the message. Responding to the speaker's feelings adds an extra dimension to listening. Are they disgusted ‘and angry, or in love and excited? Perhaps they are ambivalent! These are all feelings you can reply to in your part of the conversation. Reading Cues Really listening means that we are also very conscious of the non-verbal aspects of the conversation. '® What are the speaker's facial expressions, hand gestures, and posture tellingus? Pagea|23© Istheir voice loud orshaky? © Are they stressing certainpoints? © Are they mumbling or having difficulty finding the words they want to say? Demonstration Cues When you are listening to someone, these techniques will show a speaker that you are paying attention, providing you are being sincere. Physical indicators include making eye contact, nodding your head from time to time, and leaning into the conversation. You can also give verbal cues or use phrases such as “Uh-huh,” “Go on,” "Really!" and “Then what?” You can use questions for clarification or summarizing statements. Examples: * "Do you mean they were charging $4.00 for just a cup of coffee?” '* “So after you got a cab, got to the store, and found the right sales clerk, whathappened then?” Tips for Becoming a Better Listener '® Make a decision to listen. Close your mind to clutter and noise, and look at the person speaking with you. Give them your undividedattention. '* Don’t interrupt people. Make it a habit to let them finish what they are saying. Respect that they have thoughts they are processing and speaking about, and wait to ask questions. Make comments when they havefinished. ‘© Keep your eyes focused on the speaker and your ears tuned to their voice. Don’t let youreyes wander around the room, just in case your attentiondoestoo, © Carry a notebook or start a conversation file on your computer. Write down all the discussions that you have in a day. Capture the subject, who spoke more (were you listening, or doing a lot of the talking?), what you learned in the discussion, as well as the who, what, when, where, why, and how aspects of it. Once you have conducted this exercise 8-10 times, you will be able to see what level your listening skills are currentlyat. '® While keeping in mind not to interrupt people, ask a few questions throughout the conversation when it’s polite to do so. When you ask, people will know that you arelistening, to then, and that you are interested in what they have to say. Your ability to summarize and paraphrase will also demonstrate that you heardthem, '* When you demonstrate good listening skills, they tend to be infectious. if you want peopleto communicate well at work, you have to set a highexample. Pages |23Non-Verbal Messages Non-verbal messages are, in fact, more important that the words we say. This can include the way we stand, what we do with our hands, the sound of our voice, the way we walk, and the expressions on our face. Not that long ago, studies told us we only had four minutes to make a first impression. Today, we only have 90 seconds. in this fast-paced society, we don’t have time to get more than a quick snapshot of how a person looks before we make up our mind about them. They are making up their mind about us at the same time, too. Body Language Much of our face-to-face communication happens through body language. While we deliver a message through words, we are also emphasizing, confirming, or even negating what we say through our tone of voice and our non-verbal body language. The face and the eyes are the most expressive means of body communication. Additional positive or negative messages are sent by your gestures, posture, and the space between you and the other person. Body language must be in tune with your words and tone, or you will send a mixed and often confusing message. Positive body language is important to supporting your words and ensuring complete understanding. The Signals People Send The chart below can be used as a guide to help you with some of the signals that people send. Displeasure, unhappiness Friendliness, happiness Disbelief, amazement Lack of interest Active listening, interest, seduction Page6|23Pointing finger Folded arms ‘Arms at side Authority, displeasure, lecturing Not open to change, preparing to speak Open to suggestions, relaxed Hands uplifted outward Disbelief, puzzlement, uncertainty Body Postures Fidgeting, doodling Boredom Hands on hips ‘Anger, defensiveness Shrugging shoulders Indifference Squared stance or shoulders Biting lip, shifting, ingling money Problem-solving, concern, listening Nervousness Sitting on edge of chair Listening, great concern Slouching in chai Boredom, lack of interest Clothing Business dress Authoritative, conservative Sloppy attire “Disrespect, lack of responsibility Casual clothes Relaxation Proxemics (Physical Space) From physical contact to 18 inches Intimate space From 18 inches to 4 feet Personal space From 4 feet to 8 feet Social space From 8 feet outward Public space Voice Characteristics Speaking loudly, quickly, and with clipped enunciation Anger Monotone and downward inflection Boredom High pitch, fast rate, loud volume, and upward Joy Inflection ‘Status Symbols Rare or expensive possessions High status | Prestigious titles High status Page7|23Writing Skills The Four C's Writing should be: ‘© Clear, so the reader can understand what isbeingsaid. © Concise, without additional, unnecessarywords '® Complete, with all the information the reader needs toknow. © Correct, without spelling errors, typos, or grammatical errors. Be clear. * Hfaone-syllable word will do the job, us ‘© Stay away from jargon or words of the trade the reader might not understand, © Don't bepretentious. ‘© Make your writing easy toread. Be concise. ‘© Eliminate unnecessary words. Don’t use long, wordy phrases when a single word will do. For example, write, “now,” rather than, “at this point in time.” © Avoid vague words like “better” or “faster.” How much better? How muchfaster? '* Don't create long, complex sentences by stringing phrases and clauses together carelessly. Be complete. '® Answer the questions: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? '* Make a checklist of all the important points you want to cover. Check them off whenthe piece is done. © Empathize with the reader. Ask yourself, “Have | told them everything they need toknow?” Be correct. '® We make most of our mechanical mistakes in four areas: grammar, punctuation, usage, and spelling. '* None of us need to be walking dictionaries, punctuation guides, or spelling champions. Learn the most common errors, how to avoid them, and where to go for help when you need it. ‘® Most grammatical problems concern agreement and misplaced modifiers. Subject and verbs should agree in number. If the subject (noun or pronoun) is singular, the verb should be singular, too: e.g., “he is walking” is correct; “he are walking” is not, because “are” requiresa plural subject ("we"), Pages |23Punctuation Pointers Commas The comma (,) sets off or separates words or groups of words within sentences. Commas are the most common punctuation mark inside a sentence. However, the trend today is to use them only when absolutely necessary, or when omitting the comma would cause confusion. Use a comma after a long introductory phrase or clause: “After working all day at the office, | went home for dinner." Ifthe introductory material is short, forget the comma: "After work | went home for dinner." Use a comma if the sentence would be confusing without it, asin: “The day before, | borrowed my boss's calculator.” Use @ comma to separate elements in a series, including numbers in a list: "I enjoy drinking orange juice, tea, milk, and coffee." You also use it with numbers: “5, 7, and 9.” (There are some style guides that omit the comma before “and,” but you'll notice that we like it. The important thing is to make sure that you are being consistent, and that you use what your organization is using.) Use a comma to separate independent clauses that are joined by and, but, or, nor, for, or yet. "We shopped for three hours, but we didn't make a single purchase.” Use commas to set off nonessential elements in a sentence. Compare these two sentences: '* Inthis sentence: “At the podium stood a man wearing a green suit,” the phrase “wearinga, green suit” is essential to identify whichman, © However, in this sentence: “At the podium stood Frank, wearing a green suit,” thephrase “wearing a green suit,” adds nonessential information about Frank. You can also use a comma to: ‘© Separate a city or town from a state or province, as in Sarasota, Florida and Ferntree Gully, Victoria, Set off the name in a direct address, asin, “Jane, can | please see you in myoffice?” After dates, when day, month, and year are used, as in, “He was born Thursday, August 12th, 1975." Before degrees that come after a name, asin Joan Walker, PhD. Set off an informal quotation, asin: Robert remarked, “My investment counselor isvery good.” © After linking adverbs such as however, therefore, etc. “The hike was several miles long; however, the path was a goodone.” Separate thousands in numbers for clarification, as in 18,239. Pages |23NOTE: Not all countries use commas and periods in the same way or for numbers over a thousand or decimals. Make sure you know your audience! ‘When shouldn’t we use commas? '* Donot use commas between two independentsentences. © Donot use commas after titles like Jr. orSr. ® Donot use a comma after a month when only the month and the year areused. Note: If you use words like however, moreover, therefore, consequently, nevertheless, or then between ‘two independent clauses (ie., sentences by themselves), you must use one of the following: © Aperiod © Asemicolon ‘© Accomma plus a conjunction between thetwoclauses NOT, "It looked difficult, therefore, we did not try.” © BUT, "It looked difficult. Therefore, we did not try." © OR, "It looked difficult; therefore, we didnottry. © OR, "It looked difficult, and therefore we did not try." ‘Semicolons ‘A semicolon (;) separates two independent clauses, but it keeps those two thoughts more tightly linked than a period can: “I type letters; he types bills.” The semi-colon sometimes raises people's blood pressure, but it isa very useful punctuation mark. A semi-colon has three important features: It is considered a more defined pause that the pause required byacomma, ‘© Itis used to separate major sentence elements of equal grammatical rank. It is used to separate sentences joined by logical conjunctions such as however, therefore, thus, and nevertheless. Example: “| learned all the rules and regulations; however, | never really learned to control the ball.” It can also be used to separate two closely related sentences not joined by a conjunction. The semi- colon in this instance is useful for showing contrast or balance. Example: “Having more work to do is relatively easy to bear; what stings is having more to do than everyone else.” Page10|23It should also be used to separate a series that is complicated or whose items containing internal punctuation (such as commas). Example: “Please direct your comments to one of these individuals: Pat Warner, chair of the committee; Ross Ingram, public affairs; or Calvin Jenkins, promotions.” Use a semicolon before and a comma after the following words if the words come between two independent clauses: Tiikewice Ttiherwice © Indeed © Similarly, | © Instead © Still © Moreover © Then * Namely © Therefore | * Nevertheless * Thus | ‘* Nonetheless | Examples: ‘© “Ithought had completed the project; consequently, | was surprised to hear about the additional work.” “We have prepared your estimate; however, you should sign it byFriday.” “The partner's retreat will be held in March; therefore, all business matters will be discussed then.” colons ‘Accolon (:) is a tip-off to get ready for what's next: a list, a long quotation, or an explanation. it’s used to separate independent clauses when the second clause explains or amplifies the first. “red was proud of his sister: she had been promoted to managing partner.” “My new office contains the following items: a partner's desk, a leather chair, and oak paneling.” '* "We need additional information: escrow statements, tax returns, approved bank loans,and mortgage agreements.” ‘© "There are two things to remember in a job interview: always arrive promptly, and always dress appropriately.” Other common uses include: ‘© After the formal salutation in a businessletter © Before a list Page11|23© To separate hours and minutes (depends onculture) ‘Apostrophes ‘An apostrophe (") is commonly used to form the possessive of nouns and some pronouns and to mark the omission of letter(s) in a contraction. Use an apostrophe when the meaning of “it’s” is “it is.” (Using it’s when the word does not mean “it is” is one of the most common mistakes in the English language!) Note that it’s never correct to use an apostrophe in a possessive version of its. This means that anytime you see “its” with an apostrophe after the s, itis incorrect. Use an apostrophe to show singular possession ("The doctor's office was always busy”) and plural possession ("The doctors’ offices were always busy"). Note: The use of an apostrophe can be determined by inserting an of phrase, as in “The offices of the doctors were busy.” If the noun is singular, add “s”: © “Lenjoyed Betty’spresentation.” '® “Someone's coat is in the lobby.” The same applies for the singular nouns ending in “s” like James: “This is James's new office.” Use an apostrophe to show possession of two objects by two people. “Hilda's and Janet's cars were crushed by the falling tree.” Use only one apostrophe when a possession is shared by two people. “Robert and Susan's house sold in five hours.” Use an apostrophe to show possession in words that are already plural. “The women’s changing room atthe gym was being renovated.” Or, “The men’s changing room had been renovated last year.” Page12|23Use an apostrophe to show contractions. “They’re on vacation and can’t get back in time for the meeting.” Use an apostrophe to show plural of lower case letters. “I made sure that | dotted all my I's and crossed all my t’s before | signed the contract.” Use an apostrophe to show possession in a single compound noun. “We are living in my mother-in-law’s house until ours is finished.” Use an apostrophe to form the possessive case of indefinite pronouns. “This election could be anyone’s win.” Use an apostrophe in expressions of time or value: two weeks’ notice, two dollars’ worth of nuts. Spelling Tips and Tricks Here are some tips for making your documents the best that they can be: '* Use a dictionary. It doesn’t matter which form you use, but itis important that yoube consistent. ‘© Use spell check on your computer, but don’t rely on it totally since it often misses incorrect homonyms. ‘© Use the Internet or a telephone book to check spelling of names and addresses. However, there are sometimes errors in these sources, too. if you are not sure, simply call the office of, the person you are contacting andask. '* Proofread your work, and when possible, have someone else proofread your work, '® Learn some little tricks to help you remember words that you use frequently but still spell incorrectly, ike "i before e, except afterc." '® Make a list of your most common spelling errors and learn how to spell those words correctly. Keep that list posted so you can refer to it when you need to. Proofreading Proofreading carelessly can spoil a writer's best efforts. Proofreading is classic evidence that writing looks different to the writer and to the reader. Our brains really think that everything we do is correct, 50 we have a hard time recognizing our ownerrors. To the writer, typographical or spelling errors may not mean all that much. So your finger slipped, or you always put two t's in "commitment." For the reader, an unfixed typo can transform the writer froma smart person into a careless writer in the twinkling of an eye. Page13|23Itis impossible to read about “fist class work" or "shot meetings" without interrupting the flow of what you are reading. It may be unfair that proofreading matters so much, but it does. If you can put yourself in the reader's position, you'll proofread obsessively, gripped by the fear that a mistake will turn you into a laughingstock! Learning some specific techniques, however, will help alleviate that problem as you become better at proofreading and create better documents. Proofreading errors are different from punctuation or spelling or usage problems, and you fix them differently. Punctuation, spelling, and usage are knowledge problems, and you fix them by learning. Proofreading problems are usually a matter of seeing, and you fix them by learning to look. The better you read, the worse you'll proofread, unless you are consciously aware of what you are doing. Good readers and fast readers guess what the words are as they read the text, and they just check in now and again to see if they are right. The more they can guess, the less they have to look and the faster and more efficiently they read. To be a good proofreader, you have to go back to being a child again, or pretend that you are just learning to read in English. Look at every word as it comes along. Letters and Memos Here are some suggestions to make your letters and memos more professional and easier to write. Use templates. If your supervisor gives you a letter, notice its components, wording, etc,, and use that as a guide for the next letter you have to create, Most companies have templates with their letterhead already inserted so that their brand and message is consistent. As well, many word processing programs come with pre- made templates that you can customize. Another good tip is to save letters that come to you, even junk mail letters, if their phrasing, closing, etc. work for you. Use appropriate parts when you are creating letters. Keep memos short. Memos should only have one subject in them. They are used for internal documentation and are not intended to be sent outside of your organization. Check and double-check your work. Don’t rely on spell check to find all your mistakes. Try to have somebody else read your work, or at least set it aside for a while before reading it again so that you approach it with a fresh mind later. Have a good reference nearby and use it to check those things you are unsure of. Page1s|23Getting Ahead What Employees Want Just what exactly would make you satisfied with your job? Below is alist of things that managers believe are important: A better relationship with yourmanager Career development opportunities andtraining Greater clarity about what the organization needs you to do andwhy Greater clarity about your own work preferences and careergoals, © Improved cooperation among yourcoworkers More challenging work '® More flexible jobconditions More opportunities to do what you dobest ‘Take a moment and rate each of these items from 1 to 8, with 1 being the most important to your job satisfaction and 8 being the least important. Item My Rating | My Partner's Rating Abetter relationship with your manager Career development opportunities and training Greater clarity about what the organization needs you to do and why Greater clarity about your own work preferences and career goals Improved cooperation among your coworkers More challenging work More flexible job conditions More opportunities to do what you do best Do you know what your supervisor wants from you? Page15|23Do you know how your supervisor will measure your performance? Here’s how employees ranked these items in surveys conducted in 2011 by Blessing White, a global consulting company. More opportunities to do what you dobest Career development opportunities andtraining More flexible job conditions Improved cooperation among yourcoworkers More challenging work Greater clarity about what the organization needs you to do and why Abetter relationship with yourmanager Greater clarity about your own work preferences and careergoals PUD Aw Ne (Source: htto://vww,blessinawhite.com/EEE report.aspor http:/vu.blessinawhite.com/content/reports/BlessingWhite 2011 EE Report You may want to share your thoughts with your supervisor as well. Quite often they are surprised by what we value from the workplace. ‘On the other side of the coin, most employees don’t know what their supervisor expects. If you don’t know, ask and find out. It may be accurate work, a clean desk at the end of the day, or a pleasant attitude. If you are doing a lot of work and completing all your assignments, but leaving an untidy desk at the end of the day, and that clean desk is what your supervisor judges you by, you will be the loser. What Others Want ne essential way for you to be successful is to help other people get what they want. If you find out what your supervisor considers valuable, and then make sure you give it to them and help them become successful, you will be more successful, too. Read any self-improvement book and you will Page16|23learn that hard work, focused goals, and persistence are important, very important, in getting where you want to go in life. But so is helping other people achieve their success. Without them, you won't achieve yours. Do you think there is anything else that is important in achieving your goals and enjoying your work life? Attitude! ‘Once you know what your supervisor wants and expects of you, you will be more productive because you know what your priorities are. You cannot only do things right, but you can also do the right things. ‘This may mean giving up a couple of your own priorities for those of your supervisor, but that’s okay. At least you have a common understanding of what the priority is. However, don’t give up alll of your priorities in favor of your supervisor's. Just make sure that that their priorities are covered first. Don’t count on your job description to tell you what your priorities are, Job description duties are often a low payoff with little results. Get the basic duties done, but focus on the high-payoff actions, the activities that will help you and your boss be successful and help you develop and grow. Self-Management Self-Management How would you respond to somebody who says: If it weren't for the traffic, Id get to work ontime. If it weren't for Hilda interrupting me, I'd get my work done. If it weren't for my boss changing their mind all the time, I'd know what | was doing. If it weren't for my, ''d be a happier person, If my children would pick up after themselves, | could keep the house clean. Remember this old saying: Ifit’s to be it’s up to me. There are some very straightforward things you can do in order to be successful. Routines are a good ‘example of this. Routines simplify and create order, which is essential if you are in a state of chaos and high stress. When you introduce routine, you have energy left over to be wildly creative. ‘Top performers in every area of industry have lives that are well balanced by routine. Most of us have routines we follow in the morning, Think about your morning routine and how, if you skip it, you have a tougher time launching your day or can have forgotten something important (like leaving your lunch behind in the fridge!). Page17|23Routines allow you to concentrate on what's really important. Once you set them, they save you time and energy because you won't have to plan or think about them, Consider your entire lifestyle. if you have an expensive lifestyle that consumes huge amounts of effort Just to maintain, perhaps that time could be better spent doing more enjoyable things than maintaining homes, boats, cars, etc. Too cheap of a lifestyle has a similar result. If you spend hours negotiating the cheapest and the lowest rates, airfares, and gas prices, ask yourself if that is time truly well spent for what you managed to save, Routines include setting time for family, for eating, for sleeping, for exercising, and anything else you do ‘on a regular basis. Your morning routine should be so good that when you walk out of your house, you feel ready to tackle any problems the world throws at you. We know that no activity is more important to ritualize than sleep. By setting a regular time for bed and rising each day (yes, even on days off!) you will find yourself getting more done and being more productive. By fixing mealtimes and planning groceries in advance you'll become vastly more efficient. You won't waste time wandering around the grocery store wondering what to eat, or if there is already celery in the fridge. Since exercise has such a powerful effect on brain energy and alertness, place your workouts at the times of day you most need them, Group Discussion Discuss what is meant by this saying: “The choices we make today determine the kind of tomorrow.” Page 18 |23Time Management Tips A to-do list is one of your most important time-management tools, and one of the most effective waysto stay productive. Once you have your to-do list, you have to go through it and determine which things are most important, which things need to be done but aren’t urgent, and what can wait. You must keep both your needs and those of your supervisor in mind. Make sure you schedule enough time to proofread your documentation, clean your desk, or whatever else itis that your supervisor gives high priority to. If you want to feel better about how you are managing your time and your life, if you want to get rid of some of the stress that comes from having too much to do, and if you want to have time for more than work, you can do this, You can succeed by setting realistic goals and expectations for yourself, and choosing to make some changes, one step at a time. Where Do You Stand? ‘What can we do to get better organized? Organizing Your Workspace Many people fall prey to the false notion that a messy work area means you're busy because you look busy. The reasoning is that if you look busy, you're productive. We recommend that you don’t confuse activity with productivity. If your workspace (or computer!) is messy and disorganized, it’s more likely that we'll think you are wasting a lot of time looking for things. Clean your workspace by: © Getting rid ofclutter ® Dumping trash Page19|23© Sorting and filing papers Setting up a Daily System Now that we have a clear, functional working area, let’s set up 2 daily system. We need something that will © Remind us when a task isdue ‘© Save us from hunting for documents when we need them © Allow us to focus on daily tasks and not worry about things slipping through the cracks Priority Tray The first element to this system is the priority tray. This should be a shallow tray in a commer of your work area. It will contain whatever you are currently working on at the moment, plus any emergency items. ‘Typically, you will work on one item at a time. If someone rushes in with something that must be done right away, you can place your current project in the priority box, switch to the emergency task, and then g0 back to your project right away. ‘The priority tray must be empty at the beginning and end of every day. Don’t let it become a black hole! The Incubator Also known as a pending file system or a tickler file, the incubator will keep all documents that require follow-up in one place. This file should be placed within easy reach but out of sight. A good place might be the top of a filing cabinet, or, if space is short, on a windowsill. Here is what you will need: A hanging file holder 12 hanging folders 31 manila folders Felt-tip marker and apen First, label the hanging folders with each month in the year. Arrange them chronologically with the current month in front. Then, label the manila folders from 1 to 31. Put the folders for today until the end of the month in this month’s folder. Put the remainder of the folders in next month's folder. So, if today is March 12, my incubator will look like this: © March 12 ° 13 ° 14 ° 15 Page20|23° 16 © Through to31 © April ot o2 (© Through to 12 Now, file any items according to when you need to access it in order to complete it on time. So: © Abrochure that youneed to review for a conference in June would be placed in the June folder. '® An invoice that needs to be paid by March 15 would be placed in the March 1 folder. A ticket for a concert on April 12 would be placed in the April 12folder. {At the beginning of each day, take the folder for that day. Review its contents. Handle anything that you can right away, and place remaining items in your priority tray. Place the date folder in the next month. {At the end of the day, if there is anything left in your priority tray, re-file itn the incubator. When the month ends, check the main folder for the next month and file any stray items by date. If you don’t have a lot of follow-up tasks, one hanging file folder might do the trick. However, we strongly recommend the incubator system. Try itfor 30 days! Being Proactive ‘One day a doctor realized she kept having a long line of patients waiting to see her—a line extending far ‘out of her office and into the street. She already knew what was wrong with each patient. Each patient had a sprained ankle from stepping into the deep hole in the sidewalk out in front of the office. The doctor knew the source of her own dilerima. She was just too busy seeing patients in pain with sprained ankles, She never could take time to get someone in to repair the sidewalk, ‘What was the doctor’s problem? ‘What would you suggest she do? Page21|23Ultimately, of course, the doctor's real problem was her lack of planning. We can’t just keep reacting. We have to be proactive. If we don’t plan, nothing is likely to change for the better, and we are likely to be stressed out. Then we just keep making the same mistakes over and over, without looking for solutions and planning our strategy. What are some guidelines to keep in mind when we think about planning? Once a plan has been made, scheduleit. Know how much you can realistically accomplish in aday. Schedule your most difficult tasks for high-energy times of day. Check your to-do list three times a day to see if you are onschedule. Reward yourself when you accomplish a significantactivity. Don't book 100% of your time. Leave a reserve foremergencies. If you have to travel across town to get to a meeting, make sure you schedule in travel time so that you can get there ontime. We plan, we put plans in place, we check to see if they worked, and if they don’t work, we adjust or take further action. Tasks need to be done, and planning alone won't do it. Acting without planning will be less productive. Taking time to check to see whether we have done the right things will prevent us from having to learn from our mistakes. Setting Goals Setting Goals with SPIRIT The SPIRIT Acronym Most of us can’t hit a target if we don’t know where to look for it. Likewise, you have a better chance of reaching your goals if you follow some guidelines when you are making them. Peak performers write their goals down, look at them regularly, and make adjustments as needed. When you think of the things that you really want in life, write them down so that they have SPIRIT. specific Be specific about what you want or don’t want to achieve. The result should be tangible and measurable. “Look gorgeous” is pretty ambiguous; “Lose 20 pounds" is specific. Page22|23Prizes Reward yourself at different points in the goal, particularly if it’s long-term. If your goal is to set up a home office, for example, you might purchase a new desk when the room is cleared out and ready. Individual The goal must be something that you want to do. if your spouse wants you to lose 20 pounds but you think you look fine, you're not going to want to work towards the goal. Review Review your progress periodically, Does the goal make sense? Are you stuck? Do you need to adjust certain parts of it? Inspiring Frame the goal positively. Make it fun to accomplish. You could make a poster of the end result, frame it, and post it on the wall. Time-Bound Give yourself a deadline for achieving the goal. Even better, split the goal into small parts and give yourself 2 deadline for each item. ‘Personal Action Plan You know, most of us settle for much less than we can be. Don't settle for that. It takes work to make changes, but we can change — we just have to want that change badly enough to take action! Many of us are full of ideas but short on taking real action to put those ideas into play. Maybe we try something once and then meet failure because we didn’t think and plan the actions through. But you know what they say about the lottery: “You can’t win if you don’t buy a ticket.” The same is true in life: “if you stop trying, you lose all chance of succeeding.” Make a covenant with yourself saying that you will make an effort to put what you learn today into practice, especially when techniques will benefit you. CeO eS ases for Dealing with Difficult Situations at Work. Mc eS gem ene OR er Red Pee NUR em eam Page 23|23Understanding Management and Leadership By the end of this unit the learner will be able to: ¥ Understand the characteristics of Management and Leadership Page1|20Unit 1 Understanding Management and Leadership About Leadership There are several very strong models for leadership which have been developed after many years of study, and with the help of many companies and their leaders. (See the recommended reading list at the back of this manual for more information.) All of these models share some things in common that we can certainly learn from in our own quest to become the best leaders that we can be.Whether you have “leader” in your job title or you are a leader without a team, developing the characteristics of strong leaders will help you in your work. First, let's explore what kind of a leader that you are. In the work done by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard ‘on the Situational Leadership II? model, they recognize four leadership styles that tend to resonate with Us. As you read about the different styles, think about where your comfort zone is. Director's Style Someone with a director's style does well with new employees, who seem to easily respond to being told what is expected, having processes and procedures outlined for them, and having someone they can report to or ask questions of regularly. The director's style is defined by a high emphasis on directing tasks and being able to account for results. Coach’s Style Coaches are able to blend supporting people and directing tasks.This is available to a leader when ‘employees understand what is expected, but need some range of support in order to take independent steps and make things happen. A coach’s style has a high degree of involvement in directing tasks, with ‘an equally high emphasis on supporting people. Supporter’s Style This style encourages people to come up with solutions and solve problems on their own. It provides them with the support they need in terms of tools and resources.The supporting style shows 2 low degree of directing tasks and 2 high emphasis on supporting people. Page2120Delegator’s Style Delegating means that the delegator holds responsibility for results, but that the work is done by others. We delegate to individuals who have high levels of related skill and the experience it takes to locate their resources and tools. Then they can report to the delegator at defined intervals. This style is one with a low emphasis on directing tasks, and an equally low emphasis on providing people support. Understanding Your Comfort Zone We all have a comfort and ease with one style, but there are times when staff performance, our own confidence, or a crisis demands that we behave differently. When new people join the team, they understandably will need a level of direction that can be quite high and will leave little time for supporting people. As they gain skill and confidence, the leader can progress to a coaching style where they are still directing tasks but also able to offer additional support. ‘As the employee makes progress, the leader provides more support and less hands-on direction until the direct report has the ability to accept delegated tasks. This process can be cyclical. For example, a team that you can easily delegate to might go through a significant change or have a new system being implemented. You might have to start again with directing behavior before moving on to coaching, supporting, and then a return to delegating. Fig. 1.1 We also might encounter structures that do not allow us to delegate, which can be a tough job for someone who is a capable and effective delegator. Page3|20Managing Performance When you consider different aspects of leadership, you can learn from the insights of global business leaders and research in order to make your own foray into leadership as effective as possible. One of the areas that many leaders struggle with is performance management. We are very good at identifying the things that people do wrong (or the gaps in their performance), but we may not be as good at recognizing their success, For example, if you complete a project and 90% of the work is exceptional, a typical leader will ask why you missed the other 10%. Instead of looking for gaps and managing performance from a negative perspective, think of our job as leaders as one to help people do more and do better. Empowerment means that leaders make sure that people have what they need to do their work, while still being accountable for what they do. Often, leaders will congratulate themselves when things are going well, and then look for people and outside factors to blame when things are going wrong. This is unfortunate, and a sign of how our egos can stops us from being truly effective. In Jim Collins’ bestseller Good to Great, he talks about humility in leaders. Humility allows a leader to realize that it’s not about him or her; leadership is about making sure that people have what they need in order to do their best work. Humility is best demonstrated by action ~ and not the self-serving kind of actions either! Humility is doing what needs to be done without fanfare. It's not demonstrated by updating social networking sites and bragging about the things that you have done. Servant Leadership Robert Greenleaf first used the term servant leadership in 1970, although the principles have been in use for more than two thousand years. Servant leaders are those who can see a larger picture, and make ‘a commitment to serve their own people. In a traditional organization, employees respond to what their boss needs. Servant leaders, however, know that their role is to help people reach their goals, and they keep the bigger picture in mind. Rather than wanting their own needs met, servant leaders want to make a difference for others, and the outcome is the impact that this approach has on the organization. While servant leadership has a long history, standard business practice has been to focus on results in terms of profit and put “bosses” in positions of authority and accountability.Servant leadership, however, is about heart. When leaders pay attention to what their people need and engage their hearts as well as their minds, they are able to get a level of commitment that is much higher than in traditionally led organizations. The results can be measured in terms of profit, but also in terms of ‘employee engagement and commitment. ‘Are you called to lead? Page4|20What do you love about leadership? ‘What challenges do you have? If your organization is not exemplifying servant leadership now, what do you think would have to ‘change for it to become a serving organization? ge5120Onboarding and Orientation Here is one of our favorite success stories. ‘Ann started a management job a couple of years ago where the welcome was remarkable. Her team had ‘a banner saying “Welcome!” hung up, and there was a vase with daisies on her desk. Her new cell phone was there, all ready to go. Her computer was set up with all the applications she needed. Her new boss even took her out for lunch and answered all her questions, and provided her with insight on the ‘company’s culture. Ann was captivated by the place, and felt very good about her decision to accept the job. But this is not the way many people start a new job. Can you relate to any of these stories? ‘= Noone knew the person was starting on Monday because the boss was off on vacation and hhad not made any arrangements. New members of a road crew showed up and there was no safety gear for them. A sales representative started a new job with no computer access, business cards, computer, or phone, ‘* An organization assigned a buddy for a new staff member to show him the ropes. No one thought of the fact that the buddy doesn’t start work until an hour after the new employee was told to. '® A receptionist starts in a veterinary office on Monday. On Wednesday, someone tells her that each Thursday she'll be working from noon to 8:00 p.m. instead of the day shift she was hired for. '* Noone has been assigned to show a new employee around the building, which is set up like a labyrinth. Where do they go to the washroom, store their lunch, or report to their supervisor? These may seem like some extreme examples, but they have all actually happened to people that we know. Imagine how Ann felt on her first day of that job, in contrast to the people in the other examples. If you are the leader that the new person works for, itis your responsibility to make sure that your new team member is welcomed, and that they feel that they made the right choice in accepting the job offer. Balance your need to get started with the pace that this person can take in what is new: avoid an information dump or negative comments about the orientation process or the company. Your role is to ‘engage the heads and hearts of new people, and to realize the benefits of the decision you made to hire them. Five Practices Introduction James Kouzes and Barry Posner are two other well-known researchers who have done a tremendous amount of work on leadership, and their findings complement Peter Senge’s work. >age6| 20They have identified five practices they feel should be a part of every leader's skill set. Challenge the process Inspire a shared vision Enable other to act Model the way Encourage the heart of employees Let's take a quick look at what these mean to us. Practices One, Two, and Three Challenge The Process. Leaders venture out. Leaders don't sit idly by waiting for fate to smile upon them. They seek and accept challenge. Leaders are pioneers who are willing to step out into the unknown. They are willing to take risks, innovate, and experiment to find new and better ways of doing things. But leaders need not always be the creators or originators of new or different products, services, or processes. These innovations tend to come from customers, vendors, people in the labs, and people on the front lines. The leader’s contribution is in recognizing the good ideas, supporting innovation, and challenging the system to get new processes adopted. They know that they are taking a risk, but they proceed anyway. They learn from their failures as well as from their successes. Inspire A Shared Vision. Leaders have absolute and total personal belief in their dreams, but in some ways, leaders live their lives backwards. They can see pictures in their mind’s eye even before the end is in sight. Yet if a vision is only seen by the leader, it can’t create an organized movement, or a significant change in ‘a company. A person who doesn't have followers is not a leader, and people do not follow until they can accept a vision as their own. Leadership is a dialogue, not a monologue. (Sound familiar? This was the idea behind shared vision in the work by Peter Senge.) Enable Others To Act. Leadership is 2 team effort. Leaders know that nobody does thelr best if they feel weak, incompetent, or alienated; they know that those who are expected to produce results must feel a sense of ownership. Leaders enable others to act not by hoarding the power they have, but by giving it away. When people have discretion, authority, and information, they are likely to use these resources and their energies to produce extraordinary results. Leadership is a relationship founded on trust and confidence. Without trust and confidence, people don’t take risks. Without risks, there’s no change. Without change, organizations die. Page7 120Think of a time when you felt especially powerful as a result of something a manager said or did. Specifically, what did the manager do or say? Aside from empowered, how did you feel? Think of a time when you felt powerless as a result of something a manager said or did. What specifically did he or she do? How did these actions make you feel? Image Identifaction ge8|20Fig. 1.2 | How does it relate to leadership? Rate the appeal of the photo. Page9|20Practices Four and Five Model the Way Leaders go first. Never ask your team to do something you are not willing to do. You set an example and build commitment through simple daily acts that create progress and momentum. Leaders stand up for their beliefs, so you'd better have some beliefs to stand up for. Your deeds are far more important than your words. Leaders need operational plans. They must steer projects along a Purposeful course, measure performance, give feedback, meet budgets and schedules, and take corrective action. Encourage The Heart Of all the leadership practices, encouraging the heart is the hardest to plan. Why? For one thing, you don’t know in advance what people will do that merits recognition. For another, you want your recognitions and celebrations to be spontaneous, genuine, and heartfelt. Too much planning can make recognition feel routine or forced. To get started on encouraging the heart through effective recognition, here are two possible commitments for you to accept. © One person I'll recognize in the coming week: > Why: > How: © One celebration I'l hold in the next month: Page10|20Practices In Practice Activity Practice Number(s) Communicate often. Make sure communication runs both ways. Be aware of changing environment. Make sure everyone understands the end results & their role & and how they will benefit. Plot a procedure. Break it down into its parts. ‘Ask for help from others. Constantly evaluate current products and procedures. Reserve judgment until you have the facts & but be willing to come to decisions. Give employees projects for which they can take responsibility. Lead and direct the process, but make it an “us” collaboration. Measure your deliverables. Create a collaborative basic plan for growth, Demonstrate integrity in your own actions. Recognize individuals the way they want to be recognized. Trust and provide visible evidence that you do. Celebrate success together. ‘Make sure others see what's in it for them; how they will benefit. Help others understand why they must innovate and be competitive, viable, and marketable. Share how you see the business/organization in 10 years. Pageit|20Practice Number(s) Benchmark and find out how “X” is doing it. Explore risks. Be willing to take small risks to innovate. Do a SWOT analysis. Provide people with both opportunities and resources. Develop effective strategies for resolving conflict. Really delegate. Live with mistakes and learn from them. Be visible and accessible. Set reasonable short term goals. Demonstrate random acts of kindness. Celebrate and post external accomplishments. Recognize strengths and recognize victories over challenges. Find ways to recognize teams: verbally, in writing, and with tokens of appreciation. Managers Vs. Leaders Leaders can be managers, but all managers are not necessarily leaders. Within your organization, you will find job titles that are associated with leadership roles, and we also have people who are not formally in a management role, but they are certainly leaders. This section will discuss the elements of leaders and managers. Decide what kind of role you fulfil, and consider whether you will further develop your leadership and management skills Who are people that you would consider to be great leaders of today? Page12|20‘Who are some leaders in your particular industry, organization, or geographic location? What qualities make these leaders stand out among their Peers? Workplaces need people who can both lead and manage. Being an authentic, strong, and successful leader is not easy, and we should not expect it to be. Becoming a good athlete, physician, or musician is not easy. While you may see leaders who make the journey look easy, it’s important to recognize that they have to work at it Often, you will see managers defined as looking after administration, systems, or a particular structure; being accountable; and getting things done correctly. All of these things are absolutely essential in business success. However, the leader is observed as an innovator, a visionary who inspires trust, someone who has a long term view, and someone who is able to empower managers and others to get the work done. When the leader sets a direction and shares a vision, the manager is responsible for implementing it. Page13| 20Budgeting EL eect ca |{ ations people —<—r LT Neriates a — =a — =— 7613 Perhaps Peter Drucker said it best: “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” Types Of Thinking Directional Thinking Directional thinking is the thought process that a person goes through, whether individually or within an organization, that ultimately produces a vision or establishes a direction. The process consists of two major steps: A direction-setting opportunity. A direction-setting decision. A Direction-Setting Opportunity (DSO) is an event that occurs in a person's life. It may be ordinary or it may be extraordinary. But it does present an opportunity to change @ particular course of action. In general there are two types of DSOs: those that occur arbitrarily through forces outside your control and those that are intentional. Pagets|20A Direction-Setting Decision (DSD) occurs when you choose between the existing pattern and a new direction. Once you make a DSD, it will change your course and put you on a road that leads in a different direction. We can create this new direction by using several different techniques. Paradigm Shifts ‘One example of a paradigm shift is the story Stephen Covey told in his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. He was on a subway train early one Sunday morning. All was quiet as people read their paper, sipped their coffee, or caught a few more minutes of sleep. At one stop, the quiet was broken as a man and his three small children got on the train. Within minutes the children had disrupted the calm as they jostled people, threw things, and yelled back and forth. The atmosphere was charged with unspoken anger toward this man and his children. Covey’s own resentment grew, and since the father was sitting next to him, Covey brought the children’s behavior to the man’s attention. The stranger replied, “We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago. | don’t know what to think, and | guess they don’t know how to handle it either.” Here is the paradigm shift: people’s anger and resentment shifted to sympathy and compassion as the magnitude of what had taken place registered for each individual. People expressed an interest in the children as Covey spoke with their father, and the shattered peace was no longer important. Mind Mapping technique is an example of creative or lateral thinking versus linear thinking. Linear thinking is sequential and orderly. However, this is not always the way our minds work. For example, say you were thinking of starting a garden in your backyard. Your mind might think about these things: Lights Perennials/annuals Soil Layout Write these ideas in a list. Then under or beside “Lights” write what comes into your mind as it lighting, motion sensors, etc. Soon you have a mind map that is anything but sequential, but which can be made sequential when the time comes. Pp Reframing ink of how these phrases might be reframed to sound more positive: Paget5|20Negative Positive It’s them, It’s problem We don’t have enough time Reframing an idea or problem can give us a new perspective on it and help us come up with new insights. Concequential Thinking Consequential Thinking is the process of identifying the risks associated with a particular action and then considering whether to continue in pursuit of that goal No one is immune from risk. Choices create risk. We all live with risk on a daily basis and leaders encounter risks with every decision they make, and every action they pursue. The difference between the risks you take as an individual and the risks you take as a project leader is the number of people who are affected In Managing Risk, author Vernon L. Grose argues there is no such thing as an accident. He feels that what we call accidents are actually the result of choices. For leaders, the question before proceeding in a certain direction should not be, "How likely is an accident?” but rather, “What are the risks associated with my choices? Which risks can be eliminated? Which risks can be avoided?” Since your decisions will change things from the way they are to the way you think they should be, consider the process and the outcomes carefully. Consequential thinking is a logical extension of directional thinking. The greatest enemy to a successful decision is your own impulsiveness. What are some of the ways you can structure your thinking to minimize risk? Whenever you make a decision, think about its consequences. You can use the Rotary four-way test to help you: = Isitethical? © Isitlegal? ‘* Isitfair and balanced? '® Willi pass a test of public scrutiny? You can also consider the pros vs. cons and costs vs. benefits of your decision. Ethics 101 You start a new job where you have the discretion to choose the charity to which your company donates. The charity with which your company has had a long association, however, contravenes your political Page16|20beliefs, but the charity's budget relies on your company donation and many recipients of its services would lose out if you stopped the practice What Would You Do? Influence Strategies At the very core of leadership is the ability to influence people. The importance of this ability is reflected in most definitions of leadership. Consider these quotes: '® Any time you try to influence the behavior of another person, you're engaging in an act of leadership. (Ken Blanchard, in Leadership and the One-Minute Manager) What leaders do is inspire people, empower them. They pull rather than push. If you want to lead people, the first thing you have to do is get them to buy into shared objectives. (Warren Bennis and Joan Goldsmith in Learning to Lead) Pagei7|20There are several things to consider when we talk about influencing others: An individual's resistance to change Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs The types of strategies that manipulate The type of strategies that persuade people to change (usually based on principles of fairness and mutual gain In Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Robert Cialdini has identified six influence strategies. Reciprocity This refers to an obligation to return what we get. When people remember our birthday, anniversary, or an event we feel obligated to give them or do something of equal value in return. Commitment ‘Once we have made a commitment to do something, we feel both internal and external pressure to follow through. For example, if | made a commitment to look after your pet goldfish for the weekend, | would feel pressure in my own mind to do so, even if circumstances made it very difficult to follow through. Social Proof ‘One way we can determine what is the correct or best way to do something is to find out what others are doing and then do the same thing. This influencing factor is even more effective when we are Uncertain what the standard should be and we seek opinions from people that we know and trust. Likeability People generally prefer to do business with people they know and like, rather than people they don’t know or don't like. Successful sales people usually have excellent interpersonal skills that help them connect with people. This might be remembering their name or their birthday, the ability to find some common ground with them, or simply the ability to make others feel good about themselves. Remember, we catch more flies with honey than we do with vinegar. ‘Authority People will be more apt to comply with requests if they think the request comes from a figure of authority. We rarely question police officers, fire officials, doctors, or professors when they ask us to comply with their requests. Page18|20Scarcity If stores are about to run out of something, we feel the urge to stock up whether we need the item or not. We don’t want to lose our sense of being in control. This opens the door to unfair price-gouging during times of stress, like major storms or disasters. Building Trust The Cycle Of Trust And Performance Trust may very well be one of the most important determiners of employer-employee relationships. Research has determined that if employees trust their managers, they are much more likely to be open in their communication. High trust on the part of a manager stimulates high worker performance, which in turn reinforces trust and thus becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. This makes a constructive cycle of trust between the employee and employer. However, in a destructive cycle, low trust on the part of the supervisor/manager contributes to low worker performance, which then reinforces a manager's low trust. To improve trust, either the manager or the employee can initiate a break from the destructive cycle. Using the reciprocal nature of relationships as justification, a manager can react to a low-producing ‘employee by giving back more trust and responsibility, hoping to motivate better performance. Or the ‘employee can react to low trust with increased productivity, hoping to persuade the manager that he or she is deserving of trust. Although there is an element of riskin these methods, the destructive cycle will continue until one or the other does something to break it. Trust Exercise Many authorities on leadership, communication, and management assert that a trusting relationship basic to leadership effectiveness. On the scale below enter data at three points on it to indicate the degree to which: = You trust your employees (M) © You trust your boss (8) ‘© You believe your employees trust you (E) Here is a sample of a completed rating: Page19|20O666666666 6666666666 Fig. 1.4 Cee ee us CR Maer ee Med Ae ee eu a eee sa cd Page20|20Understanding Management and Leadership OSS SS ee Beret (16) 1. Give short answers to the following questions: i, Define Leadership. What are the four stages of leadership according to situational leadership model? Explain each using relevant examples. li, Define the term ‘servant leadership’. How are servant leaders different from other leaders? James Kouzes and Barry Posner identified five practices which according to them should, be part of every leaders’ set skills? What are these? iv. What is the difference between a manager and a leader? Discuss using examples. 2. Discuss various types of thinking, Use appropriate examples to support each type. (7) 3. How is influencing important for leadership? Discuss ” Management Certifications for Professional Development Page: 1Improving Management U iN ie and Leadership Performance By the end of this unit the learner will be able to: Y Understand the management challenge and the new functions of management. Page1|a7Unit 2 Improving Management and Leadership Performance What is a Learning Organization? The idea of learning organizations has gained significant importance since Peter Senge explored it The Fifth Discipline in 1990. (It was last re-written and updated in 2006.) In it, he presents well accepted practices for encouraging and creating organizations where all employees are committed to lifelong learning, with one central goal of continual growth and development. One of the most compelling factors in support of continual learning is the rapid change of pace that we face today. Technology is evolving constantly, corporate hierarchies are frequently being reshaped, and job responsibilities are always shifting. If learning is seen as the means to this end, the ques steps do we take on Monday morning? mn then becomes, “How do we get started?” What Translating learning into productivity involves several steps: 1) Understand how learning takes place, so that you can understand the most effective ways to learn. 2) Identify critical areas of responsibilty. 3) Develop goals. 4) Intentionally transfer skills and tools learned back to your workplace in a relevant and meaningful way. Are You a Lifelong Learner? Learning involves two important factors: willingness and ability. If you have boundless opportunities but no desire to assimilate the information, real learning won't take place. Similarly, you can be eager but lacking in the appropriate skills; again, the opportunity will be lost. Your success at learning depends on attitudes and experience. Is continuous learning marked by opportunities or obstacles for you? Yes | No 1) Learning doesn’t just happen; it must be a conscious activity. 2) In general, people learn when they need to or have to. 3) My learning didn’t end when | graduated from school. Page2|474) All jobs, no matter how routine, offer learning opportunities. 5) People learn better from success than mistakes. 6) It is my responsibility to create learning opportunities, not my company's. 7) Ian recall a valuable lesson learned at work in the past week. 8) There are opportunities for me to share learning and hear about the learning experiences of others in my workplace. 9} keep learning logs to document lessons learned. 10) | place a high premium on learning. Scoring Give yourself 2 points for each yes answer and 1 point for each no answer. 18-20 points: You get an A for attitude! By recognizing that effective learning is conscious, committed to memory, and communicated, you are likely maximizing learning opportunities. By embracing continuous learning, you are taking responsibility for your own development and probably enjoying significantly higher levels of achievement. 14-17 points: Don’t leave learning to chance! You might appreciate the benefits of learning, but you may also need to make more of a conscious effort to retain lessons learned. Try to make one change to enhance your learning, such as keeping a learning log or sharing lessons learned with colleagues. You'll enjoy a considerable return on your investment. 10-13 points: Don’t let learning lag! Continuous learning isn’t just a buzzword that will fade away next year. To keep pace with change, improve your productivity, and succeed in your business, you must develop your skills and learn on an ongoing basis. Don’t wait for someone else to provide learning opportunities — they're all around you. Achieving Personal Mastery What is Personal Mastery? Introduction Peter Senge identified five leart organizations. They are: '® Personal mastery * Mental models ved were at the core of leadership in learning Page3|47© Shared vision © Team learning © Systems thinking Personal Mastery Personal mastery refers to successfully and consistently working toward our own goals to become as efficient and effective as possible. This is one of those aspects of life that is really about the journey we are on, rather than the destination, since we don’t stop learning or pursuing once we reach our goals. AS part of the lifelong learning process, we set new goals and keep going. We also recognize that in order to help grow the organizations that we work with, we must also learn and grow ourselves, and become better at what we do. The term “mastery” refers to full command or understanding of a subject. Personal mastery, then, means that we have a great deal of understanding of what our own strengths are, as well as where we want to go. If you are responsible for also leading people in the workplace, it is important to model our own commitment to seeking personal mastery. That means that we must demonstrate our commitment to learning and to setting goals and achieving them. This approach can also help you to support your staff in identifying their own vision, overcoming gaps in knowledge and performance, and finding a way to achieve their objectives. Your Personal Vision Let's take a few moments to capture our own personal vision of the future. What do you want for yourself? What characteristics do you want to demonstrate for yourself and others? What do you want to achieve? We often find it hard to create a personal vision that we can articulate because of some of the concepts we hold from the past, which are also discussed in Peter Senge’s work. We can’t have what we want, ‘While this may have been true in your past (that things you wanted were too expensive, extravagant, or not what you were entitled to, for example), our challenge to you is to suspend your self-doubt and Judgment about those things. Identifying what you want is a way to start to identify our goals and how to get there. Let yourself do a little dreaming. I want what someone else wants for me. It can be easy to let other people influence what we want, and then we go after their goals rather than ‘our own. Consider whether what you want was your own decision, or whether there is a lot of influence coming from your partner, a supervisor, or your parents. Sometimes we need to consider the needs of Page4|a7others when we decide what we want, but the decision must be our own and not someone else's if ‘we're going to be motivated and go after it. It doesn’t matter what | want. If you've had some of your ideas ignored or argued against in the past, you can get trapped into thinking that your opinion doesn’t matter. You may even approach the exercise of setting up your own personal vision as if someone else is going to change it, so you write down the first thing that comes to mind instead of thinking through it. Don’t shortchange yourself that way; choose a vision that is personal to you. You can learn how to be confident and go after what you want. | already know what I want. Knowing what you want means that you are already on the path to getting there, which is a great start. Your vision will continue to evolve over time, and since lifelong learning really is about the journey, keep ‘an open mind and continue to work on your vision throughout your life. am afraid of what | want. Sometimes the things that we really want also have the potential to scare us too. That's okay. If you need to work on smaller goals to get to your vision and make it manageable, then do that too. For example, you may want to change jobs but you realize that you need to take some training, do a lot of research, or wait for a better time in your life. Keep in mind that this is your vision; you can change it as needed, and revisit things when you are ready. I don’t know what | want. This is a common feeling, especially if we have plenty of choices. Take the time to explore what you want, look at options, and work things through on paper and in your mind, These activities will help you move closer to knowing what you want. know what | want, but | can’t have it at work. Take a look at what you do have at work, and make sure that it fits in with your values and goals. Going through 2 values exercise can help you to see what you want, and will also make sure that there is some congruency in different areas of your life. If what you want is part of your personal life and the rewards of work help you to achieve that, that means work is helping you to get what you want. ‘What do you want for yourself? Pages| 47do you want to demonstrate for yourself and others? ‘What do you want to achieve? Do you have a sense of how you morning? ge6|17Our Personal Vision and Our Values If you want to feel like you're getting more out of life, then we recommend that you set a personal vision statement. This will then help you set short and long term goals, which should influence your daily plan. All leaders need to know what they want from life and to have a plan to get there. You can think of it like a pyramid: Fig. 2.1 ‘There are three important steps to creating your personal vision. ‘Step One: Identify Your Values The list below reflects some common values. Choose the ten that are most important to you as a person (meaning that they apply both at work and at home). You can customize the wording, or add your own tothe list. Ability to make decisions and | Ability to persuade and Achieving excellence implement them influence others Achieving fame and Adventure and excitement | Behaving ethically recognition Being challenged by Being organized and Being skilled and capable Page7|17pressures and deadlines dependable Building a family Building meaningful Competition with others relationships with others Contributing to society Cooperation with others Demonstrating expertise Diversity in daily tasks Doing something meaningful | Efficient and effective Enjoying what you do Environmental rights Establishing a reputation Expressing creativity Feeling excited and Feeling independent stimulated by life Feeling of belonging and Feeling of inner harmony _| Feeling of patriotism ‘community Financial security Financial wealth Free speech/human rights Freedom to set your own | Havinga feeling of security | Having power and control pace and goals Having privacy Helping those in need Religion and/or spirituality Leading others to success. | Movingat a fast pace Moving at a slow pace Being productive Reliability Self-development Sense of accomplishment _| Serving the public Spontaneity Truth and integrity Working as part of team —_| Working individually We cannot focus on too many things at one time and remain effective, which is essential for leaders. Look at the ten values you selected and select the five that are most important to you. Cross the others off. Be firm with yourself if you need to be. Remember, you are focusing on what is really important to you. Next, reduce the list to just three values. These are the things at your very core. Cross the other two off your list. Put circles around the three items that are your core values. Step Two: Define Your Values Now, outline what success for each of those values would look like. Pages|47Value One Value Two Value Three Step Three: Put It All Together Finally, bring the three statements together into one paragraph. You may feel that you need to go back and re-evaluate your values, or you may want to re-work some sentences to create what is meaningful to you. That's OK! Above all, this should be a reflection of your innermost thoughts and a roadmap for how you would like to conduct your life. Use the space below to write out your vision statement. Analyzing Our Mental Models ‘The second discipline rom Peter Senge’s work asks us to reflect on the way we picture the world If you move into a new neighborhood and you expect your neighbors to be friendly, you are more likely to say hello and get to know those neighbors than you would if you thought you were moving into an unfriendly or dangerous neighborhood. Differences between mental models also explain how two people can witness a crime and explain it differently to the police. (This is a fascinating phenomenon for crime writers and investigators.) Some people will witness the event, or the alleged criminals involved in it, in entirely different ways. Was the robber wearing a baseball style hat or a knitted cap? Was he wearing a dark jacket or a sweater? Driving ‘a car or a van? When investigators ask more than one witness for their descriptions, and the answers are yes to all those questions, we see the reflection of different mental models. Pageg|47The same principle applies to what you see in your environment. if you are thinking about getting a dog to add to your household, you start noticing every dog around you. You can spot dogs that are walking quite a distance away, notice what breed they are, how well behaved they are on a leash. This also happens when you or someone you know gets pregnant, and suddenly it seems that there is a baby boom going on. Your awareness to these things in your environment has changed your perception of the world. Our mental models exist somewhere below our awareness, so we do not look at them very often. The core challenge of this discipline is to examine what your mental models are; explore the impact they have on our ind consider whether making some adjustments would result in living with more meaning, purpose, or satisfaction. When it comes to our workplaces and different industries, there are mental models that can actually hamper results. if classroom teachers believe that parents don’t know anything about education, the parents do not get invited to discuss changes to schooling. If management in a manufacturing facility believes that their hourly workers are lazy or unproductive, they will not tap into the knowledge that those workers have to see what could be improved ‘When it comes to the workplace, we have to increase our awareness so that we do not dismiss ideas as being a fad or irrelevant to us. If we are aware of our mental models, we can then be open to innovation and creativity. Strategies for Working with Mental Models You may have come across people who always blame things on outside sources. You probably know someone who has had a horrible boss, a spouse who left, and an unhappy life, and is able to blame all of it on everyone else. They may even ask you why there are so many nasty, messed up, or otherwise negative people out there. If you are feeling sympathetic, you might even agree with your friend that other people are pretty messed up. But if you genuinely wanted to help him, you would need to step in and show him how he attributes his problems to others, and that he must also take some responsibility for the results he sees. His beliefs about people are having a direct impact on what is happening to him, without him even realizing it. Imagine how his life would be enriched if you could help him understand that mental models are the result of his own mental maps. These maps direct him to think in set ways about himself, other people, stories he hears, businesses he frequents, and every aspect of the world. We all have these mental maps, ‘and just like a map on paper or in a GPS system, they are all flawed in one way or another. You can create new mental models! Page10|17If we think of science, we know that human beings can do an extraordinary number of things now that we could not do two hundred years ago. We can send people and machinery into space, we can milk hundreds of cows on a farm in a single day, and we can communicate with people around the world easily. Just think of what is to come in the future! Coming up with new mental models is easier if you link the goal with an action plan. We see this happening in customer service where a company says, “If we really want to serve our customers, we have to start by wanting to serve them, instead of seeing their requests as an interruption to our day.” With support and practice, this new view of our customer base starts to have a positive impact on how staff members feel about work, and how our customers feel about doing business with us. Ifa new mental model is going to be successful, we need to follow through with an action plan and then bring the model to life. The Ladder of Inference We tend to hold onto beliefs that are not tested. We might have the beliefs because of decisions we make or because of past experience, but this doesn’t mean that they are correct! We might feel that: Our beliefs are the truth, The truth is obvious. Our beliefs are based on reality. The reality that we select is the reality that exists for everyone else. For example, let’s say that you are giving a presentation to your company’s senior management. One manager (we'll call him Stephen) is checking his BlackBerry, answering messages, and clearly disengaged from your work. At the end of your comprehensive presentation, his only comment is to ask you for more detailed information, in a report sent via e-mail. You know that if you do prepare that information, it’s unlikely that Stephen will read it. Plus, that all the details are in your presentation. As you start brooding this over, you remind yourself that Stephen has never shown any respect for you and that he did not want to hire you to this team. Clearly, Stephen doesn’t know what he is doing, and by the time you take your seat at the table, you are thinking about ‘Stephen as a big jerk. You've also decided you are not going to create a special report for him; you'll send him a summary of your presentation, because he won't read it and won't know what's in it anyhow. In those few seconds before you take your seat, you have climbed up what Chris Argyris calls a ladder of inference: a common mental pathway of increasing abstraction that often leads to assumptions and misguided beliefs. Pageat|a7You did start out with observable data (Stephen is at the presentation), and then added his behavior (distracted by his BlackBerry and answering messages). But then you added some meaning of your own: that Stephen doesn’t respect you and didn’t want to hire you. Finally, you label Stephen as a jerk. This process tends to take place very quickly, and most people aren’t even aware that they climb the rungs of this ladder in their head. The only visible parts for anyone else are the observable events at the bottom of the ladder, and anything that you demonstrate at the top, where you've made your decision about what to do. The discussion going on inside your mind (which you probably can’t or won't verbalize) and your journey up the rungs of the ladder are not visible to anyone else. We can climb these ladders of inference very easily. The more | believe that Stephen does not support me, the more likely itis that | am going to notice his unsupportive behavior in the future. This becomes a reflexive loop, where my beliefs will influence the data | am going to select the next time I see Stephen. There is naturally also a reflexive loop here for Stephen, where he will react to my antagonism. He is quite likely working on some rungs on his own ladder, and before long, we could find it impossible to work together. It’s possible, however, that what you witnessed in the meeting was Stephen dealing with something else. Perhaps he was bored or distracted, but itis also possible that he was checking his BlackBerry because of ‘an emergency he had to deal with. Maybe he was interested in your presentation, but the fact that you didn’t print a copy off for everyone led to his request for something that he could look back on and refer to, ‘As a professional, it might have been best for you to find out if there really is a problem that you and Stephen need to work out. What would happen if you asked him about the meeting? What if you asked him for some feedback on your work and the efforts that you are putting in to your projects? Would you hear his answer? Reflection: Using Your Own Experiences as a Resource You can leam a great deal by increasing your awareness and giving some thought to situations that you experience. Try writing out an exchange with a co-worker, a troubling event, or even the scenario with Stephen above. Then, set it aside for a week before you look at it. This will give you the time and distance needed to review it clearly Let's look at an example. ‘What | Was Thinking. ‘What We Said We're two months late on this, but | didn't | Stephen: Jim, I'd like to come down there next week. think that he knew. | was hoping we could | We're a few weeks behind, and | think we might all catch up before he figured it out. benefit from a meeting at your office. Page12|17I have to stand my ground with this. I'm responsible for this, but | can’t volunteer for more work. This help would have been better in the planning stages so we could use his experiences in our forecasting. I's too late now to bring that up. If he stopped making changes, that would be a huge help. If | can hold him off for two weeks, we should be ready. You can use this format to evaluate your own examples, either as they have happened or as they might take place. As you think of your own examples, remember that you are trying to work at a higher level of awareness. Achieving a Shared Vision It was common belief at one time that the leader needed to be a visionary, and then the team would do the work to make the vision come to life. We know now that this is not the way to motivate people, or to inspire 2 company. Having a shared vision helps to build commitment within the group. When people share a vision, they have a collective sense of what is important, and they can create a plan to collectively achieve the goals. [A shared vision lets the group determines how much support they need and where they will get it from. There are different models that will show something similar to the following diagram, where the process begins with the leader having to provide instruction (telling them what's expected) to selling them on the idea, and becoming less necessary as the group takes on the task and completes the work. Page13|17Fig. 2.2 The team's degree of involvement and accountability increases as they move through the phases. Team Learning When people work together as a team, they all bring their individual mental models to the table. The team learning discipline transforms their individual conversational and thinking skills, so that they can develop greater skill than that of any one individual. ‘Team learning isn't team building. Instead, it draws on the skill of building shared vision and on systems thinking to capitalize on the value of multiple inputs toward one cause. Having skills to improve dialogue is a primary medium for management teams to build these capabilities in their employees, although it takes some concerted effort to get the individuals to move away from their independent and linear comfort zone and contribute to the collective mentality of the group. We expect a discussion to start at Point A and proceed directly to Point B (Decision Point) to reach an agreed upon conclusion or decision. This doesn’t happen. Between Point A and Point B is what we can refer to as the Meteor Belt, a time of differing (and often conflicting and colliding) opinions and viewpoints. However, if we don’t get everyone’s ideas on the table and encourage everyone to see where others are coming from, it will be almost impossible to build sustainable agreements. Pagea4|a7Sues Fig. 2.3 Protocols for Skillful Discussion In Peter Senge’s The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, he presents a system for making discussion more productive. The idea is that team learning will take place as a result of good, open dialogue. Here are his five elements for skillful discussion. | will pay attention to my intention. © Consider what | want from this conversation. * Decide whether | am willing to be influenced. Page1s|17Ineed to balance advocacy with thoughtful inquiry. © Can youttell me what led you to that view? ‘© Help me understand by explaining | will try to build shared meaning. © When we use the term what are we trying to say? ‘= What are others hearing us say? | will increase my self-awareness as a resource. ‘© What am I thinking? * What am I feeling? ‘® What do I want at this moment? | will explore impasses or roadblocks to look for ways to move forward. © What are we able to agree on? * What actually happened? Where's the data/information? ‘© What do we disagree on? ‘© What are our goals and values about this? Preparing the Ground for Skillful Discussion Here are some of the things that you can do as a leader to help your team navigate the minefield of the meteor zone and reach safe ground. Create a safe haven for participants. ‘At the beginning of the meeting, the leader has to establish a safe place for discussion. Don’t allow individuals to become territorial or overbearing. Outline some rules of engagement at the beginning so that respect is maintained. Remove barriers to good discussion that can interfere with progress, like a focus on job titles, status, or prestige. This will help keep all team members on an equal level, and ‘encourage curiosity, innovation, and team work. Make openness and trust the rule rather than the exception. People don’t automatically trust one another, and early in the team development period, trust needs to be worked on, Make sure that all participants understand that they can speak freely, without worry that they could become a target of criticism, ridicule, or retribution. One of the ground rules needs to be that nothing discussed gets mentioned outside the room, unless participants agree that some aspect of the meeting needs to be shared with other parties. Grounds rules will help to set things in motion, but trust will only grow if all participants demonstrate that they will behave in a trustworthy manner. Page16|47Encourage and reward the injection of new perspectives. Groups that meet often or regularly can get a bit stale, especially if they are relied upon for innovative ideas or creativity. Find special guests (even if they are internal employees from different areas and specialties) and invite them to a session. Right and wrong ideas are not the focus here; the exchange of perspectives and different points of view are to be supported and encouraged. Plan the agenda, time, and context to allow for concentrated deliberation. IF you want meetings to be effective and efficient, send an agenda out in advance. This is the best way to ensure that participants come expecting to talk about the intended subjects. Remember that creative discussion takes time, so make sure you plan accordingly. Keep distractions (especially phone calls, text messages, and interruptions) to @ minimum. Systems Thinking At its broadest level, systems thinking encompasses all those theories that explain the flow of activity at work, Even though there are multiple and diverse approaches, the one common thread that connects, them is that all systems follow certain common principles. Understanding systems thinking helps us to see how we can alter systems to make them more effective, and how we can align ourselves more closely with larger processes of the natural and economic world. Simple paradoxes crop up regularly in organizational life. The time of your greatest growth is the best moment to plan for harder times. The harder you strive for what you want, the more you may undermine your own chance for achieving it. ‘Anyone in sales is familiar with the sales cycle of prospecting for clients, closing the sale, implementing, the transaction, and then back to prospecting for sales again, and the need to always have more than ‘one prospect or one sales contract in the works. One example of a system we are all familiar with: the grass grows, cows eat the grass, the grass is converted into food for humans, and the waste products go back into the soll to produce more grass. Management and Leadership: Improving Performance in Times of Crisis,(2011), By Stavros Baroutas Effective People Management: Improve Performance Delegate More Effectively Woe ea reyImproving Management and Leadership Performance ASSESSMENT # 2 Beret Answer the following questions: 1. Peter Senge identified five learning disciplines that he believes are the core of leadership in any learning organisation. What are these? Explain each using example. (7) 2. What is a personal vision? Explain three important steps involved in creating a personal vision? 8) 3. Discuss Senge’s mental models with reference to effective leadership. (8) 4, What are the five elements of skillful discussion as pointed out by Peter Senge? (7), Management ‘al Development Page:1Dua MANAGING iia elel ea) By the end of this unit the learner will be able to: ¥ Identify and explain requirements for effective resource management in a business ¥ Identify problems relating to managing resources, overcoming the problems and handling the resources efficiently Pagell8Unit 3 Managing Resources Resource Management is the efficient and effective deployments of an organization's resources when they are needed. Resources are inputs to production that can be accumulated over time to enhance the Performance of a firm. Resources can take many forms, but they tend to fall into two broad categories; tangible and intangible assets, Tangible assets include real estate, production facilities, and raw material.intangible assets include company reputation, culture, technical knowledge, and patents, as well as accumulated learning and experience. The Walt Disney Company, for example, has developed its strategic plan on combinations of tangible assets like hotels and theme parks as well as intangible assets such as brand recognition, talented craftsmen, and culture focused on customer service. Through resource management, a company gets a clear understanding on how it can compete through its resources. Resources are a source of competitive advantage only under certain circumstances. First, if the resource is instrumental in creating a customer value which increases the benefits that customers derive from a good or service relative to the costs they incur, then that resource can lead to a competitive advantage. For instance, Amazon's powerful search technology, its ability to track customer preferences, offer personalized recommendations each time its site is accessed, and to provide quick product delivery system are clearly valuable resources that enhance Amazon's competitiveness. Second, resources are a source of advantage if they are rare and not equally available to all competitors. Even for extremely valuable resources, if all competitors have equal access, the resource cannot provide a source of competitive advantage. For companies such as Amazon, Merck, DuPont, Dow Chemical, and others, patented formulas represent important resources that are both rare and valuable. , if resources are difficult to imitate, they provide a source of competitive advantage. An example of an intangible resource that is difficult to imitate is a free checking account of banks. This is because it requires training and motivating employees at all levels to adopt a customer-oriented thinking and collaborate across divisions. In the above stated example on account of Banks, resources tend to be harder to imitate. This is because Banking systems are complicated. They have many interdependent variables and no obvious links between. As a result, their resources have a higher competitive advantage compared to the others, which are easily accessible. Page2/8Finally, resources can enhance a firm’s competitive advantage when they are all well-organized. A leading example for this criterion is Coca-Cola for its well-organized and global network of bottlers which allows the company to quickly introduce a new soft drink worldwide and to distribute it more efficiently than any competitor. Therefore, when resources are valuable, rare, unmatched, and organized, they can be viewed as the company’s core competencies. Simply put, a core competency is a unique skill and knowledge that an organization possesses that gives it an edge over competitors. ‘As shown in the figure below, the qualities of the company’s resources make up for its core competencies relative to its competitors. Fig: 3.1 Best Case Practice: Coca-Cola’s Resource Management Coca Colas tangible and intangible assets assure its firms in different places around the world to operate efficiently. These resources are important to be maintained so that Coca Cola can perform well in each of. its operations. This also includes assuring the safety in the workplace and ensuring that all its manufacturing plants (where the entire manufacturing processes takes place such as labelling, bottling, and filling machines work well) are in good condition. © Fixed Resources Coca Cola’s physical resources include its different buildings and facilities focused on different activities and operations. The Coca Cola Company has manufacturing buildings such as factories to make sure the company’s inventory and stocks are produced with the best quality and that the employees are in a safe working environment. Page3/8A’so, only the employees and employers are allowed to visit the place. The building is used for manufacturing which is technologically-advanced. It also has warehouses to keep their products in a safe location for preparation to be delivered to customers; the warehouses usually supply big supermarket stores and food chains. ‘The warehouses are usually very large, high stock rooms with a lot of capacity which helps the company use up their facilities wisely; not wasting resources and money. ‘The company also has its own shops to directly sell and promote its products for the small to medium-scale businesses. * Waste Disposal Management ‘Asa company dedicated to environmental protection, Coca Cola has its internal policies for proper ‘waste disposals that are used to produce and package their products. Moreover, this practice helps them save money as well as help the environments wellbeing and promote recycling since whatever waste they have left over gets recycled. Coca Cola also encourages their customers to recycle Coca Cola bottles and cans as itis displayed on ‘the packaging for the target audience to see. This is important for Coca Cola because these materials and managing waste Impacts their performance by helping all departments work more efficiently which means they make more profit, and save more time since all facilities are organized, Furthermore, such practice increased the ‘world’s respect for Coca Cola, © Vision-Aligned Maintenance and Transformation ‘At Coca Cola, all their buildings, plants, and machineries are being updated and maintained regularly. This assures that all of its facilities, equipment, and machineries are guaranteed safe and well- functioning 24 hours. Plants and offices are transformed into an environment-friendly workplace by using more energy resourceful materials such as eco-friendly light bulbs. Emergency Guidelines The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 directs the Coca Cola management to set up policies for the 'in case of an emergency’ situations within a certain Coca Cola building. means that all of Coca Cola's buildings should create and implement rules and regulations, conduct evacuation trainings for all of the employees, andestablish clear instructions of what actions must be taken in case a fire, earthquake, or any other misfortunes that may happen within the premise. PagealsWith that, Coca Cola and its department heads are responsible for providing safety equipment such as fire alarms and extinguishers, fire exits, etc. - to make sure all employees are still safe even ifa fire might ‘occur in the building. The employees are responsible to be informed and to apply the said guidelines to Coca Cola customers and people who visit the building. Failure to do this will result in instant loss of all its resources and capital. Insurance All of Coca Cola's resources especially the buildings that are owned or rented by the company do have valid insurance. Its insurance includes: vy ve vy vw vy v Natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, storms, fires, etc. - that will surely damage all its resources such as the building facilities, equipment, and inventories, Theft from inside the building, Damaged equipment, Vandalism, ‘Gas and chemical leaks like leaking gas pipes which can cause health and workplace hazards, Collisions like vehicular collisions. Benefits of Resource Management Processes: + Increase in Revenue ~ Resource Management solutions help the managers easily assess how ell utilized the entire resource pool is on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Helping to ensure the business’ most valuable resources are maximized in a minimized cost of production. * Conflict Resolution - Resource conflicts can have a significant effect on revenue, at worst an unresolved resource conflict may result in an immediate missed revenue opportunity along with ‘a negative future impact through reduced customer satisfaction. By employing software resource management tools, conflicts can be immediately detected and ‘quickly resolved whenever orders overlap or when a project plan has been rescheduled. By storing the details of resources skills, experience, and knowledge, an alternative solution can be efficiently applied. + Improve Project Delivery — improving project delivery will help reduce costs and increase margins. Research shows that organizations that have implemented a resource and project management office have significantly reduced costs, Resource management innovations enable resources to be allocated based on a number of specific criteria such as their availabilty, skills, and location PageS|8In fact, by improving the business resource management processes, it wll be easy to identify the lack of skills and training requirements and it helps to lessen any future resourcing conflicts and their negative effects. Also, it enables the organizations to gain real time visibility into resource capacity to deliver future projects which enables managers to better manage customer ‘expectations whilst minimizing any adverse effects on customer satisfaction and future revenue targets. + Reduce Administration Costs-Utiizing a home-grown or spread sheet based resource management system is prone to errors and is burdensome to use. True enough, itis usually being reviewed only once a week, or worse, once a month leading the businesses to suffer from administrative and delivery issues. ‘With a central and organized resource management process and tools, managers can have an up- to-date view of the entire resource pool. Such processes and tools reduce the administration costs associated with maintaining out of date systems. With the integrated visibility and control measures, a business expects an upward slope of revenue and employee and customer satisfaction, ‘As we already know, a lot of things go into a business organization, and each and every element of it needs to be planned, researched, managed, and constantly improved and upgraded to avoid unwanted surprises and stay ahead of the competition. Al the things that go into the production of the final product of the company (or contribute to its creation) are called resources of that company. Traditionally, it can be defined as those units of the organisation which help it gain profit In a business sense, it refers to the people who work for and with the organization, the machinery, the equipment, the technological instruments that it uses, and the money that goes into the business. Resources are essential for any business to run. It is not possible to work without resources of any kind in ‘an organisation that wishes to acquire profit even if it is a non-profit organization. However, it can be really hectic to acquire and keep a track of all the resources. Resource Management can be defined as the proper and effective management of the various resources of a business for its benefit and profit. The resources of any organization are the manpower, money, materials, and machinery used and employed by that organisation. We have already read about the Human Resource Management and the Financial Management of a business. This unit deals with raw materials and machineries, which are an essential part of every business. ‘An effective management ensures that there is no waste or loss because of careless use of resources and that they are sent to the right place at the right time and in the right quantity and the right quality. Page6l8The aim of managing resources should be to cut the time of production, as well as the cost to a considerable degree, but still produce good quality products that would please the customers. ‘And to use the best possible resources in such a way that there is no waste and that there is consistency in the quality and appearance of the end result. Problems Related to Managing Resources It is difficult to predict the problems that one might have in the future, but it is possible to think ahead and try to create conditions that would tackle any problem that may occur. The problems that are related to managing of raw material resources and machinery are: © Cost The cost of raw materials and machinery could vary. Higher quality raw materials or certain raw materials cost more and a bulk purchase could be taxing, as well as latest technological improvements create new technology that make the work easier, but the machines would be expensive and need to be worth the purchase. * Availability ‘Some raw materials might need to be exported from another state or country, or might be seasonal. Their availability might be limited and, therefore, the cost for these would also increase.The production can be halted if they are not sufficient or not available. ‘Therefore, it is important to have more than one sources, and to stock the materials properly to avoid damage, or use materials that are easily available. ‘With machines, the availability issue might arise if a certain component of the machinery has broken. down, and that part is not available due to the newer products in the market, or if the machine has recently come out and only a limited number of them have been produced. * Maintenance Raw materials, specially the kinds that can be consumed even before production, usually come with an expiration date, They can be easily damaged and can be subjected to fungus, bacteria, and other problems that would lead it to rot and thus make it unsuitable for use. ‘Therefore, itis important to store them properly and in the conditions prescribed for their storage. It is also necessary to check if they are of the right quality, and match the standards that are set by the ‘government and by the previous productions. Inconsistency in the quality of the product could give the company a bad name. For machinery, it is important to regularly maintain and oil them, and also clean them to ensure that there are no sudden breakdowns. Page718Manag ‘The weak parts must be replaced and if any part of the machine is causing a problem in production, it must be immediately replaced. Sources and Trained Use ‘The company must ensure it has more than one source of raw materials, or at least a reliable source that does not leave them in trouble mid-way. ‘The hiring of employees that would work in the storage of materials, handle its transformation, and the machines, should be done after confirming that they can handle the materials and the machines and can be trusted with the various factors of productions. ‘When it comes to handling resources and managing them, it is essential to plan ahead and have every aspect of them (from the ordering of materials to the delivery and the use of them) critically analysed and reviewed. For this, planning of the amount of resources required is important. This would ensure that there is no waste of resources that are not needed and that there are none left over. ‘The number that is arrived upon can be used for the years to come until the supply needs to be increased or reduced. Analyzing the cost of all the materials is necessary to ensure that the ordering of the materials is done as per the budget and does not exceed it. ‘The amount of materials, the list of machines needed, and the cost to maintain them would then determine the annual budget of the corporation. ‘Trusted suppliers should be hiredso that the company can build a strong permanent relationship with them. They must deliver the materials on time, in the right quantity and quality, not make the company wait or incur hidden costs or taxes, and demand extra money out of the blue. It is important to understand the various factors of production, the way the company works, and train the employees so that they too could understand the business and work to create a profit Managing resources is an essential part of running a successful business that can steer itself out of ‘the complications and threats of internal and external unpredictable forces. Resource Management: Prentice Hall PTR; 1st edition (September 13, 1999) er aaa De ae een Ree een eae ae Ee Ma ed Le aa eA aed ry Page8/8Managing Resource ONS SSS ed Bete ‘Answer the following questions: 1. What kind of resources can enhance a firm’s competitive advantage? (20) 2. What are the various benefits of resource management processes? (10) 3. Explain various problems related to managing resources? (20) Management Certifications for Professional Development Page: 1Rous Human Resource (HR) U iN ae! Management By the end of this unit the learner will be able to: Y Explain what is meant by “Human Resource Management” Y Describe the relationship between HRM and organisational performance ¥ Evaluate the objectives of human resource management and responsibilities of the personnel ¥ Analyse the relationship between HR practices and their outcomes for the individual and the organisation. Page1|10Unit 4 Human Resource (HR) Management Human Resources Management has historically been known as personnel management and people management. It deals with the formal systems of managing people within a company or organisation. For this reason, Human Resource Management is considered a fundamental aspect of organisational and managerial life. ‘Human resources’ in terms of a business organisation means the workforce or, in other words, the skills, ideas, creativity, knowledge, talents and aptitudes of the employees of that organisation. In simpler terms, human resources means the resources a human being possesses within him/herself or the knowledge and experience he/she has acquired over the years. HRM is that branch of the organisation that is created specifically for the purpose of dealing with workers’ issues. The Human Resources Management, or HRM, focuses on recruiting new talents for the ‘company, managing the employees, and guiding and helping them by providing direction when needed In an organisation with a vast number of people, it is important to have a functioning part that will focus on staff issues. Employees’ issues include compensation, hiring, performance management, organisation development, safety, wellness, benefits, employee motivation, communication, administration, workplace culture, the environment around the office, and the training of employees, Over the years, Human Resources Management has become an essential part of any organisation. Today, it is mandatory to have this department. This department helps to improve the morale of workers. It constantly works on developing employees’ relations with their employers. On the other hand, the HR department contributes to improving employee performance. Human Resources Management evaluates every department in an organisation or business. It brings together teams working in each department and helps them improve their work. Human Resources Management intervenes to solve any problems that may interfere in the work. It is mainly concerned with obtaining better results from the workers. Human Resource Management combined with Performance Management results in a strategic Human Resource Management as it relates to leading, coaching, mentoring, performance appraisal, rewards, Punishments, and other labour relations. ‘A business can create a competitive advantage when it has human resources that are valuable, rare, incomparable, and organised. The following criteria are used in Human Resources Management to create ‘an impact in an organisation or company. * Value Building. People can increase value through their efforts to decrease costs and to provide a service or product unique to customers, or by some combination of the two. Page2|10Empowerment programmes, total quality initiatives and continuous improvement efforts are intentionally designed to increase the value brought by employees to the company’s output. Rarity. People are sources of competitive advantage when their skills, knowledge and abilities are not equally available to all competitors. Top companies bank on a great strategy. They hire and train the best and the brightest employees to gain advantage over their competitors Companies will even go to court to stop other firms from taking away their employees. This shows that some companies recognise both the value and the uniqueness of certainemployees. * Incomparability. Employees are sources of competitive advantage when their capabilities and contributions cannot be imitated by others. Corporations such as Disney, Southwest Airlines and Whole Foods are known for creating unique cultures that get the most from employees whose abilities are difficult to imitate. * For instance, Southwest Airlines is known for rewarding its employees for excellent performance. It also maintains employees’ loyalty through free air-fares, profit sharing, and other incentives. * Organised. People are sources of competitive advantage when their talents can be combined and deployed to work on new assignments at a moment's notice. In this context, teamwork and cooperation are two all-encompassing aspects that contribute to an organised workforce. The above-mentioned criteria highlight the importance of people and show the relationship between Human Resources Management and Performance Management. Furthermore, organisations are realising that their success depends on the knowledge and skills of their employees- human capi In addition, human capital is the knowledge, skills and abilities of employees that have economic value. Managing human capital to sustain a competitive advantage is perhaps the most important part of an organisation's human resource function. Functions of Human Resource Management (HRM) Functions of Human Resource Management include planning, staffing, selection, training and development, performance appraisal, designing a rewards system, and labour relations. Training and development, performance appraisal, and designing a rewards system will be discussed in the Performance Management Unit of this Course. «Human Resource Planning Human Resource Planning is a process of meeting an organisation's staffing needs based on the organisation's plans. The process occurs in three stages: planning, programming and evaluating. > First, the human resource managers need to know the organisation’s business plans to ensure that the right number and profile of people are available. Page3|10> Second, the organisation conducts the programming of specific human resource activities, such as recruitment, training and layoffs. The company implements its plans during the programming stage. > Third, human resource activities are evaluated to determine whether they are producing the right results needed to achieve the organisation's business goal. ‘The most difficult part of human resource planning is, perhaps, the conducting of demand forecasts. Demand forecasting involves determining the quantity and the quality of people needed based on the organisation’s plans. ‘There are paramount factors in determining the demand for different profiles of workers. They include the number of labour-hours required to operate business, sell the product, distribute it, serve customers, etc. In the same way, one can determine the supply of labour. Labour supply forecasts involve an analysis of an organisation's internal and external supply of labour. This includes the determination of the quantity and quality of workers necessary in an organisation’s human resources. (Once managers have a concrete idea of the supply of and demand for various employees, they can start developing tools to reconcile and match the two. For example, an organisation can hire new employees, promote current ones to new positions, outsource work to contracts, and lay off or transfer employees to other areas. The figures below illustrate the entire human resource planning process and its components. Some of these can also be included in other functions of Human Resources Management. Essentially, human resource processes must be holistic and continuous. PLANNING Cue ioc Planning Cd fro) CN oes Pond ne Labour marke Demand forecast * Technology + Internal labour supply * Legislation * External labour supply * Competition + Job Analysis * Economy Paged|10PROGRAMMING be ad Ets S — Employee Recruitment — Employee Selection -— Outplacement |. Training and Development — Performance Appraisal _——-Rewardsystems | |__ Labor Relations evauaTinc i tq Productivity | Quality Innovation | Satisfaction ro Less Absenteetsm Page5|10«Staffing ‘Once the human resource planning is completed, the next function to focus on is the staffing of the organisation. The staffing function consists of three interrelated processes: recruitment, selection, and outplacement, Recruitment activities help increase the pool of candidates who might be selected for a job. It may also be internal or external. Internal recruiting is concerned with promoting and transferring the current employees. External recruiting brings new talents into the company, which can lead to innovation, At present, the most frequently used sources of new recruits are Internet job postings, company ‘websites, resume banks, employee referrals, newspaper advertisements, and college campus job fairs. Most companies employ all of these methods depending on the nature of the job being offered. © Selection Selection builds on recruiting and involves decisions on who to accept into the organisation among the pool of qualified applicants. There are many selection methods and instruments available to companies. They include applications and resumes, interviews, reference and background checks, personality tests, drug testing, cognitive ability tests, assessment centres, credit history checks, and integrity tests. ‘The two most indispensable methods and instruments are applications and resumes followed by interviews. The former provide basic information about the applicants to prospective employers. In the initial selection process, employees review the profiles, educational background, and employment history of various job applicants, Subsequently, the interview is a face-to-face selection technique which, if so structured, involves asking all applicants the same questions and comparing their responses. Interviews can be structured or unstructured depending on the interviewer's preference and the nature of the job. Labour Relations Labour relations constitute the system of interactions between workers and management. Itis a system that allows workers to communicate with their authorities. Labour relations include Labour Unions organised by workers. Such Unions are mainly meant to negotiate proposals for wage increments and improved working hours or other working conditions. Primarily, labour unions protect the rights of workers and ensure that they are being treated fairly with respect to wages and working policies. Page6|10Management Code of Ethics of Human Resources The key responsibility of HR Professionals is to add value to the organisations they serve and contribute effectively to the ethical success of those organisations. HR Professionals accept their ethical responsibility, which is rooted in their individual decisions and actions, HR Professionals advocate for the profession by engaging in activities that enhance its credibility and value. © HR professionals must strive to meet the highest standards of competence and commit to strengthening these competencies on a continuous basis. © HR professionals are expected to exhibit individual leadership as a role model for maintaining the highest standards of ethical conduct. * Human Resource professionals are ethically responsible for promoting and fostering fairness and Justice for all employees and their organisation. © HR professionals must maintain a high level of trust for stakeholders. They must protect the interests of all stakeholders as well as their professional integrity. HR professionals should not engage in activities that create actual, apparent, or potential conflicts of interest. ‘© HR professionals consider and protect the rights of individuals, especially in the acquisition and dissemination of information, while ensuring truthful communications and facilitating informed decision-making. HRM, just like every other managerial department in a business organisation, works with certain objectives and has certain functions to fulfil, ‘The objectives of Human Resources Management are as follows: ‘1. Unlike other departments, this department focuses more on the results than on profit. Although it does help with profit maximisation, it does so via the indirect route of working on the ‘employees, who in turn work on the objectives. In such a way, one of the objectives of HRM is to help the organisation realise its objectives. 2. Along with the company, HRM also ensures that every individual in the company is treated with respect, regardless of thelr post. It tries to keep the employees happy by recognising thelr needs and fulfilling them. Page7|103. This department must seek to ensure that all employees are doing their very best in the work assigned to them. It tries to ensure that the talents of the organisation are not going to waste, and that all employees are being utilised to their maximum capabilities. 4. Along with the goals of the company, HRM also seeks to enable employees to achieve any personal goals they may have within the organisation. 5. HRM also conducts interviews and placements camps from time to time in order to recruit new talents for their organisation that will benefit it in the longrun. 6. It aims at developing and maintaining the quality of work and the work life of the employees of the organisation. 7. Since HRM is a human resources department, it deals with the people working in the organisation. it has 2 social responsibility to society as well as to the employees of the organisation and it works to ensure that the employees are treated ethically and given proper treatment by their co-workers, subordinates and employers. 8. It engages in training newly recruited employees and those who have been moved to other departments. It also helps enhance and improve the skills and knowledge of its workers to enable them to perform better in their work fields. 9. It also works at developing, among the workers, a sense of family or belonging, so that every member of the organisation works as part of a team and recognises and appreciates the efforts of others. It works at improving the morale of the workers with efficiency and delivering the promises that have been made. Page8|10Fig: 4.2 It provides incentives to its workers, motivating them to work harder and achieve better results. An HR department must ensure that it satisfies all employees and keeps them happy. It recruits new employees and places them in various departments or organisations around the country. It plans the manpower or human resources required for certain branches or throughout the organisation. It seeks to retain employees by taking steps to transfer them from one job to another or one location to another, and it also works on job rotation. It conducts employee appraisals from time to time, reviewing their performances and making changes to improve the working cycle. Page9|106. It helps employees improve in their fields and encourages ther in their specialised fields by training them for the job. This is done by utilising their talents and by delegating work ‘that gives every employee a chance to shine and show his/her abilities. 7. tt analyses and calculates the number of people required for a job and the profile that will a certain employee within the organisation. It creates teams that will fit well together and work in harmony, 8. It creates and handles the terms of employee contracts. It bargains with them about the salaries and terms of the contract. 9. It handles employees’ work-related grievances and helps to solve them, enabling them to work in a better frame of mind. It fs responsible for the security and welfare of the people in the organisation, ‘LO. It remunerates the employees and their families for any losses incurred, be they physical or financial, as a result of accidents at the workplace. The motto of every HR department should be to work to the best of their abilities, to feel with their hearts, and to find solutions by using their intelligence, skills and experience. HR is the only department in an organisation to deal directly with people. It is important for them to work with proper ethics and not yield to company policies, treating their employees as profit-making machines. The main function of the Human Resources Management department in every organisation is to plan, hire, distribute manpower effectively in all departments, and improve working standards. It provides work amenities for the employees such as canteens, medical and educational facilities, safety, transportation, entertainment, and relaxation facilities. Finally, the HR department is solely responsible for solving grievances, signing contracts and creating a positive work environment by devising policies and rules that will benefit the organisation. ‘The Human Resources Department, as stated earlier, is a valuable asset in any organisation, and jobs involving the management of human resources departments are coveted around the world. Page10|10ASSESSMENT # 4 Bes ‘Answer the following Questions: 1, What does Human Resource Department do? 5 2. Outline the ethics of HRM as relating to the organization and the individual employee. 5 3. What is the relationship between personal effectiveness and people management? 5 4, What should be the objectives of an effective training programme? 5 5. Outline the essential steps involved in training process. 5 6. What is the difference between training and development? 5 Management Certifications for Professional Development PageEAR Ie Managing tera cel eure) By the end of this unit the learner will be able to: ¥ Discuss goals and objectives of performance appraisal ¥ Explain and understand the performance appraisal process Y Identify different performance appraisal methods Page1|23Unit 5 Managing Performance What is Performance Management? What is performance? Performance in business relates to various levels of productivity. Employees are deemed to be performing well when they are productive. Productivity is reached when an employee is concerned with effectiveness and efficiency. In this case, effectiveness refers to goal accomplishment but doesn’t take into account the costs incurred in reaching the goal. That is where efficiency comes in. Efficiency considers the ratio of inputs consumed to outputs achieved. The greater the output is for @ given input, the greater the efficiency will be. Itis not necessary to have objective measures of productivity such as hard data on effectiveness, number of units produced, or percent of crimes solved etc. or hard data on efficiency (the average cost per unit oF ratio of sales volume to number of calls made, for example). As well as, productivity measured in terms of effectiveness and efficiency, performance also involves personnel data, such as numbers of accidents, turnover, absences, and tardiness. A good employee is one who produces well and also minimises problems for the organisation by coming to work on time, not missing days, and lessening the number of work-related accidents. What is Appraisal? ‘An appraisal is an assessment or judgment of characteristics and/or performances of people. In business, this is usually referred to as performance appraisal. Based on the evaluation of the work and the ‘employee's character, the ‘worth’ of the employee can be identified. Anything positive and negative i.e., their strengths and weaknesses, can be evaluated. This is not only useful for management but also for the individual employees because it gives them an idea of their position within the organisation. Appraisals are vital for administrative decision makers. These include decisions about selection, salaries, training, promotion, and transfers, etc. Identification of employees performing well, or not well, and the reasons why, is an area where performance appraisal is extremely useful Goals of Performance Appraisal Performance appraisals are an essential component of organisational and employee evaluations. They are not simply a checklist of do’s and don'ts. Coming from the company's perspective, these appraisals identify where productive and efficient work is being done, and if the work assists in meeting objectives, both of the organisation and of individual departments. Every employee must ensure that their Page2|23Saag performance supports their supervisor's performance objectives. This should then continue up all levels of the company, the ultimate level being the corporate strategic goals being met. Clear communication of work expectations is necessary to ensure the employee can perform his/her functions properly. if employees know exactly what is expected and have clear direction, they can better cope with stress. Correctly designed performance appraisals also assist in employees’ personal development. In order to design effective performance appraisals, four criteria need to be implemented. They are: a) Employees must be involved in the evaluation and development process. b) Supervisors need to perform appraisals with a constructive and helpful attitude. ‘¢)_ Realistic goals must be mutually set. 1d) Supervisors must have clear knowledge and understanding of the employee's job and performance. Objectives of Performance Appraisal Specific objectives of performance appraisal include: a), Reviewing past performance bb) Assessing training needs ‘¢) Helping individuals develop

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