Managing the Team

Day 1

The inner game of managing a team

The phrase the ‘inner game’ is a term borrowed from sports psychology. It is a reference to the fact that what is going on inside a person’s head (their state of mind) is crucial to good performance. Here we consider the role perception and beliefs of expert people managers.

• Examining your current beliefs
• Reviewing expert beliefs
• Making changes that you feel are appropriate for you

Exercise: applying the ‘Future Pacing’ technique.

Creating a Vision

The first aspect of managing a team is to make sure that they have a clear sense of purpose and direction.

• Understanding the concept of the ‘Vision statement’
• Rules for a ‘good’ Vision
• Agreeing the Vision for the team

Exercise: using real life examples to agree a Vision

Day 1 (cont)

Setting clear goals

Keep the team ‘on track’ by setting and publicising clear and compelling objectives.

• Identifying Key Success Factors (KSF’s)
• Setting SMART objectives
• Developing ‘Performance Dashboards’
• Creating Action Plans

Exercise: using real life examples to identify KSF’s and set SMART goals

Developing team values & culture

Every work group operates in accordance with a set of values or ‘house rules’. These values, which can be implicit or explicit, specify ‘how we do things around here.’ Expert managers make sure that the code of conduct that the team operates to is explicit, agreed and that people consciously behave in line with its requirements.

• Example house rules
• Developing values process

Exercise: role-play to develop a set of team values.

Day 1 (cont)

Training Matrix – Developing capability

A Training Matrix (or skills matrix) is a chart that lists the people in the department down the left hand side of a table and the key tasks of the department across the top. A series of ‘codes’ are then used to identify which people are trained in which tasks. This means that it is obvious where there are skills shortages.

• Example Training Matrix
• Developing a Training Matrix

Exercise: drafting your own Training Matrix

Shaping rituals and customs

Part of what binds any group together is the rituals and customs that they share. Common rituals say that we belong together. They are reflected in the way that success is celebrated, failure or mistakes are handled and a common identity is reinforced. Here we look at how to identify existing rituals and discuss ways that they can be enhanced so as to improve morale and develop a strong sense of group identity.

• Examples of rituals and customs
• Confirming a shared identify
• Celebrating success
• Handling mistakes

Exercise: identifying current rituals and possible changes.

Day 1 (cont)

Management by walking about

‘Management by walking about’ (MBWA) simply means wandering around the work area and listening to and watching what is going on. In this way the manager can get a sense of the morale of the team, their work rate, relationships with customers and so on.

• Examples of MBWA
• Application to customer service
• Making the manager visible to the team

Exercise: developing an MBWA strategy.

Day 2

Meetings planning process – the three types of meeting

The principal method for managing a team, as a team, is to bring them together as a group and discuss issues that are of importance to them. One of the most important aspects of planning is to realise that there are three distinct reasons for having a meeting and that each type needs a different format for the agenda if it is to run well.

• Specify the outcome. Which of the three types of meeting am I dealing with?
• Decide topics and attendees
• Order the agenda
• Notify participants
• Set the stage: organise the room and equipment etc.

Exercise: planning a meeting.

Running meetings

Once a meeting starts the manager must control the flow of the meeting. He/she must make sure that the agenda is kept to and that any particular individual does not dominate the discussion.

• Agree the outcome
• Outline the agenda
• Ensure active participation
• Summarise outcomes
• Close the meeting and write the minutes

Exercise: role-play based on running a meeting.

Day 2 (cont)

Controlling meetings

Whenever the manager brings his/her people together in a meeting forum he/she must ensure that the focus stays on the topic on the agenda and that the group does not digress e.g. on to another subject or personal observations. To do this the manager must make use of ‘control techniques’.

• Three step assertive technique
• Relevancy challenge
• Time challenge
• Car parking
• Feel, Felt, Found technique

Exercise: two person drills to learn the control techniques.

Communication meetings - The team briefing meeting

Team briefing is a structured approach to communication within a company and/or a department. It is a drill, whereby the manager brings his/her team together and briefs them on the key things that are happening in the company and their department. This activity helps to(a) confirm the teams’ sense of shared identity and (b) gives everyone a common understanding of how the team is doing and what the priorities are.

Exercise: learning the 4P’s team briefing format

Exercise: running a team briefing meeting

Day 3

Problem solving meetings

Problem solving and decision-making meetings are about (i) analysing data to identify a root cause of a problem or issue (ii) generating a number of solutions to ensure that a choice about how to move forward is created (iii) choosing a solution based on an assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of each option and finally (iv) implementing the solution and reviewing the results achieved.

• The Boulden Focused problem solving system
• Data squares to capture the facts
• Decision matrixes
• Seven aspects of the leaders role to ensure active participation and good time management

Exercise: leading a problem solving meeting

Information gathering meetings

The purpose of running an information gathering meeting is to get people’s views on some aspect of a problem or issue. Sometimes we may want to simply gather data, on other occasions we may want their views on the root cause of a problem or on possible solutions to an issue.

• CEDAC diagrams
• Brainstorming
• Nominal Group Technique
• Metaphor Analysis
• Project Team Meetings (the role of ‘rounds’)

Exercise: running an information gathering meeting.