Employee Empowerment Leadership Change Team building Teamwork Communication
Employee Empowerment, Leadership & Change, Team building & Teamwork, Communication & Interpersonal Relations, Education & Training Course Instructor: Dr. Syed M. Ahmed, Ph. D. College of Engineering & Computing Florida International University, Miami, Florida
Major Topics Employee Empowerment Leadership and Change Team Building & Team Work Effective Communication Education & Training
Employee Empowerment
Employee Empowerment Defined… Employee Empowerment is Employee Involvement that matters. It could also be defined as controlled transfer of authority to make decisions and take actions. What is needed? Successful implementation of empowerment requires change in corporate culture. Does this mean Abdication? NO. Empowerment involves actively soliciting input from those closest to the work and giving careful thought to that input.
Rationale An aspect of Working Smart Empowerment is the key to motivation & Productivity. It enables a person to develop personally & professionally.
Inhibitors of Empowerment Resistance from Employees & Unions Resistance from Management Insecurity Personal Values Ego Management Training Personality Characteristics of Managers Exclusion of Managers Workforce Readiness Organizational Structure & Management Practices
Management’s Role in Empowerment & Implementing Empowerment Management’s Role: Commitment Leadership Facilitation Implementing Empowerment: Development of Suggestion Systems (Fig 8. 3) Considering the Employees Point of View Putting Vehicles in Place Brainstorming Nominal Group Technique (fig 8. 4) Quality Circles Suggestion Boxes Walking & Talking
Suggestion Systems - 1 Management’s Role: Establishing Policy Setting Up the System Promoting the Suggestion System Evaluating & Implementing suggestions Rewarding employees Improving the system. . Improving Suggestion Processing Improving Individual Suggestions Problem Identification Research Idea Development
Suggestion Systems - 2 Evaluating Suggestions Though Employees make suggestions, final analysis is still to be made by manager. Thus, Establish a formal rating system for evaluating suggestion systems. Handling Poor Suggestions Listen Carefully Express Appreciation Carefully explain your position Encourage feedback Look for Compromise
Achieving Full Participation Removing Hidden Barriers Negative Behavior Poor Writing Skills Fear of Rejection Inconvenience Encouraging new Employees Coaching Reluctant Employees Assess Investigate Match Choose Manage
How to Recognize Empowered Employees Taking Initiative Identifying Opportunities Thinking Critically Building Consensus
Empowerment Avoiding Traps: Defining Power as Discretion & Self- Reliance Failing to Properly Define Empowerment for Managers & Supervisors Assuming Employees Have the skills to be Empowered Getting Impatient Making the Transition from Traditional Approach Beyond Empowerment
Leadership & Change
Leadership Defined Leadership is the ability to inspire people to make a total, willing and voluntary commitment to accomplish or exceeding organizational goals. Leaders must Overcome resistance to change Broker the needs of Constituency groups Establish an ethical framework Characteristics Balanced Commitment Positive Role Model Good Communication Skills Persuasiveness
Leadership for Quality Principles: Customer Focus Obsession with Quality Freedom through Control Looking for Faults in Systems Teamwork Continuing Education & Training The Juran Trilogy: Quality Planning Quality Control Quality Improvement
Leadership Motivation & Inspiration: Understanding Individual Needs Understanding Individual Beliefs Leadership Styles: In a total Quality setting, the most appropriate style might be called participative leadership taken to a higher level
Building & Maintaining a Following Popularity & the Leader Not all good leaders are popular. Vice Versa applies. Leadership Characteristics Sense of Purpose, Self-Discipline, Honesty, Credibility, Commonsense, Stamina, Commitment, Steadfastness. Pitfalls Trying to be a buddy, Having an Intimate relationship with an employee, Trying to keep the same when supervising former peers. Paradigms of Human Interaction Win/Win, Win/Lose, Lose/Lose, Win
Leadership Vs Management Leadership & Management are two distinctive and Complementary systems of action. Management Leadership q Coping with Complexity q Coping with Change q Planning & Budgeting for q Setting the Direction for q Develops capacity to q Aligns people to work q Ensures accomplishment q Motivates & Inspires Complexity carry out plans through organizing & staffing of plans through controlling & Problem Solving change toward the vision people to want to accomplish the plan
Leadership, Ethics, Change Leadership & Ethics: Setting high standards of ethical behavior is an essential task of leaders in a total quality setting. Leadership & Change Have a clear vision & corresponding goals Exhibit a strong sense of responsibility Be an effective communicator Have a high energy level Have the will to change
Change Employees & Mangers on Change Difficulty in Change Different perceptions of employees & managers. Hence, proper atmosphere should be created to accommodate change. Restructuring & Change: Be smart & Empathetic Have a Clear Vision Establish Incentives that Promote the Change Continue to Train
How to Lead Change? Change Facilitation Model: A critical aspect of leadership in today’s globally oriented organization involves leading change.
Team Building & Team Work
Overview of Team Building & Teamwork - 1 What is a Team? A team is a group of people with a common, collective goal. Rationale for Teams Primary reasons for advocating teamwork are: Two or more heads are better than one. People in teams get to know each other better, build trust & as a result help each other. Teamwork promotes better communication. A group of people become a team when the following conditions exist: Agreement exists as to the team’s mission Members adhere to the team ground rules Fair distribution of responsibility & authority exists.
Overview of Team Building & Teamwork - 2 Types of Teams Department Improvement Team Process Improvement Team Task Force Learning to Work Together Factors influencing teamwork: Personal Identity of Team members Relationships among Team members Identity within the organization How to be a Member? Gain Entry, Be Clear on the Team’s mission, Be well prepared and participate, Stay in Touch.
Overview of Team Building & Teamwork - 3 How to be a Leader? Be clear on the team’s mission Identify success criteria Be action centered Establish the ground rules Share Information Cultivate Team Unity Team Excellence & Performance Interdependence, Stretching tasks, Alignment, Common Language, Trust/Respect, Shared Leadership/ Followership, Problem-solving skills, Confrontation/ Conflict-handling skills, Assessment/Action, Celebration.
Building Teams & Making them Work Following are the factors that influence team building & should be taken care of: Makeup & Size of Teams Choosing Team Members Responsibilities of Team Leaders Other Team Members Creating Teams Mission Statement Developing Collegial Relationships Promoting Diversity in Teams
Four Step Approach to Team Building Assessing Team Needs Planning Team-Building Activities Executing Team-Building Activities Evaluating Team-Building Activities
Character Traits & Teamwork Following are few character traits required for Teamwork: Honesty Selflessness Dependability Enthusiasm Responsibility Cooperativeness Initiative Patience Resourcefulness Punctuality Perseverance
Teams are not Bossed – They are Coached Bosses approach the job from “I’m in charge – do as you are told perspective”. Coaches are facilitators of team development and continually improved performance. Following are a few characteristics of a Coach: Clearly Defined Character Team Development/Team Building Mentoring Mutual respect Human Diversity
Handling Conflict in Teams Resolution Strategies for Team Conflicts: Plan & Work to establish a balanced culture Establish clear criteria Don’t allow individuals to build personal empires Encourage & Recognize risk-taking behavior Value constructive dissent Assign people of widely differing perspectives Reward and recognize both dissent & teamwork
Structural Inhibitors of Teamwork Commonly found structural inhibitors to teamwork in organizations are: Unit Structure Accountability Unit Goals Responsibility Compensation & Recognition Planning & Control
Rewarding Team & Individual Performance An organization’s attempt to institutionalize teamwork will fail unless it includes implementation of an appropriate compensation system
Effective Communication
Defnition of Communication is the transfer of message ( information, idea, emotion, intent, feeling or something else) that is both received and understood.
Effective Communication means that the message is received , understood and acted on in the desired manner. It is higher order of communication.
Strategies to communicate the importance of quality 1) Be optimistic and tie quality to the organization’s strategic direction 2) Consider the points of view of all sides when formulating your message. 3) Be positive , honest and consistent-give every one the same message.
Defnition of Listening means receiving the message, corretly decoding it and accurately perceiving what it means.
Inhibitors of effective listening Lack of concentration Interruption Preconceived ideas Thinking ahead Interference
Improving the listening skills Upgrade your desire to listen Ask the right question Judge what is really being said Eliminate listening errors
Communicating in Writing (Helpful Rules) Plan before you write. Be brief. Be direct. Be accurate. Practice self – editing.
Strategies for improving communication Keep up to date. Prioritize and determine time constrains. Decide whom to inform. Determine how to communicate. Communicate and follow up. Check understanding and obtain feedback
Education & Training
Overview of Education, Training & Learning - 1 Training is An organized, systematic series of activities designed to enhance an individual’s work-related knowledge, skills, and understanding. Corporate America invests more than $45 billion per year in training. Sources of Training: In house training External Training or a combination of both. Numerous Instructional methods like video tapes, lecture, demonstration etc. , are used to provide training to employees
Overview of Education, Training & Learning - 1 Types of training by Industry: Customer Education Sales Skills Employee relations etc. , Changing Role of Training Mission of corporate Training is becoming the maximization of competitiveness through continual improvements. Attitudes towards Training Although interest levels don’t yet match those found in European and Pacific Rim countries, attitude towards training in North America are changing for better.
Rationale for Training The rationale for training can be found in the need to compete. Following are the important factors for “need for training” Quality of the existing labor pool Global Competition Rapid & Continual Change Technological Transfer Problems Changing Demographics Any kind of learning can benefit employees & employers alike in ways that cannot be predicted.
Training needs Assessment It is most important to: Train those who need it most Ensure that the training provided is designed to promote the goals of the organization Managers may become involved in assessing training needs at two levels: Organizational Level Individual Level The most structured approach managers can use to assess training needs is the job task analysis survey.
Providing Training Strategies for maximizing training resources: Build in Quality from the start Design Small Think Creatively Shop around Preview & Customize Internal Approaches Computer Based training, Group instruction etc. External Approaches Enrolling employees in programs provided by public institutions. Partnership Approaches Training partnerships combine characteristics of the above two approaches.
Evaluating Training begins with a clear statement of purpose. To know where training has improved performance, managers need to know three things: Was the training provided valid? Did the Employees learn? Has the learning made a difference?
Managers as Trainers & Trainees - 1 Principles of Learning: People learn best when they are ready to learn People learn more easily when what they are learning can be related to something they already know People learn best in a step-by-step manner People learn by doing The more often people use what they are learning, the better they will remember and understand it Success in learning tends to stimulate additional learning People need immediate and continual feedback to know if they have learned.
Managers as Trainers & Trainees - 2 Four Step Teaching Method: Preparation Presentation Application Evaluation Managers as Trainees: Quality basics Strategic Quality management Quality Planning Quality Improvement Quality Control
Workforce Literacy Impact of Illiteracy on Industry: Difficulty in filling high-skill jobs, lower levels of productivity, higher levels of waste etc. , What Industry Can Do Industry in United States has found it necessary to confront the literacy problem head-on. Companies are doing this by providing remedial education in the workplace. What Managers Should Know about Literacy Training The need for workforce literacy will be a fact of life with which managers will have to deal for some time to come.
Improving Learning Teaching Study Skills Make a schedule and stick to it Have a special place to study Listen and take notes Read assertively Improve test-taking skills Using Humor in Training Properly used relevant humor can produce a more favorable audience for the trainer. Why Training Sometime fails? Lack of participation in planning by management Too narrow in scope
Orientation Training Recurring errors associated with orientation training: Insufficient Information Too much Information Conflicting Information Principles for providing effective training: Base orientation topics on a needs assessment Establish an organizing framework Establish learner control Make orientation a process, not just an event Allow people and personalities to emerge Reflect organization’s mission & culture Have a system for improving & updating
Customer Training An old adage states “The customer is always right” Customer education has several aspects: Shaping customer expectations Providing user support Marketing Customer expectations are shaped by the promotional literature used in marketing the product. Customer training can also help market a product.
Ethics Training Ethical behavior and the rationale for it can be taught. Ethics training is becoming increasingly important As the pressures of succeeding in an intensely competitive global marketplace grow. Following are a few recommendations: Stimulate discussion Facilitate, don’t preach Integrate ethics training Highlight practical applications
Questions/Queries
- Slides: 56