Management Blog

Management Training As Important as Technical Training

Williams and Benetton used the same Renault engine in their Formula One racing cars in the 1997 season. Williams was consistently faster and more successful. Both cars had the same power but the difference between them was in how they applied that power to the track. In 2009, the Brawn team has started off dramatically well having switched to Mercedes engines. However, the previous year's champions, McLaren, using the same engine, are having a miserable start to the season.

Many companies today share the same technical ability but some are more successful. If the engine of the company consists of the hard skills of technical excellence, the soft skills of organisational management are the transmission, translating the engine's power into a winning machine.

Technical skills constitute the company's mainstay and stock in trade. We call these hard skills because they are non-problematic. Everyone accepts the need for them. Less obvious are the soft skills such as managing customer relationships, team selling,  leadership, motivation,communication, commitment building, and joint problem-solving.

While technical training is considered an investment, many companies refer to  management training as a cost. Unfortunately, because of the woolly nature of the planning and conceptualisation of most management training, much of it does turn out to be wasted. However the two sets of skills, hard and soft, should be complementary. The people in the excellent company are good at both.

Kurt Lewin

 

It has been said that management theory is a series of footnotes to Drucker. It might be said with equal truth that the study of group dynamics and organisational behaviour is a set of footnotes to Kurt Lewin (1890 – 1947) - known as the father of modern social psychology. He was the first to use scientific methods and experimentation to study social behaviour.

His study of groups led to the understanding that the process of group interaction was just as important as and indeed an integral part of any outcomes. This is now a vital part of facilitation processes.

Field theory 

Lewin is perhaps most renowned for his development of ‘field theory’ - that human behaviour is the function of both the person and the environment. Obvious as this may seem to us now, psychologists at the time accepted the psychoanalytic theory that all human action was the result of blind pushes from within the self. Lewin thought of motives as goal-directed forces.

Our behaviour is purposeful; we live in a psychological reality or life space that includes not only those parts of our physical and social environment that are important to us but also imagined states that do not currently exist.

Lewin's field theory is essentially the demonstration that behaviour is the result of a combination of personality and social situation - and that neither study of the individual not study of the social environment will be enough to account for, or indeed predict, behaviour on their own. This 'nature or nurture' argument has long been current in social psychology and has perhaps been given further impetus by breakthrough learning about the nature and function of parts of the human brain. One might include the work of Simon Baron-Cohen here as an example.

Action research

Lewin’s field theory lead to his developing action research.

The research needed for social practice can best be characterized as research for social management or social engineering. It is a type of action-research, a comparative research on the conditions and effects of various forms of social action, and research leading to social action. Research that produces nothing but books will not suffice.

From this quotation, it can be seen that action research is aimed at improving practice - that it is a matter of the practitioner acting, collecting data on the results, reflecting on alternatives, seeking improvement and then acting again. At its very centre is the collection and analysis of hard data. It has been described as:

... inquiry or research in the context of focused efforts to improve the quality of an organization and its performance. It typically is designed and conducted by practitioners who analyze the data to improve their own practice. Action research can be done by individuals or by teams of colleagues. The team approach is called collaborative inquiry.

Unfreeze, change, refreeze

Part of Action research is the three-step model of change in organisational development- unfreeze, change, refreeze. The central concept is that an organisation needs to be shaken out of its current values and mode of operation first, then changed and then set running in its new mode with new values. Today, many thinkers would argue that refreezing is not a good idea and that change is constant.

Group dynamics 

Action research was part and parcel of Lewin's deep interest in the working of social groups. In 1944, he established the Research Center on Group Dynamics at Massachusetts's Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) with a programme to study:

• Group productivity – seeking to understand why groups are so often unable to get results.
• Communication – seeking to understand how influence works in groups
• Social perception – seeking to discover how group membership affects perception of perceived social events
• Intergroup relations – seeking to identify what helps and hinders relationships between groups
• Group membership – seeking the way in which individuals adjust their behaviour to fit in with different groups
• Leadership training – seeking ways top enable managers to lead groups more effectively

He said of groups that they existed for two reasons. A group’s existence continues for as long as:

• People in it realize their fate depends on the fate of the group as a whole
• Members of the group are dependent on each other for achievement

He worked with Ronald Lippitt on a study of three group models - democratic, autocratic and laissez-faire – and concluded that there was more originality, group-mindedness and friendliness in democratic groups. In contrast, there was more aggression, hostility, scapegoating and discontent in laissez-faire and autocratic groups.

T- groups

Lewin was also party to, indeed leader of, the development of what became known as T-groups at the National Training Laboratory in Bethel, Maine.

As well as ...

• Made popular in recent times by David A Kolb, Lewin put forward a model of human learning - action, reflection, generalization, and testing. This may find an echo in Tom Peter's later comment, 'Try it. Do it. Fix it.'  and indeed is central to Action Research.
• Lewin was the first to make use of the word feedback, taken from electronic engineering.

 

Taken from the Call of the Wild Development Academy

For more information on our team and leadership programmes visitCall of the Wild's website

Listening Skills - Difference Bewteen Active and Passive

An important distinction is made between active listening and just hearing. Active listening is a process - one of trying hard to understand both the content and the feelings of another. Too many people, in a conversation, appear to be listening when in fact all they are doing is quietly waiting for their turn to talk. In fact, active listening is rarely quiet. A person actively listening to another will be making encouraging noises, empathetic sounds and asking short questions to aid their understanding, even repeating what the other person has said to test their understanding. The active listener seeks to grasp the values, emotions and background as well as the facts of what someone else is saying.

Carl Rogers says

"Active Listening is an important way to bring about changes in people ... clinical and research evidence clearly shows that sensitive listening is a most effective agent for individual personality change and group development."

He also says that when people are listened to in this way, they listen to themselves more acutely and that active listening reduces barriers and differences between people.

Norman Maier shows in his research that this skill is, unfortunately, not common among managers.The best sales people are the best listeners.  They get the best information, isolate the best priorities, most accurately identify concerns, worries and needs and are thereby enabled to put forward the most customised and most acceptable propositions.

Article taken from our online Development Academy. For more information visit our website.

Motivational Video with Famous Quotes

This is a  motivational video with famous quotes. Enjoy.

For more information on management training and persoanl development visit Call of the Wild's website

Britain still in Recession - What Does This Mean for Management Training?

Figures released that last week show that the British economy is still in recession having shrunk by a further 0.4% in the last quarter. This was contrary to what commentators were expecting with predictions that the UK economy would show positive growth for the first time in 2009. Even though this isn't good news the stock market still showed some of its biggest increases for some months. This illustrates there is an underlying confidence in the economy going into 2010 being driven by the growth in the European economies such as France and Germany.

What are the implications for management training in the UK over the next 6 months? Well in our experience clients are still being cautious but the last quarter for us showed an up turn not just in the number of enquiries but also the actual number of bookings. This has to be positive going into 2010 given the extremely nervous start many companies had to 2009.

For more information on management training programmes for your staff visit the Call of the Wild website.

Personal Team Management Style

Your own management style should depend upon the nature of your team.  Ronald Lippitt researched three group leadership models

• democratic
• autocratic
• laissez-faire

and concluded that there was more originality, group-mindedness and friendliness in democratic groups. In contrast, there was more aggression, hostility, scapegoating and discontent in laissez-faire and autocratic groups.

As we say in the Delegation Profile exercise:

The best management style depends upon the situation that the manager is in. The nature of the staff forms a major part of the situation. For example, the more experienced the staff are, the less the manager has to tell them what to do and the more he or she can delegate.

Delegation is not the ideal style in all circumstances. It depends upon the situation. However, the more you can approach delegation, the more effective your team will be.

Start by reviewing  Theory X and Y and on Participation This will give you some background thinking on management style. Try to overcome any naive beliefs that the manager has to be a tough boss and make all the decisions. Don't let your ego get in the way of your effectiveness.

Think about your team. Are your staff experienced, confident, learning, apprehensive or what?  It is probable that each member of the team will differ – and so will the most appropriate style to use with each team member. Make notes of your conclusions and discuss them with each member of the team in turn. Agree with each team member which style of management will most help them.

Remember also that people develop and that it is your job to help them develop. Reading the short book The One Minute Manager will help. You might consider buying a copy for each member of the team so that they can fully appreciate what you are trying to do with your management style.

Extract taken from our Online Development Academy

For more information on our Management Development Programmes visit Call of the Wild's website.

 

Behaviour & Personality

There is a key distinction is between personality and behaviour. The word "personality" has many uses (many of which are wrong!) and many definitions. Essentially, personality is taken to mean a mix of values, world-views, set responses and characteristics which are relatively enduring aspects of the person. Personality is taken to be what we are while behaviour is what we do. We cannot change what we are but we can change what we do - for short periods of time at least. The ability to change behaviour is at the root of the concept of management style.

As Robin Stuart-Kotze says,

"... it has been maintained ... that personality becomes virtually fixed at about age five. Current research indicates that we are more flexible than that but that changing one's attitudes, values, beliefs and aspirations - the substance of personality - is difficult"

Behaviour, on the other hand, is what we do. While much of our behaviour (see Theory X and Theory Y) is of course the result of our values and beliefs, it is much easier to behave differently (if only for a short while) than to change beliefs. Moreover, if we try out different behaviours - different ways of doing things - and find that they are a success, this in itself may cause us to change even deeply held views and values.

For more information on our programmes looking at behaviour, leadership and team development  then visit Call of the Wild's website

Action Learning

I hear … and I forget
I see … and I remember
I do … and I understand

Ancient Chinese Proverb

Naturally this maxim predates findings about sense-based learning styles and multiple intelligences. Still, it is largely true that the surest way to know you’ve learned is to try your hand.  One must learn by doing, Sophocles wrote; for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try. Actually we are action learners by disposition. For evidence, watch any child who is not warned off exploring. We naturally ask questions, structure investigations in pursuit of answers, and work with system, method and order.

Active Listening is a skill associated with Action Learning. Defined simply – that is, ignoring qualifying conditions such as emotional or technical complexity – you are listening actively if you can restate in your own words what someone else said and the speaker agrees you understood. It does not mean you agree or that the speaker was articulate; it means simply that you were paying attention. Active Listening helps improve communication during Action Learning projects.

Recruitment – the most important management skill

Of all the management practices and skills, recruitment is the single most important. The other skills will work if and only if the right people have been recruited. Jack Welch said "that nothing matters more in winning than getting the right people on the field"

Indeed Dan DiMicco, CEO of Nucor Steel

Top 10 Tips For Personal Branding

Choose a style

Style can be the reason people welcome or dismiss you. Before meeting a new client or audience, do an analysis. Should you be traditional and plain vanilla? Would they warm to an informal or artistic touch, or would that brand you an outsider?

If you're not sure about dress, either ring to check or err on the side of conservative. Above all, be comfortable; confidence is an important starting point.

Get fit

Your clothes don’t have to be costly but they do have to fit. A jacket that’s big in the shoulders, an uneven hem, wrong length trousers and sleeves and anything baggy will make you look badly dressed whatever you paid for what you wear. This is true whether you’re suited or smart casual

Make a full length check 

What you see looking down isn’t what others see looking straight at you.

Before leaving for a meeting, look at yourself in a full length mirror. Look with an objective eye. Do you present a smart picture? Is anything amiss?

Eliminate distractions 

Make sure there are no distractions to your appearance. Are there pet hairs in your car? Check your back before entering a meeting. After a salad lunch, check your smile. These small matters have a big impact.

Test your handshake

The limp fish handshake won’t ever do, yet you don’t want to be vigorous. Aim for firm, and while you offer a handshake, make eye contact. The best way to get the balance right is test it out with those who will take you seriously and give you honest feedback

Think posture and smile

Before you enter a room, relax, stand naturally tall – and even if you’re feeling insecure, whistle that happy tune to yourself and try to feel quietly self assured. While a friendly grin may be out of place, a genuine smile can never go amiss.

Breathe easy 

Check out your breath. It’s easy to do by yourself. Lick your wrist, leave it for a moment, and sniff. Or get others to tell you; you’d rather know

Hold your focus

No matter how many people you’d like to meet, give the person you’re talking to your full attention. There’s little more insulting than scanning the rest of the room while pretending to be engaged in conversation. All your hard work in preparation becomes a failed endeavour.

Shine your shoes


Shoes get noticed – especially if they’re scuffed or run down at the heel. Make sure yours don’t let you down. And men, choose shoes with leather soles; it’s the business standard.  

Arrive unfettered

Clutter is unsettling. If you have luggage, laptop, briefcase, coat, umbrella and the rest, leave it in the car or at reception, or ask someone to find a closet where you can store everything but the essentials. Whatever you do, make sure there’s a space around well dressed, confident, immaculate you.