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 ManagementInsecurityPersonal ValuesEgoManagement TrainingPersonality Characteristics of ManagersExclusion of Managers

Workforce Readiness

Organizational Structure & Management Practices

Management’s Role in Empowerment & Implementing Empowerment

Management’s Role:CommitmentLeadershipFacilitation

Implementing Empowerment:Development of Suggestion Systems (Fig 8.3)Considering the Employees Point of ViewPutting Vehicles in Place

BrainstormingNominal Group Technique (fig 8.4)Quality CirclesSuggestion BoxesWalking & Talking

Suggestion Systems - 1

Management’s Role:Establishing PolicySetting Up the SystemPromoting the Suggestion SystemEvaluating & Implementing suggestionsRewarding employees

Improving the system..Improving Suggestion ProcessingImproving Individual Suggestions

Problem IdentificationResearchIdea Development

Suggestion Systems - 2

Evaluating SuggestionsThough Employees make suggestions, final analysis is still to be made by manager.Thus, Establish a formal rating system for evaluating suggestion systems.

Handling Poor SuggestionsListen CarefullyExpress AppreciationCarefully explain your positionEncourage feedbackLook for Compromise

Achieving Full Participation

Removing Hidden BarriersNegative BehaviorPoor Writing SkillsFear of RejectionInconvenience

Encouraging new Employees

Coaching Reluctant EmployeesAssessInvestigateMatchChooseManage

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 changeBroker the needs of Constituency groupsEstablish an ethical framework

CharacteristicsBalanced CommitmentPositive Role ModelGood Communication SkillsPersuasiveness

Leadership for Quality

Principles:Customer FocusObsession with QualityFreedom through ControlLooking for Faults in SystemsTeamworkContinuing Education & Training

The Juran Trilogy:Quality PlanningQuality ControlQuality Improvement

Leadership

Motivation & Inspiration:Understanding Individual NeedsUnderstanding 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 LeaderNot all good leaders are popular. Vice Versa applies.

Leadership CharacteristicsSense of Purpose, Self-Discipline, Honesty, Credibility, Commonsense, Stamina, Commitment, Steadfastness.

PitfallsTrying to be a buddy, Having an Intimate relationship with an employee, Trying to keep the same when supervising former peers.

Paradigms of Human InteractionWin/Win, Win/Lose, Lose/Lose, Win

Leadership Vs Management

Leadership & Management are two distinctive and Complementary systems of action.

Management Coping with Complexity

Planning & Budgeting for Complexity

Develops capacity to carry out plans through organizing & staffing

Ensures accomplishment of plans through controlling & Problem Solving

Leadership Coping with Change

Setting the Direction for change

Aligns people to work toward the vision

Motivates & Inspires 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 & ChangeHave a clear vision & corresponding goalsExhibit a strong sense of responsibilityBe an effective communicatorHave a high energy levelHave the will to change

Change

Employees & Mangers on ChangeDifficulty in Change Different perceptions of employees & managers.Hence, proper atmosphere should be created to accommodate change.

Restructuring & Change:Be smart & EmpatheticHave a Clear VisionEstablish Incentives that Promote the ChangeContinue 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 TeamsPrimary 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 missionMembers adhere to the team ground rulesFair distribution of responsibility & authority exists.

Overview of Team Building & Teamwork - 2

Types of TeamsDepartment Improvement TeamProcess Improvement TeamTask Force

Learning to Work TogetherFactors influencing teamwork:

Personal Identity of Team membersRelationships among Team membersIdentity 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 missionIdentify success criteriaBe action centeredEstablish the ground rulesShare InformationCultivate Team Unity

Team Excellence & PerformanceInterdependence, 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 TeamsChoosing Team MembersResponsibilities of Team LeadersOther Team MembersCreating Teams Mission StatementDeveloping Collegial RelationshipsPromoting 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:

HonestySelflessnessDependabilityEnthusiasmResponsibilityCooperativenessInitiativePatienceResourcefulnessPunctualityPerseverance

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 CharacterTeam Development/Team BuildingMentoringMutual respectHuman 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

Communication is the transfer of message( information,idea,emotion,intent,feeling or

something else) that is both received and understood.

Effective Communication

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 direction2) 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

Listening means receiving the message,corretly decoding it and accurately perceiving what it means.

Inhibitors of effective listening

Lack of concentrationInterruptionPreconceived ideasThinking aheadInterference

Improving the listening skills

Upgrade your desire to listenAsk the right questionJudge what is really being saidEliminate 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 trainingExternal 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 EducationSales SkillsEmployee relations etc.,

Changing Role of TrainingMission of corporate Training is becoming the maximization of competitiveness through continual improvements.

Attitudes towards TrainingAlthough 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 poolGlobal CompetitionRapid & Continual ChangeTechnological Transfer ProblemsChanging 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 mostEnsure 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 LevelIndividual 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 startDesign SmallThink CreativelyShop aroundPreview & Customize

Internal ApproachesComputer Based training, Group instruction etc.

External ApproachesEnrolling employees in programs provided by public institutions.

Partnership ApproachesTraining partnerships combine characteristics of the above two approaches.

Evaluating Training

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 learnPeople learn more easily when what they are learning can be related to something they already knowPeople learn best in a step-by-step mannerPeople learn by doingThe more often people use what they are learning, the better they will remember and understand itSuccess in learning tends to stimulate additional learningPeople need immediate and continual feedback to know if they have learned.

Managers as Trainers & Trainees - 2

Four Step Teaching Method:PreparationPresentationApplicationEvaluation

Managers as Trainees:Quality basicsStrategic Quality managementQuality PlanningQuality ImprovementQuality 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 DoIndustry 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 SkillsMake a schedule and stick to itHave a special place to studyListen and take notesRead assertivelyImprove test-taking skills

Using Humor in TrainingProperly used relevant humor can produce a more favorable audience for the trainer.

Why Training Sometime fails?Lack of participation in planning by managementToo narrow in scope

Orientation Training

Recurring errors associated with orientation training:

Insufficient InformationToo much InformationConflicting Information

Principles for providing effective training:Base orientation topics on a needs assessmentEstablish an organizing frameworkEstablish learner controlMake orientation a process, not just an eventAllow people and personalities to emergeReflect organization’s mission & cultureHave a system for improving & updating

Customer Training

An old adage states“The customer is always right”

Customer education has several aspects:Shaping customer expectationsProviding user supportMarketing

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 discussionFacilitate, don’t preachIntegrate ethics trainingHighlight practical applications

Questions/Queries