Support Achievement of results

Following my LPM journey, this is the 5th and second last module.

Support achievement of result has a lot of links with the support team module.

Interpret and implement team plan

Companies have mission statements, vision statements, corporate, department and individual goals. These are usually blended together to ensure that everyone in the organisation is moving in the same direction. If the goals are not compatible, groups or individuals in the company start pulling in different directions and the overall progress of the company is affected.

As a team leader, one need to communicate the objectives that the team needs to achieve on a daily basis. Then you coach them to accomplish them. Ensuring that these daily objectives are achieved is part of a long term plan and essential to being an effective leader.

When the goals of the company, team and the individual are focused in the same direction, they are more likely to be achieved. When everyone is moving in the same direction it is more satisfying and productive.

Setting Goals

Having a goal, is the first step. Next, step is to plan on how to achieve it. Using the example above, the company would need to develop a number of steps to achieve that goal.

S  Specific and clear. The objective is identified M  Measurable. There is some form of measurement built in. A  Achievable. The team has the capacity to achieve it. R  Realistic. The goal must be within the capabilities of the team. T  Time related. There is a defined time frame to achieve the goal.

Develop a Team Plan and the Member's Roles

1. Leader could let the group decide for themselves. If all members have worked together before and are aware of individual strengths, this could work well. 2. People could choose their own role. There may be issues of authority or skill that could impact on their effectiveness in their chosen role.

KSA model is a competency model of individual. KSA include Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (also called KSAs model) that an applicant must have to perform successfully in the position.
Knowledge is body of information needed to perform a task.
Identifying Team Tasks

state the goal to be addressed list the tasks required to achieve that goal group similar tasks under one heading (For example, inventory control) determine the resources needed to complete each task define the role, responsibility, authority and accountability for each task allocate team roles to the appropriate people.

Responsibility, Accountability and Authority

responsibility, what tasks they must do accountability, what results they must achieve authority, how much power they have to achieve the goals

The RASCI matrix
1. Physiological Needs
2. Security Needs
3. Social Needs
4. Esteem Needs
5. Self-actualizing Needs

Dominant/     Motivator	Characteristics of This Person
Achievement	Has a strong need to set and accomplish challenging goals. Takes calculated risks to accomplish their goals. Likes to receive regular feedback on their progress and achievements. Often likes to work alone.
Affiliation	Wants to belong to the group. Wants to be liked, and will often go along with whatever the rest of the group wants to do. Favors collaboration over competition. Doesn't like high risk or uncertainty.
Power	Wants to control and influence others. Likes to win arguments. Enjoys competition and winning. Enjoys status and recognition.

Organisation Analysis

• Profit and Loss statements by department

• Employee turnover

• Downtime

• Organisations Business Plan (Objectives and Goals)

Operational Analysis

• Quality Assurance Procedures

• Interviewing Heads of Departments

• Obtaining Job Descriptions

Person Analysis

• Interviewing staff (about the job)

• Observation 'On-the-job'

• Job Profile

• Competing is assertiveness and uncooperative- -an individual pursues his own concerns at the other person’s expense. This is power-oriented mode, in which ones uses whatever power seems appropriate to win one’s own position- -“standing up for your rights, defending a position when you believe is correct, or simply trying to win. 

• Accommodating is an unassertive and cooperative—the opposite of competing. When accommodating, an individual neglects his own concerns to satisfy the concerns of the other person, there is an element of self-sacrifice in this obeying another person’s order when one would prefer not to, or yielding to another’s point of view. 

• Avoiding is unassertive and uncooperative—the individual does not immediately pursue his own concerns or those of the other person. He does not address the conflict. Avoiding might take the form of diplomatically sidestepping an issue, postponing an issue until a better time or simply withdrawing from a threatening situation. 

• Collaborating is both assertive and cooperative—the opposite of avoiding. Collaborating involves an attempt to work with the other person to find some solution which fully satisfies the concerns of both persons. It means digging into an issue to identify the underlying concerns of the two individuals and to find an alternative which meets both sets of concerns. Collaborating between two persons might take the form of exploring a disagreement to learn from each other’s insights, concluding to resolve some condition which would otherwise have them competing for resources, or confronting and trying to find a creative solution to an interpersonal problem. 

• Compromising is intermediate in both assertiveness and cooperativeness. The objective is to find some expedient, mutually acceptable solution which partially satisfies both parties. It falls on a middle ground between competing and accommodating. Compromising gives up more than competing but less than accommodating. Likewise, it addresses an issue more directly than avoiding, but doesn’t explore it in as much depth as collaborating. Compromising might mean splitting the difference, exchanging concessions or seeking a quick middle-ground position. 

1. Manage Differences without Conflict or Argument
2. Transform “you against me” to “us against the problem
3. Deal with the issue, not the relationship
4. Keep rapport, even when it’s impossible to resolve the issues

B .:"Thanks Boss for letting me know, I understand that you may experience me that I am not part of the team."
A: "Well, I want you to collaborate with other better and offer help for the new people."
A.: "Sure, that would be useful."
A: "Well, you are very experienced on this field, it would help to achieve better result."

The basic steps that are common in all the processes of management by objective (MBO) are:-

• (i) The overall objectives related with the job of subordinates.
• (ii) The key results which must be achieved by the subordinate to fulfill his objectives.
• (iii) The long term and short term priorities, a subordinate needs to adhere to.
• (iv.) The extent and scope of assistance expected by a subordinate from his superior and other departmental managers and also the assistance, the subordinates is required to extend to other departments of his organizations.
• (v.) Nature of information and the reports receive by the subordinate to carry out self evaluation.
• (vi.) The standards use to evaluate the performance of the subordinate.

Performance Management Process

• Appraisal isn’t the end of the story, nor is it the beginning. Appraisal sits as part of a performance management process.

• Performance Management is a continuous process. The manager (the appraiser) should have informal discussions with the member of staff (the appraisee) about their performance throughout the year. It is essential to remember that the appraiser’s role is a supportive one. There should be no surprises for either party as there should be continual dialogue through the year.

• Formal Performance Appraisals are generally conducted annually for all staff in the organisation. Each staff member is appraised by their line manager. Annual performance appraisals enable management and monitoring of standards, all parties to agree expectations and objectives, establish individual training needs and enable organisational training needs analysis and planning. Performance appraisals data feeds into organisational annual pay and grading reviews, and coincides with the business planning for the next trading year.

For goals to be useful they must be clear, specific and understood. For example a goal  "To be more profitable" is not very useful because it does not identify what profitable means or when it should happen by.

A more useful goal would be to:

"Increase the sales of X brand televisions by 10% by the end of this financial year"

S M A R T is a common acronym used to describe setting goals or objectives.   

Once the goal is set, the next step is to determine how to get there and what role each person will play. In this step it is important that all team members have the same understanding of what is to be achieved and who is responsible for achieving it.

Developing a team plan sets a clear direction for the team. As part of this process you need to define the role that each team member will play. This shows each person how they can contribute to achieving the goal. In this process it is important to develop clear areas of responsibility, provide adequate resources and ensure that each person is accountable for their actions.

There are many ways to define these roles depending on the maturity and experience of the team.

3.Leader can also make decision on who does what. If so, it's a good idea to explain why the roles are delegated as they are, so team members understand the reason for the decision.

Leader can also use the KSA Model

1. Human Resources Knowledge include knowledge of personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems. 
2. Skills are the proficiency to perform a certain task. Skill in operating computer peripherals such as printers. 
3. Abilities are an underlying, enduring trait useful for performing tasks. For example, oral comprehension – the ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

A the leader has decided what to be achieved and who will fill what roles in the team, leader must itemize the tasks that need to be completed. It is a good idea to involve the team in this so everyone has some input and understanding of what is involved. The overall process for this is as follows:

After the roles have been allocated, the next step is to ensure that everyone knows what they can and can't do. They need to understand their role in terms of their:

Clearly identifying these levels is critical to the success of the team and is a reflection of your effectiveness as a leader.

Ensure that a person's role is suited to their skills and that their level of authority is equal to their levels of responsibility and accountability. Dissatisfaction can quickly develop if a person has high levels of responsibility with little authority to get the job done.

For this, leader can use Rasci table

The RASCI matrix is a useful tool for defining the roles and to determine the tasks, responsibilities and authority of the development group members. The names or functional roles of the development group members are listed along the horizontal axis of the matrix and the deliverables, activities or processes along the vertical axis. The letters R, A, S, C and I each constitute a combination of a name/role and result/process/task. The letters stand for the following terms:

• R (responsible): those who do the work and are responsible for the result. They report directly to the person accountable.
• A (accountable): the one ultimately responsible and authorised to hold accountable those responsible.
• S (supportive): those who provide support and assistance to those responsible for the result.
• C (consulted): those whose opinions are sought before decisions or steps are taken to achieve the result (two-way communication).
• I (informed): those who are informed after decisions have been made or results have been achieved. They have no influence over the result.

Manage and reward team performances

Before managing team performances, leader need to understand the need of the staffs/team. Leader can use the maslow need and McClelland need.

Maslow

These include the most basic needs that are vital to survival, such as the need for water, air, food, and sleep. Maslow believed that these needs are the most basic and instinctive needs in the hierarchy because all needs become secondary until these physiological needs are met.

Most of these lower level needs are probably fairly apparent. We need food and water to survive. We also need to breath and maintain a stable body temperature. In addition to eating, drinking, and having adequate shelter and clothing, Maslow also suggested that sexual reproduction was a basic physiological need. 

These include the needs for safety and security. Security needs are important for survival, but they are not as demanding as the physiological needs. Examples of security needs include a desire for steady employment, health care, safe neighborhoods, and shelter from the environment.

The needs become a bit more complex at this point in the hierarchy. Now that the more basic survival needs have been fulfilled, people begin to feel that they need more control and order to their lives. A safe place to live, financial security, physical safety, and staying healthy are all concerns that might come into play at this stage. 

These include needs for belonging, love, and affection. Maslow described these needs as less basic than physiological and security needs. Relationships such as friendships, romantic attachments, and families help fulfill this need for companionship and acceptance, as does involvement in social, community, or religious groups.

After the first three needs have been satisfied, esteem needs becomes increasingly important. These include the need for things that reflect on self-esteem, personal worth, social recognition, and accomplishment.

At this point, it become increasingly important to gain the respect and appreciation of others. People have a need to accomplish things and then have their efforts recognized. People often engage in activities such as going to school, playing a sport, enjoying a hobby, or participating in professional activities in order to fulfill this need. 

Satisfying this need and gaining acceptance and esteem helps people become more confident. Failing to gain recognition for accomplishments, however, can lead to feelings of failure or inferiority.

This is the highest level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Self-actualizing people are self-aware, concerned with personal growth, less concerned with the opinions of others, and interested fulfilling their potential.

A Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is a measurable value that demonstrates how effectively a company is achieving key business objectives. Organizations use KPIs to evaluate their success at reaching targets. After setting KPI,one can evaluate if any training needed. Model to be used can be Training needs analysis

The organisation analysis allows you to view the performance of the organisation. It is interesting to note that whilst this analysis does not indicate a specific training need of an individual it can highlight performance problems in specific departments within the organisation.

The following areas will assist in your analysis:

At the operational analysis you will be concerned with what Knowledge, Skills and Abilities are required to perform certain jobs/tasks.

This information can be gained through:

This is where you analyse how well the team or individual performs the task/job. Again a range of tools are available to evaluate the extent of teams and individuals skills, knowledge and abilities. These include:

Being a leader, one need to have good negotiation skill. Below is the Thomas killman model.

In giving feedback for during session, leader should be objective and not subjective.Throwing out the feedback is also important as part of communication.

Effective feedback process (both giving and receiving) has 4 objectives:

So here is a simple, process using the example above to effectively receive feedback and problem solve for WIN-WIN. Also please remember, it's not only 'what' you say but also 'how' you say matter a lot, try to use a GPS voice in such communication - totally calm and neutral, just like the GPS.

1. Validate the other person's opinion - validating does not mean agreeing, it's simply connecting.

A : "I want to tell you that you are not a teamplayer" 

2. Identify Criteria: Don't ask the "why" question, don't talk about the past, focus on the future and try to connect with what's important to the other person

B: " So tell me, what needs to happen that you would consider me as a team player?"

3. Paraphrase: Clarify the issues, keep flushing out his need

B.: "So what you are saying is you would consider me as a team player if I was more active with new people and offer help?"

4. Identify Need, Dig for implication and consequences.

B. "Why is my help so important to you, what would it mean to the team?"

5. Share & Solve - here you explain your situation and invite solution (don't offer, invite)

B: "That's great, however my situation is that I am running multiple projects and have kids to pick up right after work so my time is extremely limited. What can we do / What do you suggest we do so you would sense me as more of a team player and I would still be able to successfully juggle work and family without burning out?"

That's it - the beauty of this process its simplicity. from you against me to us against the problem.

Monitor implementation of team plans

Using model of Manage by objective, leader can manage the team performance.

What are the steps involved in the process of MBO?

1. Central goal setting: defining and verifying organizational objectives is the first step in MBO process. Generally these objectives are set by central management of the organization but it does so after consulting other managers. Before setting of these objectives, an extensive assessment of the available resources is made by the central management. It also conducts market service and research along with making a forecast. Through this elaborate analysis, the desired long run and short run objectives of the organization are highlighted. The central management tries to make these objectives realistic and specific. After setting these goals it is the responsibility of the management that these are known to all members and are also under stood by them.

2. Development and individual goal setting : After organization objectives are established by the central management, the next step is to establish the department goals. The top management needs to discuss these objectives with the heads of the departments so that mutually agreed upon objectives are established. Long range and short range goals are set by each department in consultation with the top management. After the department goals are established, the employees work with their managers to establish their own individual goals which relate with the organization goals. These participative goals are very important because It has been seen that employees become highly motivated to achieve the objectives established by them. These objectives for individuals should be specific and short range. These should indicate the capability of the unit of the individual. Through this process all the members of the organization become involved in the process of goal setting.

3. Revision of job description : In the process of MBO resetting individual goals involves a revision of job description of different positions in the organization which in turn requires the revision of the entire structure of the organization. The organization manuals and charts may also have to be modified to portray the changes that have been introduced by the process of MBO. The job description has to define the objectives, authority and responsibility of different jobs. The connection of one job with all other jobs of the organization also needs to be established clearly.

4. Matching goals : The establishment of objectives can not be fruitful unless the resources and means required to achieve these objectives are provided. Therefore the subordinates should be provided required tools and materials which enables them to achieve the objectives efficiently and effectively. Resource requirements can be measured precisely if the goals are set precisely. This makes the process of resource allocation relatively easy. Resource allocation should be made after consulting the subordinates.

5. Freedom implementation: The task team of manager and his subordinates should be given freedom in deciding the way to utilize their resources and the way to achieve their objectives. There should be very little or no interference by the seniors as long as the team is working with in the framework of organization policies.

6. Establishing check points: The process of MBO requires regularly meetings between the managers and their subordinates to discuss the progress achieve in the accomplishment of the objective established for the subordinates. For this purpose the mangers need to establish the standards of performance or check points to evaluate the progress of their subordinates. These standards need to be specified as for as possible quantitatively and it should also be ensured that these are completely understood by the subordinates. This practices needs to be followed by all managers and these should lead to an analysis of key results has the targets are represented in terms of the results. The analysis of key results should be recorded in writing and it generally contains information regarding :

7. Performance appraisal : An informal performance appraisal is generally conducted in routine by the manager, a periodic review of performance of the subordinates should also be conducted. Periodic reviews are required as the priorities and conditions change constantly and need to be monitored constantly. These reviews help the mangers as well as the subordinates to modify the objectives or the methods whenever require. This significantly increases the chances of achieving the goals and also ensures that no surprises are found at the time of final appraisal. Periodic performance appraisal needs to be based on measurable and fair standards so that these are completely understood by the subordinates and there are also aware of the degree of performance required at each step.