Management, HR and Marketing Courses

Belbin Team Role Theory

2008-10-13T04:22:00.000-07:00

Established Team Role Theory

The established theory on the nature of team roles was pioneered by Dr Belbin.

Dr Belbin popularised nine different team roles, each with its own strengths and weaknesses, and each with its own contribution to make to the team.

The nine team role types are introduced below:

Plant – Solve hard to solve problems through the use of creativity, imagination and innovation. However, their absorption into problem solving can be perceived as being a poor communicator.
Resource investigator – Extrovert and enthusiastic nature leads to contacts and opportunities being explored. However, their enthusiasm can diminish quickly once the initial excitement has passed.

Co-ordinator – Makes an excellent chairperson due to their ability to clarify goals and help the team to make effective decisions. However, they can be perceived by others to be manipulative.

Shaper – Their drive and dynamism challenges and overcomes obstacles but this can often offend some people.

Monitor evaluator – Both sober and discerning they can lack the drive to inspire other members of the team.

Teamworker – Their co-operation makes for a diplomatic team member who listens to all views and minimises friction within the team. However, the drive to build co-operation can lead to indecision with major decisions.

Implementer – The reliable discipline makes for a sound implementer of ideas. However, their focus on achieving goals can lead to being inflexible and slow to react to new realities.

Completer/finisher – Their painstakingly conscientious approach will ensure errors are identified and the project is completed on time. However, their focus on completion can lead them to be reluctant to delegate to other team members.

Specialist – A dedicated and self-starting individual who delivers specialist knowledge but with a tendency to focus on technicalities.

Observation of team dynamics would suggest that no individual fits 100% into a single team role and that the most effective team members actually move into different team roles at different times.

Crucially, a team will perform better when team members are aware of each individual’s preference.

Furthermore, when a team member has identified their default role they can excel in those areas where they are most at ease and work on those areas which take them away from their natural tendencies to strengthen their overall effectiveness.

Further information can be found at Team Role Training Courses

Team Dynamics

2008-10-13T04:13:00.000-07:00

How Teams Form, Develop and Mature

The most common philosophy on team development is based around the key stages of forming, storming, norming and performing.

Each stage is expanded upon below:

Forming – the beginnings of a team. There will be much distrust and hesitation amongst team members as they look to the facilitator for direction. There will be much talking and not enough listening!

Storming – team members become more prominent within the group as the focus on the individual becomes more prominent.

Norming – group boundaries are developed and the teams productivity begins to improve. Involvement and listening improves and there is a concern for other team members.

Performing – the sign of a healthy and productive team. The team performs strongly as a unit, is highly productive and is focused on problem solving.

More recently, an additional team stage has been recognized. Teams are said to be mourning when there is significant change in the dynamics of the team.

Members become distrusting, reminisce about the past and return to the relative safety of the ‘norming’ stage.

The key role for a team manager is to understand at which stage their team is functioning in order to increase or decrease their level of leadership.

Strong functioning teams require less direction than those in the early stages. Additionally, this is not necessarily a linear process with teams moving back and forth between stages particularly when subjected to significant change.

It is, however, a useful framework for team leaders to identify their priorities in leading the team.

For further information go to Team Dynamics Training Courses

Benefits of Teamworking

2008-10-13T04:09:00.000-07:00

The Benefits of Teamworking

How do teams perform better than individuals?

Evidence suggests that the common advantages of a team approach include but are not restricted to:

Increased overall productivity

Better product and service design and delivery

Improved capture and exploitation of intellectual property

Employees become more motivated through increased engagement and responsibility

A more flexible work environment

For further on team building and team management go to Team Management Training Courses

Teambuilding

2008-10-13T03:24:00.000-07:00

Building Different Types of Teams

Teams can be formed by any number of people working towards a common objective.

Within the work environment these may or may not share the same employer.

The varieties of teams which can be defined include:

1. Mature service orientated – responsible for the smooth functioning of standard customer service functions they are historically common across many traditional service orientated organisations.

2. Project teams – responsible for the achievement of a specific objective such as 2012 or Crossrail, for example. The team will have a defined end point and consist of a great variety of members with different skills from multiple functions.

3. Consultation teams – usually a part-time function in addition to mambers regular roles they are formed to research and advise on specific niche areas. As with project teams, they are disbanded once its objective has been met.

4. Flexible teams – team roles are clearly defined and employees are trained to fulfill such roles but team members change frequently. Such as can be seen in rail transport crews, for example.

5. Virtual teams – do exist in reality! But its team members will have little personal contact with each other. Instead they rely on electronic communication and telephone. Examples include small teams where individual members work from home or teams who work across geographical boundaries. The success of such teams relies on an increased awareness from each member of the limitations with respect to communication and an increased effort to resolve any potential conflict early on.

For further information on teams go to Team Building Training

Grievances Policies and Procedures

2008-10-10T05:40:00.000-07:00

Policies and Procedures for Grievances

As with disciplinaries, grievancies provide an employee with an opportunity to share their grievance in a structured manner.

The company procedure must be widely known to both employees and employers.

Not every grievance is required to be addressed formally.

A faster and more informal route for employees to raise grievances is that of their line manager.

For small and day-to-day matters a simple and open conversation direct with their manager can provide a workable remedy.

However, not all grievances are, or are perceived to be, small. In addition, an employee may not wish to share directly with their line manager particularly if their line manager is part of the grievance.

When an informal approach is not suitable, the formal grievance procedure should be pursued.

Following a formal grievance procedure

The HR function must take responsibility for ensuring employees are aware of the company procedure for handling grievances.

This includes but is not restricted to:

- Employees should also be aware of the formal route open to them, including:

- The statutory 3 stage process

- The company grievance procedure

- Where guidance and support can be received

- How long the grievance procedure can be expected to take to complete

Further practical guidance can be found at Grievance Training Courses

Disciplinary Interviews

2008-10-10T05:35:00.000-07:00

Conducting Disciplinary Interviews

The role of a proactive HR function is to assist line managers in developing the skills and knowledge required to conduct disciplinary interviews effectively.

Action points for disciplinary interviewing:

Prepare your facts and your strategy in advance

- State in writing to the employee the reasons for the interview, their right to have a companion and provide sufficient notice.

- Keep an open mind and take care to listen to the employee feedback.

- Structure the interview correctly beginning with the reason for the interview.

- Witnesses are permitted for relevant sections of the disciplinary interview.

- Provide reasons for the decision made, confirm in writing, and provide the employee with a route to appeal.

To discover exactly how you should ensure your disciplinary interview is conducted effectively please go to Disciplinary and Grievance Training Course

Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures

2008-10-10T05:17:00.000-07:00

Procedures for Disciplinaries and Grievances

As an organisation you should ensure you have a clear process for dealing with grievances and disciplinary issues.

Disciplinary and grievance procedures need to ensure that all employees receive equal treatment and that the employer follows necessary legal requirements.

Disciplinary procedures provide:

Clarity of performance standards and required conduct

A framework for identifying potential barriers to achieving the required standard

A clear process for agreeing action points with employees

A pre-emptive solution to employment tribunals

A useful and tangible body of evidence should an employment tribunal go ahead

Grievance procedures provide:

A signposted route for employees to solve issues they may not be able to address elsewhere

A process for establishing remedies to complaints

The current statutory disciplinary, dismissal and grievance procedures

The statutory requirements provide for:

- 3 stages of procedures to be followed

- Any non-adherence to the statutory requirement can result in ‘unfair dismissal’

- The cost of compensation for a lack of adherence will be higher should it be proven

For further guidance on disciplinaries and grievances go to disciplinary and grievance training courses

How To Improve Employee Retention

2008-10-10T04:43:00.000-07:00

How To Retain Employees

Why do employees resign?

Common sense would suggest that employees do not leave employment which makes them happy.

Even when employees are offered additional money elsewhere, it is often not the main factor in an employees decision to resign.

As organisations interested in improving employee retention rates, therefore, we need to understand the real reasons why employees resign.

Research tells us that dissatisfaction felt by employees in their employment is higher than we would imagine and higher than we would like to admit.

Dissatisfaction and the lack of opportunities for development are the main reasons to address when improving employee retention.

Why do employees leave within the first few months of employment?

There is a noticeable higher turnover of employees in the early stage of their employment than at any other time. Why is this?

Have you ever artificially raised the candidates’ expectation of the role?

How effective was your recruitment and selection process?

How helpful was your employee induction period? Does one exist?

Were you under pressure to recruit quickly?

How can I discover why employees leave?

Exit interviews are useful providing they are completed shortly after the employee resignation and they are conducted by an impartial or independent person.

This ensures a confidential environment for the former employee and more accurate and fuller feedback for the employer.

Remember, as in life, there can be a disparity between what people say and what they may wish to say. Former employees will be more comfortable sharing information with an independent third party than they will a fellow colleague.

How can I improve employee retention?

A recommended strategy would ask:

1. Why?
2. How much is it costing us?

The benefit of quantifying the cost of employee turnover is that this allows for a retention strategy to be priced and proposed.

Particularly in hard to recruit job markets, an investment in employee retention can provide a high return on investment.

Tools for improving employee retention include:

- Realistic expectations. Provide potential employees with a preview of their potential workplace by inviting them into your organisation and spending time familiarising them with the role.

- Accountability – putting responsibility and accountability with direct line management will improve employee retention. Assist line managers in improving retention by rewarding success and developing their skills on an ongoing basis.for staff turnover in their teams. Reward managers whose record at keeping people is good by including the subject in appraisals.

- Ensure development opportunities exist – take a strong interest in ensuring opportunities are present for employees to progress both upwards and sideways.

- Listen to employees – ensure employees have the facility to voice concerns, share grievances and be heard.

- Flexible working hours – employees who feel their work fits around their life are happier than employees who feel their workplace is inflexible and unhelpful.

- Fairness – a sense of injustice is one of the major reasons for employees choosing to leave.

- Ensure promotions, rewards and other changes are as fair as possible.

For further guidance go to HR Training Courses

How To Select Candidates

2008-10-09T03:12:00.000-07:00

How To Select Candidates

Good practice recommends two aspects of selection:

1. Shortlist applicants
2. Assess those applications chosen for shortlisting

Shortlisting candidates

Key to the process of shortlisting is ensuring that everyone involved in the process is acutely aware of the need to avoid unfair discrimination.

How To Shortlist Candidates

Firstly, create a manageable number of criteria to assess each potential applicant against.

Secondly, assess every potential candidate against your shortlist whilst not allowing dogma to get ahead of pragmatism!

Some strong candidates may not fit your criteria 100% but this is not a perfect world. Working through this process with a colleague would allow for a more holistic approach.

Such an approach to selection can be automated via the use of internet questionnaires.

By creating a number of questions related to the role a pre-selection can take place avoiding the large number of irrelevant applications which characterise online recruitment and selection.

However, such an approach does not allow for the advantages of flexibility which a manual process can provide.

Assessing The Candidate Shortlist

Phase two involves making an assessment of the potential candidate against the requirements of the role.

The range of options are wide and each has its benefits and costs and complexity to be considered.

The following are options available when assessing candidates but it is by no means an exhaustive list:

a) Interview
b) Assessment centres
c) Psychological assessment
d) Role plays
e) Presenting Tasks
f) Simulated Work Scenarios

For more good practice in Recruitment and Selection visit Recruitment and Selection Training

Management, HR and Marketing Articles

2008-10-09T01:54:00.000-07:00

Management, Human Resources and Marketing Articles

As facilitators, our role is to assist learners in discovering solutions to their management, HR and marketing challenges.

Working with teams and individuals we help organisations facilitate change in these key areas.

But how can we help during those times when we are not engaged in facilitation?

Our goal is that the following tips and techniques will offer useful guidance to management, HR and marketing professionals seeking opportunities for improvement.

To your learning and dvelopment,

The Train In A Day Team