How People Work Manager Guidebook

If you’re a manager This presentation introduces How People Work and how you can help them to give their best by Roderic Gray Published by FT/Prentice Hall Understanding “how people work” will make a big difference to your performance.

To give our best performance at work we need to check 9 key enablers: ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],I know what I’m expected to do I want to do it I have the ability to do it Someone will notice if I do it I know how well I’m doing it Processes help me to do it I have the resources to do it The environment is right I can do it better next time Introduction

[object Object],(and why it needs to be done) Everyone has many different roles in life: We need to know what’s expected of us ~ and by whom ~ in each of our roles. (1) This chapter explains potential problems with roles, and how to make roles work for you. Project team member Subordinate Quiz team organiser Mentor Brother Father Cousin Neighbour Member of PTA Southend United fan Patient Husband Son Social contact Boss Friend Someone who knows about Excel Head of Sales Son-in-law Colleague Chapter 1

[object Object],(and why it needs to be done) Having a goal , or target, helps us focus on what’s important. But targets can also have serious ~ and damaging ~ side effects. (2) The second part of Chapter 1 explains how to agree targets, and turn them into positive aids to performance. (and shows that SMART can sometimes be DUMB). Chapter 1

[object Object],There are basically two reasons why people do things: Because they want to or Because they have to. It’s a popular myth that money are effective ways to motivate people at work. or fear But there are more productive bases for performance, such as good job design, which makes the job worth doing for its own sake. Chapter 2

[object Object],The ability to do something comes from two sources: potential + acquired skills and knowledge This chapter first looks at selecting people who have the potential to do a good job ~ and then goes on to explore: ,[object Object],[object Object],Chapter 3

[object Object],There’s little satisfaction from doing a good job if no-one notices. This chapter tells you how you can show your people that their efforts are appreciated ~ or that they aren’t quite coming up to scratch ~ and you can even make the most of the dreaded annual appraisal. The popular theme of leadership is treated with a healthy dose of realism, and the chapter finishes with some thoughts on power , influence and trust . who matters to me Chapter 4

First we have to decide what the standard should be: (But why should we believe what they say?) then get feedback on how we did, from our own observations, and objective measures, Satisfaction in a job well done is a good feeling but for real satisfaction we have to compare for ourselves what we actually did against our own “quality standards”. and from others. ,[object Object],Olympic Gold School sports cup Chapter 5

[object Object],A process is a series of activities linked together: Processes call for strong but light-touch management ~ ensuring the inputs and outputs are right but freeing people to do the transformations their own way. (1) Most work activities involve: inputs from someone or somewhere else transformation which changes or adds value outputs to someone or somewhere else Pour glass of wine Hang wallpaper Gloss Emulsion Undercoat Sand woodwork Strip old wallpaper Chapter 6

[object Object],Teams are made up of people each bringing their own skills, talents and experience to a common task. (this doesn’t necessarily make them easy to manage.) (2) Teams have a character ~ and a life-cycle ~ of their own which managers can use to achieve the best results. Chapter 6 FORMING STORMING NORMING PERFORMING MOURNING (adjourning)

[object Object],The way people make decisions ~ and the many things that can go wrong ~ have been studied for decades. (3) We often use mental models ~ called heuristics ~ to decide what to do, but these can be misleading and cause us to make mistakes. Chapter 6 finishes with a review of decision-making processes and gives some tips on how to avoid the common pitfalls. Chapter 6 No Yes Yes/perhaps No Yes Do the skills/ knowledge/ understanding of relevant employees meet the requirements? No Don’t know Yes No Define the training requirement Yes Yes Are there difficulties in achieving objectives, implementing strategy, getting work done? No Is the problem attributable to lack of skills/ knowledge/ understanding? Can the required skills/ knowledge/ understanding be defined? Can the situation be improved through training? Perhaps you should try something more challenging. Further research/ analysis required, but not a training-related issue. Further research/ analysis required. Further research/ analysis required. Further research/ analysis required, but not a training-related issue? No Would training be beneficial for other reasons? Not a training-related issue.

[object Object],Work activities have 3 stages: Inputs are the resources needed to get the job done. There are 5 kinds: people & skills raw materials part-completed work tools & equipment information Managers have to see that necessary resources are there when they’re needed: Chapter 7 gives some tips. Chapter 7 inputs transformation outputs

[object Object],(1) An organisation’s culture is like an individual’s personality. It begins with the characteristics that were put in place when it was first established: ~ and develops and changes in response to experiences throughout the organisation’s lifetime. Because of this it’s very hard to change (despite what you might have heard). The key to success is to understand the culture you’ve got ~ and learn to work with it. Chapter 8

[object Object],(2) An organisation’s climate can be summed up as “what it feels like to work here.” It has a big effect on performance and unlike organisational culture it responds quickly to management action. Chapter 8 goes on to explain the factors that make up an organisation’s climate ~ and how to make it better. Chapter 8 Favourable climate High performance work satisfaction participation freedom for ideas freedom for concerns freedom to question freedom to try new things purposive threat environmental threat

[object Object],(3) Everyone experiences stress from time to time. BUT ~ we aren’t designed to work in crisis mode for very long. If it carries on ~ or if we’re vulnerable for any reason ~ it can lead to ill health, depression and accidents, and to poor performance! Stress is nature’s way of keeping us alive ~ it prepared our ancestors for “fight or flight” when faced with a crisis. Chapter 8 shows how you can manage and reduce workplace stress ~ for yourself and for your people. Chapter 8

[object Object],Chapter 9 looks at the characteristics of a “learning organisation” ~ and how to encourage organisational learning and growth. Learning almost inevitably leads to change. People can be frightened of change, usually because they don’t know ~ and can’t control ~ what it will mean for them. This chapter shows various ways of finding out where you are now, where you’d rather be, and how to get from here to there without destroying morale or losing your people’s support. Chapter 9

[object Object],“ How People Work” begins with the pieces of a jigsaw. On its own, none of these is enough to bring about the best performance you or your people can give ~ but together they can lead to real improvements. The final chapter shows how organisations are systems where every part interacts with all the others. People are the most important parts of the system. Helping them to work more effectively is the key to organisational success. Chapter 10 I know what I’m expected to do I have the ability to do it I know how well I’m doing it I want to do it The environment is right Someone will notice if I do it Processes help me to do it I have the resources to do it I can do it better next time

How People Work and how you can help them to give their best by Roderic Gray is published by FT/Prentice Hall and is available at bookshops and online. For more information about this and Roderic Gray’s other publications, consulting and coaching work please visit: www.kumpania.co.uk ISBN 0 273 694 90 1

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