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Copyright 2001-2011 Transformation Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.
People join organizations, but leave their managers
For a decade, TA has been conducting exit surveys and interviews with employees leaving every level of an organization, and this still holds true. Our observations are in line with ongoing research, beginning with Frederick Herzberg’s 1959 theory on human motivation in the workplace. Herzberg found that the factors that motivate and satisfy employees are very different from those that dissatisfy them. The reasons why people stay are not the same as the reasons why people leave. In other words, the absence of motivation factors (for example recognition and achievement) does not lead to departures, but the presence of demotivating factors does cause employees to leave. Two of the top demotivation factors? “Management” and “Relationship with manger”.
For this reason, the bulk of the PEOPLE portion of our Transformation Roadmap is focused on developing managers. While more recognition, rewards and advancement opportunities are nice ways to make employees happier, the focus for retaining top talent and delivering results for the organization needs to be on developing each manager’s skill, knowledge and interpersonal wherewithal to lead their teams.
TA offers a suite of management development modules
Unlike the high-volume, off-the-shelf leadership programs, our training is always tailored to the needs of your management team (e.g., introductory concepts for new managers, refresher training for seasoned managers, realignment coaching for derailing managers). We work closely with the client to customize the program to the specific need, then deliver a highly interactive program to provide a rich and vibrant learning experience. Business cases and examples from your department are incorporated into the program to enhance the relevance to participants.
Typically, the program kicks off with a classroom session introducing the participants to the leadership model that serves as the framework for assessing, managing and coaching their staff. Then a set of training modules, selected based on the needs of the group, is scheduled over the course of two to six months. In addition to the classroom sessions, we provide individual coaching services to reinforce leadership skill development. Our coaching process emphasizes a pragmatic approach that ties improved management skills to achievement of business objectives.
Modules
Our leadership framework course builds on the groundbreaking work of leadership pioneers such as Paul Hershey, David McClelland and Bernard Bass. Our program introduction covers the fundamentals of the leadership framework, the focus of which is developing awareness of self and others, and changing behaviors to adapt to different situations. We demonstrate the linkage between these leader behaviors and bottom line performance, and provide participants with skill-building practice in the form of case studies and role-plays. These sessions also produce a roadmap for change and contract for success to better enable managers to implement the model.
Developing awareness of personal style is a critical task for leaders. What others observe when they interact with us – our words, gestures, appearance, mannerisms – all affect how they will respond to us. Our preferred way of interacting with others is driven in part by our personalities. In this module, participants gain a better understanding of their own personality, and how it influences their behavior. They also learn a framework for diagnosing the personalities of the people around them – customers, coworkers, friends, family members, etc. Using that knowledge, they learn how to adapt their own behavior to the preferred style of others for improved communication and more productive interactions.
Do your managers know what motivates their employees? Are you aware of your own motivators? This course focuses on identifying intrinsic and extrinsic motivators, and the practical application to increase morale and productivity. The module begins with an exploration of various ideas and theories about motivation, and includes exercises and thought-provoking discussions about how these ideas can be incorporated into the everyday work lives of your employees. Participants leave class with a Diagnostic Tool and a completed Action Plan. Business cases and examples from your organization can be
incorporated into the program to enhance the relevance to participants.
Creative Problem-Solving and Decision-Making
Creativity in problem-solving is a business imperative, and one that managers are quick to claim they promote in their teams. However, organizational structure and management itself is often positioned to diminish the risk and creativity needed to develop truly innovative ideas and products. This module addresses this conundrum, and provides managers will a model for innovation both in their own thinking, and in that of their employees.
Managers and their employees are facing an information overload nightmare, particularly of emails. Employees spend a considerable portion of their work time reading, responding, filing, deleting, and otherwise managing their emails. Besides consuming an inordinate amount of time, this onslaught of communication leaves people feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and dissatisfied. Our module on email management was formerly a part of our Time Management module, but due to requests from employees at all levels of organizations, we have made it a stand-alone session.
Conflict is an inevitable and integral part of personal and organizational life. It occurs when there is a discrepancy due to the real or perceived presence of opposing needs, interests, or concerns, and must be effectively managed in order to achieve our potential. This module guides managers through the process of managing conflict effectively both within business and personal settings. Participants will learn how to identify and diagnose the various types of conflict, how conflict is manifested in the workplace, essential conflict management strategies, and will gain an understanding of their preferred conflict management style.
Effectively Managing Your Time and Workspace
Benjamin Franklin gave us several enduring quotes about time – “You may delay, but time will not”, “Lost time is never found again”, and of course, “Time is money”. We agree. We are acutely aware of the value of time, within both the work lives and personal lives of our clients. Our Time Management module goes beyond typical tools and tips for better managing one’s time, and focuses on the root causes of time management problems within individuals. By having participants consider their own core values in relation to how they spend their time, we are able to help employees develop individual action plans to prioritize, organize, and execute tasks. Our Time Management module also includes an Office Organization component that utilizes the “5S” technique from Lean Six Sigma methodology.