The most Productive Meetings have fewer than 8 People
For political reasons, managers all too often need to invite more number of people to meetings. This is so that a good number of them do not feel left out. However, this reduces the effectiveness of the meeting as there isn’t enough scope for all to participate fruitfully. Neither are tough topics put up, as most participants end up as defensive. Catch-ups and information sharing takes away a lot of time, preventing them team from addressing the real priority issues. A study was conducted by a professor from Stanford University, after which he concluded that the optimum number of people in a meeting must be eight. For sound talent management purposes, it is suggested that transparency be adopted while addressing the team about the changes in mind. One needs to clearly think out who all are to be included in the invitees’ list. In the official communication sent out, the criteria for the invite list may be spelled out. Factors such as subject knowledge, implementation, impact and scope of learning could be the deciding factors. There must be complete clarity to the team about the responsibilities of all- meeting participants as well as those not. It is important to measure the success of the meeting over the next few months by observing whether any of the plans got properly implemented.
Uploaded Date:27 June 2018
Managing the dark side of Workplace Friendships
Most team leaders tend to encourage workplace friendships as it leads to improved productivity and better talent management. Yet, the opposite may also be true, as such friendships do not always have the desired effect for either of the parties involved. Too much of friendship can lead to a different form of engagement within a team, that can be emotionally draining and ultimately distracting from the real work. While there may be disagreements at home, such conflicts at workplace do not always stand the test of time. Friendships at work, especially if too close, can also affect those in the team, but not part of that inner social circle. Group outcomes may thus suffer due to this. While technology is supposed to blur the boundaries between work and friendship, it often does quite the opposite by highlighting others’ life through social media.
Source:http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/managing-the-dark-side-of-workplace-friendships/
Uploaded Date:14 June 2018
How to Establish Values on a Small Team
The one regret that Tony Hsieh, the Founder of Zappos has regarding his company, is the values or the lack of them inculcated from the beginning. It is easier to establish values right from the start when the team is small, rather than when it is better developed. There are some ways that have been identified to stimulate values within a small team. First of all, when the team is small the corporate values must be developed by the entire team together, rather than the bosses alone. The members must pitch in together with their ideas. This needs to be inculcated after thorough reflection. One out, all these ideas must be collated together. A shortlist of values needs to be determined by the team, which all would like to take forward. The same written language may mean different things to different people, so clarity of interpretation must be laid out. Alongside, the team must also finalize ways to execute the matter drafted. The values need to be integrated as part of the overall corporate strategy. They are to be as much a part of the business as targets or goals. This could lead to a high-performance culture.
Uploaded Date:07 June 2018
The Two Traits of the Best Problem-solving Teams
Studies have confirmed that some of the best performing teams are those that are cognitively diverse. In identifying problems, applying available data, collaboration, discipline and creativity such teams excel. To ensure such groups perform well during times of high-pressure, maintaining psychological safety is a must. The ideal is a combination of cognitive diversity and psychological safety. If these two traits are framed on a matrix with x and y axis, four quadrants get formed. The ideal is the generative state which is associated with words such as curious, encouraging, experimental, forceful, inquiring and nurturing. Behaviors such as curious, experimental and inquiring clearly point towards increased creativity. Nurturing gives way to the right talent management practices. Controlling is one trait that is seen in the other quadrants, that bring down the house. Hierarchical s another common terms across the other three quadrants which are- oppositional, defensive and uniform.
Uploaded Date:07 June 2018