Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 26, 1995 TAG: 9502240036
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: F-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CAMILLE WRIGHT MILLER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A: Harriet "Mikey" Hayes, assistant professor of social work at Hollins College, finds that when dealing with difficult individuals, "people get focused on the person and not the process; they see the person as obstructionist and they antagonize and further alienate" the already alienated. Hayes recommends mentally stepping away from the table and looking at the process.
She finds that "everyone has a different agenda, and it's best to start by asking what everyone's agenda is. Are people here because they have to be? Do they have an ax to grind?" Hayes thinks "awareness of the agenda up front" allows management of some problems.
If, as Hayes sees it, members "come with different goals in mind, the key is getting everyone to agree on at least some goals. Ask your staff to identify 'our' goals and then ask for each individual's goals."
"People who aren't brought into meetings won't cooperate. They find it hard to give up their own agenda and listen to the agenda needs of others." By asking for everyone's individual goals you'll find ways to include even the most resistant member. Hayes also suggests stopping a nonproductive meeting to say, "Let's look at times when we aren't being productive. What can be done to change that?"
If efforts are unsuccessful, Hayes suggests you not personalize the behavior. Rather, talk privately with the individual and make it clear that you're "on the same team." Ask the staff member how you "can work the process to stay on the same team."
Q: I keep hearing about the "Myers-Briggs" for team building. What is it?
A: The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) helps people understand themselves and others. Knowing your own type provides information on how you work and what triggers frustration. You can, then, make alterations in work habits and alert others to your specific needs.
When work groups take the MBTI, participants realize that differences in work styles meet certain needs for each individual and the organization. Team members can help meet everyone's specific needs. The result is usually better communication, stronger cooperation and improved performance.
For example, an individual with an introversion preference needs solitude to recover energy; returning phone calls during a set block of time could result in higher energy and productivity. "Extroverts," on the other hand, welcome phone interruptions.
While it's preferable to have someone trained in the Myers-Briggs administer and interpret the MBTI, a "do-it-yourself" is available in the David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates book, "Please Understand Me: Character & Temperament Types."
The MBTI is useful in improving workplace interaction, making project assignments and forming effective committees.
Q: One of my management-level employees micro-manages his department. Can micro-managers change?
A: Clarify, for your manager, the levels of management and the responsibilities at each level. Explain that these critical elements "make or break" the success of each level.
Because managers often are promoted to their jobs, they know the lower-level jobs and want to offer expertise. Some managers need an assist in abandoning old habits. Use the following guide to identify the elements in your organization:
Top executives establish management philosophy and objectives, forecast and set goals, do long-range planning, formulate policy and invest resources.
Middle management roles include program development, interpretation, decision-making, coordination of resources and reporting.
Supervisors handle production, reporting and employee training. They are concerned with assigning work and measuring results, directing technical aspects of projects, standards of performance, employee discipline and morale, motivation factors and cost control.
Micro-managing is attending to details assigned to a lower-level staff member. Your manager will benefit by trusting supervisors and staff members to get the job done.
Suggest that before any action occurs, an evaluation of the level of the action take place. A memo about technical aspects, for example, falls in the supervisory level - your manager is about to commit micro-management.
If action is level-appropriate, the manager can proceed. If the action is lower-level appropriate, endeavors should be stopped or undertaken only with caution. Micro-managing is poor use of time; worse, it demoralizes those at lower levels who aren't allowed to practice their skills.
by CNB