Strategic Decision-Making Part 3

Barriers to good decision-making include: 

• Jumping into the decision
• Fix: Stop and frame the decision   Think about what is involved.
• Shortsighted shortcuts
• Fix: Don’t rely on rules of thumb that anchor your thinking and decision-making.
• Shooting from the hip
• Fix: Follow a systematic process.
• Lack of frame control
• Fix: Do not be unduly influenced by others; consciously define your own frame.
• Frame blindness
• Fix: Frame the problem correctly to ensure that your mental framework is not causing you to overlook issues.
• Ignoring feedback
• Fix: Actively seek and analyze feedback on past experiences in reality, not ego.
• Group failure
• Fix: Do not assume that a group of good people will always make a good decision; follow the process.
• Over-confidence in your judgment
• Fix: Collect information, analyze it, and ask questions
• Not Keeping Track
• Fix: Log and analyze all results from decisions taken, and learn from the experience to improve future decision-making
• Failure to audit the decision-making process
• Fix: Create an organized approach that allows mistakes to be highlighted and improvements to be evaluated consistently.

Remember that decision-making is a process that can be developed and learned.  Techniques are available and can be used qualitatively or quantitatively.  Barriers can block effective decisions.

Job Analysis Part 5

• Collection
• The respondent is requested to describe an incident (usually within the last twelve months) which they did or did not meet their business objective
• They are then asked to describe the background to the incident
• Collection
• The respondent is then asked to describe whether what they did was effective or what was ineffective
• The respondent is then asked for an indication as to when the incident occurred
• Collection - Record Sheet
• Analysis & Categorization
• Themes are identified that are represented by the incidents
• Other individuals are then requested to sort these incidents into content dimensions
• Translation exercises then help to identify incidents that represent different dimensions of the behavior under consideration
• Interpreting & Reporting
• These dimensions are then reported based on the purpose of the analysis
• Critical Incident Technique
• Advantages
• Very Flexible
• Identification of Important Task Components
• Identification of Training Needs
• Critical Incident Technique
• Disadvantages
• Time Consuming
• Incompleteness
• Expert Analysis Required

Until next time...

 




Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/

Simple Steps to Team Problem Solving Part 3

Types of Problems

Problems can be broadly grouped into 3 categories:

• People problems may be difficult to resolve because:
• People are not totally logical
• Emotions can play a part
• Psychological influences
• Implicit personality theory
• Judging others by traits we find attractive in ourselves
• The Halo effect
• Initial judgment will affect all further interaction
• Stereotypes
• Judging individuals due to the group to which they belong
• Process problems include:
  • Mechanical
  • Electrical
  • Electronic
  • Chemical
  • Information
  • These problems are usually logical but complex, thereby requiring a high level of technical knowledge
• System problems when resolved ensure that:
• Everything happens as it should
• Every time
• By everyone

Usually people are a key element of systems in the design and implementation of the systems.  This adds another level of complexity to system problems. 

  

Each problem category has its own peculiarities which must be taken into consideration.

Until next time...






Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/

Simple Steps to Team Problem Solving Part 2

Problem-solving activities can fail due to:

• Lack of Clarification:
• Don't know what the problem is
• Don’t know causes/sources
• Not clear who has responsibility
• Don’t have right people involved
• No action plans or evaluation
• No one sees the whole picture
• Poor Problem-Solving Skills:
• Lack of training
• Capabilities of team members
• No emphasis put on problem solving as a critical business skill in the organization
• Lack of Focus:
• Insufficient focus on the problem at hand leading to non-completion
• Too many problems being tackled at once
• Activity centered on problems that affect non-critical business areas, thereby devaluing the problem-solving activity
•  Lack of Resources:
• Information not available or accessible
• No personnel released to work on problem-solving teams
• Little or no cooperation
• No support from senior levels
• Non-Implementable Solutions:
• Resistance to change
• Cost
• Political issues
• Capability of personnel
• Time requirements
• Wrong solutions generated

Until next time...






Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/

Simple Steps to Team Problem Solving Part 1

In organizations where problems exist but remain unsolved, the organization may suffer from demotivation, loss of customers, waste of resources, and reduction of profit. In this course, we learned about solving problems which usually leads to increased productivity and improved quality and efficiency.

 

A problem is a deviation from acceptable performance.

• Problem-solving is the process of tracking problems to their source and developing and implementing steps to eliminate them for the future.
• Problem-solving is a process, not a quick fix
• It is different from short-term fixes such as minimizing disruptions or surface treating difficulties.
• It is finding the cause and eliminating it at the source.
• It requires curiosity, careful analysis, planning, and follow-through. 

Until next time...






Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/

Keeping Score on Organizational Goals

What is the most important factor in a team's success?

A clear and elevating goal!

Research has shown that teams who are successful have clear and compelling goals which become a performance challenge to team members.

It is not only important to have clear and compelling goals, but people must also know how well they are doing in attaining those goals.  Imagine that you go to a basketball game of your favorite team and the announcer says at the start of the game, "Folks, we've decided tonight that we won't keep score.  This game has become too competitive and we want you to sit back and have fun watching the game and enjoying the athleticism of the players!" How would you feel?

People like to know how they're doing. Much of the appeal of sporting events and games would be lost if we did not know the score.

Keeping Score has Three Benefits:
1.  It motivates individual performance
2.  It becomes the basis for analyzing and making improvements.
3.  It helps team members to focus on a common purpose and work together.

Unfortunately, many teams and organizations do not do a good job of keeping score and so lose out on these benefits.

Keeping Score:

• Is how we know how well we are doing
• Must include several complementary measures
• Must be linked to the strategy and objectives of the larger organization
• Must be "owned" by the team

Until next time...






Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/  

4 Main Steps in Training Needs Analysis - Part 2 of 2

1. SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats)

Identify the business performance areas within the organization.  Then perform a SWOT analysis on each of these areas.

2. Organizational Performance-Gap Analysis - Look at the sources of data that will help you identify your areas of measurement, including:

• Corporate Objectives
• Organizational Statistics
• Growth Strategies
• Manpower Requirements 
• Skills Inventories
• Organizational Benchmarks
• Management Requests
• Organizational Culture
• Organizational Change
• Organizational Constraints
• Economic Climate
• Legislation
• Availability of Qualified Staff

Isolate strategic objectives of the organization and performance gaps and link to each other.

3. Employee/Team Performance-Gap Analysis

Consider:

• New Recruitment Training 
• Technology Changes
• Job Role Changes
• Introduction of New Products or Services
• Competencies
• Appraisals
• Observation & Consultation 

4. Prioritization of Needs

• Must Know
• Essential Skills and Knowledge that will close the Performance Gap
• Should Know
• Skills and Knowledge that will aid staff in achieving performance targets
• Nice To Know
• Useful Skills and Knowledge that may assist performance

The Training Cycle

Once your organization performs a training needs analysis using the guidelines above, you will test and then implement a training solution.  A feedback system must also be designed to compare employee and team performance before and after the training.  Remember to allow time to reinforce concepts and practice the skills learned during the training.

Until next time...






Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/