Topic 4

1. LECTURE 4. SELF MANAGEMENT IN
ORGANIZATION.
1. Requirements of a Self-Managed Team
Leader
2. Self management for the new manager

2. Organizations are benefiting from the advantages of
teams by using more of them in a wide variety of
ways.
Cross-functional teams are regularly being formed
and commissioned by management to manage projects,
design or improve products or processes, resolve
chronic problems or to conduct research on new
equipment and technologies. Self-managed teams are
active in some companies managing responsibilities
associated with their everyday work. Without defining
their style, many successful leaders of these teams are
using self-managed team leadership principles and
processes to improve the performance and to achieve
the desired.

3. Self-managed team leadership is quite different from
traditional leadership and provides an alternative to
traditional leader’s role. It affords the leader an
opportunity to experience different methods that
neutralize the issues oftentimes associated with the
traditional leadership model. The self-managed team
leader is most at home in the Team Based Organization
(TBO) where his or her style is supported and in line
with the culture and values of the organization.
However, a staff member, supervisor or manager in a
traditional organization can learn to become a self-
managed team leader if his or her supervisor, the
organization’s culture and paradigms of the organization
will permit him or her to do so.

4. Self-managed team leaders lead without positional
authority. Traditional leaders function outside of
their subordinate work group and use positional
authority to provide instruction, conduct
communication, develop action plans and give
orders on what is to be accomplished. If necessary,
positional authority includes the right to discipline a
subordinate if he fails to comply with orders or
meet requirements. In practice, the need for a leader
to discipline is seldom needed or exercised, but
subordinates recognize that their supervisor has the
authority to take disciplinary action if the situation
warrants it.

5. Relationships between supervisor and subordinates are
maintained at arm's length to ensure objectivity in
making assignments and reviewing performance. The
focus of the leader's attention is on meeting the needs of
his supervisor and the organization. Two-way
communications and positive response to a leader’s
direction is desirable, but not required. Self-managed
team leadership is moving inside one’s subordinate work
group to lead. In the self-managed team leader's role, the
leader decides to permanently or temporarily set aside
positional authority and to move inside the work group
to provide direction, communication, group process
facilitation, coordination and support.

6. When a leader has not been delegated positional
authority from higher-level management and is a
member of the work group, none of the traditional issues
related to positional authority are present. However,
sometimes the process breaks down because the
noncommissioned leader thinks the proper and most
effective way to lead is by following the traditional
leadership model.
To move inside the work group, the traditional leader
announces to subordinate staff members that they are
being delegated the authority to manage a defined area
of responsibility or to make a decision.

7. The team has the responsibility and authority for
reaching consensus decisions that everyone can support.
The leader makes it clear he or she will act as the team's
facilitator to coordinate the work, but will not make any
independent decisions related to the delegated
responsibility area. He or she notes that the team will be
held accountable for the outcome of its decisions and
actions.
As a team leader experiences success and recognizes the
benefits of this process, he or she will define more areas
for collective responsibility and decision-making and
spend more and more time inside of the group.

8. While team leaders do not have the power of positional
authority, they do enjoy the authority that comes from:
• their ability to communicate and represent the
team's interests,
• a desire to help each member to develop and use
their skills,
• a demonstration of concern for each member and
the team,
• the ability to facilitate group processes,
• a knowledge of the group’s work processes,
• the ability to help the team to maintain its focus,
and
• setting an example thorough one's behavior,
personal values, energy and actions.

9. The self-managed team leader fulfills a skilled team
role similar to that of captain in a team sport, but this
role does not carry with it special status. Status is not
at issue because the leader maintains or accepts equal
status with the other members of the group. The
leader is not in a position to give orders, to define or
prescribe certain levels of individual or team
performance. The leader holds equal responsibility
and accountability for the group’s performance with
each other team member. Ideas, options and
collective decisions on how best to accomplish the
purpose and goals of the team are encouraged and
supported by the team leader.

10. Self-managed team leadership defines a different role for
the leader. The leader is not responsible for making
decisions, developing action plans or giving orders. In
these situations, the team is given the responsibility,
authority and accountability for managing a defined area
of responsibility. When the work group is given control
over one or more defined areas of team responsibility, it
is the leader’s role to use self-managed leadership skills
and systematic processes to help the team to operate
effectively and efficiently. Everyone in the group is
encouraged to contribute by communicating and
promoting their ideas, by “hitch hiking” on the ideas of
others and by exercising judgment to narrow down ideas
or options.

11. Everyone recognizes that since the group makes
decisions and develops action plans, the group will also
be held accountable for the outcomes of their
management actions.
When a person accepts a position as a leader of a self-
managed team or plays the role of a self-managed team
leader, he or she accepts the challenge of becoming
both an exceptional leader and an exceptional person.
In effect, the team leader becomes accountable to the
team for his or her leadership performance.

12. The team leader’s orientation is toward meeting the
needs and requirements of team members, a higher-
level management authority and the organization.
With the above noted understanding of the self-
managed team leader’s role, we can now briefly define
several of the requirements for effective team
leadership.
The most important single factor in becoming a
successful self-managed team leader is a servant
attitude. To have such an attitude, one must have or
develop a sincere desire to assist the work group to
accomplish its responsibility by bringing out the best
qualities and contribution of each team member.

13. This is something that cannot be taught. It requires an
inner sense security, self-worth and self-control along
with a desire to see others succeed. It is the cornerstone
to successfully fulfilling such roles as teaching, coaching
or pastoring.
The team leader's orientation should be "How can I help
create a working environment where my fellow team
members are willing to exert themselves to meet
personal and team goals?" The leader's mission is to free
up team members to act collectively to use their intellect,
creativity, diversity, talents and skills to manage defined
areas of team responsibility and to develop and carry out
action plans that capture the commitment and
enthusiasm of everyone.

14. Some of the characteristics that are often said of
effective team leaders by team members are as
follows:
• The team leader is a fellow worker and friend,
not a supervisor;
• leads by example, not by giving directions;
• is a servant, not a master;
• is a peacemaker, not a warrior;
• is a coordinator, not an order giver;
• is a facilitator, not an individual decision-
maker; and
• is a communications link, not a
communications owner.

15. The team leader helps team members to identify their unique
abilities and talents and then seeks to provide the environment,
resources and opportunities that will enable them to use their
special abilities to experience meaning from their work and
contribute to team goals. The leader recognizes that work can
be a desirable and meaningful activity and that people seek to
derive fulfillment, purpose and joy from their employment
situation.
To accomplish this, the leader finds ways to blend the needs of
the organization with the higher level needs of team members.
The leader takes an active interest in each person in the group
and strives to build positive relationships with team members
and among team members. In effect the leader is in a continual
process of finding ways to build and strengthen each member’s
skill set and self-worth based on their contribution to the group.

16. The secondary skills to team leader success are learned and can be
developed by most anyone interested in leading a self-managed
team. The key skills are group process facilitation, team problem
solving, team decision-making and team communications. Each of
these skills requires knowledge of systematic processes and tools to
move a group forward to accomplishing its mission in as efficient
and effective way possible.
Group process facilitation is the use of consistent processes,
methods, and tools that aid team members in agreeing on how best
to conduct business, accomplish work and manage defined areas of
team responsibility. Every time the team needs to conduct a
meeting, make a decision, develop an action plan or resolve a
problem, the team leader uses group process facilitation skills to
enable team members to work together to carry out its management
responsibilities. Much of the team leader’s interaction with team
members in conducting day-to-day work activities requires the use
of group process facilitation skills.

17. The team leader facilitates the team decision-making and
problem solving processes. He or she uses systematic
step-by-step processes on a consistent basis to help
members to make unanimous or consensus decisions or
to resolve problems. He or she helps to make the team
and the organization become more effective by
harnessing the power of collective management control,
collective decision-making and problem solving over
defined areas of team responsibility.
The team leader is the logical choice to handle the
formal communications responsibilities for the team.
The leader coordinates the work of the team with process
suppliers and customers and with managers and staff
personnel.

18. He or she plans team meetings, prepares and
distributes a meeting agenda to team members and
facilitates team meetings. The leader reviews meeting
minutes, posts a copy on the minutes on the team's
communications board and sends a copy to the next
higher-level of management.
The team leader acts as the channel through which
communications flow both inside of and outside of
the team. On issues concerning the team's support or
performance, the leader takes care to ensure that he
or she is communicating the consensus of the group
and not the leaders own position. The leader thinks а
communicates in terms of "we".

19. Self management for the new manager
Each one of us is a different and unique individual who will approach
life in our own individual manner. So, are there any general principles
that perhaps apply to everyone of us?
Eight great tips for new managers .
1. Monitor your work hours.
Set a limit and stick to it. It's very easy to get sucked into working
longer and longer hours just because you are new to the role and have
so much to learn. The law of diminishing returns will start to kick in
after a certain period of time at work, i.e. the longer you work, the less
you may achieve. Far better to work more effectively in less hours. Be
particularly careful if you hear yourself saying things like "Well, I'm
only new to the role, so it's probably expected that I should take
longer".

20. You should also plan out the order in which you do things
every day. For example, most people think that doing their
emails first thing in the morning is a good use of time – get
them out of the way so that you can get on with the job.
Wrong! Research suggests that for two thirds of the
population, the morning is their most creative time. If you
are amongst this group, then wasting good creative time on
a mundane task such as emails, means you will be less
effective over the long term. When you finally get through
all those emails each morning, your creativity for problem
solving and decision making has evaporated. It's also a
well known fact, that for most people immediately after
lunch is the least productive time of the day. This is the
best time to tackle the emails.

21. 2. Recognize and manager your signs of stress.
Each of us has different reactions to stress. Unfortunately,
when we are stressed, we often don't realize it until it becomes
too late and we get ill or it severely affects our performance.
There are four factors that will help you identify when you are
stressed; your thoughts, actions physical symptoms and
emotions.
Are your thoughts more negative than usual? e.g. "I can't cope"
or "I always get this wrong".
Are your actions somewhat different? e.g. Avoiding things you
should be doing, or lack of coordination.
Is your body responding differently to pressure? e.g. A racing
heart, rapid breathing or sweating more than usual.

22. 3. Learn to delegate.
Failure to delegate is the most common failing of new managers.
For managers, there are two key aspects to successful delegation:
- Having people to whom one can delegate, and
- Selecting the most appropriate tasks to delegate
The key to delegation is to develop within your people, the
"initiative to take action" so that they learn to develop their skills
and knowledge to their full potential. When your people have a
problem that they want some help with, encourage them to come
to you with their recommended solutions, not just the problem. If
they do not have any solutions, make sure that they at least come
to you with a plan of action for finding a solution (which by the
way, should not be based around asking you).

23. 4. Communicate, communicate, communicate!
This means regular meetings with:
- your team members
- your boss.
It also means talking over work issues with a partner, friend or
trusted colleague (from another area) on a regular basis to give
you some feedback on how well you are communicating.
At a very basic level, this also means responding to emails on the
same day. If you can't answer an email fully, then send a response
to say that it has been received. One of the criteria on which every
manager is judged, is their ability and willingness to
communicate.

24. 5. Give praise and recognition regularly.
Even "Thank Yours" are important. Look for the things
people are doing well and praise them. If appropriate
for the person, also give public recognition. Of all the
motivational tools you have at your disposal, this is by
far the easiest and cheapest, yet brings the biggest
payoffs.
6. Focus on what is important, not what is urgent.
In particular, talk with your manager about the three
most important priorities he/she has for you in your
role. Make sure you focus on these at all times.

25. 7. Ensure you have a balance between intellectual, physical
and emotional activities.
Whilst people differ markedly in their biorhythms (the way we
manage our mental, physical and emotional makeup), each of us
needs to manage these three. Of all the points raised, this is
probably the most important.
What does this mean for the new manager? Implementing action
in relation to the previous six steps is a good start. In addition
there are:
Intellectual. Regularly undertake a mind activity such as reading a
good book, seeing a movie, learning a new language or starting a
creative hobby such as painting.
Physical: Ensure that you have an exercise regime that keeps you
physically fit. This doesn't have to be strenuous, but it does have
to challenge you. Also watch your diet.

26. Emotional: Take care to interact regularly with the
special people in your life – make time for them. Also
think about building new relationships with people
outside of work.
Finally, find yourself a mentor.
This should be someone who has been or is a successful
people manager. Without exception, the most successful
managers have someone that they often confide in or
whose help they seek when faced with a new challenge.
Meet regularly with him or her to discuss your issues,
challenges and ways that you can learn and develop.
Don't expect a mentor to have all the answers, but they
can be very useful to bounce ideas off.