Five Ways To Enlist Pros who Avoid Teamwork

Being open to collaborations help managers move up the corporate ladder, but at times team members resist the idea. Anumeha Chaturvedi suggests how managers can take corrective action when team members want to fly solo.

1 Find out Why It is important to assess the reasons behind the behaviour of one who avoids working in a team, says Amit K Nandkeolyar, assistant professor of organisational behaviour at ISB. He or she can be given counselling based on the nature of the problem, he says. 

2 Tweak Reward System Managers can tweak the reward strategy at the start of the year by linking a part of the pay to collaboration, says Nandkeolyar . Companies could also have a peer evaluation system in place for team members. 

3 Tie up Goals The individual’s goals can be linked to that of the organisation and managers should explain the merits of working as a team member, says Harshit Bhavsar, MD of HR solutions firm Universal Hunt. 

4 Provide Mentors Initiating greater participation for the go-solo team member through crossfunctional platforms and committees will foster a sense of belonging. “This should not be outsourced to consultants,” says Bhavsar. 

5 Identify Strengths If a team member is good at certain things, but lacks the ability to collaborate, the manager could move him or her to roles that best suit the person in the company based on individual strengths.

(The Economic Times. Mumbai, 22-01-2013)

Five Ways To Master the Art of Influencing People

The art of influencing is gaining in importance in corporate jobs. It is a skill that is sought after by executives, and is easy to master. Management gurus say with teamwork becoming more important, influencing skills play a big role in their success. Writankar Mukherjee spoke to experts to suggest ways to improve influencing skills.

Support Ideas with Data
To influence a team or a meeting, executives need to clearly present their ideas and thoughts with facts and/or information to support it. Many people respond positively when a view is supported with data or something concrete. “Some background research pays. If you get some information that will add credibility to your argument, your chance of influencing the cause or fact is very high,” says Krishna Chowdhury, a leadership trainer.

Say it Straight
The skill of influencing depends largely on the way you put across your point of view. HR experts say executives should communicate their point of view in a way that makes a direct impact. “Both the substance and the way you put it across plays a big role in influencing. Carefully choose the words, the timing, the forum and the way the point of view is put across. Say it with a lot of conviction. The impact will then be greater,” says Ajit Isaac, Ikya Human Capital Solutions MD.

Develop an Informal Channel
Experts say it is important to use multipl e channels to influence. Apart from formal influence, which is done in meetings, informal influencing with key people is key. “Such informal influencing can be done in office corridors, by walking into the cubicle or even in the canteen. Build a network with colleagues and a good working relationship with key officials during such informal encounters and convey your point of view as if you were thinking about it,” says Vivek Tripathi, chief of HR, Lava Mobile.

Build a Consensus 

A good leader, it is said, is one who listens more and talks less, since he then influences the most. Such an approach helps to gain the confidence of team mates. “Listen and understand their point of view. At a senior level, directing someone will have little influence. The best influencing style is probing, consulting and questioning, as it helps to gain consensus,” says Amit Bhatia, CEO, Aspire Human Capital Management. The biggest impact will depend on how a professional lives up to his commitment and whether or not he is a man of action. But don’t commit to something that may be difficult to achieve. “The next time, your colleagues or subordinates will not listen to you and won’t take you at face value,” says Tripathi.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 15-07-2011)

Five Ways To Shift Attention From Me To We

For Vikram Tandon, HR head, HSBC India and his team, it was another day at work. They sat together with the CEO to review the performance of the team for past six months, discussed plans for the year ahead and issues that need to be taken up with each individual and ideas for the coming months. To cultivate the success of others, managers need to shift the focus from ‘me’ to ‘we’. Shreya Biswas points out important aspects of teamwork. 

Communicate Openly
Managers should keep the channels of communication open between their team members and their bosses. There should be constant flow of information and the manager should try to facilitate such process rather than hinder the same. The leaders will know who is doing what and whether the team is aligned to organisational goals. Team members, on the other hand, will have confidence about their efforts being in line with company’s growth and their individual growth.

Be Transparent
Amanager needs to prioritise actions of fellow members towards a common goal. Share the status of a project at regular intervals, do reviews on what’s done and what needs to be done to achieve the target on time. Identify what skill sets are suited best for which employee and assign work accordingly to people. “Recognise people for the good work they do. This will bring a sense of belonging amongst them and they will always do bit extra to help the project,” says a Delhibased IT company manager .

Build Credibility
Amanager should first act and then preach the same to his team mates. It doesn’t help anyobe when a manager just issues orders without following himself. Build credibility by way of ideation, giving right direction to projects and leading by example when it’s needed. When people see you taking the lead in everything, they will listen to what you say and there will be no need to pressurize them to get the work done. They will know if the leader is putting extra effort for the team’s good,” says Uday Chawla, managing partner, Transearch International, India.

Celebrate Success
If a project is successful and appreciated by the top leadership, don’t forget to convey to them that it was a collective effort . People will tread the same path. There will be a feeling of harmony and they will be motivated to perform as a team. “It will do a world of good to not only company’s performance but team and individual growth as well. Managers should remember everybody has to work towards a common goal to achieve success,” says Mr Chawla.

Seek Feedback

If there are troubled teams and managers are struggling to keep up the performance, there will be a constant churn of people in the team and a high rate of absenteeism. Some basic issues plaguing many teams are managers taking credit for the team members’ work and providing one sided feedback on employee performance to hide one’s incompetence. Seek a 360 degree feedback to ascertain the right reasons for such cases. “If they have done well as individuals and are failing as leaders, provide them with coaches to come out of the crisis. The team performance might improve or else change the manager for a role he is suited” explains Mr Tandon.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 24-06-2011)