Soft Skills: Team Management
Paul Frost
Director of Information Systems Learning and Skills Council
British Computer Society
London - March 16th 2004
Icebreaker
w Two groups w Group 1 – stand in line left (Jan 1) to
right (Dec 31) by birthday w Group 2 – observe w Group 1 – observe w Group 2 – plan – 3 minutes no writing or mention of dates / birthdays
Feedback
w What did you learn? w Was it easier / harder for the second
group? Why? w Did the observing group feel involved?
What makes a Manager
w Coach w Leader
n n
Many examples of good leadership And leadership styles
w From the front w By example w Cajoling
w Books by John Adair, David Taylor etc
What makes a manager?
w Manager (Andrew Lees, Keay
Consulting)
Day to day productivity Maintenance Job satisfaction Agree Performance Setting expectations
What constitutes a team
w People working for you w Mentors w Contractors w Project and Programme boards w Sponsors and stakeholders w People working for other people w Financial resources available to the team
What are soft skills?
w Trust w Leading by example w Allowing mistakes w Ensuring the outcome is w w w w w
known Be fair (no favourites including …) Be fair with suppliers (they have a choice as well!) Prioritisation Be approachable Empowerment
(remember how we learn) w Letting other do their jobs w Helping others to do their jobs w Listening
And of course
wCommunication wRecognition
Years ago, Peter Drucker wrote that the administrator works within the constraints; the manager removes the constraints. Later, Abraham Zaleznik claimed that managers merely manage; real leaders lead. Now we seem to be moving beyond leaders who merely lead; today heroes save. Soon heroes will only save; then gods will redeem. We keep upping the ante ……. (Mintzberg, Henry "Managing Quietly" Leader to Leader. 12 (Spring 1999): 24-30)
When to be hard
w Nearing the deadlines
n
In project management there is only one task – completing the project – so focus. so delegate.
w You can’t do it all yourself
n
Example (a light touch)
w Major cabling project in 1990
n n n
1500 terminal points 6 tons of cable hangers 6 miles of ethernet
w Didn’t do anything
n n
just kept watch And managed
Another Example (heavy touch)
w Implementing a Government accounting
system
n n n n
Gathering the team Checking their skill sets Getting trained (and buddied) Ensuring the outcome is known
Developing the LSC (painstaking)
w 700 systems - 40 systems w 73 networks – 1 network w 73 offices – 48 offices w Timescale – 6 months w How to do it
w Regionalised and in parallel w Weekly checkpoints w Monthly readiness reviews w Sustained vision
Short exercise
w In three’s – find out about a hobby of
each of the other two – 3 minutes
w Did you get a chance to talk about your
hobby? w Did you find out about one of the other’s? w Did you feel left out?
Can you be trained in soft skills?
w How to deal with people w How to deal with stress w How to deal with conflict
Dealing with people
w Examine roles and relationships
n
Use team wheel, Myers Briggs Internal / external Allow for differences Modify behaviour Use feedback
w Assess control expectation
n
w Best courses of action
n n n
Dealing with stress
w Work out your strategy in the same
way as you’d work out your project plan! w Defuse the bombs w Work smarter not harder w Allow ‘play spaces’ w Look for the lighter moments
Dealing with conflict
w w w w w
Withdrawal Smoothing Compromising Forcing Confrontation (Assertiveness)
Project Formulation
Build-up
Main Program
Phase-out
Schedules
Priorities
Manpower
Technical Issues
Admin
Personality
Cost
Dealing with Conflict
w Most intense = 1 least = 7 w Most difficult to resolve? w Most persistent over time? w Style most favoured? Second choice? w Style with higher management? w Style for dealing with peers? w Least favoured style?
Project Formulation
Build-up
Main Program
Phase-out
Schedules
3 1 4 6 2 7 5
2 1 5 4 3 6 7
1 4 3 2 5 7 6
1 4 3 6 7 2 5
Priorities
Manpower
Technical Issues
Admin
Personality
Cost
Dealing with Conflict
w Most difficult to resolve? - Personality w Most persistent over time? - Personality w Style most favoured? Confrontation w Second choice? Compromise w Style with higher management? Confrontation w Style for dealing with peers? Compromising w Least favoured style? Withdrawal
Physical vs Emotional conflict
w w w w w w w
Adrenalin Peace strategy Physical stance Mental stance Most valuable data Control Speed
Physical vs Emotional conflict
w Desired outcome Win – win w Physical conflict outcome Win – lose w Using physical conflict strategies in
emotional situations
n
Lose - Lose
Success Strategy with Physical Conflict
Adrenalin: The surge of adrenalin (“fight or flight”) is functional. Best Peace Strategy: To show strength •Stay on Guard. •Leave no vulnerable position. Physical Stance: Square off to display strength and intimidate opponent. Mental Stance: •Size up the opponent. •Evaluate the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. Most Valuable Data: Pay attention to veritable fact. Control: To limit the conflict use •Containment. •Divide and conquer strategy. Speed: •Be swift. •Be sure.
Physical Conflict vs. Emotional Conflict
Success Strategy for Physical Conflict Success Strategy for Emotional Conflict Adrenalin: The “fight or flight” response is non-functional – even damaging. It can increase blood pressure and pulse rate, for example, with no outlet. Best Peace Strategy: To show strength •Let down guard •Show confidence by being open to vulnerability. Physical Stance: Square away to establish equality and invite the other person
Adrenalin: The surge of adrenalin (“fight or flight”) is functional
Best Peace Strategy: To show strength •Stay on Guard. •Leave no vulnerable position. Physical Stance: Square off to display strength and intimidate opponent.
Mental Stance: •Size up the opponent. •Evaluate the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses.
Mental Stance: Reflect non-judgementally
Physical Conflict vs. Emotional Conflict
Success Strategy for Physical Conflict Success Strategy for Emotional Conflict
Most Valuable Data: Pay attention to veritable fact.
Most Valuable Data: Pay attention to “fuzzies”
Control: To limit the conflict use •Containment. •Divide and conquer strategy
Control: Limit conflict through •Opening up. •Exposing vulnerability
Speed: •Be swift. •Be sure.
Speed: •Pace the conflict •Individualise the response
Physical vs Emotional conflict
w
Physical conflict outcome Win – lose
w
emotional situations
n
Lose - Lose
Looking after the team
w Positives
n n n
Individuals Team Pay and rations Groupthink Burnout Demolition Collapse
w Negatives
n n n n
Project Management Radar
Team Task
Positive energy Groupthink
Burnout
Negative energy
Demolition
Collapse
Description of Axes on Project Radar
Description Groupthink Burnout Demolition Collapse
Direction
Highly cohesive state of striving for consensus.
Isolation with the depletion of physical and mental resources to attain a goal.
The result of escalating infighting.
Out of bounds project behaviour.
Danger
Bad technical decisions.
Project Failure. (from lack of team effort) or the sacrifice of individual team members.
“Explosion” of the team or the project or both.
Collapse of the project from its own weight.
Description of Axes on Project Radar
Description Symptoms Groupthink
Illusion of invulnerability. Shared Stereotypes. Rationalisation. Illusion of morality self censorship. Mind guarding.
Burnout
Isolation. Withdrawal. Exhaustion.
Demolition
Blaming within. Sarcasm. Absence of response. Temper explosions. Gross Overstatement. Distortion of information. Catastrophising. Whinging and Whining directed at individuals. Demolition Derby.
Collapse
False Starts. “Efforting” Migrant objectives. Out of bounds growth. Abandonment .
Benchmarks
Coffee Club. Lunch Club.
Isolation. Withdrawal.
False Starts “Efforting” Whinging and whining directed at the task
Description of Axes on Project Radar
Description
Groupthink
Burnout
Demolition
Collapse
Antidotes
Gatekeep. Seek other opinions and information. Follow. Test for consensus.
Gatekeep. Coordinate. Express group feelings. Encourage. Relieve tension.
Encourage. Relieve tension. Mediate. Set standards.
Gatekeep. Share Information . Coordinate. Diagnose. Set standards. Mediate.
Manager’s role
To conclude
w Briefly mentioned
n n n
Coaching, managing, leadership What soft skills are How to deal with people, stress and conflict
Bibliography
w Effective Strategic Leadership – John Adair w The Human Side of Project Management – Ruth Sizemore House w Human Resource Skills for the Project Manager – Vijay K. Verma w Managing Quietly – Henry Mintzberg w In Search of Excellence – Tom Peters