Managing the Global Workplace

Are you a manager, executive, or HR professional?

dmcgunagle@globalstrategicmgmt.com (Dr. Doreen McGunagle) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:01:00 +0000

There is currently a shift in businesses to sustainability. The pursuit of sustainability has given considerable attention to the triple bottom-line which is a balance of environment, social and corporate governance (ESG) issues. Organizations are increasingly understanding that effective management of sustainability has challenges and opportunities that can contribute directly to your financial success. Education in the workplace plays a vital role for success of sustainability in any organization.

We would appreciate your input to our ten open-ended survey questions on “What roles you should play in sustainability education in your workplace?". Survey Link
If link does not work, please cut and paste to browser http://www.surveymethods.com/EndUser.aspx?DAFE928EDC9A8788. The results will be published later this year. Thank you for participating!

The 8 Traps of Decision Making

dmcgunagle@globalstrategicmgmt.com (Dr. Doreen McGunagle) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:03:00 +0000

Before making an important decision, prudent managers evaluate the situations confronting them — and often fall into one of the eight traps of faulty thinking.
Researchers have identified a series of flaws in the way we think when making decisions. They are hardwired into our thinking process, so we often fail to recognize them.
While we cannot entirely rid ourselves of them, we can learn to understand the traps and compensate for them.
1.The Anchoring Trap
When considering a decision, the mind gives disproportionate weight to the first information it receives. Initial impressions, estimates or data anchor subsequent thoughts and judgments. In business, a common anchor is a past event or trend. While relying on such may lead to a reasonably accurate estimate of future numbers, it also tends to give too much weight to past events and not enough to other factors.
The Antidote
Anchors affect how virtually all professionals make decisions. No one can avoid their influence. But becoming aware of their dangers can reduce their impact:
•Always view a problem from different perspectives. Try using alternative starting points and approaches rather than sticking with your first line of thought.
•Think about the problem on your own before consulting others.
•Be open-minded. Seek opinions from a variety of people to widen your frame of reference.
•Avoid anchoring your advisers, consultants and others from whom you solicit information. Tell them as little as possible about your ideas and estimates. If you reveal too much, your preconceptions may simply come back to you.
2.The Status-Quo Trap
We are predisposed to perpetuating the status quo. Deep within our psyches, we are self-protective and risk-aversive.
The Antidote
Don’t maintain the status quo just because it’s comfortable. Do so only when it turns out to be the best choice.
•Remind yourself of your objectives. Examine how they would be served by the status quo.
•Never think of the status quo as your only alternative. Identify other options.
•Ask yourself: Would I choose the status quo if it weren’t so?
3.The Sunk-Cost Trap
We tend to make choices in ways that justify past decisions, even when the latter no longer seem valid. We know rationally that sunk costs are irrelevant to present decisions, but they nevertheless lead to inappropriate choices. This frequently occurs when we’re unwilling, consciously or not, to admit a mistake.
The Antidote
•Seek feedback from those who were uninvolved in the earlier decision.
•Examine why admitting a past mistake distresses you. Even the best and most experienced managers are not immune to errors in judgment.
•Be on the lookout for the influence of sunk-cost biases in subordinates’ decisions and recommendations.
•Don’t cultivate a failure-fearing culture that leads employees to perpetuate and cover up mistakes.
4.The Confirming-Evidence Trap
Leaders sometimes seek out information that supports their existing instinct or point of view, while avoiding information that contradicts it. This trap affects where we go to collect evidence, as well as how we interpret it.
The Antidote
Don’t necessarily disregard the choice to which you’re subconsciously drawn, but make sure it’s the smart one.
•Check whether you’re examining all evidence with equal rigor.
•Ask someone you respect to play devil’s advocate.
•Be honest with yourself about your motives. Are you really gathering information to help you make a smart choice—or are you looking for evidence that confirms what you already think and want to do?
•When seeking others’ advice, don’t ask leading questions that invite confirming evidence.
5.The Framing Trap
The first step in making a decision is to frame the question. It’s also one of the most dangerous; how you frame a problem can profoundly influence your choices.
The Antidote
Limit adverse effects by employing the following:
•Don’t automatically accept the initial frame, whether it was formulated by you or someone else. Always try to reframe the problem in various ways.
•Try posing problems in neutral ways that combine gains and losses or embrace different reference points.
•When others recommend decisions, examine the way they framed the problem. Challenge them with different frames.
The Estimating and Forecasting Traps
Meteorologists and bookies have opportunities and incentives to maintain records of their forecasting abilities. The rest of us seldom have enough carefully tracked data to adequately calibrate our minds to make reasonable estimates in the face of uncertainty. This sets us up for three more traps.
6.The Overconfidence Trap
Most of us are overconfident about our judgment abilities and prediction accuracy, as we remember our successes and quickly forget our errors. Our hubris tricks us into considering only a narrow range of possibilities.
Major initiatives and investments often hinge on estimate ranges. Managers who underestimate the high end (or overestimate the low end) of a crucial variable may miss attractive opportunities or expose themselves to far greater risk than ever imagined.
7.The Prudence Trap
When faced with high stakes, we tend to adjust our estimates or forecasts with prudence, “just to be on the safe side.” Too much prudence can be as dangerous as too little.
8.The “Recallability” Trap
Memories of dramatic events leave strong impressions on our minds and can skew future decision-making efforts.
The Antidote
Take a disciplined approach to forecasting.
•Start by considering the extremes: the low and high ends of possible value ranges. Then, challenge your estimates, as well as those of your subordinates and advisers.
•Always state your estimates honestly, and explain to anyone who will be using them that they have not been adjusted. Emphasize the need for frank input to anyone who will be supplying you with estimates. Test estimates over a reasonable range to assess their impact.
•Carefully examine all of your assumptions to ensure they’re not unduly influenced by your memory. Get actual statistics whenever possible, and avoid being guided by impressions.

Finding your passion

dmcgunagle@globalstrategicmgmt.com (Dr. Doreen McGunagle) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:43:00 +0000

The road to happiness lies in two simple principles: find what it is that interests you and that you can do well, and when you find it put your whole soul into it - every bit of energy, ambition, and natural ability you have. ~ John D. Rockefeller III

The Power of Asking

dmcgunagle@globalstrategicmgmt.com (Dr. Doreen McGunagle) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:05:00 +0000

You would be amazed at how many people do not ask for what they want. There is a simple method that needs to be followed so that you effectively use the power of asking to get what you want out of life. First, you must setup a specific set of strategic questions to determine the five W’s – what, when, why, who, where, and how. Second, ask someone with experience, knowledge, and expertise to guide you appropriately. You must determine the value that you create to the situation. Make it interesting for the party you are asking and you will dramatically increase your changes of getting a positive response. You must have 100% confidence in what you are asking for – you must have an absolute conviction of the value that you provide. You must continue to ask until you get what you want. You must be relentless and not give up until you get the answer that you are looking for. However, you must show flexibility where you might ask different people in a different manner with different values. You have to change and adjust until you achieve what you want. Never give up asking because the answer you are looking for is out there for you, every rejection brings you one step closer to the right answer.

How do you measure your success?

dmcgunagle@globalstrategicmgmt.com (Dr. Doreen McGunagle) — Sat, 30 May 2009 15:16:00 +0000

Recently through Education Day with Leadership Palm Beach County, I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Tammy Ferguson, principal of Village Academy. Dr. Ferguson shared with us what criteria that she uses to measure her success. As excerpted from First, Break all the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, we can measure the strength of a workplace or organization from the following:

Do I know what is expected of me?

Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do a good job?

Do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?

In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?

Does someone at your organization seem to care about me as a person?

Is there someone at your organization who encourages my development?

Do my opinions seem to count?

Does the mission/purpose of my organization make me feel my job is important?

Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?

Do I have a best friend at my organization?

In the last six months, at my organization has someone talked to me about my progress?

This last year, have I had the opportunity at my organization to learn and grow?

Four activities that I must do very well at my organization:

Select the right person
Set expectations
Motivate the person
Develop the person

Originally founded in 2000, Village Academy is the only Palm Beach County District K-10 School. Village Academy will graduate its first senior class in 2011. Dr. Ferguson knows the names of every student and provides the students with the necessary tools for them to go to college. Student enrollment is set at a maximum of 75 students per grade level so that they can preserve a small, nurturing learning environment for the students. Students at Village Academy do not think about whether they are going to college, it is about which one they will attend. Village Academy’s goal is that 100 percent of its students attend college and obtain Bright Futures Scholarships.

Understanding the needs of your customers

dmcgunagle@globalstrategicmgmt.com (Dr. Doreen McGunagle) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:26:00 +0000

Companies can use the turn down in the economy to make their sales opperations not only less expensive but more effective. It is crucial to determine where cuts will hurt customer perception and adversely affect their buying behavior. It is important to understand the needs of your customers. Tthe economic value those needs represent require an analysis of more than gross margins. Now is the time to complete research on your customer buying behavior.

Understanding the value of business research:

The prime managerial value of business research is that it reduces uncertainty by providing information that improved the decision-making process. The decision-making process associated with the development and implementation of strategy involves four interrelated storages:

1. Identify problems or opportunities.
2. Diagnosing and assessing problems or opportunities.
3. Selecting and implementing a course of action.
4. Evaluating the course of action.

Business research supplies mangers with pertinent information that plays an important role by reducing the uncertainty in each of these stages. After an organization recognizes a problem or identifies a potential opportunity, an important aspect of research is the provision of diagnostic information that clarifies the situation. Determination for the need for research enters on time constraints, availability of data, nature of decision, and the value of the research information in relation to the cost.

Major topics for business reach centers around the following key areas:

* General Business Conditions

* Financial and Accounting

* Management and Organizational Behavior

* Sales and Marketing

* Information Systems

* Corporate Responsibility

Basically, research improves the quality of business decision. As business becomes increasingly global, it is important to understand the nature of foreign markets and determine whether you will require customized business strategies for global markets. Good research provides your organization with solid data that allows you to seize the opportunity.

How to ensure growth in a tough economy?

dmcgunagle@globalstrategicmgmt.com (Dr. Doreen McGunagle) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:23:00 +0000

It is important that CEOs realize that a down economy is an opportunity. While I agree that all companies should manage their expense prudently, you cannot cut your way to prosperity. While focusing on costs, many companies inadvertently destroy their top-line, requiring them to put more pressure on the bottom-line which creates a spiral effect.

1. Planning – Have and work with a written business plan.
2. Core Customer – Identify who are your most profitable and loyal customer, and focus on those customers that will most likely buy your product or services in the quantity required for optimal profit.
3. Differentiate – make sure that your company has an uncommon offering that is targeted toward your core customer that your business will “own” and leverage.
4. Invest in your sales force – get rid of your “Turkeys” immediately. Invest whatever it takes to train and develop your “Eagles” to peak performance.
5. Improve the hiring process of the sales force – in our experience most companies do a very poor job in hiring salespeople. The assessment tools and interviewing processes they use produce poor success rates. This costs companies a lot of money on the top line.
6. Find top talent – evaluate every employee at least once a year. Get rid of your “C” players, and figure out which of your “B” players can be developed into “A” players.
7. Marketing – great public relations is what attracts potential business to your sales force.

If you grow the top-line while managing costs well then you will never have to worry about layoffs. Sign up for your free e-zine at www.globalstrategicmgmt.com that provides executives with essential strategic and organizational knowledge to help them make decisions.

The Power of Relationships

dmcgunagle@globalstrategicmgmt.com (Dr. Doreen McGunagle) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 19:17:00 +0000

The building and maintaining of strong relationship has a tremendous impact on the long-term success in our lives. Employers have noted that the key ingredients to success in careers are the following:

•Ability to develop relationships with individuals
•Ability to motivate and engage with others
•Ability to communicate clearly

Building relationships requires a good understanding of ourselves. The flexibility of an individual to adapt their approach to fit the complexity of the situation is critical for your success. Understanding real world insights into the connection between your behaviors will allow you to diagnose situations and act in appropriate ways.

Proper training will allow you to discover self-awareness, values and beliefs, and behaviors. Training assists in developing decision-making and social action skills so that you learn to view events and situations from a variety of perspectives. Proper assessments will enhance both your personal and professional relationships. By learning about archetypes we can identify our important core values, and fears which enable us to grow and succeed.

Leadership: Would you rather be a boss or a leader?

dmcgunagle@globalstrategicmgmt.com (Dr. Doreen McGunagle) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:37:00 +0000

Leadership styles are extremely important in changing and transforming individuals and organizations with a commitment to high performance. The role of leadership is to promote change. Leadership today is not only important at the top but it applies to all levels of the organization. Emerging leadership styles include charismatic, transformational, visionary, and self-directing work teams. Successful leaders display traits that will create a positive environment, those include:

High level of energy

Achievement oriented

Emotional maturity

Self-confidence

Integrity

Perseverance

Cognitive ability

Flexibility

Bosses v. Leaders

A boss drives. A leader leads.

A boss relies on authority . A leader relies on cooperation.

A boss says, “I”. A leader says, “We”.

A boss creates fear. A leader creates confidence.

A boss knows how. A leader shows how.

A boss creates resentment. A leader creates enthusiasm.

A boss fixes blame. A leader fixes mistakes.

A boss makes work drudgery. A leader makes work interesting.

Source: McCuddy, Michael (2005) Organizational Behavior

Leadership in high performance work teams change the leadership role by making it more of a facilitative one which encourages team members to lead themselves. With the constant changes in the fast paced environment, the new leadership styles facilitate change throughout the organization which increases the bottom-line. Today, leadership training can assist individuals throughout the organization so that they can prepare for their new roles in a high performance organization.

Leadership Training: Creating High Achievers

dmcgunagle@globalstrategicmgmt.com (Dr. Doreen McGunagle) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:17:00 +0000

Matching the motivational needs of the individual with the situation is important for not only the employer but also for the individual. Motivation is the individual forces that account for the direction, level, and persistence of a person’s effort expended at work.

Which occupation would be best sited for individuals with a high need for achievement?

· The desire to do something better or more efficiently, to solve problems, or to master complex tasks

· The work preferences would be for individual responsibilities, challenging goals, and performance feedback

Which occupation would be best suited for individuals with a high need for affiliation?

· The desire to establish and maintain friendly and warm relations with others

· The work preference would be drawn to interpersonal relationships and opportunities for communication

Which occupation would be best suited for individuals with a high need for power?

· The desire to control others, to influence their behavior, or to be responsible for others

· The work preference would be to have an influence over others, likes attention, and recognition

The profile for success as a senior executive can be linked to a moderate to high need for power and a lower need for affiliation. Lower affiliation allows an individual to make decisions without the concern of being disliked. Proper leadership training can create high achievers and the ability to set challenging goals.

Suggested reading: Now, Discover your strengths by Marcus Buckingham & Donald Clifton, Ph.D. gives you access to the StrengthFinder profile which assist you in determining your strengths.

Additional Assessment: Pearson-Marr Archetype Indicator Instrument (PMAI) is a diagnostic tool that provides a better understanding and actively shapes motivation and emotion. By recognizing the link between motivation and performance can assist in creating a framework that will lead to more productive outcomes. Dr. Doreen McGunagle is approved to administer the PMAI assessment tool.

Change Creates Success

dmcgunagle@globalstrategicmgmt.com (Dr. Doreen McGunagle) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:53:00 +0000

Essential to competitive business is the human endeavor of change. Traditional thinking freezes the brain because it does not welcome new ideas. Change creates progress in the world, business, and our personal lives. Change unlocks our creative thinking which paves the way for creative solutions. When you believe that something can be done it allows your creative juices to provide solutions to both our personal and professional problems.

Eliminate the word Impossible from your vocabulary
Make a list of why we can do something
Put reasons to work to accomplish them
There is no best way to do something

Welcome new ideas, experiment, find new friends, try new restaurants, and drive to work a different way. Be progressive in trying to find a better way of doing things. Successful people in business search out for new ways of doing things. Challenge your staff to come up with new procedures to the way things are currently being done. How can I do things better? How can I improve my sales?

Successful minded people do understand that listening and asking is the key to understanding the problem and finding a solution. Other people provide the raw ideas to make decisions. Monopolize listening not speaking and take the time to evaluate what the other person says. Ask questions like Tell me about your experience? What do you think we should do about this? Test an idea by asking “What do you think about this idea? Only small minded people monopolize talking but successful people take the time to listen and evaluate what the other person is saying so that they can process the raw ideas to successful solutions.

Leadership: Improving Your Bottom-line

dmcgunagle@globalstrategicmgmt.com (Dr. Doreen McGunagle) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:20:00 +0000

The biggest challenge for a company today lies in being able to adapt to the sudden changes in today’s business environment. Companies must be able to react quickly to the markets to compete in a global economy and in order to do so it will be necessary for firms to establish a continual improvement within their organization.

Focus on Organizational Development Solutions that create a Strategic Alignment which ensures the behaviors in your organization reinforces your mission, vision, values, & strategic business objectives.

Boost your performance, productivity, & profits

Energize your people around core principles

Nourish your people to achieve extra ordinary results

Create your competitive advantage

Harness your leadership by providing the right tools

Motive your people to feel better, be better & do better

Align your strengths and values to improve your bottom-line

Rejuvenate your team to create a strategic alignment

Know the best change approach for your situation

A BENCHMARK program is tailored to your needs. It is created around the Leadership by driving Change to create a High Performance Organization that will increase your Bottom-line.

Leadership: Improving Performance

dmcgunagle@globalstrategicmgmt.com (Dr. Doreen McGunagle) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 10:51:00 +0000

Whether you have five or 5,000 employees, your organization can become a high performance organization. According to a recent article by Gumbus and Lussier in the Journal of Small Business Management, the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) can help organizations in the following six ways:

Promotes growth – focuses on long-term strategic solutions not short-term operational results
Tracks performance – both individual and collective results can be tracked against targets so that they can be corrected and improved
Provides focus – measurements are aligned by what is important to the company
Aligns the goals – measurements are linked through the organization alignment
Clarity of goals – allows everyone to understand their importance to the vision of the organization
Accountability – individuals are measured by the results

The BSC provides the management team with a strategic tool to set strategy, align the operations while communicating it with the internal and external stakeholders of the organization. This management tool allows the organization to track its progress against goals and objectives that meet the vision of the organization.

Are your employees engaged?

dmcgunagle@globalstrategicmgmt.com (Dr. Doreen McGunagle) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:25:00 +0000

Winning the hearts and pocketbooks of your customers is determined by the quality of the interactions with your employees. When you look at the big picture, employees that enjoy their jobs are the key to the success of many organizations. How do you improve employee engagement? One of the keys is to survey them on everything from understanding the corporate vision to the level of support they receive from managers.

Depending on the results, proactive measures should be taken to improve the issues that are preventing the employees from being fully engaged at work. The more engaged the employee is will improve the bottom-line. Globally speaking, engaged employees are confident about their future with the company and feel like they make a difference. You firm could realize a reduction in turnover and better customer service both of which will boost your earnings.

Exceptional Buying Experience for Women

dmcgunagle@globalstrategicmgmt.com (Dr. Doreen McGunagle) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:04:00 +0000

Doreen M. McGunagle, Ph.D. Completes One-of-a-Kind

WomenCertified® Training

WomenCertified® today announced that Dr. Doreen McGunagle, CEO of Global Strategic Management Solutions has completed the WomenCertified training and certification program and is now specially qualified to provide an extraordinary level of service to women.

Dr. Doreen McGunagle is the CEO of Global Strategic Management Solutions. She is an organizational consultant, facilitator, and speaker. She has more than 20 years experience working with Fortune 1000 companies. Dr. McGunagle mentors, advises, and coaches leaders on key strategy issues that improve market performance and gross profits. An accomplished writer and professor: her publications include The Chinese Auto Industry: Taming the Dragon. Her educational background includes a Ph.D. (Organization and Management with a Specialization in International Business) and MBA (Management).

The goal of WomenCertified is to create women friendly companies and buying experiences. Statistics show that over 83% of all consumer purchases are made by women, making them the primary customer in almost every industry. WomenCertified is designed to teach sales and service professionals how to deliver better customer service, tailored especially for the female customer.

To become WomenCertified, professionals must complete a series of intensive training modules to learn the communication and customer service skills proven to be the most effective and desirable among women customers. Developed and conducted by Delia Passi, the leading expert and author on marketing and communicating to women, the training program includes a four-part online course track or live training and a culminating test. Passi has trained thousands of sales and service professionals across the nation in developing top communication skills, and she is the CEO and President of Medelia, Inc.

“Dr. McGunagle and the sales and service professionals who become WomenCertified are now part of a growing group who are raising the bar in providing the best customer service experience to women,” said Passi. “Studies show that Americans are growing less satisfied with the levels of customer service they receive, and WomenCertified is working to reverse that trend. It’s a win-win opportunity for companies and consumers.”

WomenCertified launched in September 2007. For more information, visit www.WomenCertified.com.

The Balancing Act!

dmcgunagle@globalstrategicmgmt.com (Dr. Doreen McGunagle) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:26:00 +0000

Today, executives of many companies struggle to keep up with the multitude of issues from opening an office overseas to being stumped on strategy. They are supposed to have all the answers. So where do you turn when you don’t know? You look for a coach that specializes in business and entrepreneurs, not a general life coach.

If you are ready to delve deep and confront your inner self then one-on-one coaching might be right for you. This type of training is most effective for businesses that are well established and ready to grow. There must be an identifiable challenge and a willingness to change.

One-on-one coaching allows an individual to discover self-awareness, values and beliefs, and behaviors. This enables you to understand what is blocking your progress so that the situation can change. When the coach is a seasoned executive, they bring a considerable amount of experience to the session. This offer new ideas and different ways of thinking about the subject. In essence this can be a brainstorm session with an expert.

The business coach should have an ethics statement and a confidentiality agreement. Fees can run $200 to $500 an hour, or $1200 to $5000 a month for multiple sessions. The majority of coaches work mainly over the phone so this allows you to expand to a larger geographical area. The key to a successful relationship is your ability to be clear on your expectations. A good coach will never tell you what do to but will ask what you have done since the last session. The relationship with your coach should assist you in growing your business to the next level.

Crafting Strategy

dmcgunagle@globalstrategicmgmt.com (Dr. Doreen McGunagle) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:30:00 +0000

A company’s strategy is the competitive moves and business approaches for growing the business, creating a market position, attracting and satisfying customers, competing successfully, conducting operation, and achieving target objectives.

A company’s strategy indicates the choices that management makes about

· how to attract and satisfy customers

· how to respond to changing market conditions

· how to compete successfully

· how to grow the business

· how to manage each of functional piece of the business, and develop needed capabilities

· how to achieve performance targets

A company’s strategy is aimed at creating a product or service that is distinctive from what the competitors are offering or at developing competitive capabilities that they can not quite match. A powerful strategy makes the company distinctive which tilts that playing field in their favor by creating a sustainable competitive advantage over the rival.

A company’s strategy is a blend of both proactive actions to improve the company’s market position and financial performance and reactions to unanticipated developments and fresh market conditions. The biggest portion of a company’s current strategy flows from previous business approaches that are working well to merit launching initiative to strengthen the company’s overall positions and performance.

A company’s strategy should be viewed as a work in progress. Changing circumstances and market conditions cause a company’s strategy to emerge and change over time. Strategy is fluid, representing temporary outcomes that respond to market changes and constant experimentation and modifications. A winning strategy should fit with the organizations external and internal situation, build sustainable competitive advantage, and improve the company’s performance.

Going Green!

dmcgunagle@globalstrategicmgmt.com (Dr. Doreen McGunagle) — Thu, 29 May 2008 11:12:00 +0000

Organizations across the globe are awakening to the reality that green business practices can provide a competitive advantage while producing world benefits. We use the word “green” because it has the connotation of the environment. Going green can benefit society and the environment while adding value to the organization.

There are numerous methods for adding value while contributing to society and the environment. They are not limited to energy efficiency, renewable and cheaper energy, innovations based on the green principles, increased brand image, increased employee engagement through aligning organizational and employee values, and improved company reputation.

Developing a green organization requires that there is a change in the core practices so that they benefit society and the environment while adding value to the organization. The benefit is nature preservation and societal good while adding to the reputation, stock prices, and long-term viability of the organization. In order to sustain an organizational change it will require integrating theses practices into the strategic agenda and the organization will need to adjust how they do business. External consultants can assist is developing the necessary changes within the organizational so that the long term goals can be met.

Effective Communication for Leaders

dmcgunagle@globalstrategicmgmt.com (Dr. Doreen McGunagle) — Mon, 19 May 2008 15:15:00 +0000

People in organizations typically spend over 75% of their time in an interpersonal situation. It’s not surprising that at the root of a large number of organizational problems is poor communications. Effective communications is an essential component of organizational success, whether it is at the interpersonal, organizational, or external level.

A major source of problems in communication is defensiveness. Effective communicators are aware that defensiveness is a typical response in a work situation, especially when negative information or criticism is involved. Be aware that defensiveness is common, particularly with subordinates when you are dealing with a problem. Try to make adjustments to compensate for the likely defensiveness. When people feel threatened they will instinctively protect themselves. This is natural. Defensiveness can take the form of aggression, anger, competitiveness, and avoidance among other responses. A skillful listener is aware of the potential for defensiveness and makes needed adjustments. He or she is aware that self-protection is necessary and avoids making the other person spend energy defending them.

Tips for Successful Communication:

Focus the discussion on the information needed
Use open-ended questions to expand the discussion to prompt for specific
Encourage dialogue through eye contact and expression
State you understanding of what you are hearing
Summarize the key points of the conversation

By taking the approach of peeling back the onion, where you ask a series of questions which offers another layer of perspective to the situation you empower managers and employees to recognize alternatives, goals, and outcomes in their decision making process.