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Managerial Inputs in Development - Encourage Mutual Support
If there is
friendly competition in your office, subordinates can develop and grow if
targets
are realistic and everyone can win. But use it sparingly
as a means for advancement, because it has the potential to quickly degenerate
into conflict. Keep teamwork and achievement of
organizational objectives uppermost in your list of priorities.
Avoid the following:
-
Unclear or over-lapping boundaries
-
Unclear goals
-
Insufficient resources, unfairly distributed
- Hazy
values
- Vague
standards of performance appraisal
-
Incompatible personalities
- Poor
communications
Conflict is not always avoidable because of underlying human
situations, but take the trouble to get to know your team well and understand
their deeper selves, which may help in defusing situations.
Conflict
from external sources may not be amenable to
easy solutions, but it helps if you take staff into confidence and enlist their
participation to bash on and achieve departmental goals, using good
communications to enhance positive attitudes and feelings. Some
suggestions to consider:
-
Listen to your staff, and encourage them to listen to each other
- Keep
track of mutual relationships in the interests of the team
- Don't
let them jump to conclusions; encourage data-based analysis, not ‘hunches'
-
Create opportunities for them to help each other
- Use
mentoring
- Train
subordinates to coach each other
-
Encourage people to counsel each other on work/ personal problems
- Give
stronger recognition to team identity, to create a
feeling of excitement in hurtling jointly towards achievements/
rewards.
-
Divide and rule ultimately backfires on the oppressor.
QUESTIONS:
- How
would you go about achieving departmental and organizational objectives? Would you need to create ‘team spirit',
or enhance it?
- What
are the steps involved in creating a situation where a team is unfocused and
internal conflicts are imminent? How can these undesirables be avoided?
