team comm white paper

8/9/2019 Team Comm White Paper

1/12

White Paper

Team andCommunication

Management

Priority & Time Management

Task & Compliance Management

Team & Communication Management

Crisis Management

Key Metric Variance/Corrective Action

Training Reinforcement

Part 3 of the 6 Fundamentals of Management

An organizations abilityto learn, and translatethat learning into actionrapidly, is the ultimatecompetitive advantage.

Jack Welch


2/12

Team and Communication Management

M2195,120329jlf

ii

Contents

Communication Check Up ............................................................................................................1

eam and Communication Management........................................................................................2

Delegation and Motivation ......................................................................................................3

Learning and Understanding ....................................................................................................3

How We Learn .........................................................................................................................4

Te Forgetting Curve Effect............................................................................................................5

Communication Avenues................................................................................................................6


3/12


M2195,120329jlf

1

Communication Check Up

o start, perform this Communication Check Up Find where you rank as an effective communicator.

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rank yourself on the following?

1. I am constantly and consistently communicating to influencebehaviors and morale both verbally and non-verbally 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

2. I understand the importance of building relationships

through positive voice and body language 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

3. I actively seek out feedback and input from all members in

meetings and one-on-ones 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

4. I am aware of the different communication styles within my

team and know how to leverage these to the greatest effect 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

5. I communicate recognition and growth insights

in a timely and constructive way 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

6. People know when they receive information from

me that it is trustworthy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

7. I ask questions to expand and deepen my understanding

then apply that knowledge to improve efforts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

8. I get back to people promptly and

encourage others to do the same 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

9. I ask for direct feedback from team members on my

communication style to be more effective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Notice the areas where you need to become more aware. If you dont already, ask for feedback from your peers,

reports and managers, perhaps using the above questions.

Any Lower Than a 6

Look further to see how you can improve. Review the questions above to dig deeper and put together a proactive

plan on how you can get better at communications.

6 and Over

Nice job. You are an effective communicator with an engaged team contributing actively and effectively to your

success. Continue seeking out ways to improve.


4/12


M2195,120329jlf

2


Te importance of good communication is a core fundamental of better management. People with good

communication skills will always rise to the top. In fact, when you think about the primary role of a manager

everything they do involves communication.

On the most basic level, they receive top line strategy or goals and must be able to translate them to day-to-

day frontline actions. Communication is the bridge between team members creating synergy within the team.

When done correctly this is how we achieve organizational goals more rapidly and on target.

Without communication and the team effort it permits, thesuccessful completion of any important project can be jeopardized.

Applied Statistics for Business and Economics, Allen Webster

What is not always talked about are the ramifications of poor communication, which directly affects task

implementation in the following 3 ways:

1. Lowers Morale If you dont understand the taskit can be a main point of on-the-job frustration.

2. Promotes Mistakes When communication is poor it is harder to perform the taskeffectively.

3. Jeopardizes Productivity Employees cannot accomplish the taskto expectation when the above two

issues exist.

Managers have a tough job when it comes to team and communication management because for them it is

more complicated. Tey have to adapt their communication and management styles to get the most out of team

members, and then they do it again when theyre communicating with upper management. And, of course,managers have their entire customer base to contend with. Strong managers must be able to communicate to all

of these groups consistently and effectively. For the sake of this piece, we focus on communicating to employees,

other managers or team members, however many of these techniques can be used in any circumstance.

What is management, exactly? A good starting point may be a quote from Warren G Bennis, Leaders are people

who do the right thing; managers are people who do things right. Leadership involves creating a compelling

vision of the future, communicating that vision, and helping people understand and commit to it. Managers,

on the other hand, are responsible for ensuring that the vision is implemented efficiently and successfully.

Both must be given a voice to work, and at the same time listening skills take an active role in any form of

communication.

Of course, these two roles overlap and to be a top performer

you need to fulfill both roles. Teres no point energizing people

to work towards a fabulous vision of the future only to fall

flat on your face when it comes to implementation. Without

effective communication you are doomed to perform poorly no

matter what type of role you take on.

Strong managers must

be able to communicate

to all groups consistently

and effectively.


5/12


M2195,120329jlf

3

Managers, shift managers and frontline employees must absolutely rely on one another to deliver and receive

details correctly. Workplace communication is crucial to a team.

Te way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch ofindividual stars in the world, but if they dont play together, the club wont be worth a dime.

Babe Ruth

Cornerstones of good team communication involve:

1. Delegation and Motivation

2. Learning and Understanding

Delegation and Motivation

Te top priority for managers is delegation. No matter how

skilled you are, theres only so much you can achieve working on

your own. With a team behind you, you can achieve so much

more. Tats why its important that you delegate effectively.

Successful delegation starts with matching people and tasks, so you first need to understand fully what the

various team members roles and skill sets entail. A good way of doing this is to put together a team agreement,

which sets out the purpose of the team and how it will work. Not only will this help you get your team off to a

great start, it will also be useful in bringing the team back on track if its veering off course.

Another key duty you have as a manager is to motivateteam members. Tere are many different approaches

to take when motivating team members but whatever approach you prefer to adopt, you also need to bear in

mind that different people have different needs when it comes to motivation. Some individuals are highly self-

motivated, while others will under-perform without managerial input.

Learning and Understanding

All of us understand that individuals learndifferently. Te way they intake, process, and retain information is

different. Communicate using both verbal and non-verbal behaviors to get a message across. For example, hold

a pre-shift huddle to create group learning, do one-on-ones to establish direct learning for harder tasks, and have

it written down so everyone can refer back to reinforce.

Reinforcing a message over and over again in various ways is where learning occurs and correct actions begin to

become good habits. Tis is where your top performers are made. Managers tend to see where their employeesfall in terms of skill and achievement.

No matter how skilled

you are, theres only so

much you can do alone.


6/12


M2195,120329jlf

4

Below is a quick snapshot of the different ways we retain information:

How We Learnby William Glasser

We remember...

10%of what we READ

20%of what we HEAR

30%of what we SEE

50%of what we SEE and HEAR

70%of what is DISCUSSED with OHERS

80%of what is EXPERIENCED PERSONALLY

95%of what we EACH O SOMEONE ELSE

Without team members understandingwhat is expected at a high enough level of clarity they cannot perform

the task correctly, much less be productive. Aside from just delegating or passing along valuable information,

a manager cannot be successful very long if they do not ensure a message is received correctly. In order to

know this, a manager needs to be able to confirm the

message by receiving and processing feedback. Once

feedback is received they can reinforce or correct the

communication as needed.

Understanding is a critical step that seems to get missedin communication management. It is common to hear

complaints from leadership saying, Ive told them

a million times what needs to be done. Why arent they doing it? Do we have the wrong people? It may be

difficult to look in the mirror and correct ones own communication tactics but it sure is more effectively and

less costly when it comes to employee churn.

Without understanding, a team

simply cannot be successful.


7/12


M2195,120329jlf

5

The Forgetting Curve Effect

What one must take into account is the fact that a once understood item has a strong potential to be forgotten

in a relatively short amount of time. Te well-documented Forgetting Curve, by Hermann Ebbinghaus,

illustrates this phenomenon. Te premise is simple. As time goes by the ability to recall information lessens. He

hypothesized that the complexity of the information, as well as outside influencers such as stress, work againstthe brains ability to retain what was learned.

From his findings, Ebbinghaus asserts that the best methods for increasing the strength of memory are:

1. Better memory representation (e.g. with mnemonic techniques)

2. Repetition based on active recall (esp. spaced repetition)

Presenting the information in various ways is shown

to also increase individuals ability to access working

memory from which they perform tasks. Active and timely

repetition sustains what was learned and further imprints

the information on the brain for easier recall. A primary

point around communication in general is that multi-

prong approaches are worth the energy as they have ahigher level effect.

Active and timely repetition

ensures easier recall.


8/12


M2195,120329jlf

6

Communication Avenues

As a manager communicationskills are essential. Communication encompasses both:

Interpersonal Communication

(between two or more people)

Organizational Communication

(all the patterns, networks, and systems of communication within an organization)

Communication Defined:the process by which a person, group, or organization (the sender) transmits some

type of information (the message) to another person, group or organization (the receiver) using some medium

(the channel).

Te importance of effective communication cannot be overlooked; everything a manager does involves

communicating. It is a managers job to get people on the same page and have specific acts carried out. Tat is

the basis of being a manager. o fulfill activities across your business, managers must synchronize verbal andnon-verbal behavior. Trough communication, team members achieve organizational goals in a more efficient

manner. Communication on face value is not enough though. Here is why:

Do you remember the game grapevine when you were a kid? Youd sit in a circle and the first person would

whisper in the ear of the person next to them a phrase, Te elephant likes cherry soda for dinner. As the phrase

makes its way around the circle what is heard is deciphered differently then passed into the next ear slightly

adjusted, until it comes to the end of the line and the original phrase is barely recognizable. Te infant really

enjoys sherry to get thinner. What happened?

Whenever you communicate with someone else, you and the other person typically follow the steps of the

communication process shown below.

Here, the person who is the source of the communication encodes it into a message, and transmits it through a

channel. Between the moment the message is transmitted and received there can be various types of noise and/

or distractions which can interfere with the clarity of the message. Ultimately, the receiver decodes the message,

and, in one way or another, feeds back understanding or a lack of understanding to the source.

The Communication Process

Source EncodingMsg Msg

ChannelMsg

DecodingMsg

Receiver

Feedback

Context


9/12


M2195,120329jlf

7

Simple messages travel faster, simpler designs reach the marketfaster and the elimination of clutter allows faster decision-making.

Jack Welch

For workplace communication to happen effectively, the managers messages follow the criteria below:

q Simple q Action-Oriented

q Visual q

Quick and Easy to Remember

Simple, direct language keeps people tuned in to whats important. Simple communication doesnt come from a

simple mind. It comes from tough-minded clarity of thought. Te best managers take responsibility for getting

through to all employees, so just remember, keep it simple.

Communicating With Team Members

As a manager, youre likely to be involved in lots of meetingsand strategies; to make sure they dont waste your time you must

participate in active listening.When youre in charge, it can be easy

to think that you know what others are going to say, or that listening

is less important because youve thought of a solution anyway. Dont

fall into this trap. Most good managers are active listeners; it helps them detect problems early (while theyre still

easy to deal with), avoid costly misunderstandings, and build trust within their teams.

Te best communication for teams is to:

Be specific:include facts and details to avoid being unclear

Be accurate:be sure the information you share is true and reliable

Be honest:pretty self-explanatory

Be logical:make sure messages are easy to follow

Be complete & concise:give all needed information in a brief, not unnecessarily wordy, explanation

Use various vehicles:dont just say it, write it down, post it, integrate it into your planning,

put it in to dos, incorporate it into checklists

Ask for feedback:have team members provide comments and insights on the

information presented to them

Reinforce:tell them and tell them again

Most good managers

are active listeners


10/12


M2195,120329jlf

8

Communicating With People Outside Your Team

Upper management is an imperative point in a managers communication process. ake time to understand

what the companys goals are and expectations of a locations senior manager or direct boss wants from you and

your team if one knows exactly what they like in terms of delivery, meeting their approval and expectations

becomes easier to manage. Pass along this information to staff at a relevant level of detail and in a timely manner

using the above communication techniques. By knowing the why behind what they are doing they will be

empowered to better meet the directive.

Its a fact of life these days that businesses must change quickly

to respond to rapidly changing markets. o help your team be a

winner instead of a victim of changes, communication should be

a top priority. Upward, downward and sideways communication;

it all matters.

eam and Communication Management are fundamental to

every manager because they define operations ability to:

1. Motivate teams to work in unified force toward the same goal/vision

2. Understand that the goal/vision is shared by all team members and reinforce as needed

3. Address questions or issues about the goal/vision that need to be resolved quickly in order for the teamto move forward

4. Keep team members informed of key metrics to set a level of clarity about where the group stands andto course correct proactively

5. Give team members a foundation of knowledge to work from (as the saying goesknowledge is power)

Remember that poor communication can lead to misunderstandings, wasted time and energy, a lack of trust and

conflict. It is a skill that requires life-long effort and learning that we must all practice. Tis is the defining point

where productivity and performance will either excel or falter.

Take the time to

understand goals and

expectations, then pass

this information along.


11/12

M2195,120329jlf

Priority & Time Management

Task & Compliance Management

Team & Communication Management

Crisis Management

Key Metric Variance/Corrective Action

Training Reinforcement

6 Fundamentals of Management

For further detail on the6 Fundamentals of Management, visit

www.BetterManagers.com/resources


12/12

4550 S. Windermere St.Englewood, CO 80110

800.526.-9635

www.BetterManagers.com

References Applied Statistics for Business and Economics: An Essentials Version

by Allen Webster. June 1998

Te Eects of Bad Communication in Businessby Julia Forneris, Demand Mediahttp://smallbusiness.chron.com/effects-bad-communication-business-2880.html

Better Workplace Communication in 5 Simple Stepsblog by Michelle Vesselhttp://www.novell.com/communities/node/5874/p-better-workplace-communication-5-simple-steps

How We Learnstatistics by William Glasserhttp://thinkexist.com/quotation/we-learn-of-what-we-read-of-what-we-hear-of-what/397216.html

Te Art of Workplace Communicationarticle at HubPages.com by unknown authorhttp://aveshavesh.hubpages.com/hub/communicationtheworkplace

Te Forgetting Curveby Hermann Ebbinghaushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forgetting_curve

Communication Process Diagramhttp://www.mybusinessprocess.net/the-communication-process/

team comm white paper

Documents