The Hindu Business Line : Action plan for management development

Strategy development sessions are known to encourage collective responsibility and improve the motivation and group effectiveness of middle-managers.

R. Devarajan

Good leadership is about making things happen. Management development is one such thing. Corporate leaders are responsible for developing and grooming promising and potential executives in the middle management cadre so that they go on to occupy senior slots in the organisation.

The starting point in this process is for the management to ensure that the executives concerned have a clear sense of direction about their career objectives.

The second step is to evolve a plan of action to achieve the objectives.

The third is to agree on the values that would underpin the ways in which the executives achieved their objectives.

The fourth and final step would be to define the nature of their relationships, internally with other employees, and externally with other stakeholders.

Whatever is agreed upon must be congruent with the overall mission and objectives of the company. Towards this end, the management must provide a vision for the future of the company, which the executives sign up to.

It is essential that management does not impose its ideas on executives. Rather, they must work with them through a subtle blend of suggestions, helpful hints, and encouragement. This type of involvement and participation will suit the nature and temperament of most executives.

The ideal technique to employ in this context is Strategic Management, which creates a picture of the desirable and attainable future state of the business. It is about identifying the crucial criteria and conditions for success; making sure that activity is not confused with achievement; and setting up an action plan to translate the vision into a vivid and tangible outcome.

A good method to trigger the executives into this mood and mode of action would be to conduct a Strategy Development Workshop.

The idea is to allow the executives a a couple of days away from the “battleground” so that they are free from routine interruptions and distractions. The objective of the workshop will be for the executives to address issues of strategic importance to the business.

Some of the other incidental benefits would include encouraging collective responsibility, improved motivation, and group effectiveness. It would provide the participants an opportunity to say what they genuinely felt, thought, and believed about the efficacy and style of the senior management. It would serve as a forum for a free and frank exchange of views.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company must spearhead the workshop. His task would be to manage and moderate the discussion such that the participants stay on track and do not deviate from the key issues. His role would be to guide, and not govern; to facilitate, and not precipitate the discussion.

He must ensure that they evolve an arrangement and agreement among themselves about their individual responsibilities, goals and targets, and a programme for future action. Such a modus operandi would create a congenial climate for taking initiative and generate a sense of ownership and responsibility.

The workshop would provide the executives an opportunity to get the problems out on the table, so that they are resolved in the best interests of everyone. In an empathetic group, every member is willing to say his piece openly. In such an enabling environment, all the participants would be able to think and act in unison. The CEO must discuss with his executives what is desirable behaviour and what is not; and based on such a discussion he should generate ground rules for the future. As most executives prefer to work in their own ways – each in his own style – it is better to formulate an agreed and predetermined code of conduct and work towards a collective conscience for the effective performance of the management team as a composite whole.

The CEO has a primary responsibility to create an appropriate framework for effective communication in the company. Getting a message across is more than mere understanding – it includes gaining acceptance. If people do not accept a message, there is little chance of turning it into action.

While the power of logic and reason are formidable tools for transmitting a message, an overkill of rationale may sometimes hinder the process. Appealing to the heart as well as the mind is the right route. Communications crafted to touch the soul enhance credibility.

Messages that are long-winded not only create confusion and irritation but also suffer outright rejection.

Alan Greenspan illustrates this point with a powerful parody. “I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realise that what you heard is not what I meant.” Delivering a message that is simple, clear, and concise calls for hard work.

(The writer is a Chennai-based management consultant.)

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