In association with Machwuerth Team International
More revelations of the components necessary to develop a management culture, continued from last month.
Appraisal interviews
Based on a simplified requirement profile for employees, different instruments for the preparation, implementation and processing of appraisal interviews are developed and made available as management tools for employees and managers alike.
Difficult appraisal outcomes
Should the management conversation training initiative reveal that managing appraisal interviews is a problem, a second training series should be implemented with all managers, practicing and reflecting on difficult conversational subjects such as motivation, problem identification, critique, conflict and moderation.
Consultancy by superior management
Senior management should be appraised at each step of the way and over its implementation. This way the process of sustainably changing management culture can be enhanced and if necessary supported by structural or personal changes. A project group should present its work and development regularly at management meetings, discussing and developing them together with all managers.
Management and employee interviews
This is the touchstone for changes in management culture; the final assertion as to whether there has been a change in the perceptions of all those involved. As a first step feedback from managers is collected, openly discussed and worked upon. The results show how managers reflect on the process of management development and whether they want to continue this way or redesign the whole project, perhaps even taking a few steps back. Next, employees should be questioned as to what extent the improvements had an impact at their level. This is best undertaken through an anonymous survey, the results of which shall show whether the majority of the employees noted the changes in the management quality and rated them positively.
After the project is before the project
A management culture development process never really stops. When a certain level of standard and stability is established the focus no longer lies on the development of unified management standards but on specific organizational development processes; in turn meaning implementation processes in specific areas of management responsibility.
Companies who have been through the process of managing development are likely to find that standards and benchmarks were developed adding to a common understanding of management, that aversion towards change was gradually reduced and that a culture development process spanning several years cannot be designed overnight.
Therefore it is important to choose a process-oriented approach right from the start and remember to continuously follow it, although the ways of reaching the end goal may change. It is also important to stay professional and open minded during the process in order to be able to take the necessary steps without raising tension among employees during this important and sometimes very necessary process.
