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The Responsiveness Paradigm
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Written by Robert Bacal
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Why are some people respected in the workplace, and others not? Is there something that distinguishes people who are thought of highly from those that are not? What about managers and leaders; are successful respected leaders different from those that are less successful? |
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Written by Robert Bacal
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We can think of organizations as falling on a continuum. One end is anchored by organizations that function well. In the middle we find the average organization that is effective but could be better. Finally, we have the toxic organization, an organization that is largely ineffective, but is also destructive to its employees and leaders. |
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On The Line: Our “Dead” Strategic Plan
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Written by Robert Bacal
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It is rare that plans of any sort are made to “come alive”. To understand why this occurs is to take a step to altering the situation. Strategic planning can be one of the backbones of organizational functioning, serving to: · inform decision-making (eg. what we do, what we don’t), · help staff determine both work unit and employee objectives · inform the staff development and personnel functions · form a basis for continuous improvement |
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Effectiveness & Activity - Focus On The "E"!
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Written by Robert Bacal
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A common charge levelled at government organizations is that they are wasteful and inefficient. I don't think it is completely fair to make such generalized assessments, but there is no question that some organizations ARE in fact wasteful and inefficient. Why is this? Is it because government staff are lazy and overpaid? Is it because they don't care? Are they wilfully wasteful out of cynicism? |
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Improving Communication -- Tips For Managers
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Written by Robert Bacal
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Research indicates that managers spend somewhere between 50% - 80% of their total time communicating in one way or the other. This isn't surprising, since communication is so critical to everything that goes on in an organization. Without effective communication there can be little or no performance management, innovation, understanding of clients, coordination of effort, AND, without effective communication it is difficult to manage the expectations of those who are in a position to make decisions about your fate. |
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The Responsive Manager/Leader
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Written by Robert Bacal
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The responsive manager tends to succeed by building bonds of respect and trust with those around him/her. Staff respond positively to responsive managers; they work more diligently, work to help the manager and the organization succeed, and will go the extra mile when necessary. That is because responsive managers act consistent with the principle that their jobs are to help their staff do their jobs. So, a basic inter-dependence emerges based on behaviours that show concern, respect and trust. |
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Winning Organizations - Applying What We Know About Sports and Athletics
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Written by Robert Bacal
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The winning organization requires that every member have a clear idea of what the organization is trying to achieve, but more than that members of the organization must see that vision in very vivid concrete terms. This is because the function of the visioned results is to energize people to strive for higher performance in their own domains, and this energizing will only work when employees see the connection between their own needs and the dreams of the organization. |
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Winning Management - Learning From Olympic Athletes
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Written by Robert Bacal
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During the Olympics millions watched athletes challenge themselves and each other. We saw Canadians and, indeed, Manitobans show that they can be "world class", both in athletic skills and professionalism. Not only did we get a chance to see sports performances but we also got a glimpse, through interviews and spotlight pieces, of the means that these athletes use to reach their best performances. |
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Leadership - The Link Between Planning & Doing
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Written by Robert Bacal
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Without leadership, most strategic plans will end up as dead pieces of paper. Most importantly, when planning occurs without leadership, cynicism increases when staff see that the plan is being ignored, or even violated. The outcome of this is that formal leaders suffer a loss of credibility. |
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The Responsive Manager/Leader
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Written by Robert Bacal
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The Responsiveness Paradigm outlined elsewhere in this newsletter is applicable at a number of levels. For example, it applies to organizations in general, and the ability of the organization to respond to the needs of customers, staff and other stakeholders (eg. politicians, etc). It applies to non-supervisory staff, and their ability to respond to the needs of their managers, customers and co-workers. This month we are going to look at responsiveness as it applied to managers, leaders and/or supervisors. |
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Managing & Supervising 
