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 (e.g. 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.
Influence of
the Responsive Manager
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 behaviors that show
concern, respect and trust.
Responsive managers also
influence those above them in the hierarchy.
Because responsive managers have the ability
to read and act upon the needs of their
"bosses", they are perceived as helpful and
reliable, or in a simple way, very useful.
This allows them to get the "ear" of people
above them in the system, and further helps
get things done when needed.
Contrast this with the
limited influence of the Unresponsive
manager. The unresponsive manager is
restricted in influence because those around
him/her do not respect or trust them to look
out for their welfare. Influence is more
limited to the use of power coming from the
formal position, and fear, a motivational
component that is hard to sustain over time.
Unresponsive managers tend to be perceived
as self-interested, or at best uninterested
in the needs of those around them. They also
tend to be perceived by those above them as
less reliable and less useful due to their
focus on empire building, organization
protection, and self-interest, rather than
getting done what needs to be done.
You Can Preview our
help card on Responsive Managers by clicking
here
How Do They
Do It?
Responsive managers apply
a number of specific skills and abilities to
the task (as outlined generally in The
Responsiveness Paradigm article). Above all,
they appear to be "with it". Wittiness
Have a number of
components. First with it managers are able
to put aside their concerns to listen to
(and appear to listen to) those around them.
As a result, they know what is going on, and
know what is both said, and said between the
lines. They have the knack of appearing to
know what people need even if those needs
are not expressed directly.
However, knowing what is
going on, and identifying the needs of those
around them is not sufficient. The
responsive manager also acts upon that
knowledge, attempting to help fulfill the
needs of employees, superiors, etc.
Responsive managers wield influence to solve
problems for those around them, often before
even being asked.
Here's an example:
I was responsible for
automating an office system in a government
department. As happens sometimes, the
Management Information Systems people were
not keen on our going our own way on the
project, despite the fact that they had
indicated they could not do it for us in the
near future. As a result their cooperation
(needed for the project) was patchy. As team
leader, I faced a number of roadblocks,
despite the fact that our Assistant Deputy
Minister wanted to see this project come to
fruition. I regularly reported back to our
Director, outlining progress and roadblocks.
Every time I communicated roadblocks to the
Director, they were removed within a short
time, despite the fact that I did not
request direct action. In addition, the
Director advised and counseled me on how to
deal with the "systems people" so I could
have maximum impact. Despite the roadblocks,
the project was completed on time and was
very successful, much to the chagrin of some
of the systems people, who I think were
hoping we would fail.
This is a simple story,
but one full of meaning. In this situation
the Director was able to identify the
project leader's needs with respect to the
project, listening carefully, and
identifying actions she could take to
"smooth the path". Not only was the Director
able to remove obstacles and fulfill the
need of the project leader, but the Director
responded on a deeper level, helping to
teach the Project Leader methods of becoming
more effective, fulfilling yet another need.
All of this was assumed to be the proper
role of the Director, and was done without
expressing all of the needs specifically or
explicitly.
We can contrast this with
the unresponsiveness of the MIS people. They
lectured, they fussed, they predicted dire
consequences, rather than offering
consistent, responsive help. They focused
not on responding to the needs of their
clients, but on some other factors having to
do with control, and their own needs.
Eventually, their lack of responsiveness
resulted in the very thing they did not
want; loss of control of the project. As a
result of this project their overall status
in the organization suffered, simply because
at both an organization and individual level
they were seen as barriers, rather than
useful.
Let's look at one more
example.
An employee had been
working for a government branch for about a
year, having moved to the city as a new
resident. In a casual conversation, the
supervisor noted that the employee wasn't
looking at his best, and asked how he was
feeling. The employee explained that he
hadn't been feeling well lately, and sounded
very tired and overwhelmed. The supervisor
determined that the staff member didn't have
a local family doctor, asked if he would
like the supervisor to arrange an
appointment, and proceeded to do so
immediately. The problem turned out to be a
minor one.
In this example we see
again the ideas of "wittiness" and
responsiveness. The supervisor was able to
identify that the staff member was in need
of some help, despite the fact that the
staff member did not state this explicitly.
Note that the supervisor didn't pressure the
staff member to go to the doctor, but
identified needs, checked them out, and then
acted upon them. In this case, help
consisted of direct, helpful action.
Conclusion
These two examples are
the stuff of loyalty and commitment. They
are remembered years and years after the
fact, and continue to extend the influence
of managers. In this sense responsiveness is
a critical component of management success,
because it allows managers and supervisors
to get things done, for the benefit of all
players.
In the limited space we
have, we have attempted to give you a feel
of what responsiveness means. You might want
to extend your own understanding by
considering some of the following questions.
-
If you are a manager
or supervisor, how can you modify your
own behaviors so that you become and are
perceived as more responsive by a) your
staff, b) your boss and c) your
customers?
-
Again, if you are a
manager or supervisor what is your
definition of the "responsive employee"?
Can you identify your "favorite
employees", and consider how they are
responsive to you? Our bet is you will
find that your most valued employees are
responsive.
-
If you are
non-management, what would you need to
do to be perceived as more responsive by
the people around you?
Post your comments at
amin@aiminlines.co.th
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