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Personal
& Organizational Development (POD)
Each
company, like each person, is simultaneously unique and universal.
The consultant's role is to identify the unique and apply the
universal. Below are 19 concepts and management tools which can be
customized to fit your personal or business needs. The use of each
tool can be taught in a 90-minute Tutoring session. Choose the
tool(s) you want to learn.
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|
Concept
or
Management Tool
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How
To Use
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| Ad
Hoc Committees/Task Teams |
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One of
the most effective ways to get things done in a busy company
is to assign certain tasks to a temporary Task Team or Ad
Hoc Committee which will be disbanded when it completes its
job.
Most
task teams should include both supervisors and
nonsupervisors, to assure getting input from more than one
operating level.
Task
Team recommendations will be reviewed by Management, which
can accept, modify, or reject the recommendations. The
operating principles are (1) to sincerely seek input from
employees and (2) to make it understood that
"Management reserves the right to accept and reject
your ideas with equal vigor!"
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| Employee
Event Form |
|
This
form makes it convenient to create a brief record each time
an employee's performance has been a topic of discussion
between the employee and a supervisor. The most common
mistake employers make is to complete the form only for
negative incidents. Make it a point to insert an Event Form
in the personnel folder when the employee has been praised,
as well as when he has been reprimanded.
It is
a good idea to use the Employee Event Form even if a company
does not use a formal progressive discipline policy.
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| Employee
Manual: Policy |
|
Appoint
a employee Task-Team to generate drafts of policies for
Management's consideration. Each policy should be simply
stated and no longer than one looseleaf page. For
uniformity, print the policy title in the upper right corner
of the page and the date, or revision date, in the lower
right corner. A master manual, containing the originals and
all revisions should be maintained by Management. |
| Employee
Manual: Procedures |
|
Not
every policy will require a procedure, but where necessary
the "how to" to implement the policy should be a
matter of record. Detailed procedures for specific tasks
should be kept in separate Office Manuals or Shop Manuals. |
| Financial
Ratios |
|
Without
revealing dollar-amounts, provide anyone who has a profit
responsibility with copies of Profit Ratios, Current &
Quick Ratios, and Average Collection Period. The plots
provide an alert when financial matters need more than
routine attention. |
| Five
P's Circle |
|
Ask
new employees the Magic Button question after they have been
on board about six months . Re-ask the question of all
employees every year or two . Before making a major company
decision, think of its impact on each of the P's . After
making a major company decision, analyze its impact on each
of the P's. (People, Plant, Procedures, Product-Service,
Profit) |
| Forms
Meeting |
|
Working
with either paper or electronic forms, most companies -- big
and small -- use too many and too complicated forms. A
properly conducted Forms Meeting will identify the forms
which should be simplified or eliminated. |
| Four
Facets Circle |
|
Each
company needs to have access to four sets of skills:
Administration, Marketing, Motivation, Technology. Since
very few entrepreneurs possess them all, the company needs
to acquire what's needed by: training, hiring, or retaining
as developments and timing dictate. |
| Job
Description Survey |
|
Ask
each employee to complete his own job description. From the
collected descriptions, it is possible to create meaningful
job descriptions which reflect the company's specific
operation. Pay special attention to any confusion concerning
lines of authority. Often it's a good idea to do this in two
steps: first, list the responsibilities of the position;
second, itemize the tasks which are needed to fill those
responsibilities. |
| Meeting
Summary/ Action Plan |
|
Assign
someone the responsibility of recording briefly the
what-who-when for each decision reached during every meeting
(except a Stand Up Meeting (STUM)). Write "done"
under the Result column when a task is completed. Keep a
chronological file of the sheets for reference. |
| Meetings |
|
The
first and last agenda item for every meeting should be
something like "What's on your mind?" or
"Anything you want to bring up?" The intention is
to have others speak before the person chairing the meeting
begins talking. For every meeting except a STUM assign some
one the task of recording decisions and assignment using the
hand-written Action Plan form to serve as minutes. Everyone
attending a meeting should receive a copy of the form -
before leaving, if possible. |
| Planning
Matrix |
|
Ask
each department to suggest short-term and mid-term goals for
the department and for the company. Once several goals have
been agreed upon, hold meetings to discuss which actions
should be taken to achieve those goals.
Supply
each participating individual with a copy of the completed
Planning Matrixes, and regularly review progress.
Supply
individuals with a matrix for Personal Planning, and explain
how they can benefit from applying it to both family and
business.
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| Policies
& Procedures |
|
Policies
specify what the company culture is. Procedures describe how
the policies are to be implemented. An appropriate looseleaf
format is used to create an easy-to-update Employee Manual. |
| Resolving
Differences Template |
|
This
template makes it clear that fact-driven disagreements are
easier to resolve than feelings-driven situations. It helps
for the participants in a discussion to identify where they
are on the template and try to move step-by-step to
resolution of the disagreement. |
| STUM |
|
A
STUM is a Stand Up Meeting. Department Heads or workers in a
group, like the Office Staff for example, should gather
every day or at least once a week to exchange information.
Any problems which arise are settled later by the
appropriate people. A STUM is intended merely to notify; in
effect, it is daily cross-informing, so that everybody is at
least familiar with everything which is going on. A STUM
should never last longer than 10 minutes; frequently it only
lasts 3 or 4 minutes. |
| Table
of Organization |
|
The
first pass at creating a Table of Organization (T/O) should
be in terms of function, not of individuals. Once the ideal
functional chart is agreed upon, create an Organizational
Deck of Cards, one card for each employee. The card will
show the person's functions, to whom he reports, who reports
to him -- even if the reality doesn't match the functional
lines of authority shown on the formal T/O. |
| Time
Management |
|
The
Time Management Template helps identify where time goes and
makes it easier to decide which activities can be condensed,
delegated, discontinued. The accompanying time-log and
telephone-log help two ways: First, they show where the time
goes; second, when asked to list their duties, most
employees will forget up to one-third of the tasks they
perform. The time-log kept over a week or two will expand
the list of duties which belong on the Job Description
Survey. |
| Training
Topics |
|
Have a
Task Team create two training lists: First, of
Company-Specific training; second, of Universal training
topics, like Decision Making and Time Management.
Set up
a database in which to track the training received by each
employee.
Schedule
some topics repeatedly, both as refreshers and for new
employees.
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| Training
Formats |
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Training
can be by outsider, by in-house people, and self-instruction
(including computer-based).
Training
can be grouped by function (Office Staff, say, or Service
Techs), by authority level (Supervisors), or with mixed
levels. Each method has its pluses and minuses.
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|
|
Select a 90-minute private tutoring
session
In business or family
Handling the Bad Apple
Decision-making tips
Problem-solving, Resolving Differences
Control Growth,
Avoid Downsizing
Manage by Exception,
Avoid Micromanaging
The Boss has a right to be happy, too!
Effective Memos & Letters
Use a 1-to-5 rating scale to
evaluate options
Personal & Organizational Development tools
Take the Financial Pulse of your business
Effective & Understandable Writing tips |