You don’t need a business guru to tell you times are tough and you have to operate more efficiently do you? Times are tough and you’ve cut to the bone so now it’s a question of getting more out of what you have left. One area that you may be overlooking is the “combined” talent of your management staff. If you are still leading and managing by department rather than by joint development you may be missing out on some very profitable dynamics. When you’re managers truly believe they are a part of a team rather than custodians of a single function, remarkable things can happen.
Building this kind of organization will require a willingness to change and an investment of resources into management team building but failing to do it can cost you efficiencies and a flat bottom line. Here are just a few of the benefits of a well designed management team training program.
1. Greater commitment to organizational goals.
If an individual manager believes that he has real input into how the organization will attain its goals then he or she will develop a new enthusiasm for the success of the company. Their will be a new feeling of ownership that will flow downward into their department creating an even wider support for the organizations objectives.
2. Freedom from fear
Empowering managers to make decisions on strategic operations lessens their fear of a leader arbitrary use of power. Freed from the worry of second guessing the leader, the manager can pursue challenges without having to waste time “watching his back”.
3. Improving overall organizational knowledge
When management tackles objectives as a team they are going to learn about the complexities of departments that they knew existed but had little idea how they operated. This sharing of organizational knowledge will provide for faster and more accurate decision making as well as provide opportunities to take efficiencies in one department and replicate them to another.
4. Improving overall confidence
Managers engaged in a meaningful team environment have the opportunity to satisfy many personal needs such as self esteem, self actualization and other confidence building needs. A more confident manager is a more confident leader and that trait is invaluable in inspiring those that are subordinate to him.
5. Allows honest, open communications
If the leader convinces the team that they have been formed to play an important part in the organization’s mission, then the focus falls on the overall objectives and not on how to best run the accounting department or sales or the shipping dock. Once these territorial barriers are removed, honest and open communication begins because it is no longer a contest between divisions. Taking the best talent and having them share their ideas freely is the fastest way to develop creative and effective solutions to challenges.
6. Encourages a preferred leadership style
When the leader interacts with this team he or she has an excellent opportunity to display the leadership styles that they desire their managers to learn and use in their departments. For that reason leaders have to be sure about what they wish for because inevitably they’ll get it. If the leader isn’t thoroughly committed to the team concept, neither will the managers be nor the people who report to them.
7. Creating new value for your clients
Tapping into your management team’s combined knowledge can have astounding impact on what and how you offer to your clients. Obsolete value offerings can be eliminated and replaced with new value products or services. Efficiencies discovered or developed by the team will allow the organization to over deliver on value without over delivering on cost creating longer lasting business relationships.
Management teams are not for everyone. Running an organization on this model requires absolute commitment and participation on the part of senior leadership if it is to succeed. However, for those companies who are confidant they have the talent in their management staff, management teams can take the organization to new heights.