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How to give a business presentation

Have you ever watched a presentation and been blown away by the presence or charisma of the speaker?

The truth is that the best speakers included,use a set of specific skills which they have learned and developed over time. It's not a fluke that they have taken you on a journey, made you feel like the only person in the room, and inspired you to take action on what they say. They are following a process and using a set of tactics that elicit this reaction. And our goal here is helping you achieve that.

Each component of their presentations is still deliberate and learned. Even the very best comedians, who appear to display the epitome of "off-the-cuff" commentary, meticulously plan and practice every aspect of their shows so that they come across as natural and witty.

Jerry Seinfeld, for instance, is renowned for being one of the most well-prepared speakers in the world.

‍ Seinfeld says, "Every comedian, like every athlete, has a little routine... I never vary it. It just feels comfortable."
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From pitching a potential client to persuading your CEO to ramp up the marketing budget, each presentation has subtle differences which determine whether or not they are effective in achieving the desired outcome.

With that said, there are a few universal guidelines when it comes to delivering an effective business presentation. This guide will provide an overview of the different types and delve deeper into the elements that work together to deliver impact.

Here are some of the most important business presentation skills you should learn and improve over time:

Practice and prepare

It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking "I know this stuff" and "winging it" when it's time to present. Some may even think that an delivering an excellent business presentation is as easy as speaking. However, the best presenters prepare meticulously.

For important presentations, plan on a minimum of 10 run-throughs. By doing so, you increase your chances of the presentation going off without a hitch and your ability to ability to engage with the audience in the moment.

Be present

When presenting, it's easy to get lost in your slides, caught reading notes or worried about what you will say next. But if you prepare appropriately, you can truly be present during the presentation-the most effective way to engage an audience and maintain their attention.

However, we know that is easier said than done. Here's a quick but effective guide to help you give killer presentations without notes:

Tell a great story

Studies suggest that stories are up to 22 times more memorable than facts. Stories connect with us on a personal level, tapping into emotion-just one reason they have been a crucial foundation of human society, passing on knowledge for generations.

Storytelling, however, isn't as easy as it sounds. It's a skill and a formula that the best presenters use to capture an audience.

This TED Talk by Nancy Duarte showcases not only an impactful presentation, but highlights the power of storytelling in conveying a message.

The 10-20-30 rule

Helping others understand a complex topic in simple language is perhaps the greatest skill of an effective presenter. If you overload a presentation with information, the people watching are more likely to leave being confused or simply disengage during the presentation. Guy Kawasaki's 10-20-30 rule is a good structure to follow:
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Inexperienced presenters have a tendency to overload their slide deck with information and run out of time right before they get to the juicy part of their message. Using the 10-20-30 rule is a good way to condense a presentation and reduce the chance of running out of time.

Did you know that 55% of the way someone interprets your communication is attributed to body language, and 38% attributed to your tone of voice? That leaves only 7% of interpretation based on the actual words said.

Given these statistics, the way we prepare for presentations should be weighted towards understanding how what our body language and tone of voice says, rather than obsessing over simply the words we say.

As with any new skills, these presentation skills won't develop overnight. To truly become an excellent presenter and communicator in the workplace, you need to practice and refine your skillset habitually.

Now let's talk about how to create the presentation deck itself.

How to make a business presentation slide deck

What is the audience looking at when you are presenting? Your slides.

There will be moments when you engage one-to-one in eye contact with people, but for the most part, they are using their visual senses and looking at your slides to better understand what you are talking about.

Given this behavior, the look and feel of your slides can either help or hinder the consumption and retention of your message. As a result, the way you design your slide deck is critical. If you're short on time or resources, SketchDeck just might be the perfect solution to get high-quality, on brand presentation design.

Here are some best practices to follow when it comes to presentation design:

Types of business presentations

There is a fairly broad spectrum of pitches, speeches, and meetings that business professionals both encounter and carry out in their day-to-day work. As a result, it is important that before we talk about how to create one, we define what it is.

A business presentation is the delivery of a message to a group or individual with the purpose of influencing their perception of a topic so that it aligns with a desired set of outcomes. While these presentations take several forms, we can group them into three primary categories: ‍

1. Sales presentation: A sales presentation or sales pitch refers to a structured message which attempts to persuade someone to buy a product or service. ‍

2. Marketing presentation: Unlike a sales pitch, a marketing presentation is typically delivered to other representatives within a business. The purpose of this business meeting presentation is to educate and influence internal decision-makers or budget holders to buy into a plan for promoting a product or service. ‍

3. Other business presentations: ‍On top of marketing and sales presentations, there are any number of professional presentations that could be categorized as business presentations. These include information sessions, training initiatives, reporting on results, innovation brainstorms, problem-solving collectives, and much more.

Use brand guidelines

Your business should have a set of design guidelines in place which all collateral, including presentations, abide by. Things such as primary colors, secondary colors, layout, fonts, style, and flow should all be itemized and described in this document.

For an example, check out the SketchDeck Brandbook.

Business presentation templates are your friends

In addition to using your brand's set of design guidelines, it's helpful to create a series of themed templates for each type of business presentation. This way, whenever someone in your organization is conducting a presentation they have an on-brand framework to work from.

Have a design library

To ensure consistency across your brand, develop a design library for employees that is hosted in the cloud. This library will provide quick and easy access to your guidelines, templates, and a set of pre-approved images and graphics.

PowerPoint best practices

For our next step, let's check a few PowerPoint best practices (works for Google Slides and pretty much any other presentation software, too):

Adopt the KISS approach

Say it with us-keep it short and simple and you'll keep your viewers happy. Limit yourself to one key idea per slide:

Not only will this allow you to inform your audience without overwhelming them, but it will also keep you from diluting the importance of each piece of information with tangents.

This doesn't apply to only text, though-crowding every corner with graphs, animations and even logos prevent the key points from being communicated. As posited by Edward Tufte, " PowerPointPhluff " is a trap many presenters fall prey to, replacing serious analysis with chart junk, over-produced layouts, cheerleader logotypes, and branding, not to mention corny clip art.

As a general rule, you should aim to include no more than three pieces of information on one slide-all of which contribute to one idea.

Draw attention to key points

Use contrasting colors, font variations, and moving graphics to draw people's attention to the most important points in your presentation.

In the example below, you can see how a simple variation in fonts can have a powerful visual impact on the way someone interprets a slide:

Be bold

Additional business presentation tips

Once you've practiced your presentation skills and refined your design, you may ask: what else can you do to deliver a powerful presentation? Here are some additional tips, ideas and best practices:

Seek feedback

As with anything, if you want to get better at presenting, the best way to do so is to seek constructive feedback and use that feedback to improve.

For best results, go beyond asking a friend or colleague "how it went" or "how you did." Instead, enlist a coach, mentor, or accountability partner who can provide structured and meaningful feedback.

Entertain

‍ Even though you are conducting a business presentation, don't neglect the entertainment factor.

People like to feel -whether it be laughing, crying, being held in suspense, and/or drawn to the edge of their seat. Entertainment and emotion are components that grab attention and will inevitably help you convey your message.

Make it visual

Research suggests that a staggering 65% of people are visual learners. Not only that, but studies show that the retention of knowledge is significantly increased when visuals are used rather than text, so keep this in mind when creating your slide deck.

This presentation from Andreas von der Heydt shows off the power of visuals in presentations with only minimal text on each slide.

©Andreas von der Heydt-The Magic to Think Big

Now let's get visual and check a few great business presentation decks available online!

Here is a collection of 15 of the best business presentations, including key insights and takeaways for your next deck.

Sample business presentations

Putting together a presentation like this one is no easy task. It is lighthearted but extremely professional and relevant at the same time. Each slide makes you curious to see what's next, and they keep it fun without fluff. Bravo!

Some say this is the best sales deck ever. For us, it's hard to say this is the best business presentation we've seen, seeing as we've designed over 4,000 presentations for amazing clients-but it is surely one of the more powerful presentations out there.

We like how Zuora's deck tells a compelling story through great visuals and a perfectly structured narrative. They press the right buttons throughout to make their target audience uncomfortable enough to pay attention, yet hopeful enough to crave for their solution.

And while finding good business pictures for presentations can be challenging, Zuora takes it to the next level by using on-brand visual aids to support their message on each slide.

PowerPoint is not boring-dull slides and corny animations are.

With creativity and skill, you can make wonderful presentations in PowerPoint. This presentation we made for Dialpad was a big hit thanks to the engaging animations that both embodied the brand's exceptional quality and displayed in-depth service details in a clean, dynamic way. (Again, all in PowerPoint!)

In order to resonate with your audience, you must know your audience-something Reddit excels at.

Not only is this deck 100% on-brand, it's also funny and interesting in a relevant way for their audience. They did a great job with their company presentation, showing how Reddit works and their strong policies against spammers and attempts to "game" the platform.

The deck also excelled at showing success cases, using both creative and down-to-earth ads to show that their platform brings a good ROI if you follow their guidelines, whether you have a brilliant marketing campaign or a set of simple, on-point ads.

This deck is living proof you don't need to toot your own horn in a professional business presentation.

In this 9 slide deck about key reasons to move your clients to Microsoft Office 365, Hiperdist remained laser focused on the solution that was relevant to their audience. They only mentioned their own brand in the final slides, with contact information and a one-sentence description.

Perhaps the only area that they could've done better in is following the golden rule-one key point per slide! To ensure you are concise and not wordy in your own presentation, create a business presentation outline before designing your deck.

This deck does a magnificent job by cutting to the chase quickly and presenting relevant data without clutter. Simple, on-brand, to the point and well-designed-a great example of how business presentation slides should look and feel.

After providing top-notch business presentation services for years, we've developed a sixth sense when it comes to great presentations. We can usually tell if a deck is good or bad from the first slides.

Adgibbon was a hit from head to tail, dynamically showcasing their product, one feature per slide and keeping things light, fun, and 100% on-brand.

With a clean, on-brand look and feel, Launchrock showcases everything they need in 16 crisp slides.

And the best thing about their clean design? If they need new business presentations, all they need to do is use this one as a template and they're ready to go!

That's one of the major benefits of a professional business presentation PPT template: you can easily streamline outstanding decks, keeping guesswork out of the equation.

Giving a presentation about something as complex as marine science and conservation could be considered overwhelming. That didn't stop Schmidt Ocean Institute, however, from killing it with their 2018 Visions to Reality deck.

This deck is a masterclass on how to make a business PowerPoint presentation look great by harmonizing beautiful photography, illustrations, data points, blockquotes, technical knowledge and company achievements without clutter, fluff or dullness.

With major companies like Dropbox and Okta on their portfolio, Greylock Partners has in-depth knowledge and experience in their field. They also know how to show their expertise in a digestible and compelling manner.

If you're stuck and need some tips on how to give a powerful presentation, take a deep dive into this deck. They use subtle background authoritative images to build trust with their audience...

And not only do they ask the billion dollar question...

But they also answer it with uncanny precision and great visual aids.

Finally, they use data-driven graphs to back up their answer and simultaneously show the audience their expertise.

Pitching investors demands your A-game. And since 91% of professionals feel more confident when they have a beautifully designed presentation, design plays a major role in prepping for success.

When Air was preparing for an important presentation for a group of investors, they decided they needed a new look. Within two weeks, we had worked together to create a beautiful final presentation. The presentation was a hit, and they wowed their investors!

Remember: beautiful design is not only an aesthetic need, but also a profitable decision that can make or break huge opportunities.

With vibrant colors and fun illustrations, each slide from Office Vibe's deck is delightful and informative. It's captivating enough to make you want to flip through the entire deck more than once-a good marker of a winning PowerPoint business presentation deck.

Degreed's takeaway slides are just what every audience needs-a breakdown of data-heavy slides into digestible tidbits.

Their capacity to illustrate data is also worth mentioning, as it increases information retention.

Hubspot presentations are on-brand, fun, and engaging, and their Zero to IPO deck is no different.

And of course, full of memes.

Disclaimer: we're not saying you should use memes, but they can help engage the audience if on-brand (assuming your audience is as fond of memes as many marketers are!)

Have a tight timeline for an important business presentation, but not confident your current deck is good enough to make a stand for your brand?

That's why we exist! Thrive Savings was a young startup without firm brand guidelines, but that didn't stop us from creating a pitch deck that personified their brand. Taking inspiration from their social media marketing, we worked together to create a fresh and dynamic deck design in under a week, from start to finish.

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High Impact Business Presentations - SketchDeck

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Have you ever watched a presentation and been blown away by the presence or charisma of the speaker? The truth is that the best speakers included,use a set of specific skills which they have learned and developed over time.

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Section 1 Principles of Work-Related Communication

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Section 1 Principles of Work-Related Communication

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Effective communication in the workplace is arguably the most important of all skills and can have a substantial effect on a business' success[1]. To me, effective communication falls into three main categories: general communication skills, interpersonal communication skills and written communication skills. Effective communication provides clarity, reduces the risk of mistakes or misinterpretation and ensures that employees are provided with a clear understanding of what is expected.

General communication skills

General communication skills are the skills one uses regardless of the communication tool being used. These skills include respect, understanding of cultural differences, sticking to facts (unless an opinion is being demonstrated) and engagement/delivery.

Respect in communication is vital as it helps build trust and working relationships and earning respect is arguably one of the more complicated and difficult skills a manager needs to acquire. One acronym we can follow as managers is R-E-S-P-E-C-T[2], which provides the important basic aspects of demonstrating and behaving respectfully. That is:

Recognize how what we are saying is coming across

Eliminate negative words and phrases from our vocabulary

Speak with people, not at them, or about them. Engage in a conversation, not a debate or a lecture

Practise appreciation - show appreciation

Earn respect from others by modelling respectful behaviours

Consider others' feelings before speaking and acting. Is what we are saying kind? Is it necessary?

Take time to listen and don't interrupt.

My personal belief is that a manager can gain an abundance of respect by rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands dirty, being responsible and by proving that they can perform rather than expecting a job title to do the work for them. Only through this can managers expect to truly earn respect.

"Consider whether your influence comes from your position in the hierarchy (or access to privileged information), or whether it truly comes from respect that you have earned. If it is the former, start working on the latter."[3]- Jim Whitehurst, President and CEO of Red Hat

Understanding of cultural differences has never been more vital than in today's modern world. Increasing global markets and the ability to communicate easily via electronic systems have resulted in much easier communications across cultural and ethnic barriers. However, communicating across cultural barriers requires the ability to understand the difference in cultures and the ability to adapt to them.
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I was recently speaking with a professional who was responsible for setting up one of the very first call-centres in India a large company. He is Indian born and explained that the biggest hurdle for this team was to teach the Indian call centre staff to speak in what he described as a "less monotone voice". Because of this method of speaking (and after some research into hundreds of complaints from customers), he discovered that callers from the UK felt as though the Indian call centre staff were being sarcastic or even patronizing. However, through training and coaching, his team were able to change the way in which the staff spoke. That particular call centre would eventually become the most respected call centre in India and now has an entire team dedicated to dealing with the technical aspects of insurance claims. He admits that the company still has some way to go, but there is no doubt the understanding in place, and overcoming this cultural difference in communication has made his company more successful.

Communicating over cultural barriers is much more than how we speak. Cultures provide people with ways of thinking - ways of seeing, hearing, and interpreting the world. The same words can mean different things to people from different cultures, even when they talk the "same" language. When the languages are different, and translation has to be used to communicate, the potential for misunderstandings increases.[4]

"Some cultures get very emotional when they are debating an issue. They yell, they cry, they exhibit their anger, fear, frustration, and other feelings openly. Other cultures try to keep their emotions hidden, exhibiting or sharing only the "rational" or factual aspects of the situation." - Dr. Stella Ting-Toomey, Professor of Human Communication Studies at California State University

If we fail to understand cultural differences, we will fail in our communication, and we will fail to grow our business. This is especially true in such a diverse country as the United Kingdom.

Sticking to facts is important in communication within a management role and must never be confused with opinion. Factual information ensures that we are making decisions based on proven information, not what we prefer (or hope) to be true. It also ensures that we are not later discovered to have based our instructions on a mistruth, which could result in us being discredited and ultimately untrusted.

Good engagement and delivery mean that we keep our audience interested and communicate messages in a clear and concise manner.

We can use a number of different communication tools to engage and deliver effectively. These might be as basic as speaking with a clear, audible voice. It may also mean using presentation software such as Microsoft PowerPoint, using music to deliver a message, reading a story, producing an instructional video, or providing clear and concise written material.
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Interpersonal communication skills

Interpersonal skills are the method in which communications are delivered. In a face-to-face environment, these skills include the tone of voice used, body language, facial expressions, clear speech and gestures (hand movements) [5][6].

The skill set used will vary depending on the situation at the time. For example, when speaking on the telephone, interpersonal communication skills become more limited, often only allowing for enunciation and tone of voice to be used to successfully communicate the mood of the information being shared.

According to Study.com, the seven key interpersonal communication skills[7] are:

Verbal communication

Non-verbal communication

Listening skills

Negotiation

Problem-solving

Decision-making

Assertiveness

Effective verbal communication relies on a number of aspects including good syntactic pronunciation (using words in the correct order), using semantics (to ensure the words we are using accurately describe our intentions and cannot be misinterpreted) and using contextual rules (to ensure we use the correct word choices according to the context and social custom they are being used in).

Non-verbal communication includes the use of visual cues such as body language (kinesics), distance (proxemics) and physical environments/appearance, of voice (paralanguage) and of touch (haptics). It can also include chronemics (the use of time) and oculesics (eye contact and the actions of looking while talking and listening, frequency of glances, patterns of fixation, pupil dilation, and blink rate)[8].

Effective non-verbal communication is vital in many aspects of a business environment.
For example, it would be important in a face to face meeting for my body language to be positive; failing to do so could result in other members of the meeting feeling that I was disinterested, failing to concentrate or unhappy with the information being provided.

Listening skills consist of five elements: hearing, attending, understanding, responding, and remembering[9].

Effective listening can only take place if a number of factors are adhered to. Firstly, it is important to remove any distractions as practicably as possible. In a meeting situation, this might be to ask all present to switch off and put away mobile phones or computers (unless they are required for taking notes or presenting information). It also helps to avoid any noisy environments and making the environment comfortable for all involved. Anyone who is uncomfortable is likely to be distracted from a conversation due to their discomfort thus less likely to record the information being communicated to them. In an office environment, this may be achieved by providing an office 'breakout' area to separate the usual working area from the distractions of talking and telephones[10].

Another important listening skill is to listen to and consider all the facts before making a snap decision, which often prevents conflict.

Part of effective listening is to ask questions, and management should be open to them. Asking questions allows a person to gain clarification and also helps the person speaking express their opinions or instructions in more detail. I have always believed that it is important to encourage employees to ask constructive questions on any points they are unsure which, in the long term, can avoid mistakes caused by a lack of understanding and may also provide a more sensible and efficient method for the task at hand, whether that may be in a technical environment or customer service role.

"[Employees] are better in touch with customers and stakeholders and they understand problems and possibilities, what works and what doesn't better than you."[11] - Professor James Detert, Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, New York

When taking on a new member of staff, especially one who may be completely new to the industry, I actively encourage them to ask questions with the view that no question is a stupid question. This reassurance generally results in a positive response and helps the new employee understand the processes and what is expected of them.

Negotiation is critical to a business' success[12] and although it may not be obvious, negotiation will usually take place daily. Structured negotiation is vital to ensure that the end goal is reached for all parties and that any differences are settled.
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Good negotiation skills require more than simply pushing for what you (or your company) desires. Negotiation requires the principles of fairness, seeking mutual benefit and maintaining a relationship, which used correctly, will result in a successful outcome[13].

Problem solving is a skill in business which is required on an almost daily basis. According to the University of Kent, there are four fundamentals required for successful problem solving[14]: evaluation of information or situations; breaking the information or situations down into their key components; consideration of various ways of approaching and resolving them and then making a decision on the most appropriate of these ways.

Problem solving involves both analytical and creative skills, in particular. These include:

Analytical Ability - the ability to visualize, articulate, conceptualize or solve both complex and uncomplicated problems by making decisions that are sensible given the available information[15]

Lateral Thinking - the solving of problems by an indirect and creative approach, typically through viewing the problem in a new and unusual light[16]

Initiative - such as challenging ideas, looking for new ideas, actively seeking opportunities to try out new ideas and looking beyond obvious solutions[17]

Logical Reasoning which it is generally accepted there are two types of - Deductive reasoning (the process of reasoning from one or more statements to reach a logically certain conclusion[18]) and Inductive reasoning (in which the statements are viewed as supplying strong evidence for the truth of the conclusion[19])

Persistence - not giving up at the first dead end

"If at first you don't succeed,
Try, try, try again." - W. E. Hickson

"If at first you don't succeed, sleep on it.
Things always seem a bit clearer the next day." - Ritchie Hicks

During my training with the Scout Association, we have been encouraged to look at problem solving using the IDEAL problem-solving method which I have also found useful in business. The IDEAL method has five important processes to follow:

I - Identify problems and opportunities
D - Define alternative goals
E - Explore possible strategies
A - Anticipate and act
L - Look and learn

Using the IDEAL method can help forge effective working relationships within a team when followed in the correct order. It defines a process which can ensure all points of problem solving are covered in the correct order to ensure no areas are overlooked, thus reducing unnecessary pressure on the team or disagreements over the options available to complete the task.

Still, the most overlooked point in my experience is the last - to look and learn. It is vital to review the project and learn where areas could have been improved for the next time. It is too easy to complete a goal and move on to the next without looking back at what could have been improved. Reviewing the project helps us identify mistakes to help ensure that they don't reoccur in another project. It also helps us to learn areas that could be improved upon next time as well as helping the team understand whether or not the path chosen to complete the project was the right one.
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Written communication skills

Written communication skills comprise of a number of requirements. Grammar and spelling are very important. Using correct grammar and spelling ensures that there is no confusion over the point being made or the instruction being provided. Correct grammar and spelling also ensure that all communications reflect a level of professional competency[20].

Accuracy is vital within written communication as it ensures that the correct information is provided and reduces the likelihood of mistakes being made, which can be time consuming, result in unnecessary expense, give the appearance of unprofessionalism and even result in the safety of a person being put at risk.

We also need to consider whether written communication is necessary. At some point or another we are likely to encounter someone who feels the need to send emails or messages at the slightest event. This may not always be the best way to communicate complications to colleagues, especially those who receive many message's a day, as points may be lost, may be confusing for the recipient and may also result in avoidable increases in levels of stress. Instead, it is sometimes best to keep notes and then send a summary email at the end of the day or once more tangible information is obtained.

Finally, I feel that an important leadership skill often overlooked by managers is empathy. Unlike almost all other leadership skills, empathy is an emotional skill and adds a more human element to management. Those people who have strong empathy skills are usually able to see the world though someone else's eyes and understand their individual perspectives. This can be an extremely powerful tool when trying to break down barriers to communicate messages, especially cultural barriers.

Communicating with empathy can also be an important skill in building trust and respect within working relationships; leading to stronger bonds being formed between colleagues.

"Empathetic understanding is also indispensable in increasingly diverse markets, like those of the U.S., Germany, and even Japan, and in other cultures around the world. Neither technical knowledge nor business acumen suffices. You must be sincerely interested in understanding other cultural preferences and choices."[21]

[1] http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/effective-communication.html

[2] http://www.cornerstone-ct.com/communicating-respect/

[3] https://hbr.org/2015/05/how-to-earn-respect-as-a-leader

[4] http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/problem/cultrbar.htm

[6] http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/interpersonal-communication.html

[7] http://study.com/academy/lesson/interpersonal-skills-in-the-workplace-examples-and-importance.html

[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonverbal_communication

[9] http://www.leehopkins.com/types-of-nonverbal-communication-listening-skills.html

[10] http://www.bluespaceltd.co.uk/the-importance-of-an-office-break-out-area/

[11] https://hbr.org/2014/10/how-to-get-your-employees-to-speak-up/

[12] https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/203168

[13] http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/negotiation.html

[14] https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/problem-solving-skills.htm

[15] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analytical_skill

[16] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateral_thinking

[17] https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/hr/guidesandsupport/performanceatwork/pdpr/pdpr-behavioural-competency-guide/personal-effectiveness/problem-solving-and-initiative.aspx

[18] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deductive_reasoning

[19] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductive_reasoning

[20] http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-good-grammar-workplace-10432.html

[21] https://hbr.org/2015/09/empathy-is-still-lacking-in-the-leaders-who-need-it-most

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Principles of Effective Communications in the Workplace - Gloopa.co.uk

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Effective communication in the workplace is arguably the most important of all skills and can have a substantial effect on a business' success[1]. To me, effective communication falls into three main categories: general communication skills, interpersonal communication skills and written communication skills.

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Section 1  H&SAW Legislation & Procedures

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Section 1  H&SAW Legislation & Procedures

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Section 1 Management of Team Performance

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Section 1 Management of Team Performance

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Managing team performance requires a constant balance between people and task - and with the time pressures faced by many people with the responsibility of managing a team, the key question is "how do I do this" and ensure my team is working in the high performance space?

People work in teams to complete tasks and achieve results. A large measure of their success at the task depends on the process. The productivity, effectiveness, engagement and on-going sustainability of the team depends on how "supported" and significant they feel - critical to the interpersonal relationships within the team. This constant balance between people and task is critical - so to manage team performance effectively you need to "manage this tension".

When managing team performance, every conversation you have reveals what is important to you. You engage in conversations when making decisions, sharing decisions, sharing divergent thinking, sharing innovative thinking, asking questions to seek out new ideas; and managing the performance of each individual team member with the level of discipline and rigour required to create success.

To bring practical and real application to this topic we explore SIX concepts and types of conversations:

1. Recognise a team is made up of individuals who all need to perform

2. Value the power of real conversations to propel performance

3. Engage in "tactical" conversations to create clarity and alignment

4. Use "operational" conversations to enable results and engagement

5. Capture learning with "reflective" conversations

6. Empower performance with "leverage" cycle conversations.

1.There are individuals in teams
Once a task is assigned and delegated to an individual it is important to manage the performance of the individual as well as the team performance if you want to achieve the desired results.

Supporting each individual in your team is critical to managing team performance. It is the only way to ensure the task is completed and team members are engaged to work at their full potential. You do this with each individual team member by:

Recognising their significance

Engaging in real conversations

Observing, sharing and being present

Matching the level of support to each person's needs.

To have people working productively in a high performing team requires you to manage team performance by engaging "openly" with each individual while also encouraging interdependent relationships and behaviours by managing the team performance.

2. Power of real conversations
When managing team performance the power of real conversations is what propels it into high performance. To have productive and trusted relationships with members of your team working in the "open" window is the only place it happens.

Real conversations bring courage into action - they give it tangibility. Every conversation reveals what is important to people working in the team, brings the values to life and influences the culture of the team, the business unit and the business. When people in the team know themselves well (self-mastery) and bring confidence, they are ready for the vulnerability that comes from being completely transparent and honest with others (courage). Conversations enable us to make decisions, share decisions, share divergent thinking, share innovative thinking, ask questions to seek out new ideas and find new ways of doing things.

Managing team performance is best done by connecting and engaging with each individual in your team through conversations. Before we go any further let's be clear on how we define a "real conversation":
..........it is where two or more people share knowledge, skills, attitudes, values and emotions with each other in an uninterrupted and unhurried space. And for the conversation to have clarity then the message needs to be received in the same way that it was intended when it was sent.
Remember also to provide context before delivering content and recall this simple model from Robert Bolton to ensure that what you mean is what you send and what is received! In our experience the quality of conversations is being diluted by lack of time and lack of clarity. When managing team performance it is essential you take responsibility for initiating the conversations and while engaging in them creating clarity of message.

To prepare the person to receive the message with the same intent that sits in your head provide context before you deliver the content. Always be mindful of the gaps between "how meant"; "how sent"; and "how received" to ensure that what you mean is what you send and what is received by the other person.

When managing team performance there are seven critical conversations:

1. Tactical

2. Operational

3. Reflective to create learning agility

4. Delegation to initiate the leverage cycle conversations

5. Supporting to ensure people feel significant

6. Feedback

7. Coaching

3. Tactical conversations
When managing team performance clarity on the team brand is essential as this establishes the purpose, provides the meaning and positions them successfully to release their energy so they can bring their best to the team. Conversations that align vision, brand and culture delivers a strong team brand with everyone in the team having absolute clarity on what is expected of them and what they can expect of others. They have absolute clarity on how to bring their best to the team. This tactical approach of aligning vision, brand and culture assures you create the foundation for unleashing the potential of each person within your team.

4. Operational conversations
At an operational level when managing team performance, people need to understand and respect what they each bring to the team and the team brand at a highly individual and specific level - so they can 'operate' together to achieve results and feel engaged - personally thriving and unleashing their true potential.

In our Courageous Leadership Program we recommend the use of this tool to guide such operational conversations. Managing team performance with a firm GRIP ensures success because it balances the focus between people and task:

G - Goals: what we do ( TASK)
R - Roles and responsibilities: who does what ( PEOPLE)
I - Interpersonal relationships: how we work ( PEOPLE)
P - Process and procedures: how we work ( TASK)
5. Reflective conversations
When managing team performance investing time and energy to engage in reflective thinking conversations to capture learning is critical. Creating this kind of space to think is essential for high performance. We recommend using Edward de Bono's famous six thinking hats framework to provide the necessary discipline and rigour reflective thinking requires to be effective.

Ask us for more information if you are serious about investing in this kind of conversation - we have a one page checklist we can email to you.

6. Leverage cycle conversations
When managing team performance you leverage the efforts of each individual in your team by engaging in each of these four conversations:

Delegate to initiate the leverage cycle

Support so individuals feel significant and engaged

Feedback to create awareness of performance impact

Coach to improve, consolidate and maintain performance of each individual in the team.

Engage in a real conversation with Mandy to explore any of these concepts in more depth so you know how to activate practical results or to find out how we put all of this together into an interactive high performance workshop.

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The key to managing team performance - Courageous Leaders

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Managing team performance requires a constant balance between people and task - and with the time pressures faced by many people with the responsibility of managing a team, the key question is "how do I do this" and ensure my team is working in the high performance space?

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Lots of resources to guide your distance learning journey.

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Lots of resources to guide your distance learning journey.

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Section 1 & 2 Equality and Diversity Legislation.  Expectations and Context

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Section 1 & 2 Equality and Diversity Legislation.  Expectations and Context

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In order to achieve equality, diversity and inclusion in your workplace, you first need to assess the current organisational behaviours, the behaviours you would like to encourage, and act - identify what needs to be done to achieve them. The benefits of having a culture where behaviours support equality, diversity and inclusion, are well publicised, and something that we will cover in this article, but if you are aware your business needs to improve in this area, this resource will be a good starting point.

The first thing to make clear, is that just saying that you are a diverse and inclusive business is not enough. It isn’t about the policies you have in place, but more about promoting a company culture of inclusiveness where everyone feels valued and supported to do their best work. This should start at the top, with senior management demonstrating those behaviours in the language they use and everything they do. As of June 2018, there were 32.39 million people currently working in the UK. That’s 32.39 different opinions, ways of thinking and potential for new ideas out there, waiting to be tapped.

Let’s first look at what equality and diversity mean

Equality is the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, or opportunities. In order to achieve equality, people must be fair and respect differences in their values and status.

Equality in Employment is regulated by a combination of UK Laws and UK regulations leading to the Equal Opportunities and Discrimination Act (Equality Act 2010).The act contains a number of key concepts or ‘protected characteristics’ which include:

•           Age

•           Disability

•           Gender reassignment

•           Marriage and civil partnership

•           Pregnancy and maternity

•           Race

•           Religion of belief

•           Sex

•           Sexual orientation

The act and more recent amendments and provisions, sets out to eliminate unlawful discrimination against harassment and victimisation of these groups of people, and to advance equality among them.

Diversity can only be achieved once you have equality, and is a state of having differences, whether it is age, condition, race, religion or belief, and sexual orientation. The equality act promotes diversity by encouraging a society where different groups can relate and build relationships.

Why does diversity and inclusion matter?

The CIPD states the moral case for building fairer and more inclusive labour markets and workplaces very clearly: people matter, and organisations must ensure their people management approaches do not put any group at a disadvantage. Regardless of our identity or background, we all deserve the opportunity to develop our skills and talents to our full potential, work in a safe, supportive and inclusive environment, be fairly rewarded and recognised for our work and have a meaningful voice on matters that affect us.

It’s also vital for the sustainability of businesses and economies. Everyone stands to benefit when we embrace and value the diversity of thoughts, ideas and ways of working that people from different backgrounds, experiences and identities bring to an organisation. It helps people grow and learn, tackles under-utilisation of skills by enabling people to reach their full potential, improves decision-making, boosts engagement and innovation, and enables businesses to better meet the needs of a diverse customer base.

As well as allowing businesses to innovate and grow, a culture built on a diverse range of beliefs and values has been proven to increase employee engagement and reduce staff turnover. Businesses who do not act to promote these behaviours and outcomes, will find themselves at a serious disadvantage.

Assessing where you are today

As an employer, you are legally obliged to stamp out discrimination in your workplace and to adopt policies and practices that ensure all employees are treated according to their needs. In order to assess the organisation’s current approach to diversity and inclusion, and baseline behaviours and culture, you need to start by asking yourself some key questions about your culture, people management and processes.

Is your workforce representative of wider society?

Does your workforce reflect your customers and clients?

Do you have a recruitment strategy that reaches a diverse audience and attracts diverse talent?

Is your workforce aware of your diversity and inclusion policy?

Do your brand messaging, policies and communications consistently represent the company’s attitude towards an equal and fair workplace?

Is this attitude demonstrated in the actions of your senior management team?

Are training sessions and meetings structured in a way that lets everyone get involved?

Are the benefits and perks you are offering accessible to all of your employees, or just a select few?

Does your culture support inclusion? What are you doing to make employees feel included?

What are your employees saying about the culture on social media and review sites?

Do your employees feel comfortable expressing their needs and do you work together to create solutions that benefit you both?

Are you letting employees express their ideas, which can create innovative business solutions?

Creating inclusive behaviours

Your ‘organisational policy’ is a way of describing a set of standards that every member of staff must adhere to, and a good starting point for setting out your stall and helping employees understand the behaviours expected of them and the consequences of not adhering. Beyond that, diversity needs to be ingrained in your core business plan, and something that becomes second nature. Once you have communicated the values of your organisation, you can start to inspire employees to live up to those values.

Many businesses today are putting in place schemes or programmes around diversity and inclusion to help demonstrate their commitment to employees and the wider world. Global banking company BNP Paribas, have been holding an annual Diversity and Inclusion Week since 2014. The week takes place in BNP Paribas offices around the world and includes over 50 events across 10 local offices within the UK. The aim of the week is to inspire and educate people about diversity and inclusion through a range of talks, events and panel discussions.  Vinay Kapoor, UK Head of Diversity and Inclusion at BNP Paribas said “Diversity and Inclusion is core to our culture. In celebrating the different backgrounds and perspectives of our employees we hope to engage and inspire everyone to bring more of what makes them unique to the workplace. This in turn helps us promote and maintain an inclusive workplace for the benefit of our employees, the communities we operate in and our clients alike. We strive to promote and maintain a diverse, inclusive and stimulating work environment where employees are treated with dignity and respect, valued for their differences in thought, background, experience, perspectives and are empowered to succeed.”

Search engine giant Google believes that the best way to improve gender diversity in the workplace is to start from the bottom, by employing more women in lower level jobs, rather than at the top and trying to employ women directly into management positions. The head of diversity and inclusion for the EMEA region said “I think the key thing is to challenge the composition of the level below the senior executives and managers as they are the people who will be on the board in future. This level should be 50:50 men and women. And we are certainly going in the right direction here at Google.”

Once you feel you’ve achieved a diverse workforce, you need to focus on creating an inclusive environment where people are accepted as individuals, and can perform effectively. Start early with the on boarding process. Rather than just asking new starters to read and sign the diversity policy, create training and other initiatives involving existing employees that show how the policies are being actioned.

Employees need to feel involved in every aspect of the business. Regular employee updates covering company performance and future plans, and with an opportunity for two way interaction, need to be a regular agenda item and not something last on the priority list.

Your leadership team is key to forming the culture of the business, and need to display the right attitudes and behaviours. You might want to consider a specific module as part of a wider leadership development programme that focuses on inclusion. It’s important that employees see leaders as aspirational people and something that they can reach for in the future. Leaders are also the first line in policing your diversity and inclusion policy. There must be a zero tolerance approach to any kind of discrimination, in order to set a wider example. Managers should also be talking with their team members regularly to find out if they do feel included in what the team is doing, and addressing quickly any feelings of exclusion.

Finally, make development and succession planning an important part of your wider people strategy. If employees feel they have a clear path for development and that one day they will be able to reach the top, they are more likely to feel engaged with the company which in turn will reduce turnover and boost productivity. Download our FREE Staffing Forecast Template to help identify critical roles within your business, build critical role profiles, and set objectives and strategies to future proof your business.

How can executive search help you achieve diversity and inclusion?

Diversity doesn’t happen on its own. It needs to start with a workforce that fairly represents wider society, which means actively looking for ways to encourage diversity among your applicants and in your retention strategies. This requires a different approach and new ways of thinking about recruitment and HR. Hiring a third party to look after your recruitment needs ensures there are no pre-conceptions about the sorts of people that fit into your culture, before conducting the search. This in turn ensures that candidates are selected for their attributes and skills, rather than personal traits, and avoids both conscious and unconscious bias creeping into the process.

If we can help with your recruitment needs, get in touch for a confidential conversation.

Other resources

Four steps to achieve both cultural fit and diversity

Does your recruitment strategy encourage diversity?

Attract the best with a killer employer brand

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Section 1   Understanding Leadership Styles

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Section 1   Understanding Leadership Styles

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1. Career Guide

2. Career Development

3. 13 Leadership Styles and Their Characteristics

At some point in your career, you may consider moving into a leadership position. As a leader, you set a clear vision for your department or organisation and motivate team members, guiding them through their work process in ways that build morale. There is no one leadership style for every situation a leader faces. In this article, we discuss different leadership styles so you can choose which one may best suit your personality and goals.

Why are leadership styles important?

The leadership style you choose is important because it can significantly affect the way your team members approach their work and can boost productivity, increase timeliness and promote a healthy company culture. Some leaders adopt a singular style and use it in all situations. Others prefer to take differing leadership approaches depending on the needs of specific situations or company aims.

Types of leadership styles

Here are 13 leadership styles and their specific characteristics:

Visionary

A visionary leader is one who has a clear picture of potential innovation and can develop a strategy to attain it. Starting with a blank canvas, the visionary uses knowledge and experience to pioneer new possibilities and embark on a project that will benefit the company as a whole. As a visionary leader, you use your exceptional communication skills to help your team members see your vision and adopt your enthusiasm for the project. You also bring your employees together and guide them through the process of making the vision a reality.

The key characteristics of a visionary leader are:

Transformational

A transformational leader is a role model for motivating innovation. The transformational leader builds a strong company culture by motivating employees to create change that increases the growth of the organisation. Rather than micromanaging your workforce, as a transformational leader, you give your team members room to be creative. You also encourage employees to find new solutions to problems as they arise.

The key characteristics of a transformational leader are:

Autocratic

An autocratic leader retains authority and prefers to be the one who makes all decisions for their employees. This type of leadership is valuable in situations that require quick thinking and rapid decision making. You can also use it to your benefit when team members are inexperienced or need motivating. As an autocratic leader, you provide employees with clear instructions and a structured work schedule.

The key characteristics of a transformational leader are:

Transactional

The basis of transactional leadership is giving instructions to employees and offering rewards or penalties based on the results. By clearly mapping out expectations, you minimize misunderstandings and mistakes. As a transactional leader, it is your responsibility to encourage self-motivation in employees. You also build a company culture that encourages employees to follow instructions.

The key characteristics of a transactional leader are:

Coach-style

Compared to other types of leadership, coach-style leadership is a relatively new model. Like a sports coach, an organisational coach-style leader encourages collaboration. Unlike in autocratic leadership where hierarchy and control form the foundations, coach leaders promote partnership and a drive towards continuous improvement. When you adopt this approach, you encourage your team members to connect and work together to achieve great results.

The key characteristics of a coach-style leader are:

Strategic

Strategic leaders challenge rigid assumptions within the workforce and encourage employees to express alternative points of view. As a strategic leader, you use your managerial role to forge a tactical vision for your organisation. You also motivate your team to take that vision on board. One of the main strengths of a strategic leader is the ability to weigh options and take actions that will result in the growth of the company.

The key characteristics of a strategic leader are:

Democratic

Democratic leadership, also referred to as shared leadership, is a style that allows team members to take a more participative role in decision making. In this way, problems are solved through group deliberation. As a democratic leader, you have the authority to make the final decision for the group. However, you guide the individuals involved through the decision-making process to set goals and to achieve them.

The key characteristics of a democratic leader are:

Bureaucratic

The foundation of bureaucratic leadership is the allocation of specific duties and adherence to a set of rules. As a bureaucratic leader, you focus on your department's administrative needs. You encourage employees to follow regulations and maintain consistency in their duties. You also promote and supervise professional conduct throughout the workplace.

The key characteristics of a bureaucratic leader are:

Laissez-faire

Laissez-faire leadership, also referred to as delegative leadership, involves limiting the amount of guidance you give to employees and allowing them to fulfill their duties in their own ways. Because you leave a lot of responsibility to your employees, you prioritize their level of education and experience. This type of leadership works best in groups where members are highly skilled and capable of working independently.

The key characteristics of a laissez-faire leader are:

Charismatic

Charismatic leaders value individual employees and take the time to listen to their concerns. When you adopt this style of leadership, you use your communication skills to motivate team members through challenging times, helping them stay focused. You also help to inspire transformation throughout the workforce.

The key characteristics of a charismatic leader are:

Supportive

The supportive leader's role is two-fold. You focus on identifying where changes are needed throughout the organisation while ensuring the well-being of your team. Supportive leadership means not simply delegating tasks and awaiting results but also supporting your employees through each stage of the process. You promote dialogue with employees and provide feedback.

The key characteristics of a supportive leader a re:

Servant

The servant leader maintains a responsibility towards individual employees while also having a sense of accountability to the organisation as a whole. As a servant leader, you develop a company culture that prioritises employee satisfaction. You also facilitate an environment in which employees are encouraged to grow and develop. By empowering your team members, you foster their strengths and skills.

The key characteristics of a servant leader are:

Situational

A situational leader fully understands all the different leadership styles and is flexible enough to draw on whichever style best fits a situation. For example, if you are training a team to work with new skills, you may find it beneficial to adopt a transactional leadership approach. On the other hand, if you are part of a large organisation that is looking to expand its reach, you may choose a visionary leadership role.

The key characteristics of a situational leader are:

To find a leadership style that works best for you, it may help to consider which fits best with your field and the mission of your department or organisation. You can also make a leadership style your own by imbuing it with your own personality and work ethos. Once you find a style that meshes with your industry and your employees, you will soon see progress within your team members and the company as a whole.

Remember, you don't have to limit yourself to one or two types of leadership. As you become more familiar with the characteristics of each approach, you will be able to judge which one suits your needs depending on the circumstances and task at hand. This will enable you to achieve different goals in a variety of situations with all types of followers.

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13 Leadership Styles and Their Characteristics

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Career Guide Career Development 13 Leadership Styles and Their Characteristics At some point in your career, you may consider moving into a leadership position. As a leader, you set a clear vision for your department or organisation and motivate team members, guiding them through their work process in ways that build morale.

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Hierarchical and flat organisational structures - Organisational structures - Edexcel - GCSE Business Revision - Edexcel - BBC Bitesize

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Learn about and revise the use of organisational structures in businesses with BBC Bitesize GCSE Business - Edexcel.

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Over the years, as teams have grown more diverse, dispersed, digital, and dynamic, collaboration has become more complex. But though teams face new challenges, their success still depends on a core set of fundamentals. As J. Richard Hackman, who began researching teams in the 1970s, discovered, what…

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Most people who've endured a terrible PowerPoint presentation will have experienced boredom, followed by frustration, then anger that it took up an hour - or possibly even more - of their lives that they will never get back.

So why, in the age of the internet and millions of digital images, do slide presentations seem to belong to an older, duller decade?

And what can the businesspeople of the future do to jazz up their presentations and leave their audiences feeling a little less like zombies?

Swedish crowd-sourcing photo database, Pickit, recently teamed up with professional PowerPoint designers Eyeful Presentations to pick out the top 10 images to avoid in presentations.

Their findings are summarised best with the use of bullet points - that stalwart of PowerPoint presentations.

These days, there are plenty of alternatives to PowerPoint - Keynote, Slides, Prezi, SlideRocket, Easel.ly, Emaze, Slidedog, to name but a few - many of which are freely available online.

But Microsoft's software, launched in 1990, still dominates the market - with an estimated 1.2 billion users worldwide and millions of presentations made each day using the software.

Unfortunately, the phrase "Death by PowerPoint" has also become part of our lexicon.

In an attempt to change that, Microsoft offered new tools last month that will allow people to make presentations look better.

Morph allows users to create animations by moving objects around slides, while its Designer feature makes it easier to add photos to slides.

Microsoft worked with professional graphic designers to create more than 12,000 possible options with variables such as picture placement, framing and transparency.

To help users out, Microsoft is using machine learning so that, when a user uploads an image, Designer will analyse it and suggest design options for it.

It can also zoom, crop and frame it.

Lateral not literal

Aaron Weyenberg who makes slide decks for the slick Ted (Technology, Entertainment and Design) conference, says people making presentations need to think differently about photos.

"Frequently in good presentations, photos serve well in a metaphorical or conceptual sense, or to set a backdrop tone for what the audience is hearing from the presenter, and not necessarily to communicate actual content," he told the BBC.

He offered some words of advice - let's go with bullet points again.

Perhaps most radically, he also asked: "Do you need slides at all?"

"Ted's most viewed talk of all time hasn't a single slide, and many of Ted's most successful talks have a focus on what's said, not seen," he said.

For those traditionalists who rely on slides to help them get through a presentation, there is no excuse for not finding a great picture these days.

In March 2014, Getty Images, the world's largest photo agency, made vast swathes of its library free to use, in what some regarded as acknowledgement that pictures were going to be stolen without attempt to pay for them.

Most people looking for images to illustrate their presentations headed straight to Google Images, said Robert Dysell, chief marketing officer at Pickit.

"We estimate that 85% of the photos used in presentations are stolen from Google Images or similar," he told the BBC.

As well as hoping to change this and reward photographers for their work, Pickit is looking to offer more unusual imagery for presentations.

"So many people rely on stereotyped photos that have been used so many times that they don't say anything new, it doesn't add to a story or teach you anything," said Mr Dysell.

"A really good visual presentation needs photos that are unique."

"If you are illustrating a new partnership, rather than using a handshake, why not a picture of bacon and eggs sizzling in a pan?" said Mr Dysell.

It would, if nothing else, stimulate the audience's taste buds and hopefully keep them awake.

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Most people who've endured a terrible PowerPoint presentation will have experienced boredom, followed by frustration, then anger that it took up an hour - or possibly even more - of their lives that they will never get back. So why, in the age of the internet and millions of digital images, do slide presentations seem to belong to an older, duller decade?

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A great meeting starts before the meeting. Sound like an oxymoron? Maybe - but the truth is, the better you prepare for a meeting, the better your meeting will turn out.

And it's not just about preparing your slides and talking points.

It's about giving your meeting a clear structure, getting the rest of the team ready, and seeing through all the desired outcomes.

Let us walk you step-by-step through the meeting preparation process that works for us at Slido and share some of the best practices that were game-changing for us.

1. Set purpose and goals

First, define the meeting purpose, or the ' Why ' behind your meeting. Why are you meeting? Is it to brainstorm? Is it to have a discussion or plan the next steps? If you set one clear objective, it'll be much easier for you to design an agenda for your meeting.

Second, specify the main goal, or the ' What ' of the meeting. What should come out of the meeting? What is the main deliverable? Set a tangible meeting outcome and stick to it. If it's to make a decision about X, don't leave the meeting without seeing it through.

These will be the guideposts that will help you set the right expectations and steer the meeting in the right direction.

2. Create & share an agenda

Now that you've set your meeting objectives and goals, it's time to create a bulletproof agenda.

A meeting agenda is an outline of all the activities and discussion points to cover during a meeting in order to reach the meeting goal/s. In short, a structure that your meeting will follow.

While there isn't a one-size-fits-all meeting agenda template, there are several best practices to keep in mind when designing an agenda for a) recurring and b) one-time/first-time meetings.

Recurring meetings

With meetings that you run regularly - e.g. team syncs - it is tempting to think there's no need for an agenda. Your colleagues already know the format, so what's there to design? Not really.

The main keyword here is simplicity. A simple agenda goes a long way and will hold your meeting together like a skeleton. All you need is a list of action points to go through.

Write down the main discussion points that you want to touch on during the meeting. You can even assign owners that will drive the discussion around each point.

Here's an example from one of our meetings:

💡 Don't forget to share the agenda with your team members ahead of the meeting (1-3 days) via your internal comms channels, such as Slack, Webex, or Microsoft Teams.

One-time meetings/First-time meetings

With new meetings for which you don't have an already established format, you need to go deeper. In these instances, you need to design the whole meeting agenda from scratch.

The main keyword here is alignment. Given that your team members don't know the format, it's crucial to:

Communicate clearly the purpose, expectations and goals of the meeting

Describe the structure and length

Explain what needs to be prepared and what the responsibilities of each member are

Crowdsource any questions or discussion points in advance of the meeting

If there are multiple speakers who will present at the meeting, align with them prior to the meeting. Set a time frame for each of the meeting sections. Be as specific as possible.

Get inspired by our first-ever 'Cross-team alignment' meeting, for which we set a very bold objective - to bring together 3 teams (20+ people) and get them aligned.

A lot also depends on the size of the meeting. If you're preparing an all-company meeting, there's a whole different strategy to employ. Read more about how to design an all-hands meeting agenda here.

3. Send out meeting invites

Send meeting invites to everyone involved in the meeting at least two weeks in advance so your colleagues have enough time to work it into their schedules.

Add all the important details in the meeting invite description. Share the meeting goals and the agenda (regardless of whether you already shared it or plan to share it later - make it available in the invite as well).

In case you're meeting online or in a hybrid setup, also include the link to the video conference call so that nobody can miss it, and can easily access it via their calendars.

Here's an example of a meeting invite for our summer brainstorming session:

💡 For even better invites, add links to Slido so you can start collecting people's input, like questions or ideas before the meeting. Learn more in the next point.

4. Collect questions and ideas from your team

Gathering input from the team members prior to the meeting works great with some meeting formats.

Brainstorming & planning

For example, if you're having a brainstorming session or a planning meeting, start collecting your team members' ideas beforehand. Attach a link to Slido to the meeting agenda or to the meeting invite and ask your colleagues to type their ideas into the app.

This gives your colleagues a safe space for submitting their ideas and levels the playing field - everyone can contribute equally, even the ones that fear speaking up in the meeting. They can even do so anonymously if they wish.

Plus, it's more efficient than brainstorming during the meeting. It allows you to review all the submissions before the meeting and then spend the meeting time discussing and prioritizing.

We use this technique a lot in our meetings:

Retrospective meetings

Team retrospective is another meeting type where you can benefit greatly from collecting insights beforehand.

Send a stop-start-continue survey for your participants to fill out in advance.

Go through people's submissions and look for patterns, items mentioned repeatedly, or any other important feedback. This way, you can identify the most burning issues which you can then use to create an agenda, and drive discussions during the meeting.
Create your own poll or survey in Slido and hear from everyone.
Sign up below and try it for yourself. Sign up for free
All company meetings/All team meetings

Larger meetings such as all-hands, town halls, or strategic team meetings provide an opportunity to address questions or concerns that your team members might have. Give your team a chance to post their questions into Slido even before the meeting.

You can then address them during the meeting - either in a dedicated Q&A session, or address them continuously throughout.

We start collecting questions from our employees about a week before every company all-hands meeting.

This way, our executive team has time to prepare their answers and our colleagues have a chance to go through the submitted questions and upvote the ones they identify with. We also give our colleagues a chance to ask anonymously which means our leadership gets more honest questions.

5. Distribute supporting materials

If there's material that you want your meeting participants to review before the meeting, or if there's something that you want your team to prepare, communicate it well in advance. You may, for instance, add it as an attachment to your meeting invite or share it in your internal comms channel.

It's good for getting everyone aligned and familiar with the forthcoming discussion.

However, it's good practice to clarify expectations and make a clear distinction between what's a must and what's nice to have. Perhaps not everyone needs to read through a 50-slides-long presentation. Sometimes, it's enough to get a gist of what will be discussed.

6. Prepare your slides

Getting the slide deck ready is a drill you surely know very well, but here are a few tips that can make your life a little easier.

Apply a minimalistic approach to your slides. Keep them simple - one idea/one number/one sentence per slide. People don't want to read huge bodies of text on slides. Plus, it's more visually appealing.

Use the 'Rule of three' method - three bullet points, three columns, etc. It's easier for people to process

Cut the number of slides too. Spend the meeting time on a fruitful discussion rather than going through an 80-slides-long presentation.

Use visuals like images, graphs, tables, etc. Preferable to making people read, apply the 'show & tell' approach - show something visual and describe what people are looking at.

If there will be multiple presenters at your meeting, have one master deck. Share it with all the contributors before the meeting and ask them to add their slides there. It's much smoother than switching presentation decks.

As you prepare slides for your meeting, think of all the points of interaction with your meeting participants (see the next point). For instance, you can insert live polls directly into your slide deck with Slido for Google Slides and Slido for PowerPoint.

7. Create opportunities for interaction

When designing a meeting, create multiple ' interaction points ' - the spots on the agenda where you purposefully create a space for your meeting participants to actively contribute.

This is important for creating meaningful engagement throughout your meeting. If you let your participants sit passively through the meeting, you will eventually lose their attention.

If, on the other hand, you give them space to be actively involved in the meeting, you will engage them.
So, how do you create these interaction points?
Go through your meeting agenda and think about at which point it would make sense to hear from your participants.

For example, after you've brainstormed some ideas for projects, ask your teammates: "Which of these projects do you think we should prioritize in the next quarter?"

Turn it into an interactive poll. Add your project ideas as options in a multiple choice or a ranking poll and let your teammates vote.

It's a way to make your meetings more democratic - you'll give everyone a voice - and engaging - you'll involve everyone in co-creating the meeting and influencing its outcomes.

Learn more about how to create interaction spots in your presentation here.

💡 You can add a Slido poll, quiz, or Q&A directly into your slide deck with Slido's integration with PowerPoint and Google Slides - it will be added as a separate interactive slide. You can manage every interaction as you click through the slides.

8. Prepare the opening

How you kick off the meeting may lay the foundations for the rest of the meeting, so leave nothing to chance and make sure to prepare your opening well.

Welcome everyone; if your meeting includes remote participants, give them a special greeting to make them feel included from the start.

To loosen people up, prepare a little icebreaker, or, if you need a quick interactive activity that will get people talking, fire up a fun poll question.

For example, check the mood in the room and ask your colleagues how they feel in a word cloud poll. You can even let them express their feelings in emojis.

Use the poll results to trigger a small chit-chat at the start - it's good to start the meeting with a bit of socializing.

Once you kick off the official part, provide a quick context for why you're meeting up today and briefly run people through the agenda once again.

9. Set up the meeting

Lastly, make sure you have the meeting room arrangements figured out - whether you're meeting in an actual room or in a virtual one.

Meeting room: Face-to-face meeting

Book a meeting room and add the room number in the meeting invite or write it in your team's internal comms channel so everyone knows where it is you'll be meeting.

Consider the number of participants; make sure everyone will have a place to sit. Arrange some extra chairs just to be safe - more is better than less.

Make sure the seating doesn't favor anyone - everyone should feel equal and able to contribute. Ensure everyone can hear each other well. If it's a large meeting, ensure there's a microphone at people's disposal.

Arrange for refreshments; at least supply water, so people don't need to leave the room to get a drink.

Meeting room: Hybrid meeting

Book a room with a large screen and a tech setup that allows for a conference call with good audio and video.

Good audio is key. Make sure that all participants - both on-site and remote - can see and hear each other well. If your online colleagues can't hear what's happening in the room, they'll have trouble joining the discussion. Ensure all your meeting rooms are equipped with quality external speakers.

Have microphones available in the meeting room to make sure everybody online can hear their on-site colleagues if they speak up. This is important especially for meetings with a larger number of participants.

Check if people online can hear you well. Everybody has to hear everything - and feel like they're heard.

Online room: Fully remote meeting

Make sure everyone has easy access to the video conferencing link where the meeting will happen. Share the link in your team's internal comms channel or in a calendar invite (see point #3).

Send a meeting reminder via your team's internal comms channel some 5 minutes before the meeting.

Start the video conference a couple of minutes early, to avoid any delays. Test the audio and troubleshoot any potential tech issues.

Ensure every participant can hear you well as people start joining the call. You can do a little 'thumbs up' check - just ask your participants to put their thumbs up if they hear you well.

Encourage people to turn on their cameras so your meeting feels more personal.

Ready to kick off your meeting?

The quality of pre-meeting preparation can make or break your meeting. You can never be over-prepared. But fail to prepare at your own peril.

With the tips that we've shared above, you will be 9 steps closer to a stellar meeting. We wish you good luck.

And in the meantime, go ahead and try Slido for free. Start by adding one or two polls to your meeting presentation to keep your team members actively engaged. You can always add more later.
Here's to better meetings! 🥂 Try Slido at your meeting

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How to Prepare for a Meeting: Step by Step (With Examples) - Slido Blog

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A great meeting starts before the meeting. Sound like an oxymoron? Maybe - but the truth is, the better you prepare for a meeting, the better your meeting will turn out. And it's not just about preparing your slides and talking points.

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Section 1 Management of Team Performance

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Section 1 Management of Team Performance

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Team performance is important for production, profitability and progress within a department. Measuring and improving team performance over time can help improve positive aspects of your team and remove negative ones. Learning how to improve your team management can help your department continuously increase its processes over time. In this article, we review what managing team performance management is and provide tips on how to do it successfully.

What is team performance management?

Team performance management is the act of ensuring that team performance is continuously improving, whether it's dividing the employee base into groups, performing evaluation checks or setting diversified goals. Team performance management involves returning to activities not only to evaluate how the team can perform them better but also how each part of the team reacts to the goal, including leaders.

If the team performs as leaders expect, or better, management prepares team rewards and progress instruction examples to help the team continue to perform well. For a system, the goal of team management is to ensure each part of the process works together to achieve an optimal goal. Team performance exercises have standardized settings, are repeatable and aligned toward strategic methods of improvement, especially in a situation where a team may be less efficient.

Related: Why Performance Management Is Important for Your Team

Why is managing team performance important?

Team performance management is important for some of the following reasons:

It helps build improvement

Team performance management is important because it helps build improvement in almost every aspect of the team. It helps team members individually improve concerning their goals, standards and margin of error in work. Evaluating team progress can also improve the rate at which a team works, including the total margin of error allowed for a project.

It encourages teamwork

Team performance management can be important for a team because it helps improve teamwork. Some team performance management tactics involve creating multiple teams, even in a department where teams aren't as common as others. Creating teams purposely for the sake of evaluation encourages teamwork and building.

It monitors progress

Exercising team management skills improves overall progress. Because team management involves checking the progress of employees on an individual and team-based level, exercising team management can help improve a department on both accounts. Team management allows department managers to evaluate progress with focused intent, allotting more focus toward team evaluation rather than orchestrating goals or deliveries independently.

How to manage team performance

If you want to manage your team for performance goals, consider some of the following steps:

1. Set effective goals

To have a team understand and complete new goals, consider making them SMART goals. These are objectives with qualities that make them easier to perform due to their clarity of expectation and detail. SMART goals meet the following sets of criteria:

Specific: Be specific concerning expectations, measurements and due dates of team members.

Measurable: Try to use units that are measurable and easy to understand. This can help establish expectations quickly.

Achievable: Setting goals well within your team's capabilities ensures you can evaluate their performance on an accurate scale.

Relevant: While the purpose of performance evaluation is a measurement, the goals your team completes should still be relevant to the company. Keep your goal relevant to company duties and current employee obligations in the workplace.

Time-based: Make your evaluated goals time-based. This can ensure expectations have a limit so that proper evaluation of work can result from your SMART goal.

Related: 7 Examples of Important Teamwork Skills

2. Select capable leaders for each team

When managing team performance goals, consider appointing leaders to each team who are either management employees or capable leaders. Appointing capable individuals to lead your teams can ensure knowledgeable and skilled employees are available to consult during projects. Not only does this help lessen the stress of staff during this time, but it also builds communication between team members and the leadership skills of all leading employees.

Related: 6 Tips for Effective Teamwork

3. Schedule training

As you evaluate each team during the management project, consider scheduling training for each team based on the data you find. If you notice a team excels in one aspect of the project and not another, creating training courses for individual members, or the entire team, can help evaluate results and determine the next steps toward progress. Training may be the best path toward an increase in production, as it provides your team with new skills and more confidence in their abilities.

Related: Characteristics of Good Teamwork (With Tips)

4. Ensure communication is available and reactive

If you've established leaders during this project, ensuring communication is available for all employees can be easy and effective. If you haven't already, consider appointing leaders who are available for answering questions or addressing concerns during a project. Employees may have questions concerning project criteria, such as due dates, deliverables, changing expectations or project notes.

Having leaders available for communication throughout the entire project can help evaluate not only your team but also your communication methods. For example, if enough team members ask questions concerning delivery dates, you might realize the delivery dates aren't clear enough in your goal statement.

5. Align team goals with organizational or familiar goals

When you manage your team performance, try to create goals that align with expectations that are familiar to your employee base. Having familiar or similar goals that your employees understand can help simulate what normal, daily goals look like in the typical schedule. This makes your evaluation more accurate.

Having familiar goals can also ensure that employees understand the expectations they receive, and they can prepare to complete goals in a timely manner. Another reason teams should have goals that align with the company goal is that having these goals can help both the team's progress and overall company expectations. If your goal aligns with the company's need, such as more new hires, then the evaluation period serves two purposes instead of one.

Tips for managing team performance

If you want to manage your team's performance, consider some of the following tips you can apply to your goals:

Clarify goals

When evaluating team performance, regardless of how large the team you're evaluating, set clear, actionable goals. Goals that are clear and actionable have steps that employees can apply to their job specifically, no matter their level. Some key aspects of a good goal statement are :

It sets an acceptable work standard.

It clarifies its purpose and direction in the company's goal.

It requires commitment.

It shows employees how they can reach the goal.

It's easy to understand.

It is reachable but ambitious in comparison to previous goals.

Goals that are clear and actionable can help improve the quality of your team evaluation by ensuring that management spends less time explaining goal needs. If your team effectively understands the goal, how they can reach it and why they're reaching it, you can more successfully evaluate their progress.

Use KPI goals

Another way to improve your measurement of team goals is to introduce KPI goals to your team. KPI goals are smaller, more measurable goals that a team achieves every period, usually either a month, day or week. If your team already uses KPIs, using them for your evaluation goals may help your ability to evaluate progress. If your team isn't used to using KPIs, the introduction may help expose the different strengths or weaknesses of your teams.

Be transparent

Transparency is the management act of being clear concerning goals, expectations and current performance. Remaining transparent about current goals can help your team. For example, if your team is excelling at a goal, being transparent about this can lead to encouragement. Even if the team isn't performing as efficiently as needed, being transparent about these facts can help motivate the team to try harder. If the team understands how they're progressing, they can work toward goals more effectively.

Host regular meetings

Another way to improve team performance management is to host frequent meetings concerning the team's progress. Frequent meetings not only help reestablish goals throughout your team but also help evaluate progress more closely. For a larger team or set of teams, frequent meetings can help center objectives and evaluate individual details as much as possible.

Have encouraging team culture

Another way you can achieve good team changes is by encouraging a positive team culture throughout the evaluation. You can do this by rewarding those excelling at goals or rewarding entire teams for exceeding their goals during a period. Doing this for multiple periods not only ensures that each period has proper evaluation but also encourages a friendly competitive nature between teams.

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How To Manage Team Performance Successfully (With Tips)

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Team performance is important for production, profitability and progress within a department. Measuring and improving team performance over time can help improve positive aspects of your team and remove negative ones. Learning how to improve your team management can help your department continuously increase its processes over time.

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Jacqueline.west@bsdc.sc.uk

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Diversity and inclusion at work: facing up to the business case

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Assessing the evidence on the outcomes of diversity at work, the barriers keeping inequalities in place and how organisations can tackle these to make work an equal business.

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Section 1   Understanding Leadership Styles

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Section 1   Understanding Leadership Styles

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Leadership styles are classifications of how a person behaves while directing, motivating, guiding, and managing groups of people. There are many leadership styles. Some of the most widely discussed include: authoritarian (autocratic), participative (democratic), delegative (laissez-faire), transformational, transactional, and situational.

Great leaders can inspire political movements and social change. They can also motivate others to perform, create, and innovate. As you start to consider some of the people who you think of as great leaders, you can immediately see that there are often vast differences in how each person leads.

Fortunately, researchers have developed different theories and frameworks that allow us to better identify and understand these different leadership styles.

Lewin's Leadership Styles

In 1939, a group of researchers led by psychologist Kurt Lewin set out to identify different styles of leadership.﻿﻿ While further research has identified more distinct types of leadership, this early study was very influential and established three major leadership styles that have provided a springboard for more defined leadership theories.

In Lewin's study, schoolchildren were assigned to one of three groups with an authoritarian, democratic, or laissez-faire leader. The children were then led in an arts and crafts project while researchers observed the behavior of children in response to the different styles of leadership. The researchers found that democratic leadership tended to be the most effective at inspiring followers to perform well.

Authoritarian Leadership (Autocratic)

Authoritarian leaders, also known as autocratic leaders, provide clear expectations for what needs to be done, when it should be done, and how it should be done. This style of leadership is strongly focused on both command by the leader and control of the followers. There is also a clear division between the leader and the members. Authoritarian leaders make decisions independently, with little or no input from the rest of the group.

Researchers found that decision-making was less creative under authoritarian leadership.﻿﻿ Lewin also concluded that it is harder to move from an authoritarian style to a democratic style than vice versa. Abuse of this method is usually viewed as controlling, bossy, and dictatorial.

Mental Health in the Workplace Webinar

Authoritarian leadership is best applied to situations where there is little time for group decision-making or where the leader is the most knowledgeable member of the group. The autocratic approach can be a good one when the situation calls for rapid decisions and decisive actions. However, it tends to create dysfunctional and even hostile environments, often pitting followers against the domineering leader.

Participative Leadership (Democratic)

Lewin's study found that participative leadership, also known as democratic leadership, is typically the most effective leadership style. Democratic leaders offer guidance to group members, but they also participate in the group and allow input from other group members. In Lewin's study, children in this group were less productive than the members of the authoritarian group, but their contributions were of a higher quality.

Participative leaders encourage group members to participate, but retain the final say in the decision-making process. Group members feel engaged in the process and are more motivated and creative. Democratic leaders tend to make followers feel like they are an important part of the team, which helps foster commitment to the goals of the group.

Delegative Leadership (Laissez-Faire)

Lewin found that children under delegative leadership, also known as laissez-faire leadership, were the least productive of all three groups. The children in this group also made more demands on the leader, showed little cooperation, and were unable to work independently.

Delegative leaders offer little or no guidance to group members and leave the decision-making up to group members. While this style can be useful in situations involving highly qualified experts, it often leads to poorly defined roles and a lack of motivation.

Lewin noted that laissez-faire leadership tended to result in groups that lacked direction and members who blamed each other for mistakes, refused to accept personal responsibility, made less progress, and produced less work.

Observations About Lewin's Leadership Styles

In their book, The Bass Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, and Managerial Applications, Bass and Bass note that authoritarian leadership is often presented solely in negative, often disapproving, terms. Authoritarian leaders are often described as controlling and close-minded, yet this overlooks the potential positives of stressing rules, expecting obedience, and taking responsibility.

While authoritarian leadership certainly is not the best choice for every situation, it can be effective and beneficial in cases where followers need a great deal of direction and where rules and standards must be followed to the letter. Another often overlooked benefit of the authoritarian style is the ability to maintain a sense of order.

Bass and Bass note that democratic leadership tends to be centered on the followers and is an effective approach when trying to maintain relationships with others. People who work under such leaders tend to get along well, support one another, and consult other members of the group when making decisions.

Additional Leadership Styles and Models

In addition to the three styles identified by Lewin and his colleagues, researchers have described numerous other characteristic patterns of leadership. A few of the best-known include:

Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership is often identified as the single most effective style. This style was first described during the late 1970s and later expanded upon by researcher Bernard M. Bass. Transformational leaders are able to motivate and inspire followers and to direct positive changes in groups.

These leaders tend to be emotionally intelligent, energetic, and passionate. They are not only committed to helping the organization achieve its goals, but also to helping group members fulfill their potential.

Research shows that this style of leadership results in higher performance and more improved group satisfaction than other leadership styles. One study also found that transformational leadership led to improved well-being among group members.

Transactional Leadership

The transactional leadership style views the leader-follower relationship as a transaction. By accepting a position as a member of the group, the individual has agreed to obey the leader. In most situations, this involves the employer-employee relationship, and the transaction focuses on the follower completing required tasks in exchange for monetary compensation.

One of the main advantages of this leadership style is that it creates clearly defined roles. People know what they are required to do and what they will be receiving in exchange. This style allows leaders to offer a great deal of supervision and direction, if needed.

Group members may also be motivated to perform well to receive rewards. One of the biggest downsides is that the transactional style tends to stifle creativity and out-of-the-box thinking.

Situational Leadership

Situational theories of leadership stress the significant influence of the environment and the situation on leadership. Hersey and Blanchard's leadership stylesis one of the best-known situational theories. First published in 1969, this model describes four primary styles of leadership, including:

1. Telling: Telling people what to do

2. Selling: Convincing followers to buy into their ideas and messages

3. Participating: Allowing group members to take a more active role in the decision-making process

4. Delegating: Taking a hands-off approach to leadership and allowing group members to make the majority of decisions

Later, Blanchard expanded upon the original Hersey and Blanchard model to emphasize how the developmental and skill level of learners influences the style that should be used by leaders. Blanchard's SLII leadership styles model also described four different leading styles:

1. Directing: Giving orders and expecting obedience, but offering little guidance and assistance

2. Coaching: Giving lots of orders, but also lots of support

3. Supporting: Offering plenty of help, but very little direction

4. Delegating: Offering little direction or support

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It seems like there are as many different styles of leadership as there are leaders. Discover some of the most common leadership style frameworks.

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Large or small, every organization should operate with a defined organizational structure. A well thought out and strategic business configuration clarifies reporting relationships and supports good communication - resulting in efficient and effective work process flow.

The board and senior leadership should be the group who determines the type of organizational structure that would best support the internal operations, how work is carried out and the chain-of-command.

Determining the best structure is done by answering the questions:

Senior leadership looks at all functions and determines how they would like work activities to be organized and carried out. This process also identifies natural reporting relationships and chain-of-command. Reporting relationships can be both vertical as well as horizontal.

8 Common Business Organizational Structures

1. Hierarchical Organizational Structure

Organizations that use a traditional hierarchical structure rely on a vertical chain of command as the prime method of organizing employees and their responsibilities. Military, government, and other very large organizations use a hierarchy to determine the level of control employees have over their work as well as their rank relative to others.

Hierarchical structures typically feature multiple layers of management and are therefore prone to bureaucracy and the creation of silos that prevent cross-team collaboration.

An example of hierarchical organizational structures:

Pros:

Easy layout to understand

Communicate reporting relationships

Built-in understanding of future promotion opportunities

Cons:

Ready to build your own organizational chart?

2. Flat or Horizontal Organizational Structure

Companies with flat or horizontal structures often have fewer levels of management or executives over employees. Most people that have worked for a small company such as a startup will have experienced this type of structure. At most, there is one layer of middle managers between an executive(s) and employees, but oftentimes there are no middle managers present at the company.

The advantage of a horizontal structure is that it gives employees more responsibilities which in turn requires them to have more transparency within the greater organization. It also removes the bureaucratic nature of large hierarchical structures, allowing for quick decisions to be made and executed on.

The disadvantage of a flat structure is that it requires multidisciplinary professionals who don't desire to specialize. Middle managers also have a tendency to be stretched thin within this structure as they'll be overseeing many types of professionals and projects.
Recommended Reading: Hierarchical vs. Flat Organizational Structures and Benefits of Each

Employees often receive more responsibilities

Requires employees given more transparency

Allows for quick communication and decision making

Pros:

Cons:

3. Matrix Organizational Structure

A matrix structure provides for reporting levels both horizontally as well as vertically. Employees may be part of a functional group (i.e. engineer) but may serve on a team that supports new product development (i.e. new album). This kind of structure may have members of different groups working together to develop a new product line.

For example, a recording engineer who works for a music publisher, may have engineers who report to him but may also use his expertise and work with teams to develop new music albums.

Pros:

Cons:

4. Functional Organizational Structure

Functional organizational structures are the most common. A structure of this type groups individuals by specific functions performed. Common departments such as human resources, accounting and purchasing are organized by separating each of these areas and managing them independently of the others.

For example, managers of different functional areas all report up to one director or vice president who has responsibility for all of the operational areas.

The advantage of this type of structure is that functions are separated by expertise but the challenges comes in when different functional areas turn into silos that focus only on their area of responsibility and don't support the function of other departments.

An example of functional organizational structures:

Pros:
Ready to build your own functional organizational chart?
Cons:

5. Product Organizational Structure

Another common structure is to be organized by a specific product type. Each product group falls within the reporting structure of an executive and that person oversees everything related to that particular product line.

For example, an executive over Kraft products would be responsible for every product under that label - dressings, meats, sauces, etc.

The advantage of this type of structure is that it organizes products by category but can create completely separate processes from other product lines within the organization.

An example of product organizational structures:

Organizes products by categories

Focus on specific market segments

Allows for specialization

Can encourage healthy competition between departments

Pros:

Other product teams might be cut off from innovations and learning opportunities by other teams at the same company

Can create inefficient/duplicative functions and resources

Can nurture negative rivalries across departments

Ready to build your own product organizational chart?
Cons:

6. Customer Organizational Structure

Certain industries will organize by customer type. This is done in an effort to ensure specific customer expectations are met by a customized service approach.

An example of this would be in healthcare. A patient seen as an outpatient has very different needs than those of patients who spend time in the hospital as inpatients. A customer centered structure creates customized care for those patients.

The advantage of this type of structure is that it specializes in the needs of each customer group but can ignore the needs of different customer types.

An example of customer organizational structures:

Pros:
Ready to build your customer organizational chart?
Cons:

7. Geographic Organizational Structure

For organizations that cover a span of geographic regions, it sometimes makes sense to organize by region. This is done to better support logistical demands and differences in geographic customer needs.

Typically a structure that is organized by geographical regions reports up to a central oversight person. You see this type of structure in companies that go beyond a city or state limit and may have customers all across the country or in multiple states.

An example of geographic organizational structures:

Pros:
Ready to build your geographic organizational chart?
Cons:

8. Network Organizational Structure

Network organizational structures work for businesses that employ freelancers, subcontractors, and vendors dispersed between satellite offices. This type of structure organizes the proper distribution of the company's resources. Employees can visualize workflows, processes, and relationships with on- and off-site coworkers.

The communication inherent in network organizational structures encourages employees to collaborate to complete projects. As there isn't a strict hierarchy, employees are empowered to take initiative and make decisions.

An advantage of the network organizational structure is that it emphasizes open employee communication in the workplace over hierarchy. There isn't a chain of command. It lets employees know each other's project involvement so they can easily collaborate.

An example of network organizational charts

Pros:

Cons:

Start Building Your Organizational Structure With Pingboard

Deliberate time and thought should go into the design of an organization's structure and the build out of an org chart. This is important so employees have a visual of how the organization functions and understands the chain-of-command. Operating within a defined structure, with good communication processes and work-flows, help to ensure efficient management of resources - people, time and money.

Build an org chart today by importing your people data into Pingboard or simply drag and drop people into the org chart. Workforce planning is easy with Pingboard because you can create multiple versions of your org chart and share a private link with colleagues for collaboration. When you are ready to share with your staff give everyone a secure link to the org chart so they can see reporting structures across your organization, and insightful employee profiles of coworkers.

Try us out for free today! If you need any help setting up your account we're always here.

Browse Organizational Structure Templates By Industry
Related Reading
We make it easy to structure your business and add transparency for all levels of employees. After compiling data from thousands of org charts, we invite you to check out our pre-built org chart templates designed with your industry in mind.

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8 Types of Organizational Structures [+ Downloadable Org Chart Templates] | Pingboard

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Review examples & templates for hierarchical, matrix, functional, product, customer, geographic & network organizational structures.

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Our section on Working in Groups and Teams, starting with What is a Group?, defines groups and explains some of the issues and challenges of working in a group. It explains the Group Life-Cycle, and how groups can change over time.

This page builds on those, and sets out some of the specific skills that you may need when working in a group or a team.

Effective Teams

Our page on Group Roles explains that there are a number of roles that any one person can take on in a team.

In summary these are:

Belbin's Team Roles

1. Shaper - drives work forward and gets things done, has a clear idea of the desired direction of travel;

2. Implementer - also gets things done, looking for ways to turn talk into action and generate practical activity;

3. Completer-Finisher - focuses on completing tasks, and tidying up all the loose ends;

4. Coordinator - manage the group dynamics, often in a leadership role;

5. Team Worker - helps the team to work effectively by supporting personal relationships;

6. Resource Investigator - gathers external resources and information to help the team;

7. Plant - generates ideas and creative solutions, not all of them practical;

8. Monitor-Evaluator - good at critically assessing ideas and proposals, and at making decisions; and

9. Specialist - brings expert knowledge to the group, not always necessary to effective functioning.

Research shows that the most effective teams have someone who can take on each of the nine key roles. That doesn't mean that a team has to contain nine people, as most people can take on two or even three roles at a time.

Teams that struggle to operate effectively, however, tend to lack one or more of the nine key roles.

Task vs. Process Team Roles

Belbin's team roles can be divided into Task and Process roles.

Task roles focus on 'what': the job in hand, and getting it done. The key 'task-focused' team roles are Shaper, Implementer, Completer-Finisher, Monitor-Evaluator, Plant and Specialist.

Process roles focus on 'how', and particularly on the people involved. They include Coordinator, Resource Investigator, and Team Worker.

The most effective team-workers are those who can see what skills are available within the group, and use their own skills to fill any gaps. People tend to be either task- or process-focused, rather than a mixture.

It is perfectly possible to learn to take on the other focus, if you want to do so, and this will make you a highly effective team member.

Key Task-Focused Team Skills

The skills which are needed to take on task-focused team roles include:

Organising and Planning Skills
Being organised is essential to getting tasks done.
If you don't know what needs to be done, and by when, it's quite hard to make it happen by your deadline. Shapers, Implementers and Completer-Finishers are all characterised by good organising skills, and can usually be relied upon to put in place strong systems for managing projects well.

Some people are naturally more organised than others, and if this is an area in which you struggle, take a look at our pages on Organising Skills and Time Management for some ideas. For larger projects, have a look at our pages on Project Management, Project Planning and Action Planning.

Decision-Making
Being able to make decisions is also crucial to moving things forward.
It is often important to take time to gather information, and ensure that the decision is right. However, there may come a time when any decision is better than none.
Group decision-making often requires compromise, and sometimes a willingness to give up one's own point of view in favour of the group's shared decision. However, as our page on Group Decision-Making makes clear, group decisions are not always correct simply because they are agreed by the whole group.
Shapers and Monitor-Evaluators are both good decision-makers.

Shapers tend to make their own decisions quickly and then may struggle to compromise. They should try to allow others to speak first to avoid biasing the group. Their willingness to argue their point regardless of views expressed by previous speakers will be helpful to the group's decision-making process.

Monitor-Evaluators tend to look for the right decision from the available evidence, and may be slow to make a decision if there is a shortage of evidence. They may also lean too heavily on evidence known to more people, and on the views of more senior group members.

For more about this area, see our pages on Decision-Making Skills and Group Decision-Making.

Problem-Solving
Task-focused people are often adept at problem-solving, especially if the problem relates to the task.
Plants look for innovative ideas to solve the problem, and Implementers will turn ideas into practical action.

Shapers will see the 'big picture' and the overall plan, making sure that the solution to the problem does not result in a change of direction.

For more about good problem-solving skills, see our pages on Problem Solving.

Key Process-Focused Team Skills

Process-focused skills tend to be about people, and about building rapport within the group and making it work cohesively and effectively. Those who take on process-focused group roles tend to have very good interpersonal skills, and in particular:

Communication Skills

Good Coordinators, Team-Workers and Resource Investigators are good at Verbal Communication, Listening, and Questioning. They work hard to ensure that the group communicates well, helping to make sure that there are no misunderstandings or unexpressed difficulties between team members.

For more about developing these skills, see our page on Improving your Communication Skills.

Ability to Build Rapport

These people are also good at developing a sense of harmony within the group. They help to build rapport with others, creating a coherent team.

Persuasion and Influencing Skills

One of the key areas of process skills is in persuading and influencing. If the group is to come to a shared decision, for example, several members may need to be persuaded of the merits of a particular course of action.

See our page on Persuasion and Influencing Skills for more on this, and for an example of a particularly adept piece of influencing in a group situation.

Facilitation Skills

Managing a process is basically about facilitating it, or making it easier. Good facilitation skills are therefore vital in team-working, although they are often wrongly seen as crucial only for managing workshops.

For more about this, see our page on Facilitation Skills.

Feedback Skills

Giving and receiving feedback well is essential in any team-working situation. Being able to give clear and effective feedback to others is vital to keep the group process running effectively, and to plan. It also helps to ensure that you do not get irritated and angry with the way that others are behaving. It follows that you also need to be able to receive feedback gracefully, and then act on it calmly.

See our page on Giving and Receiving Feedback for more.

Skills in Chairing Meetings

Group work often involves meetings, whether those are committee meetings or much bigger and more formal meetings. Skilled Coordinators often have highly developed skills in chairing meetings, and use them in small and large groups alike.

For more about this, see our page on Conducting a Meeting.

Conflict resolution

Finally, you have to recognise that there may be situations when you need to deal with difficult people or situations, or even resolve a conflict.

For more about this, see our pages on Difficult Group Behaviour, Conflict Resolution and on Communication in Difficult Situations.

And Finally...

...it is important to remember that all team-working situations are fundamentally about working with other people.

If you have good interpersonal skills, and are open to receiving feedback and improving them as a result, then you will become, and be, a good person to work with in a team. It truly is as simple as that.

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Our section on Working in Groups and Teams, starting with What is a Group?, defines groups and explains some of the issues and challenges of working in a group. It explains the Group Life-Cycle, and how groups can change over time.

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Section 2  Management of Underperformance

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Section 2  Management of Underperformance

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Does an MBA degree make leaders exceptional at their roles? In some cases, yes. An MBA does give them the textbook knowledge on how to lead people and teams; alongside which they've most likely picked up 'real-life' skills such as effective communication and negotiation.

This somewhat optimistic perception of leadership can take a sharp 180 degree turn when they're within an underperforming team during the crisis situation. While in textbooks, this situation and process to get out of it might be linear. However, in real life, it's anything but that.

Handling an underperforming team plus this crisis is not a smooth sailing ride, and the conversion into a high-performing team requires people, emotions, and responsibilities to be dealt with empathy and care. It also involves introspection at times. A recent Randstad survey pointed out that 60% of workers have left jobs or are considering leaving, because they don't like their direct supervisors.

Listed below are a couple of steps and methods a leader should take to guide a team toward success in this crisis situation:

1. Listen to the chatter; don't take any drastic move

Don't act, listen. As counter-intuitive as it sounds, it is indeed the one thing that'll lead to long term success when managing an underperforming team. Actively listening to the team does reveal how information is passed and understood and reveal bottlenecks.

According to Salesforce, a surprising 86% of employees cited a lack of communication, and directly linked it to workplace failure, making it something to watch out for!

While you observe, it is important to understand the efficiencies and inefficiencies that exist within the team-are the team members helpful? Are they descriptive?

Once you've done this exercise, the next step should involve having an open conversation with the team about your findings, the reasons why the team isn't performing at par and lastly, what you think is the solution.

2. Preparation

According to BambooHR, 70% of HR professionals feel the need for performance reviews, and, in contrast, only 34% of non-management employees feel the same. Hence, performance reviews need to come with a lot of preparation, and proof!

Performance reviews are tricky, especially at a time when the team is underperforming because it is easy to slip into a blame game. Therefore, as a manager, it is important to gauge the behavior of employees as well as other learnings you've had with the employee in question to back your claims. The conversation must focus on three key areas-goals, performance, and development.

Having a structured, factual, and actionable conversation with the said employee will lead to a much more productive conversation as you've done your part with the prepping and are not coming in from a criticism angle.

When managers criticize, it leads to demotivation and a dip in interest to further work for the company and/or boss. If managers plan this conversation well, the chances of retaining the employee and converting them into a high-performer are significant.

3. Set clear targets

The most important quality of a leader is to show the team a vision/goal.

Managers must ask questions such as "What was your biggest achievement this year?" or "How many goals did you achieve after our last performance appraisal?"

Asking these open-ended questions will give the manager and employee a fair insight into areas of success and failure. It will also eliminate potential barriers and provide the scope for development.

Once the context and tone has been set, it is up to the manager to convey targets in a manner that they are achievable. One way is to set SMART goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely.

An example would be to say, "Let's get version one rolled out in two weeks.Charlie, get started with xyz on Monday. Annie take over from Charlie on Wednesday where you will do abc"- Actionable, time-based feedback sets a clear expectation out of every individual. Setting clear targets is probably the most significant step for a leader of an underperforming team, as it reinstills trust, shows you're ready to fix previous issues, and really do care about the success of the team and individuals.

4. Monitoring success and performance

In a high-performing team, leaders can use the laissez-faire method of management; but, in an underperforming team, it is essential to be very hands-on. However, there's a fine line between hands-on and micromanaging. Micromanagers interfere with productivity, morale, communication, and learning-basically with every part of the day-to-day activities of employees.

Alternatively, being hands-on means that managers trust their team and don't get in the way; instead, they help the team succeed by providing support and big picture perspectives.

Hands-on managers are much easier to communicate with as they are willing to hear feedback, even if it's about their management style. Lastly, employees perform better under a hands-on manager as they are given a positive environment to work within, helping them mentally and actually produce high-quality work.

Therefore, hands-on can be translated into a regular 30-minute team run-down and then everyone gets on with their tasks.

Being a hands-on manager will help you and the team communicate better, complete tasks in an efficient manner, and achieve performance metrics together. While you're beginning to set the path and ensure that it is being followed, it is also important to monitor progress via conversations and seeing tangible results. For example, a hands-on manager can follow up on developments and performance of employees by setting a weekly team meet-up on Friday to run by the tasks performed throughout the week.

5. Training, coaching, mentoring

Sometimes, information gaps exist among teams in organizations. In such cases, the only way to solve the problem is to rely on third-party expertise or get external help, especially if the leader does not have the information or knows the method to guide the team. Offering training and development is said to increase retention rates by 86%, according to a recent Bridge survey.

Training is usually an externalized activity, whereby the company brings in a third party who's a subject matter expert to converse with the team. Training is a more rigorous process and deals with 'problem areas' in a manner where the subject is re-taught, in this instance. It could be something as simple as the employees not understanding a process, which can be fixed with a day of training so everyone is on the same page.

Coaching, directed toward performance, can be done by the leader, or again, externally. This is a more time-intensive process as you deal with individuals one-on-one or in small, manageable groups, to achieve agreed-upon tasks. The beauty of coaching is that it encourages more conversation and can lead to the individual building trust with their coaches. This enables them to have candid discussions, in case they feel intimidated by the managers.

Mentoring, directed toward self-development, is the most energy-intensive and time-intensive project of all-requiring not days, but months, wherein the mentor and mentee work together, parallelly. Mentorship is not task-oriented and is more focused on personal development and progress. Therefore, mentorship can help with boosting productivity and morale, increasing the bottom line of organizations.

Managers will have to take the call on the difference of training, coaching, or mentoring depending on the situation and its intensity.

6. Be ready to make the tough call

Sometimes, managers need to make difficult judgments or choices. This can involve delivering news of termination or something that may not 'go down' very well with the employees.

Gallup estimated this 'loss' to be between $960B and $1.2T per year and even after multiple attempts, sometimes employees may not able to match up to standards or deliver as expected. If all efforts are going to waste, it might be the time to take a tough call.

When the individual is in an underperforming team, they may begin to take feedback personally, potentially harming them emotionally, therefore it is vital that this conversation happens in private, with a detailed explanation and a chance for them to explain/provide feedback.

Although hard and not preferred, it is mandatory to make these tough calls as and when necessary to ensure that the team is moving in the right direction, together, hand-in-hand.

To be a leader of such a team is not the easiest task after all. However, it does show the power of a leader and the strength of the team if this situation is diverted smoothly and put back on track. The steps mentioned above are actionable, simple, and are a basic guideline into turning this team into a high-performing one. Each instance must be handled with its own understanding and care as there is no one-shoe-fits-all method here. For employees, it is critical that they stay positive, accept feedback, and feel a sense of belonging. Only then, one employee at a time, will the team succeed.

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Leadership: How to manage an underperforming team

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Does an MBA degree make leaders exceptional at their roles? In some cases, yes. An MBA does give them the textbook knowledge on how to lead people and teams; alongside which they've most likely picked up 'real-life' skills such as effective communication and negotiation.

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Imagine that you've brought together the brightest people in your department to solve a problem. You have high hopes for the group, so you feel frustrated when people can't come to a decision.

Several factors are holding the group back.

To start with, one person is very critical of colleagues' ideas. You suspect that her fault-finding is discouraging others from speaking up. Another has hardly contributed to the sessions at all: when asked for his opinion, he simply agrees with a more dominant colleague. Finally, one group member makes humorous comments at unhelpful times, which upsets the momentum of the discussion.

These are classic examples of poor group dynamics, and they can undermine the success of a project, as well as people's morale and engagement.

In this article, we'll look at what group dynamics are, and why they matter. We'll then discuss some examples of poor group dynamics, and we'll outline some tools that you can use to deal with them.

What Are Group Dynamics?

Kurt Lewin, a social psychologist and change management expert, is credited with coining the term "group dynamics" in the early 1940s. He noted that people often take on distinct roles and behaviors when they work in a group. "Group dynamics" describes the effects of these roles and behaviors on other group members, and on the group as a whole.

More recent researchers have built on Lewin's ideas, and this work has become central to good management practice.

A group with a positive dynamic is easy to spot. Team members trust one another, they work towards a collective decision, and they hold one another accountable for making things happen. As well as this, researchers have found that when a team has a positive dynamic, its members are nearly twice as creative as an average group.

In a group with poor group dynamics, people's behavior disrupts work. As a result, the group may not come to any decision, or it may make the wrong choice, because group members could not explore options effectively.

What Causes Poor Group Dynamics?

Group leaders and team members can contribute to a negative group dynamic. Let's look at some of the most common problems that can occur:

Weak leadership: when a team lacks a strong leader, a more dominant member of the group can often take charge. This can lead to a lack of direction, infighting, or a focus on the wrong priorities.

Excessive deference to authority: this can happen when people want to be seen to agree with a leader, and therefore hold back from expressing their own opinions.

Blocking: this happens when team members behave in a way that disrupts the flow of information in the group. People can adopt blocking roles such as:

The aggressor: this person often disagrees with others, or is inappropriately outspoken.

The negator: this group member is often critical of others' ideas.

The withdrawer: this person doesn't participate in the discussion.

The recognition seeker: this group member is boastful, or dominates the session.

The joker: this person introduces humor at inappropriate times.

Groupthink: this happens when people place a desire for consensus above their desire to reach the right decision. This prevents people from fully exploring alternative solutions.

Free riding: here, some group members take it easy, and leave their colleagues to do all the work. Free riders may work hard on their own, but limit their contributions in group situations; this is known as "social loafing."

Evaluation apprehension: team members' perceptions can also create a negative group dynamic. Evaluation apprehension happens when people feel that they are being judged excessively harshly by other group members, and they hold back their opinions as a result.

Strategies for Improving Team Dynamics

Use these approaches to improve group dynamics:

Know Your Team

Tackle Problems Quickly

If you notice that one member of your team has adopted a behavior that's affecting the group unhelpfully, act quickly to challenge it.

Define Roles and Responsibilities

Teams that lack focus or direction can quickly develop poor dynamics, as people struggle to understand their role in the group.

Break Down Barriers

Focus on Communication

Open communication is central to good team dynamics, so make sure that everyone is communicating clearly. Include all of the forms of communication that your group uses - emails, meetings, and shared documents, for example - to avoid any ambiguity.

If the status of a project changes, or if you have an announcement to make, let people know as soon as possible. That way, you can ensure that everyone has the same information.

Opinionated team members can overwhelm their quieter colleagues in meetings. Where this happens, use techniques such as Crawford's Slip Writing Method, and make sure that you develop strong facilitation skills.

Pay Attention

Watch out for the warning signs of poor group dynamics.

Pay particular attention to frequent unanimous decisions, as these can be a sign of groupthink, bullying, or free riding. If there are frequent unanimous decisions in your group, consider exploring new ways to encourage people to discuss their views, or to share them anonymously.

Key Points

The term "group dynamics" describes the way in which people in a group interact with one another. When dynamics are positive, the group works well together. When dynamics are poor, the group's effectiveness is reduced.

Problems can come from weak leadership, too much deference to authority, blocking, groupthink and free riding, among others.

To strengthen your team's dynamics, use the following strategies:

Know your team.

Tackle problems quickly with good feedback.

Define roles and responsibilities.

Break down barriers.

Focus on communication.

Pay attention.

Keep in mind that observing how your group interacts is an important part of your role as a leader. Many of the behaviors that lead to poor dynamics can be overcome if you catch them early.

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Improving Group Dynamics: Helping Your Team Work More Effectively

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Imagine that you've brought together the brightest people in your department to solve a problem. You have high hopes for the group, so you feel frustrated when people can't come to a decision. Several factors are holding the group back. To start with, one person is very critical of colleagues' ideas.

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Dan McLaughlin, Director of International Smart Pension

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With world leading financial expertise, the UK is ready to work with you

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The Buddy System: Why Friends are Good for Business

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We all want a friendship to rival Buzz & Woody, Lilo & Stitch or Thelma & Louise (with a happier ending!). But how can we make friends at work and why bother? This week I delve into the wonderful world of the buddy system to find out! It was #WorldBestFriendDay last week.

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Read our latest research on conflict management in the modern workplace, covering the challenges people professionals face, insights to act upon, and links to further guidance for people managers

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Dealing with conflict at work: a guide for people managers | CIPD

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Read our latest research on conflict management in the modern workplace, covering the challenges people professionals face, insights to act upon, and links to further guidance for people managers

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14 Effective Team Management Strategies From 22 Managers | Glasscubes

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Whether you’re a new or veteran manager, the tips these managers have to share are sure to boost your team management efforts.

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If you're preparing to write your first business plan and are looking for some useful resources and advice on what elements to include you have come to the right page.

It is essential to have a realistic, working business plan when you're starting up a business. We have our own section devoted to business planning where there are lots of articles and links to information on writing business plans. The content can show you how to prepare a high quality plan using a number of easy-to-follow steps but also contains more specialist information to help you really fine tune your document, plus advice on presentation and targeting.

If you are specifically looking for advice as a franchisee, check out our article on the 11 things you need to include in a franchise business plan.

There are a range of other sources you may also want to use. An often overlooked source is your Bank who may well have information, examples and templates of business plans:

The Prince's Trust offers downloadble pdf, MS Word and Excel templates. They also offer personal advice on completing a plan through their Enterprise programme if you are selected to work with them.

Slideshare has lots of business plans uploaded, which you can browse through here. We liked this thorough 26 page example from The Business Plan Team, as well as a template created by former Deloitte Management Consultants here, and a good example of a colourful, visual plan suitable for a trendy food business here.

An interesting interactive free business plan creator is offered by LawDepot. On the website you are stepped through 7 simple steps using a well-designed graphic interface, and at the end you can output the subsequent plan ready to fill in. There are 12 industries to choose from and it has sections for company structure, product, marketing, SWOT, operations and 'Fine Details'.

Other Web Resources: Business Plan Templates

You can find examples of business plans for different types of businesses at:

ACCA - the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants have 3 example business plans for three different business sectors: Cafe, Import Business, UK Ltd business seeking finance.

Bplans - owned and operated by Palo Alto Software Inc., the site has free plans to download and it also has examples for lots of different types of individual or specific market sectors.

Expert Hub - based in South Africa, this site has 21 example business plans for different categories.

Start Up Loans - offer a downloadable .docx template.

Invest Northern Ireland - have a .doc business plan template to download here

StartUps.com - have four sample plans that you can access from Google Drive (note, this is a USA site so the examples are US-based, although the formats could still work for a UK business).

Examples.com - 20+ example downloadable .pdf plans for different sectors.

Finally, how about a video on the subject? Quite a few examples on Youtube.
How about this one from Craig Frazier?
Further reading on business plans:

1. Advice and the basic tips of writing a business plan

2. A check list of what should be in your business plan

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Example business plans - Small Business UK

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If you're preparing to write your first business plan and are looking for some useful resources and advice on what elements to include you have come to the right page. It is essential to have a realistic, working business plan when you're starting up a business.

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Dealing with conflict at work: a guide for people managers | CIPD

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This guide will help you proactively identify and manage conflict at work

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Introduction

Organisational change is a constant in many organisations, driven by a number of different forces including customers, markets and technology. Yet research shows that most change initiatives fail to get their intended outcomes and may even limit an organisation's potential and its people. The effects of not managing change effectively can be devastating and long lasting, so it's important that people professionals understand the issues and equip themselves with techniques to support change management initiatives.

This factsheet looks at why change management is important, the implications of not managing change effectively, and the potential issues that can arise in change management processes. It also offers a series of techniques to help ensure change is effective.

​

This factsheet was last updated by Steve George.

Steve George: Digital Learning Portfolio Manager, HR and Projects

Steve joined the CIPD in 2016, bringing his wide experience and expertise in developing online learning programmes. He works across the HR portfolio on managing and developing content for our qualifications, short courses and publications. Steve is an Associate member of the CIPD and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Explore our related content

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Gain a comprehensive baseline knowledge of strategic workforce planning that you can apply in the workplace

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Organisational change is a constant in many organisations, driven by a number of different forces including customers, markets and technology. Yet research shows that most change initiatives fail to get their intended outcomes and may even limit an organisation's potential and its people.

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Category

The financing channel looks at the different small business funding options available to start-up companies and established SME businesses looking to grow. Read a wealth of guides and tips to help manage your accounts and cash flow better, views on the future of business banking and where to source alternative finance.
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Have last year's IR35 changes been any good for the UK's self-employed? Absolutely not, says Andy Chamberlain, director of policy at IPSE

Accounts & Tax

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The financing channel looks at the different small business funding options available to start-up companies and established SME businesses looking to grow. Read a wealth of guides and tips to help manage your accounts and cash flow better, views on the future of business banking and where to source alternative finance.

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What is motivation? - Motivation - GCSE Business Revision - Other - BBC Bitesize

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Learn and revise about motivating employees with incentives and motivational theories with BBC Bitesize GCSE Business Studies.

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Employee motivation is a hot topic in today's workplace, and evidence suggests that those companies that go above and beyond to offer features that keep workers engaged may attract a better level of staff.

Not all of us are lucky enough to have the luxury of nap rooms and slides in our office. However, in a study last month by CV-Library, more than half (56 per cent) of professionals would be more likely to apply for a job that had a unique or cool workplace.

The survey of 1,200 workers found that the younger generation were the most likely to look for work in companies with 'funky' workplaces, with 81.2 per cent of millennials and generation Z workers agreeing to this.

Employee engagement

But employee motivation is about more than just funky office features - it's about engaging employees through a unified company philosophy that everyone is comfortable buying into. Below, we chat to the business owners that managed to create a motivated and engaged workforce, and explore how you can recreate their success.
Matthew Reed, founder of Equipsme, discusses how businesses should go about achieving a motivated workforce.
Keeping the workforce motivated is a challenge that every employer faces; some bosses will crack the whip and hope that this works for them, while others will offer pizza Fridays or regular after-work drinks thinking that this will keep their employees working hard from 9-5.

The world of business is becoming increasingly competitive, which means employers will be need to retain their employees while also encouraging productivity. If you push your employees too hard, you may see your staff turnover take a turn for the worse, which can be incredibly costly for a business.

A great way to retain and motivate your workforce is to implement employee benefits. These additional bonuses will help enforce the point that you care for your employees and that their wellbeing actually means something to you. These benefits are far more impactful than the cheaper and easier pizza Fridays, especially in the long run.

After speaking to 2,980 adults in full-time employment, we found that employee benefits are the second most common reason as to why employees stay loyal to a company, only beaten by salary.

Employee retention is incredibly important when you're talking about motivating your workforce; nothing looks worse to those working for you than having their fellow colleagues disappearing like a murder mystery film. It can cast a negative attitude on the office, which in turn leads to lower productivity and possibly taking that phone call from the recruiter they may have otherwise ignored.

If you want to avoid this fate, as well as motivating your employees with encouraging words and deserved annual increments, why not consider some of the following employee benefits.

Look after employees' health

Health is something we all stress out about; most of us will get sick, Google our symptoms and then think we're on death's door.

It's an incredible source of motivation for your employees when you, as their employer, attempt to take away some of their stress by gifting them a healthcare package which includes things like 24/7 access to medical professionals, hospital treatments and physio sessions.

"Everyone, no matter who they are, enjoys being rewarded when they do something well"

Offering additional extras such as stress support can also be a huge benefit to your employees; stress is often rife in the workplace and making any attempt to combat these issues commendable.

We've found that 70 per cent of our SME customers have included our optional stress support in their health insurance plan which to us implies that SMEs are finally taking mental health support for their staff seriously.

Any employee would be thrilled to know their employer cares so much for their wellbeing and will happily work hard for such a figure.

Provide training

Personal growth is an imperative part of any job; everyone is constantly learning new things on the job and evolving into a more developed worker.

There are factors related to personal growth that you can consider as an employer though, should you wish to motivate your workforce. Training days, personal development time and workshops are incredibly beneficial perks that you should be offering your staff.

Not only will these days improve your workforce's skill set, but it will also let them know you are taking a vested interest in bettering themselves, which, in turn, should encourage motivation.

Give your staff rewards

Everyone, no matter who they are, enjoys being rewarded when they do something well. This could be as simple as a bottle of wine or a chocolate bar, or it could be making sure there are publicly recognised.

If you think your employees have done a good job, make sure they know about it. Positive reinforcement is always a great motivator, but do ensure you aren't accidentally just treating the same people in the office time and time again, as this can discourage other employees.

Be flexible

Flexibility is a great way to encourage your employees to work hard, as it shows that you are allowing them to have their own life which is vital.

Having a militant regime isn't going to encourage hard workers, it will end in your workforce rebelling against you and possibly even quitting.

Allowing your employees to leave the office early for personal matters, as long as they can make the time up, is a great motivator.
Lana Elie, CEO of Floom
One of the main things I do, and have always done, to ensure employee motivation and productivity is as high as can be, is being transparent about the skills I have and the ones I lack. It's important that the people on the team feel not only like the experts of their departments, but with it they have the responsibility of growing and professionalising those skills in order for the business to be able to grow - which provides motivation for them to do the best they can both on an individual and team level.

The vision is clear, and constantly shared, and with that vision we try to make sure each member of the team can see where they want to be at that stage. For example, if we want to be this kind of a business, doing these things, at this size, in three years, what are they doing with in it? My team are fully aware of this transparency, and are honest themselves about the skills they have, and the skills they lack - allowing us to help provide them with those skills, in turn benefitting the business.
Simon Couchman, creative director of ICG
We're committed to motivating our employees and believe that it's fundamental to delivering excellent work and maintaining productivity levels, our employees always deliver far more than expected from them as a result.

The way we motivate varies; this is to ensure each staff member benefits. Our company updates are one of the main ways to motivate the team as a whole. We communicate plans for the business and share case studies of great work. This monthly meeting ensures that everyone is on the same page, we all have a clear vision of the future and company objectives are communicated. This ensures each individual is inspired as well as generating a culture of like-mindedness and shared visions.

"The annual bonuses give us a chance to reward staff as individuals"

Company updates also give us a chance to share financial developments. One of the most unique ways we motivate our staff, is by offering them a share of the profit made each year as an annual bonus, so it's in both the companies and it's employees best interest to work towards improving that profit and it's imperative that we're completely transparent with our staff, something that they truly value.

The annual bonuses give us a chance to reward staff as individuals. This is based on their own personal development and approach to their role; it encourages them to focus on how their attitude and work ethic impacts the business as a whole and more importantly the profit share becomes their bonus. They get rewarded and we see a team constantly seeking new ways to improve our offering and results.

Team getaways

We continuously promote a sense of togetherness throughout the year, starting with our annual team get-away in late January. Instead of a traditional Christmas party during December when everyone is busy with end of year deadlines and festive celebrations, we banish those January blues with a trip overseas. We've been to Bruges, Malaga, Madrid and Prague to name but a few with plans for January 2019 already in the pipeline.

We attempt to get together outside working hours every few weeks, whether that's for a game of bowling, attending charity balls or taking part in triathlons - we recently just won the Cheshire Triathlon as a relay team.

We celebrate summer with a BBQ and sports day games. Friends and family members are also invited and it gives us another chance for us to applaud the whole team and recognise their efforts throughout the year away from the general day-day, resulting in an increase in motivation when we're back in the office.

"The collaborative working spaces give us a chance to learn from our peers"

Contributing to the success of others is now embedded in our culture; we see the importance of this when it comes to morale. We constantly seek chances for our work to be recognised and acknowledged at industry awards. Being shortlisted and often winning means everyone involved is left with a thirst for more.

Our recent office refurbishment, established as a result of employee feedback, encourages collaborative working, with informal breakout spaces, a digital 'pod' and outside decking area. Plans are in place to add a themed brainstorm room and a pool table.

The collaborative working spaces give us a chance to learn from our peers; share our knowledge or best practice and develop our skill sets. It helps people break away from their everyday tasks and contributes towards people feeling open minded to trying something new for our clients and as result, the outcome of campaigns are extremely successful.

Not forgetting the every day treats; from free fizzy drinks as well as tea and coffee, snacks and birthday cakes - all help with keeping morale, motivation and moods high.
Marianne Page, founder of The McFreedom System
As a company we are committed to making sure that the values we set out in our business are lived by all of us. We are so incredibly lucky to have such a great team, and it's no accident that we share the same values and work ethic.

We know that a happy team is a productive team, and that a motivated and engaged team means a happy business owner and a healthy business. This can be achieved in many ways, but the main message I'd like to get across is that it has to be genuine. We have all worked in a company where your boss screams at you one day, and then brings doughnuts in the next day and creates such a difficult and turbulent atmosphere that you can't relax, much less work effectively - and who wants to work for someone like that? They're never going to gain your respect or receive all of your energy.

Rewarding your team can increase productivity without a doubt, but if the foundations of your business aren't strong then there will be an immediate slump again, and whatever niggles and gripes were there beforehand will have returned.

"If your employees feel they can come to you with a problem and that you will give them your time and help them, they will feel supported"

So, our recommendation is to make sure that you have strong people systems in place. Make sure your team are hired to your values, don't just hire anyone in a hurry to plug a gap. Take the time to train them in 'the way we do things around here'. Deliver regular feedback, have scheduled reviews, invite discussion. The best ideas will always come from your team. Show them you are listening.

Your team need consistency. They need to know their roles, and how these roles contribute to the business as a whole. ​ Be transparent about the business goals, figures, difficulties and wins, and celebrate these wins. As a team they will pull together to achieve this, because they believe in the business. Communication is another key factor. If your employees feel they can come to you with a problem and that you will give them your time and help them, they will feel supported. They will be able to ask for training in an area they feel that they need development rather than fudging their work because they're afraid of approaching you.

So, yes by all means introduce perks and rewards - allow flexible working time if it fits your business, because you know that your team will pull together and want to succeed. Arrange for flowers in the workplace, or free food... whatever you like, because you have strong people systems working for you underneath all this, the foundations are strong and these perks serve to remind your team of what they already know - that you are invested in them and appreciate them and trust them to do their job whether you're there or not.
David Hallam, OrderWise
As an employer, OrderWise provides an environment that offers staff stimulating employment, but also opportunities to benefit in terms of wellbeing and work-life balance. In addition to the initial and ongoing training already outlined, there are a range of benefits, incentives, schemes, facilities and events that make working at OrderWise a rewarding experience, and which provide opportunities to develop professionally, personally and socially. The company also regularly conducts staff feedback surveys, to get an idea of what staff expect.

Employees' efforts are crucial to the success of the business and the management team meets regularly to discuss nominations for staff awards. Currently the awards are: Employee of the Month, Support Star of the Month and Employee of the Year. These awards demonstrate OrderWise's commitment to recognising the dedication shown by staff each day.

Several staff have received long service awards which recognise over ten years of employment with the company. The awards are a great example of the loyalty of staff at OrderWise and there are currently 12 members of staff that have achieved this award.

The company's recent building expansion features a subsidised staff café serving hot and cold food, along with social seating areas, TV, PS4 and phone charging ports. The facilities in the staff recreation room contribute to keeping staff happy, healthy and motivated. The room has a fully equipped gym that staff can use for free before or after work and a table tennis table which can be used during breaks to help employees unwind. For those staff using the gym or who cycle or run to work, there are shower facilities too. In addition, a complimentary basket of fresh fruit is supplied to each department every week.

"All staff can benefit from an attendance bonus scheme and departmental bonus schemes"

We appreciate the additional challenges faced by employees who have children and is keen to help where possible. Operating the Childcare Voucher Scheme enables employees with children to choose to have some of their wages paid in the form of childcare vouchers and make savings on both tax and national insurance contributions.

This year will see the introduction of a flexible working policy enabling staff to achieve enhanced work-life balance through more flexible management of personal and family commitments and work time. As an addition to 22 days' holiday entitlement plus bank holidays, staff can also have their birthdays off work with pay.

In addition to competitive salaries which are regularly reviewed, the company operates a pension scheme for all employees. All staff can benefit from an attendance bonus scheme and departmental bonus schemes which reward performance.

Each year, we host our very own free festival known as OrderFest for staff and their families to enjoy a day of live music, karaoke, games and more. Those attending can enjoy an array of fun activities including bouncy castles, sumo suits, enormous slides, gladiator batons, football and rounders matches, to name just a few. However, fun at our company isn't just an annual event. Throughout the year, the company also holds numerous seasonal events and has regular department nights out, making us a place to make friends, have fun and build a career!
See also: Fifteen ways to remain productive at work - a list of fifteen new tips to encourage workers to ditch bad habits and up their work game.

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How a small business can improve employee motivation

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Employee motivation is a hot topic in today's workplace, and evidence suggests that those companies that go above and beyond to offer features that keep workers engaged may attract a better level of staff. Not all of us are lucky enough to have the luxury of nap rooms and slides in our office.

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Project Management Tutorial

By KnowledgeHut

Motivation is a state of mind, filled with energy and enthusiasm, which drives a person to work in a certain way to achieve desired goals. Motivation is a force that pushes people to work with a high level of commitment and focus, even if things are going against them. Motivation translates into a certain kind of human behavior. In short, motivation is the driving force behind human actions.There are many different forces that guide and direct our motivations. It is important to ensure that every team member in an organization is motivated and meets the best project management course bottom line. Various psychologists have studied human behavior and have formalized their findings in the form of various motivational theories. These motivational theories provide insights into the way people behave and what motivates them. Motivation theory is a way of looking at the motivation of a person and how this influences their behavior, whether for personal or professional reasons. It's important to every aspect of society but is especially relevant to business and management. Motivation is the key to more profitable employees, as a motivated employee is more productive.What are the 5 Theories of Motivation? Motivation is a huge field of study. Psychologists have proposed many different theories of motivation. Some of the most famous motivational theories include the following: 1. Maslow's Theory of Hierarchical Needs Abraham Maslow postulated that a person will be motivated when all his needs are fulfilled. People do not work for security or money, but they work to contribute and to use their skills. He demonstrated this by creating a pyramid to show how people are motivated and mentioned that ONE CANNOT ASCEND TO THE NEXT LEVEL UNLESS LOWER-LEVEL NEEDS ARE FULFILLED. The lowest level needs in the pyramid are basic needs and unless these lower-level needs are satisfied people do not look at working toward satisfying the upper-level needs. Below is the hierarchy of needs: Physiological needs: are basic needs for survival such as air, sleep, food, water, clothing, sex, and shelter. Safety needs: Protection from threats, deprivation, and other dangers (e.g., health, secure employment, and property) Social (belongingness and love) needs: The need for association, affiliation, friendship, and so on. Self-esteem needs: The need for respect and recognition. Self-actualization needs: The opportunity for personal development, learning, and fun/creative/challenging work. Self-actualization is the highest-level need to which a human being can aspire. The leader will have to understand at what level the team members are currently, and seek out to help them to satisfy those specific needs and accordingly work to help fulfill those needs. This will help the team members perform better and move ahead with the project. A PMP certification will help you better understand this concept. Also, as their needs get fulfilled, the team members will start performing, till the time they start thinking of fulfilling the next upper level of need as mentioned in the pyramid. 2. Hertzberg's two-factor Theory Hertzberg classified the needs into two broad categories; namely hygiene factors and motivating factors: poor hygiene factors may destroy motivation but improving them under most circumstances will not improve team motivation hygiene factors only are not sufficient to motivate people, but motivator factors are also required Herzberg's two-factor principlesInfluenced by Hygiene Factors (Dis-satisfiers)Improving motivator factors increases job satisfactionInfluenced by motivator factors (Satisfiers) Working conditionCoworker relationsPolicies & rulesSupervisor qualityImproving the hygiene factors decreases job dissatisfactionAchievementsRecognitionResponsibilityWork itselfPersonal growth3. McClelland's Theory of Needs McClelland affirms that we all have three motivating drivers, which do not depend on our gender or age. One of these drives will be dominant in our behavior. The dominant drive depends on our life experiences. The three motivators are: Achievement: a need to accomplish and demonstrate own competence. People with a high need for achievement prefer tasks that provide for personal responsibility and results based on their own efforts. They also prefer quick acknowledgment of their progress. Affiliation: a need for love, belonging and social acceptance. People with a high need for affiliation are motivated by being liked and accepted by others. They tend to participate in social gatherings and may be uncomfortable with conflict. Power: a need for controlling own work or the work of others. People with a high need for power desire situations in which they exercise power and influence over others. They aspire for positions with status and authority and tend to be more concerned about their level of influence than about effective work performance. 4. Vroom's Theory of Expectancy Vroom's expectancy theory of motivation says that an individual's motivation is affected by their expectations about the future. In his view, an individual's motivation is affected by - Expectancy: Here the belief is that increased effort will lead to increased performance i.e., if I work harder then it will be better. This is affected by things such as: Having the appropriate resources available (e.g., raw materials, time) Having the appropriate management skills to do the job Having the required support to get the job done (e.g., supervisor support, or correct information on the job) Instrumentality: Here the belief is that if you perform well, then the outcome will be a valuable one for me. i.e., if I do a good job, there is something in it for me. This is affected by things such as: A clear understanding of the relationship between performance and outcomes - e.g., the rules of the reward 'game' Trust in the people who will take the decisions on who gets what outcome Transparency in the process decides who gets what outcome Valence: is how much importance the individual places upon the expected outcome. For example, if someone is motivated by money, he or she might not value offers of additional time off. Motivation = V * I * E The three elements are important when choosing one element over another because they are clearly defined: E>P expectancy: our assessment of the probability that our efforts will lead to the required performance level. P>O expectancy: our assessment of the probability that our successful performance will lead to certain outcomes. 5. McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y Theory X and Theory Y were first explained by McGregor in his book, "The Human Side of Enterprise," and they refer to two styles of management - authoritarian (Theory X) and participative (Theory Y). Theory X: Managers who accept this theory believe that if you feel that your team members dislike their work, have little motivation, need to be watched every minute, and are incapable of being accountable for their work, avoid responsibility and avoid work whenever possible, then you are likely to use an authoritarian style of management. According to McGregor, this approach is very "hands-on" and usually involves micromanaging people's work to ensure that it gets done properly. Theory Y: Managers who accept this theory believe that if people are willing to work without supervision, take pride in their work, see it as a challenge, and want to achieve more, they can direct their own efforts, take ownership of their work and do it effectively by themselves. These managers use a decentralized, participative management style. 6. Alderfer's ERG TheoryC. P. Alderfer, an American psychologist, developed Maslow's hierarchy of needs into a theory of his own. His theory suggests that there are three groups of core needs: existence (E), relatedness (R), and growth (G). These groups are aligned with Maslow's levels of physiological needs, social needs, and self-actualization needs, respectively. Existence needs concern our basic material requirements for living, which include what Maslow categorized as physiological needs such as air, sleep, food, water, clothing, sex and shelter and safety-related needs such as health, secure employment, and property. Relatedness needs have to do with the importance of maintaining interpersonal relationships. These needs are based on social interactions with others and are aligned with Maslow's levels of love/belonging-related needs such as friendship, family, and sexual intimacy and esteem-related needs such as gaining the respect of others. Growth needs describe our intrinsic desire for personal development. These needs are aligned with the other part of Maslow's esteem-related needs such as self-esteem, self-confidence, and achievement, and self-actualization needs such as morality, creativity, problem-solving, and discovery. Alderfer is of the opinion that when a certain category of needs is not being met, people will redouble their efforts to fulfill needs in a lower category. Maslow's theory is very rigid and it assumes that the needs follow a specific and orderly hierarchy and unless a lower-level need is satisfied, an individual cannot proceed to the higher-level need i.e., an individual remains at a particular need level until that need is satisfied. Whereas, according to Alderfer's theory, if a higher-level need is aggravated, an individual may revert to increasing the satisfaction of a lower-level need. This is called the frustration-regression aspect of ERG theory. ERG theory is very flexible as Alderfer perceived the needs as a range/variety instead of perceiving them as a hierarchy i.e., an individual can work on growth needs even if his existence or relatedness needs remain unsatisfied. For e.g., when growth needs aggravate, then an individual might be motivated to accomplish the relatedness need and if there are issues in accomplishing relatedness needs, then he might be motivated by the existence needs. Hence in this manner, frustration or aggravation can result in regression to a lower-level need. Another example could be, if someone's self-esteem is suffering, he or she will invest more effort in the relatedness category of needs. Implications of the ERG Theory All managers must understand that an employee has various needs that must be satisfied at the same time. According to the ERG theory, if the manager focuses solely on one need at a time, then this will not effectively motivate the employee. The frustration-regression aspect of ERG Theory has an added effect on workplace motivation. For e.g., if an employee is not provided with growth and advancement opportunities in an organization, then he or she might revert to related needs such as socializing needs. To meet those socializing needs, if the environment or circumstances do not permit it, he might revert to the need for money to fulfill those socializing needs. By the time the manager realizes and discovers this, they will take more immediate steps to fulfill those needs which are frustrated until such time that the employee can again pursue growth.You can further explore KnowledgeHut's best project management course which goes into full detail about the same.ConclusionMotivation is the state of mind which pushes all human beings to perform to their highest potential, with good spirits and a positive attitude. The various motivation theories outlined above help us to understand what are the factors that drive motivation. It is a leader's job to ensure that every individual in the team and the organization is motivated, and inspired to perform better than their best. This is neither quick nor easy, but in the long-term, the gains that are derived from happy employees far outweigh the time and effort spent in motivating them!

Project Management Tutorial

Motivation is a state of mind, filled with energy and enthusiasm, which drives a person to work in a certain way to achieve desired goals. Motivation is a force that pushes people to work with a high level of commitment and focus, even if things are going against them. Motivation translates into a certain kind of human behavior.  In short, motivation is the driving force behind human actions.

There are many different forces that guide and direct our motivations. It is important to ensure that every team member in an organization is motivated and meets the best project management course bottom line. Various psychologists have studied human behavior and have formalized their findings in the form of various motivational theories. These motivational theories provide insights into the way people behave and what motivates them.

Motivation theory is a way of looking at the motivation of a person and how this influences their behavior, whether for personal or professional reasons. It's important to every aspect of society but is especially relevant to business and management. Motivation is the key to more profitable employees, as a motivated employee is more productive.

What are the 5 Theories of Motivation?

Motivation is a huge field of study. Psychologists have proposed many different theories of motivation. Some of the most famous motivational theories include the following:

1. Maslow's Theory of Hierarchical Needs

Abraham Maslow postulated that a person will be motivated when all his needs are fulfilled. P eople do not work for security or money, but they work to contribute and to use their skills. He demonstrated this by creating a pyramid to show how people are motivated and mentioned that ONE CANNOT ASCEND TO THE NEXT LEVEL UNLESS LOWER-LEVEL NEEDS ARE FULFILLED. The lowest level needs in the pyramid are basic needs and unless these lower-level needs are satisfied people do not look at working toward satisfying the upper-level needs.

Below is the hierarchy of needs:

Physiological needs: are basic needs for survival such as air, sleep, food, water, clothing, sex, and shelter.

Safety needs: Protection from threats, deprivation, and other dangers (e.g., health, secure employment, and property)

Social (belongingness and love) needs: The need for association, affiliation, friendship, and so on.

Self-esteem needs:  The need for respect and recognition.

Self-actualization needs:  The opportunity for personal development, learning, and fun/creative/challenging work.  Self-actualization is the highest-level need to which a human being can aspire.

The leader will have to understand at what level the team members are currently, and seek out to help them to satisfy those specific needs and accordingly work to help fulfill those needs. This will help the team members perform better and move ahead with the project. A PMP certification will help you better understand this concept. Also, as their needs get fulfilled, the team members will start performing, till the time they start thinking of fulfilling the next upper level of need as mentioned in the pyramid.

2. Hertzberg's two-factor Theory

Hertzberg classified the needs into two broad categories; namely hygiene factors and motivating factors:

poor hygiene factors may destroy motivation but improving them under most circumstances will not improve team motivation

hygiene factors only are not sufficient to motivate people, but motivator factors are also required

Herzberg's two-factor principles

Influenced by Hygiene Factors (Dis-satisfiers)

Improving motivator factors increases job satisfaction

Influenced by motivator factors (Satisfiers)

Working condition

Coworker relations

Policies & rules

Supervisor quality

Improving the hygiene factors decreases job dissatisfaction

Achievements

Recognition

Responsibility

Work itself

Personal growth

3. McClelland's Theory of Needs

McClelland affirms that we all have three motivating drivers, which do not depend on our gender or age. One of these drives will be dominant in our behavior. The dominant drive depends on our life experiences.

The three motivators are:

Achievement :  a need to accomplish and demonstrate own competence. People with a high need for achievement prefer tasks that provide for personal responsibility and results based on their own efforts.  They also prefer quick acknowledgment of their progress.

Affiliation :  a need for love, belonging and social acceptance. People with a high need for affiliation are motivated by being liked and accepted by others.  They tend to participate in social gatherings and may be uncomfortable with conflict.

Power :  a need for controlling own work or the work of others. People with a high need for power desire situations in which they exercise power and influence over others.  They aspire for positions with status and authority and tend to be more concerned about their level of influence than about effective work performance.

4. Vroom's Theory of Expectancy

Vroom's expectancy theory of motivation says that an individual's motivation is affected by their expectations about the future. In his view, an individual's motivation is affected by -

Expectancy: Here the belief is that increased effort will lead to increased performance i.e., if I work harder then it will be better. This is affected by things such as:

Having the appropriate resources available (e.g., raw materials, time)

Having the appropriate management skills to do the job

Having the required support to get the job done (e.g., supervisor support, or correct information on the job)

Instrumentality: Here the belief is that if you perform well, then the outcome will be a valuable one for me. i.e., if I do a good job, there is something in it for me. This is affected by things such as:

A clear understanding of the relationship between performance and outcomes - e.g., the rules of the reward 'game'

Trust in the people who will take the decisions on who gets what outcome

Transparency in the process decides who gets what outcome

Valence: is how much importance the individual places upon the expected outcome. For example, if someone is motivated by money, he or she might not value offers of additional time off.

Motivation = V * I * E

The three elements are important when choosing one element over another because they are clearly defined:

E>P expectancy: our assessment of the probability that our efforts will lead to the required performance level.

P>O expectancy: our assessment of the probability that our successful performance will lead to certain outcomes.

5. McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y

Theory X and Theory Y were first explained by McGregor in his book, "The Human Side of Enterprise," and they refer to two styles of management - authoritarian (Theory X) and participative (Theory Y).

Theory X: Managers who accept this theory believe that if you feel that your team members dislike their work, have little motivation, need to be watched every minute, and are incapable of being accountable for their work, avoid responsibility and avoid work whenever possible, then you are likely to use an authoritarian style of management. According to McGregor, this approach is very "hands-on" and usually involves micromanaging people's work to ensure that it gets done properly.

Theory Y: Managers who accept this theory believe that if people are willing to work without supervision, take pride in their work, see it as a challenge, and want to achieve more, they can direct their own efforts, take ownership of their work and do it effectively by themselves. These managers use a decentralized, participative management style.

6. Alderfer's ERG Theory

C. P. Alderfer, an American psychologist, developed Maslow's hierarchy of needs into a theory of his own.

His theory suggests that there are three groups of core needs: existence (E), relatedness (R), and growth (G). These groups are aligned with Maslow's levels of physiological needs, social needs, and self-actualization needs, respectively.

Existence needs concern our basic material requirements for living, which include what Maslow categorized as physiological needs such as air, sleep, food, water, clothing, sex and shelter and safety-related needs such as health, secure employment, and property.

Relatedness needs have to do with the importance of maintaining interpersonal relationships. These needs are based on social interactions with others and are aligned with Maslow's levels of love/belonging-related needs such as friendship, family, and sexual intimacy and esteem-related needs such as gaining the respect of others.

Growth needs describe our intrinsic desire for personal development. These needs are aligned with the other part of Maslow's esteem-related needs such as self-esteem, self-confidence, and achievement, and self-actualization needs such as morality, creativity, problem-solving, and discovery.

Alderfer is of the opinion that when a certain category of needs is not being met, people will redouble their efforts to fulfill needs in a lower category.

Maslow's theory is very rigid and it assumes that the needs follow a specific and orderly hierarchy and unless a lower-level need is satisfied, an individual cannot proceed to the higher-level need i.e., an individual remains at a particular need level until that need is satisfied.

Whereas, according to Alderfer's theory, if a higher-level need is aggravated, an individual may revert to increasing the satisfaction of a lower-level need. This is called the frustration-regression aspect of ERG theory. ERG theory is very flexible as Alderfer perceived the needs as a range/variety instead of perceiving them as a hierarchy i.e., an individual can work on growth needs even if his existence or relatedness needs remain unsatisfied.

For e.g., when growth needs aggravate, then an individual might be motivated to accomplish the relatedness need and if there are issues in accomplishing relatedness needs, then he might be motivated by the existence needs. Hence in this manner, frustration or aggravation can result in regression to a lower-level need.

Another example could be, if someone's self-esteem is suffering, he or she will invest more effort in the relatedness category of needs.

Implications of the ERG Theory

All managers must understand that an employee has various needs that must be satisfied at the same time. According to the ERG theory, if the manager focuses solely on one need at a time, then this will not effectively motivate the employee. The frustration-regression aspect of ERG Theory has an added effect on workplace motivation. For e.g., if an employee is not provided with growth and advancement opportunities in an organization, then he or she might revert to related needs such as socializing needs.

To meet those socializing needs, if the environment or circumstances do not permit it, he might revert to the need for money to fulfill those socializing needs. By the time the manager realizes and discovers this, they will take more immediate steps to fulfill those needs which are frustrated until such time that the employee can again pursue growth.

You can further explore KnowledgeHut's best project management course which goes into full detail about the same.

Conclusion

Motivation is the state of mind which pushes all human beings to perform to their highest potential, with good spirits and a positive attitude. The various motivation theories outlined above help us to understand what are the factors that drive motivation. It is a leader's job to ensure that every individual in the team and the organization is motivated, and inspired to perform better than their best. This is neither quick nor easy, but in the long-term, the gains that are derived from happy employees far outweigh the time and effort spent in motivating them!

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PRINCE2 Tutorial [Video]

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Motivation Theories [5 Famous Motivation Theories]

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Motivation is a state of mind, filled with energy and enthusiasm, which drives a person to work in a certain way to achieve desired goals. Motivation is a force that pushes people to work with a high level of commitment and focus, even if things are going against them.

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Section 5   Management Responsibility and Accountability.

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Section 5   Management Responsibility and Accountability.

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Accountability vs. responsibility: what are they, how are they different, and what are some examples? This article will explore these characteristics and provide tips to develop them.

Consider a time when everyone at your company was working toward a big goal that required cross-functional collaboration. Perhaps you were rolling out a new product, undergoing a rebrand, or expanding into a new geographic area or market segment. Each team member has their own responsibilities and deadlines in order to meet the company goal.

For instance, the marketing team may be working on a new website. That could mean one person is responsible for website copywriting, another for design, and yet another for technical implementation. The team may hit a snag when another department fails to furnish the required information for the new website. Now, the entire project is at risk of falling off track.

Who's ultimately accountable? Leaders.

Leaders must take a proactive approach to ensure that cross-functional collaboration is effective, tasks are completed adequately, and deadlines are met. They must support their teams in whatever ways they need to meet their responsibilities. This could mean opening better lines of communication with other teams, hiring additional support staff, or reprioritizing tasks.

The difference between accountability and responsibility is ever so slight, which is perhaps the reason these terms are often used interchangeably.

What is responsibility?

Responsibility is the ability to respond to situations and events in our lives, as well as to perform or complete assigned tasks.

Paradoxically, responsibility is often associated with blame, fault, or guilt which could be one of the reasons people are quite resistant to taking responsibility. In reality, it is a personal, mature, and conscious choice.

What is accountability?

Accountability is the recognition and acknowledgment of our responsibilities, and being answerable for the outcomes of our actions, decisions, and mistakes.

Accountability includes:

Acceptance: consenting to receive or undertake something offered.

Obligation: accepting the binding power of promise.

Ownership: taking responsibility for an idea or problem.

Answerability: explaining actions or decisions.

Choice: making a decision when faced with two or more possibilities.

Commitment: being emotionally compelled to an agreement or responsibilities.

Accountability vs. responsibility

In a nutshell, the difference between these two concepts is: you are responsible for things and you're accountable to people, but both are a conscious choice that comes from within.

Although these terms are often used as synonyms, several characteristics separate them.

Responsibility refers to the obligation to perform the task or comply with the rule; accountability implies answerability for the outcome of the task or process.

Responsibility is imposed whereas accountability is accepted.

Responsibility can be partially delegated, but it is impossible to delegate accountability.

Responsibility may or may not be measured as part of an employee's performance, unlike accountability which is-and should be-measured.

Responsibility defines our duties to ourselves and others. Accountability demands us to be answerable upon fulfillment or non-fulfillment of our responsibility.

Responsibility is binary and linear, whereas accountability is non-binary and nonlinear.

What are accountability and responsibility in the workplace?

Responsibility vs. accountability comes down to effort vs. results. That is, a team member may be responsible for completing a task or project, and accountable for ensuring it's done correctly. This can apply to leaders and individual contributors alike.

Let's look at a few examples of accountability in the workplace:

1. A sales team leader commits to increasing quarterly revenue by 10 percent after growing their team. After realizing they don't have enough deals in the pipeline to accomplish that goal, they set to work on a plan. They mentor under-performing team members, sync with the marketing department on upcoming campaigns, and jump in to knock out cold calls with the sales development team. This commitment to accountability inspires the rest of their team to go above and beyond to meet team goals.

2. An engineer estimates that it will take 25 hours to complete coding on a new product function. As the project nears 15 hours, they realize they underestimated the project scope. Rather than rushing, and submitting a sub-par project, they let their manager know the project will require an extra day of work than originally anticipated. The manager can then reallocate resources and reprioritize tasks among the team to ensure goals are met.

3. A healthcare provider bills a customer for services that should have been covered entirely by insurance. When the customer calls the healthcare provider to dispute the bill, the customer service representative tells them they need to contact their insurance company instead. However, the insurance company has no record of receiving a claim from the healthcare provider. Rather than passing the buck back to the healthcare provider, the insurance representative offers to call the healthcare provider to sort things out. Then the insurance representative calls the customer back to explain how the issue has been resolved.

These accountability examples represent proactive accountability. This is far better than reactive accountability, in which team members and leaders hold themselves accountable for failures without taking adequate steps to prevent them.

For instance, a leader may hold themselves accountable and accept blame when a deadline is missed, a customer is lost, or another mistake is discovered. This type of leadership accountability isn't quite as useful.

How to build a culture of accountability

A culture of accountability encourages all leaders and individual contributors to assume control over their own outcomes. When accountability is a way of life for all employees, companies can benefit from:

Making better, faster decisions

Tapping into the skills and opinions of all members

Avoiding wasting time and energy on conflict

Having more engaged employees

Increasing productivity

Providing better customer service

Having less micromanaging and more autonomy in teams

Developing trust

Decreasing silo culture

Achieving better results

Build a culture of accountability by applying the three Cs:

1. Clarity. Provide clear, specific expectations and goals to your team members. For example, saying, "This project is due for our meeting on Thursday at 9:00 am" is clear and specific. Saying, "Finish this project sometime next week," isn't.

2. Commitment. Encourage team members to commit to specific outcomes. "I'll try" isn't a commitment; "I promise or I commit" is. If a team member has valid objections or doubts about the desired outcome, negotiate the expectation or discuss other ways to achieve the desired results.

3. Consequences. Outline consequences for not achieving the desired, agreed-upon outcome. Or let your team members come up with their own possible consequences for not attaining their goals.

Tips for managers to develop accountability and responsibility

While accountability ultimately lies with company leaders, each team member can still be individually accountable for their own role in reaching team goals.

Here are some tips to encourage accountability and responsibility:

Accountability starts with you. Be an example of behaviors that you want to see in your company. You're accountable for your team´s failures and successes. If you don't walk the talk, why should your people be interested in doing so?

Build trust. Without trust, you will see the culture of blame, and victims hiding information that employees think could be used against them. To create trust, listen to and understand people's concerns, ideas, and problems.

Promote cultural alignment. Act and speak consistently about "how things are done around here." It involves living the values, supportive supervision, clear expectations, and teamwork protocols, behaviors, and ethics.

Measure objectively. Provide clear metrics by which all team members know they will be measured. Goals and objectives must be based on results and facts and not on opinions, politics, or power struggles.

Provide timely feedback on performance. Provide a safe space to share information on how to improve performance as well as to discuss difficult issues without blaming anyone. The goal should always be to solve problems and to find solutions.

Engage employees. Take steps to increase employees' motivation. Use brainstorming sessions, world café discussions, meet the CEO question-and-answer sessions, employee committees, and town hall meetings.

Provide support. Set up review sessions to ask how people are doing. It gives you an opportunity to provide support when and if needed, or give praise and encouragement when things are going well.

Don't hold people accountable. With continuous support, people need to make themselves accountable and accept the consequences of their actions. Don't punish people for making mistakes, but make it clear the mistakes have consequences.

Final thoughts on accountability vs. responsibility

Going back to the basics of accountability and responsibility in our daily life and work is vital. It's vital for being aware of ourselves, and our thoughts, emotions, and feelings. It's vital for how and why we take actions and make decisions. It's vital for changing ourselves and our environment. And it's vital for our reputation and how we are seen by others.

Leadership cannot be successful without accountability. Each team member and leader has a job to do to ensure company goals are achieved-but leaders must own the overall result. A leader's ability to understand and assume accountability is critical for business success.

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Accountability vs. responsibility for leaders

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Accountability vs. responsibility: what are they, how are they different, and what are some examples? This article will explore these characteristics and provide tips to develop them. Consider a time when everyone at your company was working toward a big goal that required cross-functional collaboration.