You've taken your time recruiting and carefully selecting a
top-notch team. You've provided your staff with scrupulously comprehensive
training. You've established open lines of communication with your employees,
taking pains to ensure that everyone feels comfortable asking questions and
raising concerns. You've done everything that a manager is supposed to do. But
somehow, you still sense that something is missing from your team's
dynamic.
Sometimes, even the most highly-qualified,
carefully-composed teams encounter a bit of difficulty getting up to full
speed. Although all of the right elements might be in place, your team may
still lack that certain something that makes everything "click."
Action Orientation May be the Missing Ingredient
Management experts say that if there's something missing
from your team that you just can't quite put your finger on, the problem might
be a lack of the quality that is known as action
orientation. This variable is a measure of a team's ability to solve
problems, work proactively, address issues as they arise, and make consistent
progress together as a group.
Although these qualities may sound like something you either
have or you don't have, leading management gurus have developed an array of
easy methods designed to help enhance a work group's action orientation. If
your staff could benefit from a bit more get-up-and-go, consider applying a few
of these tried-and-true techniques.
Make your directives as clear as possible.
Ambiguity and confusion are both major
drains on action orientation. If your staff's roles and responsibilities have
not been clearly defined, or if the instructions you give are convoluted or overly
complex, your team's ability to achieve optimal efficiency will be hindered.
Get into the habit of handing out crystal-clear directives. After you've
established a well-understood baseline of basic routines and expectations, you
can begin to challenge select members of your team with more complex
assignments.
Devise challenges carefully.
Years of research into the mysteries of human motivation have
shown that the best performance is achieved when the task at hand is neither
too easy nor too difficult. The trick is to find the right fit between
individual employee's skills and abilities and the tasks that need to be
performed. If the task assigned to a particular team member is too easy, he or
she will likely wind up bored and distracted. On the other hand, if the task
assigned is too difficult or complex, the team member may feel overwhelmed and
helpless. The best way to position your team for optimal performance is to
become skilled at assessing and assigning tasks that offer just the right level
of challenge for each employee.
Whenever possible, offer in-depth feedback.
A great way
to encourage action orientation in your team is to provide constructive
criticism after an employee has performed a problem-solving task. As soon as
possible after a situation has been addressed proactively (or
not-so-proactively), huddle with the team member and give them a rundown on
what worked and what could use some more fine-tuning. It's important to
maintain an objective, helpful demeanor during this informal feedback session.
Remember, you're not only providing feedback -- you're also giving your team a
model of the way that action orientation works.
Encourage your employees to connect the dots.
An
important part of action orientation is linking even the most mundane tasks to
the big picture. Take time out to remind your employees how even their smallest
contributions help further the mission of the organization as a whole. Help
them find personal and professional meaning in their duties, and praise them
lavishly when they respond to challenges proactively in a way that demonstrates
their investment in the company's success.
Action orientation is a somewhat subtle concept that doesn't
get a lot of press, but a growing number of management experts have pinpointed
this team quality as an important determinant of organizational success. With
just a bit of targeted effort, though, you can significantly boost your group's
ability to work together -- solving problems, tackling challenges, and getting
done what needs to be done -- right.