… Can be Measured (Management Style Dimension) – Part 2 of 2

… Can be Measured (Management Style Dimension) – Part 2 of 2

“Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.”
               Sam Walton

This week, we’ll finish our discussion of the Subject Areas and Discussion Points in the Management Style Dimension, picking up where we left off last week.  For a review of the Management Style Dimension, click here.)

As we’ve done previously, I’ve included the weight (e.g. [3]) and guidelines for scores of 1, 4, and 7. Those that are purely inhibiting are tagged with “(inhibiting)” and only have guidelines for 1 & 4; likewise, those that are purely enabling are tagged with “(enabling)” and only have guidelines for 4 & 7.

QE Score Assessment – Management Style Dimension – Part 2 of 2

Motivation (Credit / Fear)

Graphic-Motivation

  • How are workers motivated? [3]

1 – I can’t think of anything the company does to motivate workers
4 – There are a couple things done to motivate workers
7 – There are many ways …

  • Does your manager make you feel valued? [3]

1 – No
4 – Yes, on occasion
7 – Absolutely – I get consistent feedback that makes me feel like a valued team member

  • Do senior management make the staff feel valued? [3]

1 – No
4 – Some do, some don’t
7 – Absolutely – they go out of their way to make team members feel that they are valued

  • How much do employees fear that they’ll lose their jobs? [4]

1 – We believe that our job is always on the line, and we could be laid off tomorrow
4 – We know that the company may have to lay people off to hit profit targets, and we hope we won’t be on the list
7 – We don’t fear for our jobs; we believe management will do whatever they can to keep us employed

  • Is feedback from management generally negative or positive in nature? [3]

1 – Almost always negative
4 – It’s a mix of both
7 – Management find reasons to provide positive feedback, and even corrective comments are delivered in a positive manner

  • When necessary, is discipline appropriate, timely and private? [3]

1 – No – managers are known to criticize and ridicule staff publicly (meetings or public memos / forums)
4 – Discipline is usually done in private, but second chances are not common
7 – Yes – discipline is used if coaching hasn’t worked, and management try to find areas where a “problem” worker can be successful

  • How well does the organization invest in its workforce? [3]

1 – I’m not aware of any investments the organization makes in its workers
4 – It does a fair job – the usual set of training and such, when the employees request it
7 – We have a broad range of staff investments – on-going training, seminars, workshops, support for off-hours education, etc.

  • When things go badly, who gets the blame? [3]

1 – Management find the “guilty” party and blame him/her
4 – My manager takes the blame for anyone on the team, and works with us to learn from the mistake
7 – We have a corporate culture of learning from mistakes, so we all get better. No one person / team is the focus of blame.

  • When things go well, who gets the credit? [3]

1 – Management take the credit, and individuals / teams are not recognized for their contribution
4 – It varies by manager
7 – The organization ensures that individuals and teams get the spotlight for successes, recognizing ALL who contributed

  • What happens with employees who are not right for the job? [2]

1 – They get fired / laid off OR they are kept on the team and the team needs to compensate for them
4 – It varies by manager
7 – Management take accountability for the hire, and do all they can to help the person be successful, maybe in another position.  If that fails, then the worker is separated.

  • Are workers ever embarrassed publically by management? (inhibiting) [4]

1 – Yes, frequently
4 – Never

  • How would you describe work-life balance? [4]

1 – Work-life balance around here is all work, no life
4 – It’s OK, but could be better
7 – We have excellent work-life balance

Integrity

Graphic-Integrity

  • Do managers consistently lead with integrity? [4]

1 – No – I am aware of unethical things management have done
4 – It varies by manager – we always need to consider the source
7 – Absolutely – we trust management explicitly

  • Do managers “walk the talk?” [3]

1 – No – what they say and what they do are very different
4 – Sometimes they do, and some managers always do
7 – Absolutely – their messages and their actions are completely in sync

  • Do the staff trust management? [4]

1 – No, they do not
4 – Some managers are completely trusted, and others are not trusted at all
7 – Yes, management are universally trusted

  • Do managers admit it when they make mistakes? [3]

1 – Never
4 – Some do, some don’t
7 – Always

What’s Next

Congratulations getting through the last 9 entries. I know the specifics of the Subject Areas and Discussion Points scoring was rather dry. (OK, it was a real snooze.) But I needed to get these details out so folks could review and use the information.

Now we get to wrap up the material with the next couple of entries. Next week, we’ll walk through the Excel workbook that we’ll use to actually calculate the composite scores and present the findings.

Until Then …

“It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.”
               Seneca

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