People problems in Organizations SDC 2012 INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT

People problems in Organizations SDC, 2012 INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT Azat Sailov

LEARNING OBJECTIVES • To gain knowledge and understanding of organisational problems. • To understand the basic principles in problem identification and analysis. • To gain an insight into the fundamental principles underpinning organisation analysis with respect to problems. • To experience the application of the principles of analysis through exercises.

PROBLEMS IN TEAMS • • Problematic meetings Overload of ideas and blame culture Between team rivalry Conflict Personality clashes Destructive communication patterns Groupthink Nostalgia

Problematic meetings There are many factors that lead to problematic meeting. The important thing is meeting discipline.

Overload of ideas and blame culture • The meetings of a team may be very dynamic and many ideas may develop. However, no one delivers. A blame culture can arise in which team members start to blame each other for non-delivery. Team members start to avoid taking responsibility for things and the situation gets worse.

Between team rivalry The symptoms are: Work fails to get done Information flow is erratic Teams pass the buck Tasks involving joint team support and collaboration run into difficulties • Team members do not like transferring teams • •

Between team rivalry cont. Certain initiatives can be used to improve the situation. These include: • Social events • Team building events • Invitation of other team members to sit in on meetings • Setting up joint problem solving groups

Conflict is inevitable but problematic conflict must be managed. Problematic conflict is identified if the following conditions apply: • Conflict is repetitive • The conflict hurts people • The conflict solves nothing • The conflict may have a personal quality to it • Team members feel ashamed of it • Team members leave the team, because of the conflict

Personality clashes Conflict of interest and/or historical conflict may be at the root of apparent personality clashes. If personality clashes occur the following approach is recommended for project mangers: • Each individual should be spoken to separately to establish a way forward. • Roles and responsibilities of the individuals should be clearly defined. • Physical separation without disrupting the team’s work should be tried.

Destructive communication patterns This is a common problem. The following four patterns may be observed: • Putting down: These can be comments intended to humiliate. • Winding up: These are comments that are intended to increase anxiety. • Cynical asides: Comments like this are made to distance the person from responsibility. • Pedantry: These are comments that are said in order to make the speaker appear superior.

Groupthink The team can become too “close” and comfortable. This is a danger for all teams and can be addressed through the intervention of an external consultant or facilitator. Symptoms of groupthink are: • • Little or no debate Little or no challenge of decisions Low self criticism High levels of self-congratulation Defensiveness against criticism A sense of “us against the world” A conviction that the team is right Declining interest in facts and opinions from outside

Nostalgia • The problem of team members wishing they were back on an old team should be prevented. This can be done by marking the end of a team membership through a special event to congratulate and share the team experience and achievements.

GENOGRAMS Overview of Genograms have potential for application in industry and by project managers. This analytical technique allows us to develop hypotheses about a family, organisation, department or project team. We can view any organisational form as a family.

What is a Genogram? A format for drawing a family tree that records information about family members and their relationships. A genogram can be used in a project context where a team is considered similar to a family

The Importance of a Systems Perspective The concept of systems in this context refers to a group of people who interact as a functional whole. Neither people nor their problems exist in a vacuum. Both are inter-related with other people in communications networks. The family is the primary and most powerful system to which a person belongs.

Constructing Genograms The framework for constructing genograms varies a little but the basic structure involves the following: • Mapping the family structure • Recording family information • Delineating family relationships

Gathering Information for a Genogram Who populates the organisation? Who works with you in the organisation? How is each person related to? How are people hierarchically related in the organisation? Establish name, age, sex of each person in the organisation. Clarify facts about job title, education and so on. Identify recent changes; e. g. people coming or leaving, illness and promotions. • Who has a significant role outside the organisation? • •

Information on Current Difficulties • Are there people who do not speak to each other or who are in conflict? • Are there people who are extremely close? • Who confides in whom? • What do other people think of the current problem(s)? • What will happen if the problem(s) continues? • What will happen if the problem(s) goes away? • What change in the structure of the organisation may occur in the future?

Mapping

Legend

SUMMARY This topic covered the importance of the span of control and the nature of tall and flat organisations. Problems occuring in teams were addressed. A specialist technique and exercises to reinforce learning on the use of genograms was included as a major part of this topic.