Leading and motivating a team Essay

Leading and motivating a team effectively and understanding leadership †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. is registered charity providing social housing. Its vision is homes and neighbourhood’s we can be all proud of. They put customer’s first, keeping a strong financially viable, socially responsible, well governed business which is learning and growing achieving continuous improvements while obtaining value for money. My team Sustainment and Support(S&S) provides support, advice and assistance to customers who are vulnerable or in need. We successfully sustained tenancies and communities for tenants and will give them a platform to address other challenging issues and circumstances within their lives. The service is tailored to the individuals support needs, which is identified through the initial assessment. The support incorporates an action plan which is reviewed regularly to make sure the actions are being met. The most important characteri stics of a successful organisations is the clarity of purpose, adherence to core values, a distinct identity and a clear vision of the aim of the organisation. A good vision keeps the organisation moving forward and is a good motivator for the staff to achieve the set goals. All teams within the housing directorate have set goals and like the S&S team these have to be achieved. Without goals there would be no direction for the staff to achieve and participating in making the organisation successful. These targets and achievements are discussed at one to ones, and team meetings so team members are aware of how their performance contributes to the overall targets set at strategic level to achieve success overall. Other options available are away days, global emails to staff and group sessions. Not everyone likes to be communicated the same way. Email and literature works for some, but others would rather listen and talk. Respect the person you’re trying to communicate with and use the method they prefer. Clear communication and understanding is essential giving you the ability to deal with any issues or concerns that the staff have effectively and quickly. High performing teams will have clear understanding of roles and responsibility acknowledges the objectives, functions appropriately while carrying out the required task. Monitoring performance and regular 1-1s will indicate areas which require addressing, while allowing the team to be open and honest about what works and doesn’t and encouraging them to provide  feedback will show areas of strength and ways to improve. Receiving support and guidance from senior managers will enhance your own capabilities to lead the team UNDERSTANDING LEADERSHIPS STYLES – Kurt Lewin (phycologist) researched and created a model Lewins leadership Styles putting them in 3 categories .Authoritarian – provide clear expectations for what needs to be done, when it should be done, and how it should be done. Participative- offer guidance to group members, but they also participate in the group and allow input from other group members. And delegation -offers little or no guidance to group members and leave decision-making up to group members. A leader needs to analyse personal abilities, the group and the situation, then select the best leadership style. A leader who chooses the most appropriate style and has the ability to adapt is likely to be successful. There are many factors which could influence choice, size, skill, experiences and knowledge, individuals with different personalities and backgrounds. Large teams may have staff with varying levels of skill. This may require the manager to adopt a more authoritarian style, providing clear communication so that everyone knows what to do to achieve goals and tasks. On the other hand, team leaders may take a more participative approach with other managers of equal standing in order to get their own team functioning efficiently. The delegating leadership style is thought to be most effective when the followers are comfortable taking responsibility, and have the experience to accomplish the necessary tasks. The leader provides guidance in the decision making process; then delegates. Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard were the first to describe the delegating leadership style and recommend that the leader move around the task maintenance grid with a specific situation. Group maturity is a measure of group growth and development High Maintenance and Low Task High Maintenance and High Task Low Maintenance and Low Task Low Maintenance and High Task Low – task behaviour providing direction High Authoritative management styles, which make expectations clear. These styles allow for little input or innovation from subordinates and may breed resentment, which can result in subordinates disengaging from the organization’s vision and lead to lower productivity levels. A leadership style that has significant positive effects on subordinates requires cultivation. It is as important to know the people on your team as it is to know your organization’s vision and policies, take time to learn about their families and hobbies. Developing your knowledge will enhance your respectability, and getting to know your team will create camaraderie and mutual trust. Willingness to listen, flexibility and mutual respect are, crucial to developing a leadership style likely to produce the coveted effects of high productivity, flexibility, innovation and loyalty on subordinates. Self assessment survey carried out as part of my ILM learning indicated scores of 34 participative (democratic) ,28 authoritarian(autocratic),24 delegation(free reign).During my Housing Diversity Network(HND) mentoring program I completed a more in depth assessment which highlighted my strengths weaknesses and potential leadership qualities sharing the report with my line manager, colleagues and mentor then receiving feedback I reviewed criticism constructively, examined my own skills and developed an action plan to address weakness’s to expand my leadership capabilities ,which included additional training, coaching, mentoring and attending workshops and seminars. Participative leadership is a managerial style I consider to have the attributes to succeed with, this links in with organisations working practices allowing structured teams to empower them selves delivering services which are flexible and adaptable while working within the guild lines of the companies policy and procedures. Motivate and developed at team To motivate a team to successfully achieve the set goals and to work effectively while maintaining and improving performance I feel the use of Abraham Maslow’s motivation theory as guidance that will ensure that the team are kept motivated The basis of this theory is that people are motivated by unsatisfied needs and that certain lower factors need to be satisfied before higher needs can.  As long as we are motivated to satisfy these cravings, then we are moving towards growth and self actualisation. Satisfying needs is healthy while preventing has a negative effect. My Sustainment and Support(S&S) south team was created in mid 2012 bringing together staff with various skills and different personalities. I assisted my manager to help motivate and drive the team forward to be successful in obtaining the objectives of the organisation within this new structure. This included having discussions in team meetings to see if any obstacles would hinder staff from functioning to their full capacity, identifying needs then implementing with team building exercises, which was forefront of the process. Maslow’s model mirrors this by making sure our working environment and personal needs are met, providing all aspects of s afety. Love and belonging created great team spirit and high moral which was required as to the intensive nature of the post, enhancing the team’s wellbeing by bringing in Yoga and meditation which created a team that functions well and gaining a reputation of successful tenant engagement where others have found it difficult, e.g. Tenant facing court proceedings for rent arrears ,not responding to Income management (IM) but engaging with S & S while we stabilise the tenancy. When these pre court visits were introduced team members initially refused to carry out this task stating it was not part of their job role. it was an IM function, discussions during team meeting about the subject matter became heated creating low moral .The following week I explained to the team if we carried out this task, was successful we could show case the talents of the team to the organisation, talked about the positive effects this would have on our clients and encouraged everyone to take on board , bein g able to communicate in this fashion proved successful. I supported and motivated a member of the team who I shall refer as C who was not functioning at the correct level and not achieving the teams and his own individual set goals. I was given this task as part of my own leadership development plus the manager had used all the resources and C was still not operating team’s objectives, this was having an impact on the rest of team as case loads increased. With the threat of disciplinary action and the impact this could have on the team I felt I had experience and knowledge to assist having previously been part of a team which included C for a number of years and was well aware their learning style. I now realise the process I used symbolises two theory  models working alongside each other Maslow’s and Hershey and Blanchard situation leadership style Looking at that model the four headings of Directing, Coaching, Supporting, Delegating I feel covers the method I used to resolve this problem Directing – Provide specific instructions clear and simple while closely supervising task accomplishments Coaching – Continues to direct and closely supervise task accomplishments, but also explains decisions, solicits suggestions and supports progress Supporting – Facilitates and supports subordinates efforts toward task accomplishments and shares responsibility for decision making with them Delegating – Turns over responsibility for decision making and problem solving to subordinates. If we look at the Maslow triangle Physiological – In this case study for C there was a lack of confidence, knowledge and understanding Security – C felt threatened in his new role that perhaps he couldn’t achieve but now he feels his expertise is being recognised Loving and belonging – C initially felt isolated that the team had developed quicker than him, with the team being a strong supporting group they also assisted in the process Esteem- self esteem was low but grew as C developed Self actualisation – This is about reaching full potential, where I feel there has been significant change and is more motivated, there is still more room for development Looking at the actions taken below I do feel that in the process, styles were combined together to achieve a result. Bibliography www.teambuilding.co.uk/team-building-theory-maslow.html ILM learning material