Can You Read Me Yet? Part 7

The Roadmap – Stage 4 Building the Cross - Functional Team

Welcome to the TLS Continuum Change Maestro’s Roadmap newsletter. A new edition will be released every Tuesday on LinkedIn. It is by nature an interactive newsletter. What do I mean? My initial intention was the development of a dialogue pertaining to the concept of a change roadmap. I was looking for interaction between those of us here as to what each phase so far meant to you. It appears as though you would prefer to be passive readers, so be it. However, let me reiterate that as we progress through the roadmap if you have something you want to contribute, feel free to comment on any issue that perks your thoughts.

As some of you know we publish another Newsletter on Thursday. The topic being discussed there and for the next several weeks are interrelated so we will run the same edition in both of them. Since I started them last week you will be one week behind on the information, but you still should be able work yourself through the process.

Does this sound familiar? I have had several conversations lately where the person on the other end of the call is relating that they were having a problem with managers who to their face were stating that the process improvement plans are great let’s do it. Behind their backs they are telling their staffs to forget about it the improvement plan is a waste of time.

The Scenario

My friend works for a major corporation as the continuous improvement engineer. They have a department in which the department manager when in the company of others in fully supportive of the change efforts but once the manager gets back to his department, the manager is telling the department human capital assets that they should continue to do things as they have been because the new methods are not worth the time. So what does my friend do?

First as we stated several weeks ago, the problem may be rooted in the communication of the expected process improvement efforts. The plan has not allowed for the department manager to take ownership of the process/ The Platinum Rule provides a way to get back on track. Over the next several editions we will walk through the four behavior styles and how to work with them in your operations.

I know that there is an inherent danger in making assumptions, and I think it discovered on of the dangers. For argument’s sake let’s say that instead of a director my friend is a thinker. She looks for stability around her. Everything for the most part she does is done logically. Like the director she wants documentation and facts for what she is presented. She also wants to be personally involved. As a Thinker she is both indirect and self-contained, she is a perfectionist, serious and orderly. She focuses on detail and the process of work. She does not like surprises and emphasizes compliance and staying in existing guidelines to promote your quality of service/products. She is happiest in an organization with organization and structure and dislikes too much involvement with others. The key to her is documentation and working at their own pace. They are your system analysts. The expectation is that others in the organization is that others will be credible, professional, and courteous.

Thinker to Thinker (Indirect and Self-contained)

Remember they act like you do. So, support their organized, thoughtful approach like you do on problems before you. Like you they want to see actions not a wide range of words. When talking with them act like you are talking to yourself. Be systematic, exact, organized, and prepared. Be sure to identify both the advantages and disadvantages of your suggestions. Backed by solid, tangible, and factual evidence. Be sure to provide a guarantee that your suggestions will not backfire.

Thinker to Director (Direct and Self-contained)

Like you they are very punctual in their work, so support their goals and objectives. The director is straightforward on their preferences for relationships in the business so keep your relationship on a businesslike level. As a thinker do not allow your personal feelings to enter any calculations. You don’t like working with others a lot and directors to a degree are the same way. The result is that you need to recognize the idea not the person. Make sure that you are showing them potential solutions with support as to why the alternatives might have validity. Be sure to show you know what you are talking about and that you are doing so in a way that is efficient.

Thinker to Relater (Indirect and Open)

It is against your grain but support their organized, thoughtful approach to problem solving. Even though it is uncomfortable for you realize that the relater colleague will take everything you say or do personally. Which means if they disagree with you, you need to take time to deal with those feelings. Like you they are looking for guarantees that everything will work as planned so provide the evidence they are seeking. You like an orderly process and so do they. Move in an informal but slow manner.

Thinker to Socializer (Open and Direct)

As a thinker you share several traits with the socializer. Take advantage of them. Be supportive of their ideas and opinions. You like to move in a slow cadence on decisions and so do they. Don’t try and hurry the discussions. Don’t argue with them – you won’t win. You like detail and they expect that you will agree with them on the specifics of any decisions you make. As a thinker you like documentation and the socializer will expect that you will provide them with documentation as to who is to do what, where and when. You like a slow pace, but they are going to expect a faster pace so meet that desire. Back up your suggestions with both testimonials and incentives to affect their decisions.

Over the past seven weeks we have looked at the behavioral styles of your teammates as you work your way through the organization. There is how one move segment to this discussion, and we will look at that next week as we see how all this affects the process of coming to discussions.

Looking for the perfect model for improving your organizational processes? Pre-order your copy of the TLS Continuum Field Guide - How the Theory of Constraints, Lean and Six Sigma will transform your operations and Program flow to be released in February of 2024

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About the author:?Daniel Bloom?knows HR and Change Management. He’s a speaker on transformational HR, a strategic HR consultant and trainer. Thank you for subscribing to this newsletter. The best strategy that I ever undertook was earning my SPHR and the Six Sigma Black Belt. You can take the same path with our Road to Organizational Excellence Seminar. For more information visit https://netorg5223078-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/dan_dbaiconsulting_com/ETY_Nur5SptJmboTeh04ijUBb39pq5bXzhFAIOJmSOK6Dg?e=EVVhmg or email us at [email protected]

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