TEAM Indexing

Adding Focus to Leadership Development

How effective are training and development courses aimed at managers/team leaders? Recent conversations with team leaders suggest recycling of outdated theory, e.g. Maslow, and a lack of relevance. Old training notes are recycled, but with little reference to context. However, there is a new approach that adds focus, stimulates attention and creates real meaning. These essential elements help trigger the insight that shifts mindset and achieves real change.?

Pario TEAM Indexing identifies factors shaping motivation and commitment. These can be linked to delegates' department and role. The categories are agreed with the client as ‘points of reference’. The approach addresses three underlying principles: (1) exceptional performance builds on motivation and commitment; (2) effective leaders create enabling conditions, e.g. transparency, accountability, purpose, and support, and (3) healthy organisations seek to build on feedback, which helps increase responsiveness and resilience.

Pario TEAM Indexing increases transparency and adds focus to both coaching and leadership development. The online questionnaire, completed before training/development, is easily accessed by team members/direct reports and delegates... it reflects four TEAM themes.

? Trust: How much do you trust your colleagues and managers? Do you feel comfortable sharing your opinions and ideas?

? Energy: How motivated and enthusiastic are you about your work? Do you feel energised and inspired by the work you do and the people you work with?

? Action: Are you able to take action and make decisions without fear of retribution or negative consequences? Do you feel empowered to take ownership of your work and contribute to the success of the organisation? (Do team members have a sense of ‘autonomy supportive’ leadership?)

? Motivation: What motivates you to do your best work? Are you driven by personal goals, the mission and values of the organisation, or a combination of both? Is there a sense of purpose and ‘meaningful activity’?

?The specific dimensions of Pario TEAM Indexing, reviewed on the course, ?include:

? Positive Management Style: How do people describe the style of their manager or team leaders? Does the manager/team leader (MTL) demonstrate consistent, positive action by setting clear goals, providing feedback/recognition and supporting people’s professional/personal development?

? Role Clarity – Progress: Do team members understand their role objectives and responsibilities. Do people feel that they are making progress? (and that there is a path for career growth and advancement?)

? Positive Purpose: Do people feel a sense of purpose in their work? Does the MTL’s approach, and the organisation’s mission and values, align with their personal beliefs and guiding principles?

? Positive Team: How well do the MTL’s reports/colleagues work together as a team? Are there clear goals and expectations, effective communication, and a positive work environment?

? Personal Development: Does the MTL (and the wider organisation?) provide opportunities for people’s personal and professional development? Do people feel supported in their career growth and aspirations?

Additional factors can also be assessed with Pario Team Indexing. These include Reward, Work Pressure and Department Head Support. Some factors may be outside the scope of a training course, e.g. issues relating to reward. However, management of Work Pressure does feature. The survey increases the focus on ‘operational elements’ that affect motivation and commitment. These create the ‘connection and identification’ with the organisation that helps maintain discretionary effort and ‘extrinsic task motivation’ (the motivation of obligation).

The TEAM Index is available to organisations seeking to add focus and relevance to training courses. The process identifies coherent factors (clusters of statements), not simply isolated items. The factor-based model increases reliability and validity, allowing objective comparison of role groups, teams and departments. This profiling supports objective, meaningful discussion, adding focus to the training/development course.

Pario TEAM Indexing reports are presented in a format agreed with the client. The process can be run as a group referenced survey or an individually tailored 360 degree feedback review, which can include written feedback.

TEAM Indexing supports Part 2 of Leadership Principles and Purpose. Part 2 also includes a case study linked to the Pario Work Preference Questionnaire. This adds further insight to coaching and future-focused leadership development.

#leadership #development #training #coaching #principles #thinktank

cc Michael Sinocchi Dave Millner