BW Communities

Analysis: Not The Right Mould

BW Online Bureau Nov 08, 2014

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><root available-locales="en_US," default-locale="en_US"><static-content language-id="en_US"><![CDATA[This case highlights three issues: the impact of a bad team player in an organisation, the transition to a managerial role and the personal conflict managers go through when they have to deal with ‘bad news'. The best teams are built on the collective strengths of their members. When this is not the case, cohesion is lost, and organisation performance falls below expectation. A good team provides the backdrop for individuals to enjoy most of their waking hours, some redundancy to tide over personal issues (as most of us face at some time or other) and give meaning to their work lives. Synergy in teams helps them achieve more than each can by himself or herself. In a team where one person pulls in his own direction, there is seldom joy or energy. In time, the team will fall apart and hurt the entire group. It is in the best interest of the organisation that such situations be dealt with at the earliest: rectify behaviour of the person, move him into a role that allows working by himself or ease him out. Managers who are promoted from a technical role often want to stay in touch with their subject. They see this as important, as team members seem to respect or relate better with managers who understand their work deeply and can guide them. Managers often translate this expectation into being personally involved in technical work; they are not confident of delegating or sharing their workload, especially when up against tough deadlines. In addition, many managers feel pressured to keep their skills up-to-date, so that at a pinch, they would not be considered ‘irrelevant'. So, they often do technical tasks that would be better executed by junior team members with fresh skills, methods and ideas. For a team, a manager is really an enabler. Perhaps with Jimmy, there is a gap between what he is used to doing and what is expected of him. Manika very nicely describes the need to have young and old employees working hand-in-hand. Today's youth come from a different paradigm. This is reflected in Nomita's approach to baking. Bosses need to be able to relate with this generation and provide them an environment in which this different way of thinking can be applied seamlessly. While hiring a manager, the organisation must clearly define expectations of the manager, so that the interviewers are able to judge candidates on this basis. Some of Jimmy's background seems to indicate that perhaps he was not such a great team player earlier either. Is not being a team player pathological? Jimmy cannot be called a leader. Leaders provide vision and aspiration to their team. People who need reassurance about their own capabilities typically would not be able to think strategically. When Jimmy was brought into Alsora, it was at the instance of an ex-colleague, who obviously knew his strengths and style. Was it that Jimmy's heart was not entirely in his new job? Was it that he was too tired, having come out of "retirement"? Was it that he did not see an opportunity for himself, as he would have, say five or 10 years earlier? Was this cultural misalignment? Or was it that he was unable to understand the new expectations? This case also highlights a gap in the way new managers are mentored. They are often left alone to manage their transition into their new role. Having decided that Jimmy doesn't fit, what should Manika do: ask him to move on, or help him correct his behaviour? Did Jimmy have feedback? Did he realise that he was disrupting his team? Was he given a chance to change? Arguably, culture fit, especially in senior roles, carries higher weight than technical capability. All organisations have individuals who are technically sound. The big issue is, how to create an environment where they can contribute or are forced to do so, not for themselves alone, but for the team as a whole. It is here that the role of the manager or leader becomes so precious. Shankar's experience of letting go one of his team members is by no means a unique one. There are several reasons why managers hesitate to let go a team member who they believe is ‘technically good, but zero as a team player' — very specialised skills, the lack of headcount budget, tight deadlines or even "someone is better than no one". Shankar's insinuation that Jimmy's behaviour issues are gender related does not really hold water in this case. It is indeed unfortunate that even today, many senior people feel obliged to blame the ‘lady boss‘ in the first instance. Easing a person out of a job at Jimmy's age (or any) can cause mental agony to managers. It is not easy to distance oneself from people as individuals. While the case of Temple demonstrates the struggle that leaders go through when it comes to issues with people, by no means are ‘hard decisions' about people decisions alone. The culture shapes the manner in which an organisation would deal with all kinds of tough decisions and so merits special focus at the senior-most level. Susheela Venkataraman is managing director of internet business solutions group, Cisco. Her consulting experience has focused on enterprise and community transformation (This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 13-06-2011)