The “Commitment” Model​: The Manifestations, Precur­sors, and Implications of Organizational Self-Management​

Transcript

1. The “Commitment” Model The Manifestations, Precursors, and Implications of Organizational Self-Management
3. “A Slave to the Illusion…” •Efficiency can be achieved best by imposing management control over workers' behavior •Control-oriented management models strengthen the interests of both organizations and the people who work in them
4. “A Slave to Reality…” • A new work force management model is appearing • This emerging model is that organizations must elicit the “commitment of their employees” if they are to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage in contemporary markets. • This new model portends a fundamental change in how organizations are: • Designed • Managed • Rather than relying on top-down management controls to elicit and enforce desired behavior, organizations in the future will rely heavily on member self-management in pursuing collective objectives.
5. Questions to be Addressed #1. How would one know if members of a performing unit were behaving as self-managers? #2. What factors account for the difference between those self-managing units that perform superbly and those whose performance is abysmal? #3. What conditions foster and support a kind of self-management that will contribute both to personal well-being and to the achievement of collective objectives? #4. What are the critical leadership functions for a self-managing unit ?
6. Scrum Team The fundamental unit of Scrum is a small team of people, a Scrum Team. The Scrum Team consists of one Scrum Master, one Product Owner, and Developers. Within a Scrum Team, there are no sub- teams or hierarchies. It is a cohesive unit of professionals focused on one objective at a time, the Product Goal. Scrum Teams are cross-functional, meaning the members have all the skills necessary to create value each Sprint. They are also self- managing, meaning they internally decide who does what, when, and how.
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8. . In a self-managing unit…. “Commitment Model” • Members have responsibility not only for executing the task but also for monitoring and managing their own performance. • Members of self-designing units have the authority to modify the design of the unit itself or aspects of the organizational context in which the unit functions • Managers set the direction for such units but assign to members full authority to do what needs to be done to get the work accomplished. • Examples of self-designing units include a team created to develop a new program and given free reign in determining how the design work will be structured, supported, and carried out) or an individual who is given autonomous responsibility for some task
9. Question #1. How would one know if members of a performing unit were behaving as self-managers? Five Behavioral Signs 1. People take personal responsibility for the outcomes of their work and show in their behavior that they feel personally accountable for the results of what they do. 2. People monitor their own performance continuously, actively seeking data and feedback to learn how well they are accomplishing their tasks 3. People managetheir own performance, taking corrective action at their own initiative to improve their performance. 4. When people do not have what they need to perform well, they actively seek from the organization the guidance, help, or resources they need for excellent performance—and they do so assertively and constructively. 5. People take initiatives to help people in other areas improve their performance, thereby strengthening the policies and performance of the organization as a whole. And they make sure that their own responsibilities are being met before reaching out to help others.
10. Question #2. What factors account for the difference between those self-managing units that perform superbly and those whose performance is abysmal? 1. Clear, Engaging Direction a) Orients organization members toward common objectives, thereby facilitating coordinated action in pursuing them. b) Clear direction energizes people, direction should: a) be consequential—i.e., what is to be accomplished has a visible and substantial impact on others, be they customers, co-workers, or other unit members b) stretch members’ energy and talent—i.e., achieving them is neither routine nor impossible c) simultaneously rich in imagery and incomplete in detail, thereby providing room for members to add their own meanings to the aspirations c) Clear direction energizes people, even when the goals that are articulated may not rank highest on members' personal lists of aspirations. d) Provides a criterion for unit members to use in testing and comparing alternative possibilities for their behavior at work. 2. An enabling performing unit structure 3. A supportive organizational context 4. Available, expert coaching 5. Adequate material resources
11. Question #3. What conditions foster and support a kind of self-management that will contribute both to personal well-being and to the achievement of collective objectives? 1. The overall direction for the work is clear and engaging 2. The structure of the performing unit fosters competent performance, through the: a) design of the task b) composition of the unit c) sent expectations regarding the management of performance processes 3. The organizational context supports competent work, through the: a) reward b) education c) information systems 4. Expert coaching and consultation are available and are provided at appropriate times. 5. Material resources are adequate and available.
12. Question #4. What are the critical leadership functions for a self-managing unit ? Note: Leadership is both more important and a more demanding undertaking in self-managing units than it is in traditional organizations. Two types of behavior: • (a) monitoring—obtaining and interpreting data about performance conditions and events that might affect them • (b) taking action to create or maintain favorable performance conditions.
13. There are two types of functions: monitoring & action-taking For each of the five enabling conditions: direction, structure, context, coaching, resources Leader Monitoring and Action Log
14. Selecting Leaders of Self-Managers There are three qualities that might be measured when people are being considered for leadership roles—qualities that probably are not trainable in the short term. #1. Courage #2. Emotional Maturity
15. Selecting Leaders of Self-Managers #3. Clear and Appropriate Personal Values: • An internalized commitment to both organizational effectiveness and human well-being. • Leaders who are confused about what they personally value find it difficult to choose among competing options for action. • Although almost any clear set of values can be used as the basis for managing one’s own behavior, one cannot be agnostic about the content of those values in considering how to select leaders of self-managers • Only individuals who genuinely value both collective outcomes and the growth and satisfaction of unit members are likely to invent and implement conditions that promote the two values simultaneously—something that surely is necessary if a self-managing unit is to be effective over the long term.
16. References Hackman, J. R. (1986). The psychology of self-management in organizations. American Psychological Association