Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing - From MindTools.com Understanding the Stages of Team Formation Learn how to use Bruce Tuckman's simple model to help your new team become effective quickly. You can't expect a new team to perform well when it first comes together. Forming a team takes time, and members often go through recognizable stages as they change from being collections of strangers to united groups with common goals. Bruce Tuckman's Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing model describes these stages. When you understand it, you can help your new team become effective more quickly. In this article, we'll look at how you can use this model to build a highly productive team. About the Model Psychologist Bruce Tuckman first came up with the memorable phrase "forming, storming, norming, and performing" in his 1965 article, "Developmental Sequence in Small Groups." Let's look at each stage in more detail. Forming In this stage, most team members are positive and polite. Storming Storming can also happen in other situations. Norming Performing
Strategic Planning Process Strategic Management > Process The Strategic Planning Process In the 1970's, many large firms adopted a formalized top-down strategic planning model. Under this model, strategic planning became a deliberate process in which top executives periodically would formulate the firm's strategy, then communicate it down the organization for implementation. The following is a flowchart model of this process: The Strategic Planning Process This process is most applicable to strategic management at the business unit level of the organization. Mission A company's mission is its reason for being. Objectives Objectives are concrete goals that the organization seeks to reach, for example, an earnings growth target. Situation Analysis Once the firm has specified its objectives, it begins with its current situation to devise a strategic plan to reach those objectives. An important aspect of the micro-environmental analysis is the industry in which the firm operates or is considering operating. Implementation
How to Look for Emotional Intelligence on Your Team Of all the ways to test for emotional intelligence, the marshmallow test might be my favorite. You put a child in a room, set one marshmallow in front of her and explain that, if she’s able to wait 10 minutes before eating it, she’ll get an extra marshmallow to enjoy. Then you leave her alone. If the child can hold off, it means she has is able to self-regulate — a key component of emotional intelligence. Of course, this test only works on small children; few adults would have trouble resisting the first marshmallow. So how do we assess emotional intelligence in working adults? First, understand what you should be measuring. At our firm, Egon Zehnder, we have identified six frequent EI-related competencies necessary for leadership success, based on our decades of experience evaluating executives and monitoring their performance. The idea is not to index a job or promotion candidate with a single EI number as we do with IQ. Reference checks should be conducted in the same manner.
SWOT Analysis Strategic Management > SWOT Analysis SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis is a simple framework for generating strategic alternatives from a situation analysis. The following diagram shows how a SWOT analysis fits into a strategic situation analysis. The internal and external situation analysis can produce a large amount of information, much of which may not be highly relevant. Internal Analysis The internal analysis is a comprehensive evaluation of the internal environment's potential strengths and weaknesses. Company cultureCompany imageOrganizational structureKey staffAccess to natural resourcesPosition on the experience curveOperational efficiencyOperational capacityBrand awarenessMarket shareFinancial resourcesExclusive contractsPatents and trade secrets The SWOT analysis summarizes the internal factors of the firm as a list of strengths and weaknesses. External Analysis An opportunity is the chance to introduce a new product or service that can generate superior returns. SWOT Profile
665 What Makes a Good Teacher? Folks: The posting below looks a some qualities that make a good teacher. It is from a list of ten such qualities appearing in Chapter 1:What Makes a Good Teacher?, by Peter C. Beidler in Inspiring Teaching, Carnegie Professors of the Year Speak, John K. Regards, Rick Reis reis@stanford.edu UP NEXT: Preparing Doctoral Students for Faculty Careers That Contribute to the Public Good Tomorrow's Teaching and Learning -------------------------------------------- 2,013 words ------------------------------------- In this essay I want to talk about ten of the qualities that make a good teacher. --------------------------------- NOTE: Abbreviated list chosen by Rick Reis. 1. Good teachers try and try and try, and let students know they try. 2. They set themselves impossible goals, and then scramble to achieve them. We teachers have something called academic freedom. 4. Just about all of the good teachers I have known are eternally busy. For good teachers the day is never done. 7. 9.
Critical Success Factors - Leadership training from MindTools Identifying the Things That Really Matter for Success How will you measure success? © iStockphoto/wakila So many important matters can compete for your attention in business that it's often difficult to see the "wood for the trees". What's more, it can be extremely difficult to get everyone in the team pulling in the same direction and focusing on the true essentials. That's where Critical Success Factors (CSFs) can help. CSFs, also known as Key Results Areas (KRAs), are the essential areas of activity that must be performed well if you are to achieve the mission, objectives or goals for your business or project. By identifying your Critical Success Factors, you can create a common point of reference to help you direct and measure the success of your business or project. As a common point of reference, CSFs help everyone in the team to know exactly what's most important. The idea of CSFs was first presented by D. Using the Tool: An Example CSFs are best understood by example. Tip: Key Points
How to Write a Mission Statement in 5 Easy Steps I’ve had a 30-year love-hate relationship with mission statements. I’ve read thousands. I love it when a mission statement defines a business so well that it feels like strategy—and that does happen—and I hate it when a mission statement is generic, stale, and completely useless. Your company’s mission statement is your opportunity to define the company’s goals, ethics, culture, and norms for decision-making. The best mission statements define a company’s goals in at least three dimensions: what the company does for its customers, what it does for its employees, and what it does for its owners. Some of the best mission statements also extend themselves to include fourth and fifth dimensions: what the company does for its community, and for the world. The vast majority of the mission statements are just meaningless hype that could be used to describe any business in the category. Image: DILBERT © Scott Adams. Who is your company? Unfortunately few mission statements actually do that.
USP Analysis - Problem-Solving Training from MindTools The Unique Selling Proposition: Finding Your "Competitive Edge" Stand out from the crowd! © iStockphoto/nicolas For years, business trainers have stressed the importance of "USPs" (Unique Selling Propositions). Your USP is the unique thing that you can offer that your competitors can't. It's your "Competitive Edge." USPs have helped many companies succeed. However, USPs are often extremely difficult to find. In this article, we'll explore how you can use USP Analysis to help you find your USP, and to think about how you'll defend it. How to Use the Tool Download our free worksheet to record your analysis, and then follow these four steps: 1. First, brainstorm what customers value about your product or services, and about those of your competitors. As with all brainstorming, by involving knowledgeable people in the process, you'll improve the range of characteristics you'll identify. 2. Now, identify your top competitors. 3. Plot these points on a graph. Access the Full Article
What Is a Vision Statement - Examples - BusinessNewsDaily Credit: Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock A carefully crafted vision statement is at the heart of every successful business. This statement clearly and concisely communicates your business's overall goals, and can serve as a tool for strategic decision-making across the company. A vision statement can be as simple as a single sentence or can span a short paragraph. Regardless of the individual details and nuances, all effective vision statements define the core ideals that give a business shape and direction. These statements also provide a powerful way to motivate and guide employees, said Addam Marcotte, vice president of operations and organization development with executive coaching and organizational change firm FMG Leading. Why does this matter? Given the impact that a vision statement can have on a company's long-term success and even its bottom line, it's worth taking the time to craft a statement that synthesizes your ambition and mobilizes your staff. Katherine Arline and Elaine J.
Bowman's Strategy Clock - Strategy Skills Training from MindTools Making Sense of Eight Competitive Positions © iStockphoto/Zeffss1 In many open markets, most goods and services can be purchased from any number of companies, and customers have a tremendous amount of choice. It's the job of companies in the market to find their competitive edge and meet customers' needs better than the next company. So, how, given the high degree of competitiveness among companies in a marketplace, does one company gain competitive advantage over the others? This is a classic question that has been asked for generations of business professionals. Cost leadership.Product differentiation.Market segmentation. These generic strategies represented the three ways in which an organization could provide its customers with what they wanted at a better price, or more effectively than others. Competing through lower prices or through offering more perceived value became a very popular way to think of competitive advantage. Figure 1 – Bowman's Strategy Clock Position 2: Low Price
‘Social cohesion’ is not the answer to violence against immigrants in SA SOME well-meaning people hope we can end violence against immigrants by working to ensure that we are all the same. In reality, we can do it only if we respect the fact that we are different. A common response to the violence is to lament a lack of "social cohesion". While those who suggest this mean well, their remedy would almost certainly make immigrants’ lives here even more difficult. "Social cohesion" — a phrase much loved by South Africans, including the government, which held a conference to encourage it — started popping up in the writing of academics and policy people when immigrants began settling in the cities of Western Europe and North America. Not only were many a different colour from most locals — they brought with them cultures and religions (such as Islam) with which those societies were not familiar. These countries had never been as united as the "social cohesion" crowd claimed. This is not only likely to ensure that violence continues. Xenophobia poster.