Tag Archives: emotional intelligence

The Connection between Style, Productivity, & Morale: Why it is Essential to Understand and Respond to Different Styles

 

How often do you get frustrated or upset as a result of how others have delivered their message or treated you? What about the times you’ve tried to communicate your point, but just don’t seem to get through to your audience? What’s the price you’ve paid for these disconnects in communications? How has it affected relationships and collaboration? What would be the benefit if it improved?

Anyone who has ever worked with others knows people approach situations differently. At times, these differences can create fresh perspectives, balance, and innovative solutions. Understanding personal style, and acting on that knowledge, can lead to improved performance, productivity, and morale.

Unfortunately, the converse can also be true. Often the differences in style lead to misunderstanding, mistrust, and frustration. This can then lead to lowered productivity and undesirable outcomes. Consider the following short (true) example:

I was requested by a client to coach an employee who was “having issues” with a team mate. As I sat down with the employee, something immediately became obvious… he was a matter of fact, direct, results driven guy. He acted quickly in an effort to hit his goals. His team mate, on the other hand, was relatively quiet, less direct, and seemed to take the words and actions very personally.

May not seem a big issue, but in this instance, they were required to collaborate on business opportunities. The bottom line… misinterpretations of styles and lack of insight into how to work with one another drove the two apart and cost the organization a deal worth more than $1M.

While this scenario might be extreme, conflicts, difficulty communicating with others, and less than optimal working relationships, are an everyday occurrence.

Your ability to understand your own characteristics/style, as well as those around you, can help you:

1.      Identify personal tendencies

2.      Adapt for improved communications and interpersonal relationships

3.      Effectively meet the needs of yourself and others

4.      Understand and respond to information and interactions more appropriately

5.      Get things accomplished!

For many of us, it’s likely that you’ve been using information about social style on an intuitive level for many years. Formalizing that understanding is a next step to taking actions.

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Author: Sue Cooney

Check out Sue’s upcoming Webinar – Foundations of Style: Behavior and the Bottom Line – premiering November 19, 2009 at 2PM (EST)

Organizational Change Beginning with Stakeholders

How has the economic shift impacted your organization, your culture and your employees? With the significant changes in the world, is there any organization that has not had to make major changes in how they operate? Whether private or public, how our organizations work and how we determine success has changed.  We have seen and heard of a lack of accountability in key financial areas with the integrity of important people or organizations being called into question. The level of accountability is even higher for organizations. Most organizations will look more at facilities, money and lose focus on their most valuable resources – their employees. Organizations are required to more with less. How do they do this while gaining commitment from employees who are looking for a work-life balance? How do we bring together employee and the organizations need with an eye to the return ratio?

Working with a large organization recently, I heard from several people that they operate in silos. Like so many organization, this one is at a cross roads, the status quo has been challenged. This organization has the opportunity to create a new future, if they pick up the challenge and engage in successful initiatives.

There is sound evidence that our happiness is directly linked to our psychological and physical well-being. The mid-century view from Maslow was “The science of psychology has been far more successful on the negative than on the positive side. It is as if psychology has voluntarily restricted itself to only half its rightful jurisdiction, and that, the darker, meaner half (Maslow, 1954, p. 354).” This century the focus is the understanding of human emotion and how positive psychology contributes to health and happiness. And in true scientific fashion, there is debate on what this means and what is the value, if any, of positive psychology.

Most organizations are still operating with the 1954 model! How organizations treat their stakeholders, how they engage dialogue during any change initiative determines the outcome of such an adventure. In the 2006 issue of The Journal of Positive Psychology, the authors challenged their peers. They laid out a plan for current and future psychologists to assess, to respond to and to potentially find applications within their practice. They brought in the stakeholders!

This change in psychology can be compared to the change within an organization, that it is inevitable and that the people in charge of such change have competence, legitimacy and passion for leading that change.

Working with individuals and organizations looking to Appreciative Inquiry for positive change we are now challenged to dig deeper into how change occurs within organization. We have experienced the high of a simple training exercise or full scale summit using AI. The energy and the employee engagement for change is there and it’s glorious and they are ready to take off.  Does this excitement realize actual lasting change in organizational culture? Because the energy is there, the passion is highlighted, the shared values are expressed and open commitments are made, many people think this is it. That our work is done for this project is done. One day and that energy is now on auto-drive. The work indeed, is just beginning. The generative value of AI and how we maximize that value is crucial. Gervase Bushe in his research has found that this AI’s real power is in the ability to focus on the preferred future. He states “Rather than planning and controlling, leadership needs to look for any and all acts that move the organization in the desired direction and find ways to support and amplify those efforts. I call this tracking (looking for where what you want more of already exists) and fanning (adding oxygen to a small fire to create a blaze)” Bushe, OD Practitioner, Vol. 39, No. 4, pp30-35, 2007).

Change begins with employees and other stakeholders.  Engaging employees in the Company story, finding what makes them happy and fills them with gratitude.

The organization noted earlier in this paper will need to gain commitment from their employees to create a silo-less culture. How they begin this inquiry is crucial. What do the employees see as their preferred future? By focusing on the positive does not mean that you do not evaluate problems and take any actions necessary to fix them. To understand what gives employees gratitude, appreciation and happiness you focus on what they want more of? How can we do things differently? What actions will employees commit to?

Organizations that succeed know that it is not about the perks – it’s about the culture. These organizations support the whole person and the whole person is engaged in the organization. The organization is seen by employees and clients as a community.  Developing this type of organization is not a linear process but rather a meandering path that may have a few bumps along the way. Some tips for this organization and others who are seeking change:

Look at your culture: Do your employees live the culture? Do they have a belief in the organizational mission? Does the organization operate with integrity? Is learning valued in the organization?

Is there an emphasis on your most valuable asset – your employees? How is the whole balance of the employee viewed? Is management top-down? Flat? Does top management model the organizations values?

Are employees and stakeholders proud of the organizational mission? Does the mission speak of integrity, value and empowerment?

Organizations may or may not have the ability or skills to evaluate their effectiveness and their readiness for change. They may need advice on change management or how to facilitate dialogue through these changes by an experienced facilitator with a strong background in traditional organization development and Appreciative Inquiry. “AI can be generative in a number of ways. It is the quest for new ideas, images, theories and models that liberate our collective aspirations, alter the social construction of reality and, in the process, make available decisions and actions that weren’t available or didn’t occur to us” (Bushe).

Resource: http://www.gervasebushe.ca/AI_pos.pdf

Success Through Emotional and Social Intelligence

Title: Success Through Emotional and Social Intelligence

Location: Online Workshop

Date: January 11 – 29, 2010

Register: Click here

Description: We can no longer afford to pretend that emotions are not part of the workplace. In fact, ignoring emotions can result in costly lawsuits, lack of productivity, contentious bargaining, and loss of good employees. But the good news is that we can not only measure emotional intelligence but also learn ways to enhance it. We can improve our skills in managing our emotions, we can learn effective ways to cope with that difficult employee or that insensitive boss, and we can build resilience despite the inevitable stresses and changes in our lives.

This workshop provides an opportunity to begin a journey toward your vision of success by developing and enhancing your Emotional and Social Intelligence. You will also learn the importance of maintaining your own balance and resilience despite the stresses of the workplace—and stresses from outside work that may affect your performance. Learn More>

Chuck McIntyre

Chuck McIntyreChuck McIntyre of northern California, has consulted and worked in higher education planning, research, evaluation, finance and management since 1971. Until 1999, he worked as Director of Research and Analysis in a state office of higher education and has consulted with colleges across the U.S., in the United Kingdom and Canada since the early 1999s. His recent engagements have been in the areas of strategic and facilities planning, emphasizing enrollment forecasting, planning, and management – using computer simulation models, recently-released 2000 Census data, and other sources and tools.

ENROLLMENT FORECASTING, SIMULATION, AND MANAGEMENT

Since the early 1990s, Chuck’s work has emphasized enrollment planning and management. In 1993, he developed an econometric model that is currently used in long-range enrollment forecasting for the capital planning at local districts in a state system. He conducted a study for the Maricopa Community Colleges in 1995 on the enrollment-impact of tuition and fees; results have been used by the district for long-range policymaking. Chuck then worked, in 1996, with Lincoln University on a computer model to simulate a variety of enrollment management initiatives in marketing, admissions, registration, and student retention, all designed to tie into budgeting models. Chuck also completed a 1997 study of Pima Community College’s past and future enrollment patterns for its use in planning.

In Spring 1997, he was published in Jossey-Bass’ New Directions for Institutional Research, and has spoken on enrollment management at national conferences like the American Association for Community Colleges (SCUP), Association for Institutional Research (AIR), Society for Needs assessmentCollege and University Planning (SCUP), and the Consortium for Community College Development (CCCD).

In Fall 1998, Chuck spoke at the European AIR in Spain about use of computer models to forecast enrollments and plan budgets. Also in 1998, he conducted an enrollment simulation and planning (ESP) study at Lansing Community College and, in 1999, he conducted ESP studies at Portland, Mt. Hood and Lane Community Colleges in Oregon and for the State Office of Michigan Community Colleges.

In Fall 1999, AACC published Chuck’s book on Enrollment Simulation and Planning. Since then, Chuck has worked on ESP projects at colleges in Oregon, Michigan, Massachusetts, California, Washington, and Texas.

STRATEGIC PLANNING

Recent engagements by Chuck with Palm Desert and San Mateo (California) and Austin (Texas) Community Colleges have involved a form of strategic planning – learning-centered strategic planning – that emphasizes efforts by these institutions to concentrate in a variety of ways on student learning. Chuck spoke about this technique at a SCUP regional conference in 2002.

Chuck’s work in college planning and evaluation spans nearly three decades, beginning in 1974 with an Exxon Education Foundation grant for research on the book Planning Colleges for the Community, published by Jossey-Bass. In 1978, he directed work, supported by a Vocational Education Act grant, on assessments of community educational needs; and in 1981, he was awarded a four-year Fund for Improvement of Postsecondary Education grant to develop new ways to tie college planning and evaluation to accreditation.

Since then, Chuck helped develop several long-range plans for a state Board of Governors, has written a number of articles and monographs on college planning, and has directed numerous workshops and symposia on the topic using techniques such as Charrette, Delphi, Nominal Group Technique, and Total Quality Improvement. He has spoken frequently on planning at national and regional conferences like AACC, SCUP, AIR, Pacific Northwest Association for Institutional Research and Planning, Western and Southwestern Regional SCUP, Southeastern Association for Community College Research, California Community College Board of Governors, California AIR, Community College League of California, California Community College Trustees, and California Research and Planning Group, and at many local colleges.

As Director of Research and Analysis, he was responsible for numerous state-level planning and evaluation projects, including environmental scanning and futures research projects, one of which was honored in 1996 with a Research White Paper grant from AACC and the Sloan Foundation, and published in Core Issues in Community Colleges (AACC, 1997).

FACILITIES PLANNING

During 2000, 2001 and 2002, Chuck conducted projects in long-range facilities planning for Mt. San Antonio (CA), Mt. Hood (OR), and Austin (TX) in preparation for capital financing bond elections. These projects involved computer modeling of facility needs, formulation of new space and utilization standards, and new kinds of classroom configurations. He currently is involved in a similar project for College of the Desert (CA) and has an article on the topic forthcoming in the Spring 2003 issue of the Journal of Applied Research in the Community College.

Earlier, in 1990-91, Chuck designed and implemented a computer model to project 15-year facility needs for a state system of community colleges; the resulting Board of Governors’ Long-Range Capital Outlay Plan was used to plan and allocate capital outlays for nearly ten years.

POLICY RESEARCH

Over two decades, Chuck conducted and directed numerous policy research projects for a state office about community college transfer, tuition, fees and financial aid, student services and other topics. His article on transfer performance was published in Research in Higher Education in 1989. Other work includes policy research on such topics as the impact of fees on enrollment (1993), growth funding formulas (1996), and welfare reform (1997), among others. Also in 1997, Chuck completed four technical papers for the 2005 Task Force, a long-range planning effort about future college needs and funding, sponsored by a state Board of Governors and Chancellor. Chuck served on the Research Commission of the AACC between 1997 and 2000.

COMPUTER MODELING

For the past decade, Chuck also has engaged in many computer modeling projects, designing, developing and implementing planning and decision-support tools for colleges and universities. In 1989, he developed a computer model to forecast college faculty replacement, which was used in human resource planning and presented that year at SCUP. Between 1990 and 1995, Chuck directed a consortium of three dozen community colleges in the U.S., United Kingdom, and Canada in developing computer-aided planning (CAP) models. This work-involving model design, development, quarterly workshops with participants, and testing–was to produce robust and systematic computer simulation models to help colleges plan and make policy decisions.

During the CAP project, Chuck held a 1993 planning symposium for staff from community colleges throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Among colleges participating in the CAP project were Bilston in Birmingham (England), Lethbridge in Alberta (Canada), Kapiolani (Honolulu), and three-dozen other colleges from the mainland U.S.

OTHER EXPERIENCE AND ACADEMIC TRAINING

Earlier in his career, as Director of Analytical Studies with a state office of higher education, Chuck directed the design of the office’s first computer-based management information system and was responsible for the design and implementation of two financing systems by which the state office allocated funds to local districts. Chuck also has worked on projects assessing the economic impact of colleges, and in 2001 he helped AACC evaluate a new cost-benefit model for this purpose.

Chuck’s academic training is in economics: PhD from University of California, MA from California State University; and in anthropology: BA from University of Colorado. He has taught undergraduate microeconomics and graduate higher education finance at the California State University. Prior to working in higher education, Chuck played professional baseball for the Milwaukee Braves organization.

Hire This Expert >

Specialties:

  • Academic Master Planning
  • Budgeting
  • Decision Making
  • Distance Learning
  • Enrollment Analysis and forecasting
  • Enrollment management
  • Environmental Scanning
  • Emotional Intelligence across the curriculum
  • Evaluation
  • Institutional Research
  • Learning Paradigm
  • Management Information Systems (MIS)
  • Self-esteem building
  • Planning
  • Policy Research
  • Program Review
  • Self Studies and accreditation
  • Strategic Planning
  • Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) and Assessments
  • Trustee/CEO relationships
  • Visioning and Futuring