Developing People in the Workplace

This informal CPD article on Developing People in the Workplace was provided by Ayming UK, who aim to improve Business Operational and Financial Performance.

Managing opportunity and challenging behaviour

Among various other duties, a manager usually has a responsibility for the development of those who report to them. As employers increasingly focus on enriching their people’s employment experience, that responsibility is gaining ever greater importance, especially in a tight labour market.

It can also be argued that the manager’s remit goes much wider here than might be assumed. Nominating someone for a couple of training courses after their annual review meeting is all very well. But there will be many more development opportunities in the workplace – such as challenging the thinking of team members, encouraging different approaches to problem-solving, or stretching people’s capabilities by delegating tasks. An attentive manager will identify these opportunities and make the most of them.

Benefits of development

Staff development benefits the employee and the organisation in numerous ways. The individual not only gains new skills, but also satisfaction from being able to overcome problems and perform more effectively and easily. Also, the employer’s investment is a recognition of one’s value, with enhanced prospects of career advancement.

For employers, the payback is not just in greater effectiveness, but also commitment to the organisation, along with improved retention and succession planning. A company seen to be encouraging people to embrace new technologies and innovation, while growing a new generation of managers, will also be more attractive to new talent.

Expectations must also be managed. A limited training budget may disappoint and frustrate both employee and manager. Equally, an apathetic worker will be a poor fit for a forward-thinking company with ambitions for its people and performance. The challenge for managers is to align the interests of the organisation and the individual. At the same time the utmost fairness is required when offering development opportunities to team members, especially when they pave the way for promotion.

Managing conflicts

There are many potential triggers here for conflict. Other posts will focus on how to identify development needs, meet expectations, and evaluate performance. Let’s look now at this issue of conflict and how to manage it.

First, it’s important to realise that conflict within business can be good, for example, when it challenges ‘business as usual’ assumptions to inspire better ways of working or spark creativity and innovation. All too often, however, conflicts are destructive, cause stress, de-motivate individuals, and their behaviour may be less than professional.

A manager needs to be able to deal with these situations and defuse them, handling conflict in a constructive way by responding rather than reacting. This involves being assertive without resorting to an aggressive approach – which is likely to add to the friction and stoke resentment – or trying to avoid the problem, as being submissive will undermine your authority.

Being assertive

We can learn to be assertive by following some relatively simple tips:

• Set clear objectives and desired outcomes
• Listen attentively and maintain eye contact
• Anticipate reactions and prepare responses
• Plan meetings thoroughly so key points are conveyed
• Avoid phrases that betray uncertainty, such as ‘Is that ok?’
• Empathise – ‘How do you feel about..?’ – but remain impartial
• Wait for others to make their main points before stating your position
• In an impasse, try to offer some compromise.

Where practicable, finding the middle ground, and quickly moving on is often the best solution for the team and organisation. However, there’s no single ‘correct’ approach. In some circumstances a manager must be seen to challenge; in others the issue may be peripheral and best ignored rather than distract the team or individuals from more important matters. A growing body of research evidence indicates that a collaborative management style – encouraging people to contribute ideas, as opposed to an autocratic approach – is more conducive to innovation as well as employee engagement.

This is certainly the case when it comes to resolving conflicts. Empathetic questioning, examining the issue as a shared problem and cooperating in the search for options is more likely to lead to acceptance, if not consensus, on the action to be taken. Managing these tensions and conflicts is essential to sustain the performance of a team and its members as well as their ongoing development.

We hope this article was helpful. For more information from Ayming UK, please visit their CPD Member Directory page. Alternatively, you can go to the CPD Industry Hubs for more articles, courses and events relevant to your Continuing Professional Development requirements.