Coaching Performance-Driven Teams PDF

**CHAPTER 5: COACHING PERFORMANCE-DRIVEN TEAMS** Developing performance-driven teams is the process of establishing where a team is now, where they want to progress to, and how to get there. It is a person-centred approach where the individual/team owns the issues, makes decisions and finds their o...

**CHAPTER 5: COACHING PERFORMANCE-DRIVEN TEAMS** Developing performance-driven teams is the process of establishing where a team is now, where they want to progress to, and how to get there. It is a person-centred approach where the individual/team owns the issues, makes decisions and finds their own solutions. It is an approach that aims to strengthen the 'bottom-up' contribution, which forms part of the overall management environment. This intends to be achieved through encouraging and empowering individuals and teams at the front line to identify and highlight problems, understand the root causes of problems, identify potential solutions and to experiment with different solutions until optimised/optimal solutions can be implemented. The role of leaders in this involves a specific management style (i.e. mind-set, attitude and certain behaviour), which is rather different from the so-called 'command and control' management style that is often typical of traditional management approaches. For example, the leader listens and then asks the right questions to help progress instead of pointing out errors, identifying culprits and giving advice on the perceived solutions. ### **5.1 GIVING AND RECEIVING FEEDBACK** Providing feedback is one of the leader's most important skills. Narrowly defined, it means replaying for the employee what they did in a specific situation. More broadly defined, it includes highlighting the impact of what the employee did. It also includes a discussion of what the employee might do better next time. Being able to receive feedback, so one may learn and grow, is the other side of this leadership skill. Leaders can both take the role of coach and also be coached themselves. **IMPORTANT INFORMATION** ------------------------- Giving high-quality feedback is a significant gift to the recipient because it helps them to build lifelong capabilities. A helpful tool that aims to support leaders in giving feedback is the STAR principle. The STAR principle particularly aims to help with the structuring of feedback. The principle is discussed in the 'Employee Performance and Development Toolkit', which is available on the Training and Development Department's Training Library on the Intranet. Despite good intentions, you might struggle to provide the employee with meaningful feedback. You want to say, 'You did well' but, while this builds and employee's self-esteem, it does not say much in terms of what actions or behaviours you are referring to. - - - - - - - - When you need to provide feedback to improve performance, add an alternative action (something the person could have said or done) and the result that action could possibly achieve. **For example:** 'Your presentation to the admin team (situation/task) seemed a bit unstructured (action), which made it difficult for them to understand (result). Perhaps next time you could try to divide your presentation into specific topics with an appropriate heading (alternative action) so that the team can follow the message you want to bring across (result).' The table below illustrates how different quality feedback typically results in different outcomes. +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | **BAD FEEDBACK** | **GOOD FEEDBACK** | **WORLD-CLASS | | | | FEEDBACK** | +=======================+=======================+=======================+ | - - | - - | - - | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | Does not improve | Improves skill | - - - | | skill | | | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | Undermines | Improves confidence | - - | | confidence in ability | in ability and | | | and potential and | potential and | | | self-esteem | self-esteem | | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | Leaves person | Clarifies 'exactly | - - | | guessing | where I stand' and | | | | 'what to do next' | | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | Leaves person | Leaves person | - - | | feeling 'judged' | feeling 'helped' | | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ ### **5.2 THE COACHING CYCLE** Investment in coaching is often a critical step in developing knowledge and skills. This requires planning, and understanding the skill of the coach as well as those to be coached, and time invested in monitoring and feedback. The diagram below indicates a five-stage cycle to provide support. A walkabout is a visit to the workplace by management and a sit-down session is an opportunity to sit and discuss things of a general nature, including work- related matters between different levels of management and others at all levels in the organisation. Walkabouts are founded on the principle that the Real Facts can best be obtained by management from the Real People (front-line workers) at the Real Place (the workplace). **THE OBJECTIVES OF WALKABOUTS AND SIT-DOWN SESSIONS ARE TO GIVE VALUABLE OPPORTUNITIES TO ALL LEVELS OF MANAGEMENT TO:** - - - - - - - - - - - IMPORTANT INFORMATION --------------------- 'Gemba' is a Japanese term meaning 'the real place.' Japanese detectives call the crime scene 'Gemba', and TV reporters may refer to themselves as reporting from 'Gemba'. In business, 'Gemba' refers to 'the place where value is created.' Since a Walkabout is about going to the Real Place to engage with Real People to establish Real Facts it is often also referred to as a 'Gemba walk'. ### **5.3 COACHING PROCEDURE** #### **ATTEND TEAM MEETINGS** The behavioural criteria for a manager when visiting teams and conducting coaching sessions are to: - - - - - - - - In order to ensure a successful visit to a meeting, a walkabout or a one-on-one session, the manager needs to do some preparation and be up to speed with the team's situation. **IMPORTANT INFORMATION** ------------------------- - - **IMPORTANT INFORMATION** ------------------------- - - - - ### **VISIT THE TEAM WORKPLACE (GEMBA WALKS)** - - - - **NO.** **WHAT TO LOOK FOR** **YES/ NO** **COMMENT** --------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- ------------- 1 Are the visual measures showing the daily measurement of certain performance areas and their respective targets? 2 Does the team measure daily individual (where possible) and team productivity? 3 Does the team meet regularly (daily/weekly) according to their set schedule and does this meeting follow an agreed agenda, with accurate minutes? 4 Does the team focus on 'rocks in the way' by identifying performance gaps between actual and target? Have they discussed it in their meeting? 5 Was the outcome of the discussion based on the results of a root cause analysis or immediately finding a solution? 6 Do action plans exist for improvement? Did the team note their improvement opportunities by identifying actions with a responsible person and completion date? 7 Does the team try to make their problems visible, i.e. with graphs, charts or photographs? 8 Is the daily work plan or task lists available? Is it clear that everyone in the team knows what needs to be done for the day/week? 9 Has good performance been acknowledged in the team (i.e. 'thank you')? 10 Did the Team Leader/HOD attend all the necessary training, e.g. the leading for performance-driven teams training? 11 Do the Team Leaders/HODs spend time on the floor or do they send out instructions via email to others? (How do they know when something is working/not working?) 12 Is the Team Leader/HOD able to identify the team's key challenges, make these visible and work on them with the team? 13 Do Team Leaders/HODs get an opportunity to work on some of the gaps in performance and determine the relevant root causes? 14 How much time does the Team Leader/HOD spend on fixing problems versus implementing improvement opportunities (reactive vs. pro-active)? 15 Does the Team Leader/HODs have Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in place and are they adhering to it? 16 Is the Team Leader mindful of all the types of waste in their team? How do they identify types of waste? 17 Has the HOD identified gaps in the requirements of his/ her department? Does the team share this with the HOD in such a way that the HOD learns to see it themselves? 18 Is a daily 15-minute meeting held with all of HODs and managers? 19 Is there a consolidated view of the entire business' performance against its objectives visible to the management team? Are there any common gaps across teams and how are they addressed? 20 Does a monthly performance dialogue occur with all managers/HODs one-on-one? ### **ONE-ON-ONE COACHING SESSIONS** To improve the work and management climate of the company, it is expected from managers to interact with all levels in the company. The purpose of this is to create rapport with all levels, to motivate, to coach and to support business performance and continuous improvement. One-on-one coaching sessions are conducted by a manager sitting down with any person in the company and performing a coaching session. The coaching is based on the Socratic Method where managers give less direction/instruction and coach/teach by asking questions. ### **QUESTIONING PRINCIPLES** - - - **WORKPLACE AND GENERAL QUESTIONS** **COMMENTS** --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------- 1\. How did this happen? 2\. How did it get to this state? 3\. Why did you allow it to deteriorate so far? 4\. What keeps you from maintaining housekeeping standards? 5\. What do you plan to do about it? 6\. What will be different when you have your solution? 7\. What is it about this problem that concerns you? 8\. Why are you telling me this? 9\. What will it mean for your team if you don't...? 10\. What will be different about the way you see your team if you\...? 11\. What makes that important to you? 12\. Where do you know you fall short? 13\. How is that working for you? 14\. What other options can you think of? 15\. How does that fit in with your team's objectives? 16\. What is the worst thing/ the best thing that could happen? 17\. If you take this step, what would you do next? 18\. What can you control in the situation? 19\. What can't you control in the situation? 20\. What is your next step? 21\. How can we get people to exceed results? 22\. What do you want to be doing that you aren't currently doing? 23\. What areas do you want to strengthen, improve or develop? 24\. What are the three most important things you would like to accomplish right now? 25\. What is your action plan to achieve those goals? 26\. What do you need that's preventing you from reaching those goals? 27\. How can I best support you to achieve these goals? 28\. How can I best manage you and hold you accountable for the results you are looking to achieve? 29\. How do you want me to approach you if you don't follow through with the commitments you make? How do you want me to handle it? What would be a good way to bring this up with you so that you will be open to hearing it? 30\. What are the activities that are not adding value and what do you propose should be done about them? 31\. What is there that you are often involved in which you should really delegate to next levels and then let them get on with the job? 32\. What are the bottlenecks or blockages in the flow of adding value to clients and delivering a cost-efficient service and what do you suggest should be done about it? 33\. What type of behaviours from managers or other people demotivates, angers or frustrates you, and how could you address it directly with those people? 34\. In what ways do you perhaps anger, frustrate or demotivate people and how could you change your behaviours? 35\. What are the real strengths of people you work with and how could you make greater use of those strengths? 36\. What are the two to three new competencies that you need to develop to take your own performance to a next level? 37\. How could teams that you operate in work together to significantly increase their effectiveness, and what habits or behaviours do your teams have that should be eliminated? CAREER QUESTIONS 38\. How do you see your career in this department, company? 39\. How long before you want to reach that goal? 40\. What do you need to develop to be ready for that position? 41\. What job/task do you enjoy most? 42\. How can I support you to reach your target and to unleash your potential? 43\. What development opportunities have you identified for yourself as an individual? WORK STANDARD QUESTIONS 44\. What is the standard? 45\. How do we set a standard? 46\. How clear is the standard to those doing the work? 47\. How clear is the standard to those not doing the work? 48\. What is our performance against the standard? 49\. Why are we not performing to the standard? 50\. Why are we performing above the standard? 51\. What are we doing to meet the standard? 52\. What can we do to improve the current condition? 53\. How can we make the abnormal condition more immediately visual? 54\. Why do you think I asked you these questions? 55\. What other questions would you have liked me to have asked? 56\. How can we share these good standards with other departments/the company? 57\. What keeps you from improving the standards? 58\. Should we invest in technology to increase the standard? ACTIVITY 8 ---------- 1. **Identify the department that you would like to visit and go to the 'Gemba'. Alternatively identify the departments/teams that report to you that you will have to visit:** -- -- 2. **For a start, identify a problem that you would like to be solved in this department, and why?** -- -- 3. **Write down the questions you are going to ask when you go to the 'Gemba' to help solve the problem or, more importantly, develop the capacity in that department to solve problems themselves. Choose relevant questions from the list provided.** -- -- **\ ** **GLOSSARY** **Client(s)** A person who engages the professional advice or services of another. In Mediclinic the client is the patient, including the patient's family and/or visitors. **Gemba walk** 'Gemba' is a Japanese term meaning 'the real place.' Japanese detectives call the crime scene 'Gemba,' and TV reporters may refer to themselves as reporting from 'Gemba.' In business, 'Gemba' refers to 'the place where value is created,' typically the patient bed or the operating theatre in a healthcare environment. **Inter-team agreements** An agreement between two or more parties, where one is the customer of the other. It describes the level of service that has been set by the customer in terms of quality, timeliness, output requirements, etc. **Key Performance Indicators** A type of performance measurement that evaluate the success of a company, department, team or individual in terms of a particular activity **Performance-driven teams** A group of people with specific roles and complementary talents and skills, aligned with and committed to a common purpose, who consistently show high levels of collaboration and innovation, that produce superior results **Root cause analysis** A method of problem-solving for identifying the root causes (main reasons) of faults or problems **Supportive leadership** A leadership style where the leader attempts to reduce employee stress and frustration in the workplace by actively supporting them to ensure efficiency and acceptable results. **Systems-based approach** An approach that focuses on the interactive nature and interdependence of external and internal factors in a company.