You know the company's mission statement (see Part 1- What Are We Doing?)
You know what your group has to do to support it (see Part 2 - Reaching Your Goals)
Do you have the right people to get it done?
The one thing that keeps managers awake nights most often is trying to figure out how to cover the group's responsibilities with the resources available. Some people are broadly skilled; some are more specialized. Some work really hard; some produce less. You have to figure how to fit all the pieces together to cover the total job.
To determine whether you have the right people on your team to get the job done you have to determine the aptitudes, attitudes and skills of each individual and then evaluate the combined total.
- American Evaluation Association's suggests these Personnel Evaluation Standards.
- Personnel Evaluation, Inc. is a personnel and security consulting firm.
- MAPP (Motivational Appraisal of Personal Potential) is a a career assessment offered by International Assessment Network.
Skills
Everyone is skilled at doing something. What skills do each of your people have that are related to the job? Who can read the blueprints? Who knows how to run the machinery? Does someone know how to write advertising copy? Is there a programmer on the team?How good is each individual at this task? Do they know it well enough to teach others? How much will it decrease your production if you have your best laminator train someone else? Would it be better to have someone else who is less skilled do the training or would that reduce the quality of the output?
Aptitudes
In addition to the things that they do, people have things they can do. Someone who is good with their hands, for instance, can more easily be trained for a manual task than someone who is not as manually adept , but is a good problem solver. It's probably easier to train your accountant to calculate takt times than to design a new logo. People enjoy doing things that interest them and those are the things they do best.Attitudes
Some people are team players. Some prefer to work alone. Where one person might be very good at explaining complex issues, another might excel at inspiring the group. In addition to making sure your group has the necessary skills, you have to make sure the "chemistry" works. A group that works well together will produce more and better quality output than will another group whose members are in conflict.Workload
After you evaluate your team, and organize them for the best results you have to determine whether it's enough. If the best team you can form can only produce eighty percent of your goal, you need more people. Your boss probably won't add headcount to your department just because you ask for it. You need to assess the workload in measurable terms to support your request for additional people.Next Article
Leadership is an essential quality in a manager. In the next article we will cover ways to get your team fired up and willingly follow your plan.If you have any questions or comments about this article, or if there is an issue you would like us to address, please post them on our Management Forum to share with the entire group.
