7 Responses

1. Generic self-assessment tool focused on teamwork
   I’ve found Meredith Belbin’s questionnaire on team types a great starting point for discussion. The kind of results you can expect are honest discussion about individuals’ strengths and weaknesses, and the opportunity to develop the idea that we can compensate for our weaknesses by working with others – i.e. ‘nobody knows more than everybody.’ It is probably most useful in small groups – say up to 12.

2. Self assessment
   I would also recommend the Belbin Team Types. In addition I have found the Personal Skills Inventory by Kolb (published by HayMcBer) also a useful exercise.

   Michael

3. Manage themselves before managing others
   We look at management competencies with a broad vision of what they are trying to achieve for their organisation. In order that they can develop some ideas about managing others they should ideally start with themselves. Competencies are three dimensional – skills, knowledge and attributes – it is the attributional style that determines the effectiveness of their management skills package. If you are seeking to achieve some change in this group we would suggest the BAR-ON EQi measurement tool – this measures Emotional Intelligence – this can be leveraged into all aspects of the organisation.
   We are currently using this in a UK Banking organisation for their Change Program and have used it in many other sectors. Cautionary note : be very careful about applying labels to people – as circumstances change they don’t always do what it says on the tin.
   Organisations are about relationships – take these out of the org and you have an empty building. Good luck

4. Beware Typecasting
   I have to say I’m with Ray on this one. Belbin and Myers-Briggs are great tools but it should be remembered that they are snapshots of where a person is at that moment in time.
   They give an indication of strengths, weaknesses, attitudes, and approaches that a person might have or do. The key word there is MIGHT. As Ray pointed out, people will change as per the situation – don’t forget about team/group dynamics – change the team and you change the dynamics because teams are made up of people and people relate to one another therefore it is the relationships that need to be addressed, not roles (they sort themselves out with the relationships). So I’m all for the Emotional Intelligence route.

   Nigel

   nigel@actor.demon.co.uk

5. Emotional Intelligence and intelligent training
   Absolutely with you on the Emotional Intelligence thing, at least from my reading of Goleman’s Working with Emotional Intelligence, which is all I have encountered. I think Goleman makes the point that emotional competences can be learned (as compared with IQ which is unlikely to change), and the point of all of these analyses is to provide a start point – in this case, from which Karin can work – for considering training needs.

   Administering any questionnaire which aims to give people feedback on their management – i.e. people – skills is going to require sensitivity, tact and assertiveness. Whether you start with Belbin, EQ or Hay McBer, a key part of getting a good result is having a competent trainer who can help trainees in coming to terms with their weaknesses and learning to trust others to complement their style.

   Which is a roundabout way of saying don’t get hung up on which one to use – it’s what comes after that counts!

6. No such thing as a quick fix…
   Karin, Tris and everyone else in this discussion,
   It occurrs to me that as well as delivering some form of questionnaire you might consider a short bit of facilitated group work that will test people’s abilities in relevant areas and then get them to reassess their preconceptions about themselves prior to the full-on development centre. I suggest this as it cuts down on consultants’ time used in such centres and gets peopl’s thinking going and its something that can be delivered in-house over a couple of hours.

   Plus, remember what Stephen Covey says – there are no such things as quick fixes in personal development (or any development come to that).

   Nigel

   Nigel@actor.demon.co.uk

7. Management Styles Questionnaire
   Hi Karin
   As a freelance trainer I have a couple of questionnaires that I use at the start of a Management Development Programme. If you are interested and would like to email me at trevor.croucher@tinyworld.co.uk I will mail them back to you.I also agree with the others comments that the Belbin questionnaire is a good starting point but more appropriate for teambuilding exercises. Best of luck.

   Trevor Croucher
   HR and Training Consultant