English berlitz to read

The Manager's Role

Is your group having trouble generating new business ideas?

Is the group thinking too much along traditional lines, or having difficulty thinking very far down the road?

Is your group reluctant to take risks?

What can you do as a manager? Are there steps you can take to change such patterns of behavior?

Here’s the good news: the answer to the last question is yes. Essentially, all the dilemmas just described trace back to a problem in the creative functioning of the group. Contrary to what many people believe, group creativity doesn’t just happen -- it can be planned for, nurtured, and enhanced.

As a manager, you are the designer of your group. Even though you probably didn’t have the opportunity to handpick the members of the team you supervise, you can shape and mold their interaction. The way you manage the various personalities can help unleash your team’s creative potential. Make no mistake about it, this can be very demanding work. You start by developing a deep appreciation for the different thinking styles of each member of your team. Then you consciously try to have those differing approaches rub against each other -- making sure that the "abrasion" improves rather than undermines the quality of the group’s work.

There are other steps you can take as well. By paying close attention to group norms, you can foster a climate in which people feel good about their work, in which they are motivated to seek out problems and solve them. You can alter the physical workspace in ways that make for more robust, stimulating communication. And you can lead your group through structured thinking exercises that will help them make connections they might not have made otherwise.

Practice

Select the phrase that best completes the sentence (a,b,c,d).
The questions below refer to the article "The Manager's Role."

1. The potential of a team:
a) depends exclusively on the personalities and qualifications of the individual members.
b) can be improved greatly if properly managed.
c) is sooner or later unleashed -- it's only a matter of time.
d) increases given the right conditions of internal competition.

2. Contrary to popular belief, group creativity:
a) happens only rarely.
b) can be customized by the team leader.
c) doesn't have much direct impact on a company's performance.
d) only works if the team leader is allowed to pick the group's members.

3.As a team leader your first step towards efficiently managing your team should be:
a) making sure that you pick every member of the team.
b) to call a team meeting and have each member talk about his or her strengths and weaknesses.
c) understanding and appreciating the potential of each team member.
d) creating and strictly enforcing a set of team rules.

4. According to the article you can improve team efficiency by:
a) organizing bonding activities outside of the workplace.
b) encouraging competition among team members with cash incentives.
c) modifying the actual workplace so as to create a more interactive environment.
d) encouraging employees to practice team sports together.

5. The article suggests that tension between team members
a) may actually spark a creative situation if managed properly.
b) should be avoided at all costs, as it undermines the quality of the team's work.
c) is an understandable occurrence that should be ignored.
d) encourages internal competition rather than cooperation.

CHECK Answers

1=B
2=B
3=C
4=C
5=A