| |
| |
|
Management Information |
|
|
|
Is Your Company in Need of Family Therapy?
How Companies Are Like Families Like a family, a company is a group of people who have an ongoing relationship with one another. Companies have several things in common with families: 1. Families have distinct ways of communicating and degrees of togetherness. For example: ? Communication may be overt or covert. ? Relationships tend to be enmeshed (too close; overly involved) or disengaged (not at all close; uninvolved). ? Boundaries may be described as diffuse (extreme togetherness), rigid (extreme separateness), or clear (ideal and appropriate). 2. There are unwritten rules which family members or employees must follow in order to survive and thrive in the system. For example, in an organization, the rules might be: ? Never call the boss by her first name. ? Always be at your desk by 8:00 A.M. ? Never eat lunch with a person of lower status. ? Don't place any personal items on your desk or credenza. 3. Unresolved issues from the past have an effect on current functioning and communication patterns. For example: After an emotional event such as a major strike, employees need time to process their feelings. Family therapy following a disruptive event like this would heal such wounds much more quickly. Four Dynamics That We Bring to Work from Home We learn to relate to people first in our families of origin. We learn to trust, communicate, listen, cooperate, and share before we reach our tenth birthday. When we join a company, we bring those abilities with us. And every work team in every company becomes a place where family dynamics play themselves out, for better or worse. Every member of every work team brings the following kinds of dynamics from home: 1. A preference for independence and autonomy vs. dependence and control For example: Some people are most comfortable in a closely supervised work situation and prefer to have everything clearly spelled out. Others find such an atmosphere suffocating and seek an environment where they are left to their own devices. 2. The ability to recognize and respond to appropriate vs. inappropriate boundaries For example: Some companies expect employees to demonstrate extreme loyalty and openness to those within the company. This atmosphere may feel comfortable to someone from a family with similar boundaries, but inappropriate to another person. 3. The ability to communicate with others effectively. This includes: ? Stating opinions and expectations overtly vs. covertly ? Demonstrating listening skills ? Asking for clarification when needed ? Speaking assertively ? Showing respect for others Using effective communication skills requires strong self-esteem. This may be impossible for a person from a family where such communication was never modeled. A person who learned covert, aggressive, disrespectful communication patterns would not be successful in a work group where the preceding, effective behavior is expected. 4. Demonstrating the ability to trust others When employees do not trust one another, team functioning is threatened. Empowerment and motivation are maximized when people trust each other. Signs of Dysfunction How can you tell if a work group (or a family) is not healthy? Here are some signs of dysfunction: 1. Attendance: Excessive absenteeism and high turnover correlate to family members responding to dysfunction by becoming emotionally distant and running away. 2. Sabotage: When employees feel unable to express their feelings and opinions, they sometimes resort to acting them out by violating rules, sabotaging the company, or by displaying other passive-aggressive behaviors. For example: In a large company, an employee recently shared a confidential, sensitive memo with a friend who worked for a competitor. The memo became front-page headlines. 3. Substance abuse: Employees feeling excessive stress at work may respond as they would in a family, by abusing substances at work or after hours. 4. Overachieving: Companies with very high expectations may create employees who routinely produce miracles. This may look admirable to an outsider, but it can produce burnout among the employees. This dynamic resembles the family that looks perfect from the outside, but is in fact severely dysfunctional. 5. Underachieving: Employees who feel unappreciated or abused may respond by producing substandard results at work, just as such family members do at home. For example: Most stores today have sales associates who act as if the customer is an interruption. These employees appear to have no interest in the success of the company. 6. Emotional or physical abuse: In some organizations, employees are routinely subjected to emotional or even physical abuse. These are obviously examples of severe dysfunction, just as they are when they occur in a family. For example: There have recently been several reports of physical and emotional abuse in the military. 7. Double bind: Some work teams have an atmosphere in which employees feel "damned if you do and damned if you don't." Strategies for Resolving Problems Following an assessment, the following family therapy interventions may help the employees of a dysfunctional company relate with one another in a healthier and more productive way. 1. Teach employees the following communication and problem-solving skills: ? How to define problems in a nonblaming way ? How to listen with empathy ? How to make requests assertively ? How to brainstorm solutions 2. Help employees identify themes and company (family) myths. Explore those that may be discussed and challenged, as well as those that may not. 3. Triangulation is the process where two people side against a third. Teach employees to manage conflict by teaching them how to avoid triangulation. 4. Where a work team shows signs of being disengaged, help employees build stronger relationships and communication patterns. Use team-building techniques to accomplish this. 5. Where the system is enmeshed, help the employees strengthen boundaries and increase autonomy. Team-building exercises can be helpful here, too. 6. Teach supervisors how to manage employees more effectively through regular supervisory skills training. Just as parents benefit from parenting skills training, supervisors need similar instruction. Supervisory training should address the following skills: ? How to demonstrate effective listening skills ? How to encourage open communication among team members ? How to empower team members by setting effective goals ? How to encourage creativity and initiative ? How to resolve conflict in a healthy and productive manner The goal of such interventions is to energize employees by teaching them new ways to relate to one another. Garrett Coan is a professional therapist,coach and psychotherapist. His two Northern New Jersey office locations are accessible to individuals who reside in Bergen County, Essex County, Passaic County, Rockland County, and Manhattan. He offers online and telephone coaching and counseling services for those who live at a distance. He can be accessed through http://www.creativecounselors.com or 201-303-4303.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Hiring Your First Business Personal Assistant: Some Guidelines for Successful Hiring Hiring the first personal business assistant is an exciting time for new business owners. It means that the business is doing well enough that the business owner can no longer keep up effectively with the demands of the new business. Manage Your Time - Save Your Business. If you work from home, chances are you already know that you're really pulling "double duty". You probably work on your business while doing the laundry, corralling the kids, or fixing dinner. Innovation Management - Eliciting Dominant Ideas Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas. 6 Ways to Keep Things Simple Six Ways to Keep Things Simple We can have greater success with our Clients when we make our work processes and agreements simpler and more elegant. This article will give you ideas for making your contracts and commitments, projects and plans, reports and relationships with Clients simpler. Get It Done! Soft Skills not Hard Tools are Required If your organization has people, then interpersonal skills are needed.I work with companies that are on a path they call the lean journey. 6 Shared Factors of Successful Executives These factors where determined by interviews with and books from very successful people. Factors which eminently successful people considered essential were collected and classified. What Every Manager Should Know About How to Conduct Successful Training Activities Whether you are training preschoolers in the classroom or executives in the board room, here are 15 premises you might want to keep in mind the next time you're designing training activities.1. Using, Choosing, and Using an educational consultant IntroductionThe aim of this document is to provide advice and guidance in choosing a consultant in the field of education. You may be the headteacher or principal of a school or college, an officer in a local education authority (LEA) or school district, or the director of a private company wishing to undertake work in the educational sector. Create Your Dashboard for Success Driving down the road our eyes frequently scan the vital instruments on the dashboard that monitor speed, fuel level, coolant temperature, and oil pressure. The modern vehicle also has many more devices that constantly monitor various systems for fuel mixture, exhaust gasses, timing adjustment and others. How to Hold Effective Staff Meetings Many people believe that they conduct effective meetings, when all they really do is host a party. Or worse, they deliver a monologue. 7 Tips for Growing Your Business You Do Not Want to Ignore: Business Strategies To Easily Implement Growing companies must always be ready for the next challenge. If you fail in meeting critical business challenges you will not grow. Communicating with Case Studies A few weeks ago, a couple of colleagues and I discussed a new business idea. But, we had trouble expressing how this new business would provide value. Leadership: Stoking The Success Train Everyone wants to succeed yet everyone has a different perception of what success means and what it will bring into their lives. It is a means of gaining financial freedom for some and for others it means a healthy, happy family life. One Simple Idea to Grow Your Business Perhaps the most common theme I've heard in working with business owners or managers is that they rarely have time to plan for the future. They are so busy with day to day tasks and responsibilities, just getting through their weekly "To Do" list or fighting fires consumes all their time and energy, and then some. Innovation Management: Radical Innovation Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas. Rapport - How to Build it with Your Team I've often heard managers say - "My door is always open, come and talk to me anytime."You have to accept the fact that your team won't always do that. The Changing Boss-Secretary Relationship THE CHANGING BOSS-SECRETARY RELATIONSHIP: Imagine a partnership at work. One member is outlining the agenda for the annual stockholders' meeting, the other is managing the logistics. Employee Discipline: How to Nip Problems in the Bud Are you uncomfortable with delivering disciplinary action, even involving employees you know deserve it? You're not alone. Disciplinary action is one of the least favored tasks a supervisor must occasionally perform. Few Things Are More Destructive Than An Insecure Boss Few things are more destructive to a career than a boss who is insecure. Unfortunately, it is a near certainty that most people will encounter one or more such persons along the way. Business Relationship Germs In management seminars I often compare debt to an infection. A reasonable amount of debt will not kill a business, but too much debt will.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
