Topic 10. The value of team work. Stages of team development.

It's not always easy to be a good team member and compromise your own views for the good of the whole, but it works for the betterment of the company. You have to believe in the workings and power of the team and recognize where your own strengths and contribution fit in. You have to be honest, both with yourself and with your team members. You will have conflict within the team and as long as this is controlled then it can be a very healthy element for both the team and the development of the business.

A number of stages as people develop into a team:

1. Membership;

2. Individual influence (how they and others influence the way things get done in the department)

3. Shared feelings (When individuals become comfortable with one another as members of the work group, the feelings of the members become more and more important.)

4. Respect for individual differences;

5. Productive teamwork. (Members know they can learn from one another and they take advantage of opportunities to grow personally and professionally.)

What a team needs to succeed: common goals, high targets, leadership, involvement of all members, open communications

Topic 11. Motivating employees

Keeping people happy is an increasingly tough trick. Not only are employees being pampered, they're getting more money, better benefits and help with personal problems such as child care and financial planning.

Because technology companies face the tightest labor markets, they have been the most aggressive in devising ways to keep workers.

How do you keep workers? Start by making them feel they're part of a special place with a unique culture.

'SATISFIERS' AND 'MOTIVATORS'

It is logical to suppose that things like good labour relations, good working conditions, good wages and benefits, and job security motivate workers. But such conditions do not motivate workers. They are merely 'satisfiers' or, more importantly, 'dissatisfiers' where they do not exist. 'Motivators', on the contrary, include things such as having a challenging and interesting job, recognition and responsibility, promotion, and so on.

However, even with the development of computers and robotics, there are and always will be plenty of boring, mindless, repetitive and mechanical jobs in all three sectors of the economy, and lots of unskilled people who have to do them. One solution is to give them some responsibilities, not as individuals but as part of a team.

Topic 12. Leadership

1. Importance of leaders

2. Leaders and managers

3. Theories of leadership

Trait Theories of Leadership:

1. drive

2. desire to lead

3. honesty

4. self-confidence

5. intelligent

6. job relevant knolege

Behavioral theories of Leadership:

1. autocratic style of leadership (centralizes authority)

2. democratic style (decentralize authority)

3. lesser-faire (employees are responsible)

Charismatic theory

Topic 13. The art of delegating

Delegating involves four basic steps:

1. Clearly describe what needs to be done and by when. The fact is, people who report to you expect to be guided and are not going to blame you for "shirking" work. The key is to determine what you want others to accomplish and when you need them to complete the task. Be clear as to what is expected, and give your subordinate the opportunity to discuss the general approach or any other issue before launching into the work.

2. Accept that the work will not be done exactly as you would have done it. No one completes the same task in the same way. This does not necessarily make another person's work wrong or inferior; in fact, it may be better than what you could have done and be a credit to your managerial skills

3. Keep track of delegated work. A critical role for managers is to know what their people are doing at any given time and when the work is due. That means developing a system for monitoring delegated tasks, which can be separate from elaborate project management charts covering major tasks.

4. Give constructive feedback and criticism. When giving feedback for delegated work, try first to be as positive as possible about the work the person has done. Any criticism should relate directly to the initial scope and deadline for the work; if those were clearly outlined, you'll have a basis to discuss the submitted work and any further work needed.

Topic 14. The key business issues of the 21^st century. The e-lance economy

Managers name the key issues

• Branding and design. Without a strong brand, you have no customer loyalty and no pricing power.

• Finding and developing talent. Talent is going to be in short supply. And that's particularly true for knowledge workers and creatives.

• Managing diversity .New problems of multicultural management across national borders

• Corporate social responsibility. Campaigns by activists can affect your profits and destroy your brand.‘

• The threat caused by the Internet.

The e-lance economy

With the introduction of powerful personal computers and electronic networks the economic equation changes. Because information can be shared instantly and inexpensively among many people in many locations, the value of centralised decision-making and bureaucracy decreases. Individuals can manage themselves, coordinating their efforts through electronic links with other independent parties. Small becomes good.

In the future, as communications technologies advance and networks become more efficient, the shift to e-lancing promises to accelerate. Should this happen, the dominant business organization of the future may not be a stable, permanent corporation but rather a flexible network of individuals and small groups that might sometimes exist for no more than a day or two. We will enter the age of the temporary company.