trends in automation

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This is mainly down to a manager’s
lack of skills and experience in
handling difficult people and
tricky situations. But it is exactly
the manager that needs to assume
responsibility. Of course, there are
situations which are frankly untenable
and a more rigorous organisational
decision might have to be made, but this
is only when the issue has escalated and
other interventions have proved fruitless.
In the first instance, it is the manager’s
responsibility. For training departments,
it is about guiding managers and
supporting them to develop their own
people management skills.
Take a step back
The first step forward is actually taking a
step back. The manager will need to be
able to dispassionately analyse the
situation. Coming from an engineering
background, we like formulas and this
one is particularly effective: Behaviour = f
(Personality; Environment)
Personalities
Differences in personalities can be a
source of friction and tension. A useful
personality assessment tool such as
DiSC® helps to identify the underlying
personality traits that influence
behaviour. For example, a manager who
exhibits strong Influential characteristics
might find someone in the Conscientious
segment highly frustrating, as they cannot
grasp a concept and continuously require
data and information to analyse
decisions. Simply being aware of
someone’s personality characteristics can
remove, or at least soften, tension and
enable a manager to have a more
pragmatic approach to working
harmoniously together.
While people’s personality is relatively
fixed, a change in environment can be a
critical factor in the change of behaviour.
Environment
Assessing the current situation through
the lens of environment is particularly
effective. Of course, there might be
personal circumstances at play that affect
behaviour at work. Often, there is a
change in the workplace environment that
has led to deterioration in attitude and
performance.
For example, there might be a change
management project in progress that the
employee doesn’t agree with or
understand. It could be that a new team
hasn’t yet gelled making the individual
feel insecure. They could be feeling
insufficient in coping with new tasks and
responsibilities.
Look inwards
What is sometimes most difficult for
managers to understand is that it is
usually their behaviour and attitude that
needs to adapt and change first. The
Betari Box model (see diagram above),
demonstrates how an individual’s attitude
affects their behaviour and that this is
transmitted through the team. A manager
needs to have a high degree of self
awareness to understand his or her own
personality and reactions that might
trigger poor behaviour in others. Going
back to the previous point, understanding
how personality influences attitude and
behaviour, as well as a change in
environment, can be enough to break this
cycle.
Courageous conversations
This analysis needs to be conducted
quickly as poor behaviour can fester and
infect other people. However, most of us
will tend to avoid having difficult
conversations. This is partly an avoidance
strategy, as we would rather just wish the
problem went away and things got back
to normal.
Approaching the situation with this
attitude will not engender trust or loyalty.
A manager needs to be firmly committed
to helping their employee. If you firmly
have your people’s best interests at heart,
you’ve already got one aligned goal.
Coaching culture
There is skill required to handle and
change the behaviour and attitudes of
employees. Having a coaching culture in
place can greatly enhance a manager’s
ability to have courageous conversations
with their team.
Not only will a manager have the time to
reflect on his or her own behaviour,
coaching establishes a one-to-one
relationship that is built on trust and
My Attitude
Your Attitude
Your Behaviour My Behaviour
affects
affects
affects
affects
Betari Box model demonstrates how an
individual’s attitude affects their behaviour.
Issue 28 trends in automation
Compass 24 – 25