2014年3月12日星期三

ESG Seminar - Time Management

The Executive Study Group (ESG) seminar in March 2014 was focus to time management and named “Time Management - How to Free Up More Time by Overcoming Workload-Shifting Traps” which was held by the ESG, Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corp (HKSTPC) on 12 March 2014. I would like to summarize the seminar for sharing below.

In the beginning, Dr. Mark Lee introduced the content of seminar included "Running Out of Time for Managers", "Where Is the Koala?", "Who Is Working for Whom?", "Getting Rid of the Koalas", "Transferring the Initiative" and "The Care and Feeding of Koalas", "Mentality Dilemma" and "Cross-Industry Sharing".


Dr. Mark Lee explained the time management was related to your boss, peers and subordinates. These three level of time management were separated as follows:
1) Boss-imposed Time: If manager disregard it, direct and swift penalty would happen.
2) System-imposed Time: It come from Peers and result in penalites indirectly or slowly if neglected.
3a) Self-imposed Time: Manager agreed to do.
3b) Subordinate-imposed Time: Portion of time would be taken by subordinates
3c) Discretionary Time: Manager owned free time
Time management aimed to the control the Timing and the Content so as to increase the Discretionary Time (by minimum subordinate time).


Dr. Lee said the subordinate's problems like Koala-on-the-back which managers spend much time. Then Dr. Lee shared four cases below.
Case 1: "I'll let you know" - When subordinates passed the Koala to the manager in casual chat, manager usually replied like this. Then Boss became subordinate's subordinate. (Case 1 will lost the Content)
Case 2: "Email me a memo on that" - An email by subordinate and the Koala knew to Leap. (Case 2 will lost the Content)
Case 3: "Just let me know how I can help" - Manager usually offered help without pre-fixed schedule. (Case 3 will lost the Timing)
Case 4: "I will draw up an initial draft for discussion with you" - Management would lack of empowerment and immobilized subordinate. (Case 4 will lost the Content too)


And then Dr. Lee asked us "Who is working for Whom?" and he explained how rapid growth of Koalas (Problems). The following diagram assumed four subordinates whose transfer 3 koalas per day. Manager's Discretionary Time was eaten by Koalas!
So we need the care and feeding of Koalas.

Manager need to shift right decision to subordinates and gave subordinates time to think, then appointed time for next meeting. There were 3 ground rules to subordinates that manager could control the Timing.
1) Always your problem
2) Koalas still on your back
3) Meeting by appointment

Then Dr. Lee analyzed the service level of subordinate based on five degrees of initiative below. (X- No Control and √- With Control)
1) Wait until told (lowest initiative); (Timing - XX; Content - XX)
2) Ask what to do; (Timing - √√; Content - XX)
3) Recommend, then take resulting action; (Timing - √; Content - √)
4) Act, but advise at once; (Timing - √; Content - √√)
5) Act on own, then routinely report (highest initiative). (Timing - √√; Content - √√)


Next, Dr. Lee taugh us the care and feeding of Koalas. There were five rules for management time he said.
Rule 1: Koalas should be fed or shot first time.
Rule 2: Only spend five to 15 min to feed a properly maintained koala.
Rule 3: Koalas should be fed by appointment only (Catch As Catch Can).
Rule 4: It should be fed face-to-face or by telephone, but never by email.
Rule 5: It should have assigned next feeding time and degree of initiative.

However, most manager had mentality dilemma (or 心魔) that was what Stephen Covey said "Command and Control stubbornly remains a common practice." Covey found that managers were trapped in an endless cycle of dealing with other people's koalas. But they were reluctant to help those people take their own initiative.


Dr. Lee said corporate culture was important to develop your subordinates included empowerment with incentive. Otherwise, people could not overcome the fear that a subordinate taking the initiative per Mr. Abraham Maslow findings.


Finally, Dr. Lee concluded that our objective was to create sufficient discretionary time so as to employ this time for building our influential power.

Before the cross-Industry sharing, Dr. Lee gave us an exercise to find out which phrase or saying which catched our attention for discussion. An then performed group discussion.


Reference:
The Centre for Logistics Technologies and Supply Chain Optimization, CUHK - http://www.logitsco.cuhk.edu.hk/
HKSTP - www.hkstp.org


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