ENG - Learning Unit 2 - AR by AKETH

EVENT PLANNING AND DESIGN CONTENTS ANALYSIS

EVENT COORDINATION â&#x20AC;&#x201C; LEARNING UNIT 2

Learning Contents SUBUNIT 1: What is coordination? SUBUNIT 2: What is leadership? SUBUNIT 3: Motivating employees and volunteers SUBUNIT 4: Communication

Learning hours:

Workload:

Unit Objectives Actions / Achievements Design a specific team management action plan

Knowledge

Skills

Competencies

Diagnose the degree of competence and autonomy of Identify different types of employees for delegating leadership models naming their responsibilities main characteristics Comprehensive on leadership and team management models Communicate effectively (using written and spoken word, non-verbal language, Comprehensive on time electronic tools, and listening management principles skills) to develop relationships, Comprehensive on corporative manage conflicts, and work across differences communication

Integrate the lived experiences into the leadership development process towards conflict resolution. Apply the most appropriate leadership style to overcome impasses and obstacles in teamwork

Fundamental to national Use of checklists to define and regulations, codes, and manage priorities and perceive Identify the success of standards on human resources time wasters teamwork, recognizing the specificities and the essential Produces maps with the aspects of success in structure of the project team teamwork, highlighting the for the organization of events advantages and underlying dynamics

SUMMARY The training module enables the learners to get familiar with the concepts regarding coordination, leadership, motivation, and communication. The first subunit explores the expression of motivation in the light of managerial point of view. The subunit further approaches to the event coordination and assess it compared to traditional management. The second subunit explains the leadership and leadership styles. The third subunit discusses the concept of motivation in terms of different stakeholders (managers, employees, volunteers) and their relationships. The last subunit handles the communication theory and tries to enhance the understanding by an exercise. KEYWORDS Coordination, Leadership, Motivation, Communication, Business Communications, Event Coordination

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

SUBUNIT 1: WHAT IS COORDINATION? Coordination is the unification, integration, synchronization of the efforts of group members so as to provide unity of action in the pursuit of common goals. (College, 2017) Management seeks to achieve coordination through its basic functions of planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling. That is why coordination is not a separate function of management because achieving of harmony between individualsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; efforts towards the achievement of group goals is a key to success of management. Coordination is the essence of management and is implicit and inherent in all functions of management. A manager can be compared to an orchestra conductor since both have to create rhythm and unity in the activities of group members. James D. Mooney of General Motors explains that coordination is an orderly arrangement of group efforts to provide unity of action in the pursuit of common goals. (Wikiquote, 2017) Charles Frederick Worth views the coordination as the integration of several parts into an orderly hole to achieve the purpose of understanding. (College, 2017) Bertolt Brecht depicts the concept of coordination is to balance and keep together the team by ensuring suitable allocation of tasks to the various members and seeing that the tasks are performed with the harmony among the members themselves. (Ghuman & Aswathappa, 2010) 1.1.

COORDINATION IS THE ESSENCE OF MANAGEMENT

The meaning of this sentence implies coordination affects all the functions of management. In other words, coordination affects planning, organizing, staffing, directing, communication, leading, motivating and controlling. Below clarify the functions of their relationship with coordination.

Figure 1 (Anon., 2017)

1. Planning and Coordination According to Harold Koontz and Cyril O'Donnell, planning is deciding on what to do, how to do it, when to do it and who is to do it. There are many pre-defined departmental activities for each department of a company. Most of these activities require plans for their department-specific operations to be carried out smoothly. All these plans must be coordinated (brought together) and one master plan must be made for the entire business. Therefore, planning is highly correlated to coordination. 2. Organising and Coordination There are many steps in organizing. All these steps must be coordinated, for achieving the objectives of the business. The top-level managers must coordinate the efforts of the middle-level managers. Similarly, the middle-level managers must coordinate the efforts of the lower level managers. Furthermore, the lower level managers must also coordinate the efforts of the workers. Therefore, the organization is affected by coordination. 3. Staffing and Coordination Staffing involves the activities of recruitment and selection, training, placement, promotion, and transfer. These activities are highly critical for the organization as they directly concern the human capital. All these steps must be properly coordinated so that it

would not cause inefficiencies for operations. Therefore, staffing is affected by coordination. 4. Directing and Coordination Directing means giving necessary information, proper instructions and guidance to subordinates. This is seen to be the heart of management process. According to Human, directing consists of process or technique by which instruction can be issued and operations can be carried out as originally planned. Planning, organizing and staffing do not have that importance if direction function does not take place. This results in coordination. Therefore, direction is affected by coordination. 5. Communicating and Coordination Many types of communication methods are used in a business. These methods include Formal communication, Informal Communication, Upward Communication, Downward Communication, Oral Communication, Written Communication, etc. Considering the shift in the way the businesses operate; the business communication tools are enhanced in numbers. It is important to note that, all types of communication must be properly coordinated to ensure all business-related people are on the same page from suppliers to customers.

Lack of proper coordination will hinder the smooth functioning of the

communication process. Furthermore, it would also restrict the information flow, so there may be serious economic consequences. As a result, communication is affected by coordination. 6. Motivating and Coordination All forms of organizations deal with the fact that there are two different problems that need to be solved in any kind of economic arrangement which are motivation and coordination. Motivation is more like to make sure people work hard whereas coordination is more like bringing these people together. As there is a trade-off between these two factors, motivation is affected by coordination. (Anon., 2017)

Figure 2 (College, 2017)

7. Leading and Coordination Every manager must be a good leader. He must coordinate the efforts of his subordinates for achieving the objectives. That is, he must coordinate the human resource. He must also coordinate the material and financial resources of the organisation, in other terms his job requires the allocation of companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resources properly. In short, a leader cannot survive without coordination, thus leadership cannot be performed without coordination. Therefore, Leadership is affected by Coordination. 8. Controlling and Coordination In controlling the standards are fixed at first. Then comes the performances to be measured. Performance variables are compared to those provided as the standards, and the deviations are found out for further analysis. Then, the deviations are adjusted. So, controlling involves many steps considering a simple adjustment from scratch. All these steps must be properly coordinated. If coordination is not proper, control will surely fail. Therefore, control is also affected by coordination. 1.2.

WHAT IS EVENT COORDINATION?

Event coordination is the integrated implementation of all the operational and logistical requirements of an event, based on the scope of event elements included in the event design. (Bowdin, et al., 2012) The most frequent challenges that Event Managers face when developing teams are: A. Communications B. Self – interest C. Dependability D. Trust E. Collaboration A. Communications Excellent event coordination is the result of continuous, high-quality communications between the event stakeholders. Bellow listed methods can be used to establish and/or improve a high – quality communication network for an event:  Conduct a communications audit and find out how your event stakeholders best send and receive information  Avoid communication that is blocked by noise, visual distraction, or other interference  Include an “Action Required” statement on all written communications to confirm that communications have been received and understood  use written change orders to record changes during your event. Make certain the client or other responsible persons sign the change order to authorize the addition, deletion, or substitution of services or products. B. Self – interest Refers to the fact that the team has to forgo about personal interest for the sake of group interest. Only through a strong group effort can an event achieve a successful outcome. C. Dependability One of the biggest management problems in working with volunteers is time and attendance. Because volunteers are not compensated for their efforts, many do not feel the obligation to arrive on time or event to show up at all. This why many event managers

actually schedule between 25 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 50% more volunteers that will be needed, to compensate for the serious problem of attrition at events. D. Trust Trust must be earned by the Event Manager. Trust is the result of the sustained effort by the event manager to develop an atmosphere and environment wherein the event stakeholders invest their trust in his or her behaviors and judgments. E. Collaboration The final quality and effective event coordinators are the ability to develop close collaboration between all the stakeholders. The event manager must clearly articulate the purpose of the event and convince each stakeholder he or she must work with others to achieve the expectations of the participants. The purpose of the event team is to cooperate and collaborate to achieve the goals and objectives of the event, and the Event Manager is the leader of this effort.

SUBUNIT 2: WHAT IS LEADERSHIP? Leadership is primarily concerned with developing and articulating a clear vision for the future. It focuses on gaining acceptance of, and commitment to, a vision. Leadership also involves operationalizing a vision through the design of broad plans and strategies. Hence, leaders are primarily involved in the provision of vision and strategy. The leader’s job is to assist followers in attaining organisational goals. In so doing leaders need to provide the necessary direction and support to ensure that their goals are compatible with organisational objectives. The leader’s key role is: •

To clarify the path for subordinates

•

To facilitate achievement of their work goals

•

To reduce any roadblocks or constraints

•

To reward employees for appropriate levels of performance

In assisting followers to achieve their goals it is necessary for leaders to adopt leadership behaviours that are appropriate to the specific situation. Leaders need to adopt leadership styles that are consistent with the work environment and the nature of the subordinates. Leadership Styles

Autocratic

Laissez-faire

Leadership Styles

Democratic

Bureaucratic

Figure 3 Leadership Styles

Autocratic Leadership (Classical Style)

The autocratic manager does not consult employees but expects them to obey orders without asking for an explanation. It is the widely accepted traditional style when the concept of leadership is opened up. The characteristics of this style are: •

Manager retains power and decision-making authority.

•

Make a unilateral decision, dictate work methods.

•

Orders are issued to be carried out, with no questions allowed and no explanations given.

It is best applied to the situations where there is little time for decision-making or where the leader is the most knowledgeable person on the team Democratic Leadership (Participative Style) Democratic manager shares with employees’ decision making and problem-solving responsibilities. It is the leadership style best fits to the organizations run as communities. The characteristics of this style are: •

Encourage employees to involve in decision making.

•

Let employees determine the work methods and use feedback as an opportunity for helpful coaching.

•

Employees feel engaged in the process and are more motivated and creative.

It is best applied where staff requires a great deal of flexibility to complete the task or where the staff know the job well and do not require too much instruction. Bureaucratic Leadership Bureaucratic manager requires employees to follow certain standards or procedures. It is the leadership style best fits to organizations run in accordance with bureaucratic procedures. The characteristics of this style are: •

Everything must be done according to procedure or policy.

•

The company operates in a rational manner rather than relying on the feelings of the managers.

It is best applied to situation where employees are working in a dangerous environment that requires a definite set of procedures to operate. Laissez-faire Leadership (Hands-off style) Laissez-faire manager gives most authority to employees and requires them to set goals, make decisions and resolve problems on their own. The characteristics of this style are: •

Manager provides little direction and gives employees freedom to make their own decision at work.

•

This style can be effective where employees are highly qualified in an area of expertise.

In order to apply a good leadership, one has to have in mind the four principles of leadership: Provide clear direction – setting targets, giving instructions, clarifying roles, creating scheduled task lists, giving rewards and incentives for finishing on time and to a certain standard. This may be done through the creation of manuals, training sessions, etc. Empower employees to achieve – setting goals that impact on quality and success, demonstrating and expecting high standards for all tasks, displaying faith and trust in employees and volunteers. Encourage participation and involvement – holding regular meetings, discussing work methods with employees and volunteers, seeking ideas and opinions, group decisionmaking.

Demonstrate empathy and provide support â&#x20AC;&#x201C; finding ways to make the job more stimulating, being personally supportive and helpful, providing resources, providing encouragement to increase self-esteem.

SUBUNIT 3: MOTIVATING EMPLOYEES AND VOLUNTEERS Motivating employees and volunteers is an intrinsic and internal drive to put forth the necessary effort and action towards work-related activities. It has been broadly defined as the "psychological forces that determine the direction of a person's behaviour in an organization, a person's level of effort and a person's level of persistence.â&#x20AC;? That is why what motivates one staff member may mean nothing to another. (Jones, 1997) To remark the motivational differences between employees and volunteers; employees can be categorized as usually extrinsic, such as a salary. On the other hand, the volunteers can be assessed as they are usually intrinsic, such as social involvement, meeting someone famous or feeling useful. The eight principles of motivation are explained below. 1. Recognising individual differences It is important for high-level managers to pay attention that all people have different motives. These motives can be split up into two; extrinsic motivation values and intrinsic motivation values. Extrinsic motivation refers to money and benefits whereas intrinsic motivation indicates non-monetary values like interest, fulfillment, autonomy, challenge, responsibility, achievement. Volunteers are more concerned with intrinsic motivation. As each employee is an individual at the end of the day, managers are obliged to implement different approaches to facilitate different motivations.

Figure 4 Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the lower level needs (Physiological and safety) are extrinsic and can be satisfied with money and a safe environment. On the other hand, upper-level needs (Social, Esteem, and Self-actualisation) come from intrinsic motivators such as empowerment. Maslow states that the level a person is on needs to be identified, then motivators put into place to get them to move to the next level. 2. Understanding the needs of employees and volunteers This principle indicates that managers must know their staff and needs of them. By having this information, they can be motivated more effectively without making many efforts. As the theory puts forward staff have different needs and expectations, additionally, these are subject to change. Simply, the more rewards on hand, the more likely managers are to satisfy needs. 3. Demonstrating trust and delegate tasks Delegation makes people feel valued whereas lack of delegation can be perceived by staff as lack of faith in their abilities. McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y – based on manager’s perceptions of staff and has two assumptions. Belief in Theory X means managers think people need to be coerced to achieve goals, have no ambition and seek direction at all times. Belief in Theory Y means managers think people will have self-direction, be innovative and like to work. Theory Y assumptions would apply to volunteers. How managers perceive people will lead how they motivate them, so managers should always question their

assumptions before applying any motivational forces. According to this theory, managerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s belief will direct motivations used. (Thomson, 2017) 4. Being aware of equity considerations Perceived equity is important to motivation and applies to financial and non-financial means. If staff or volunteers believe they are not being treated the same as others, they will react in a negative manner. It is important that supervisors and managers be aware of equity considerations when making decisions about allocating resources and/or staff. Since the financial resources are limited and such decisions need to be transparent, justifiable and fair. 5. Providing training and development opportunities Training is an important intrinsic motivator and investment. Training and development is the most obvious way to increase skills and raise expectancy, therefore raising the overall motivation to do things. Every manager needs some training and development, and every employee needs ongoing training and development to reach their full potential. As a manager create a path to management and identify key skills and competencies, provide training and development opportunities that will allow managers, and those on a path to management, to grow. Managers might develop internal training, such as workshops, that are geared towards managers and those who aspire to management. Bringing in outside trainers, or making employees aware of outside workshops and training, is another way to offer a diversity of experiences. If possible, the organisation should pay for or otherwise subsidise external training. Less formal opportunities, such as inviting an employee on the management path to sit in on meetings or help design documentation for a department, are also important. 6. Creating a motivating work environment In order to create a motivating namely vibrant, energising and productive work environment, managers should pay importance to the job design such as job rotation and job enlargement independent from the level that the job requires. Furthermore, the concept of job enrichment like skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, feedback must be emphasised.

Job rotation – This factor implies relocating employees from one task to another. It decreases boredom, increases skills. Job enlargement – This factor enables managers to increase tasks in terms of variety and number within a job role. The enlarged job has more diversity and requires more skills. Job enrichment – This factor provides more responsibility with higher skills and extends the limits of employee skills. It ensures that the managers have more control in planning and execution. Skill variety – This factor helps managers to combine tasks into larger chunks of work. It is supposed to decrease boredom and make jobs more meaningful for employees. Task identity – This factor extents to which a job involves doing a complete from beginning to end and identifiable piece of work with a visible outcome, as opposed to doing only a portion of the job. (Dictionary, 2017) Task significance – This factor measures the impact of one's work on others. Employees and volunteers may desire to feel that they are making a significant contribution to the organization. Making a significant contribution to an organization may foster a sense of purpose and meaning. (Renn & J., 1995) Autonomy – This factor expresses a degree or level of freedom and discretion allowed to an employee over his or her job. As a general rule, jobs with a high degree of autonomy engender a sense of responsibility and greater job satisfaction in the employee(s). (Dictionary, 2017) Feedback – This factor is a process in which the effect or output of an action is returned (feedback) to modify the next action. Feedback is essential to the working and survival of all regulatory mechanisms found throughout living and non-living nature, and in man-made systems such as education system and economy. If employees get no feedback they can feel isolated as they are not sure if their performance is adequate. Feedback should be immediate and comprehensive for the best outcome, and straight to the person doing the task. (Dictionary, 2017)

7. Building teamwork and team spirit According to Bruce Tuckman, there are five stages of team development:  Forming – Team is created and members get to know one another. Individuals don’t see themselves as part of a group. Goals, abilities, and skills are still vague.  Storming – may compete for informal influence. Conflict may arise as members assert individuality against group constraints. Individual motivations may not be consistent with the group or the event.  Norming – settling down. Relationships are built and the group is more cohesive. Group structure and behaviour is defined and developed and individuals relate more to the group.  Performing – happens once the group is fully functioning. The group can focus on the task at hand as there is no more infighting and rivalry.  Adjourning – For temporary groups the group finishes at the end of the task, or event. The response of members can vary depending on achievements and camaraderie.

Figure 5 The five stages of team development (Abudi, 2017)

8. Managing performance effectively Performance Management is vital within any organisation. Done well, it can turbo boost the performance and productivity levels of employees and volunteers by raising their standards of achievement to new heights and increasing morale and motivation within the organisation. Done badly, it can demoralise, de-motivate and cause employees and volunteers to underperform resulting in a detrimental effect on the bottom line. (Consultancy, 2017)

SUBUNIT 4: COMMUNICATION There are a lot of communication models in the literature can be applied. Through this subunit, we four-sides model is covered in detail. The four-sides model (also known as communication square or four-ears model) is a communication model developed by Friedemann Schulz von Thun

Figure 6 Four â&#x20AC;&#x201C; sides model (Wikipedia, 2017)

The model says that every message has four facets, though not the same emphasis might be put on each. A message (communication) can, therefore, be sent as well as received as one of the four sides of information. The model has two personas and a couple of elements:

Two people are eating a home-cooked meal together. The one who didn’t cook says: Sender: “There is something green in the soup.”

Factual Information: There is something green. Appeal layer: Tell me what it is! Relationship layer: You should know what it is. Self-revealing layer: I don’t like greens in my soup.

Factual Information: There is something green. Appeal layer: I should only cook what you know in the future! Relationship layer: You think my cooking is questionable. Self-revealing layer: You do not know what the green item is, and that makes you feel uncomfortable. Because of the perceived intention of the message, the receiver might answer: Receiver: “If you don’t like the taste, you can cook it yourself!” Where does this apply?

This concept applies to the spoken word, as well as to the written word. I’d even say it goes beyond words, right to non-verbal communication too.

EXERCISE 1 A Training: Check-in & Check-back In business, we want to learn fast whether weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re on the right track or not. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to waste our time and energy on misunderstandings. So how do we learn fast? The first step is awareness of what is happening. Tick! You now know about the dynamics of communication and misunderstanding and can tell the difference between the four sides of a message. So how do you become a better communicator with your teams, your direct reports, your leaders, your peers, your partner? How do you learn fast whether your communication is effective and your message has come across as you intended? Use the Check-in & Check-back approach. It leads to more effective communication while being respectful towards you and your communication partner. Check-in: Think Sender: 1. What is my intention? 2. Which information DO I want to send? Receiver: 1. Which ear am I listening on? 2. What information might my partner be sending? 3. How else could I understand this message? Check-back: Validate

Sender: 1. Make intention of message explicit! (e.g. “I’d like you to do something for me…”) 2. Ask what your partner heard and what they make of the conversation. (e.g. after the brief chat, or within a meeting check what people will do) Receiver — Ask if you understood correctly: 1. “So do you mean…?” 2. “So do you want me to…?” 3. “I want to make sure we’re on the same page, …” We recommend you practice the model. Experiment with applying the model. Experiment with checking-in and checking-back in meetings and also in chats with your peers, your direct reports, and your managers.

EXERCISE 2 Which leadership style should be adopted by the management in the following situations? Briefly, explain your answer. 1. A newly recruited employee who is expected to pick up work in short time, the manager is being a coach to direct him to work. 2. The existing project team who knows their job well and does not require too much instruction. The manager simply lets the team make their own decision and provide feedback when they need help. 3.

An employee who is the expert on his job and knows more about the job than the manager. There is no need for the manager to give instruction and the employee is free to make his own decision at work

Solution Situation

Leadership

Reason

Style 1.

Autocratic

The employee knows little about the task assigned but the manager is the most knowledgeable person.

Democratic

The team knows the job well and they can complete their works automatically with the limited instruction given. manager

can

allow

the

participate in decision-making.

team

The to

Laissez-faire

Employees are highly qualified in an area of expertise and manager can simply provide a little direction and gives employees the freedom to make their own decision at work.

FURTHER READING AND BIBLIOGRAPHY Abudi, G., 2017. The Five Stages of Team Development: A Case Study. [Online] Available at: https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-teamdevelopment-a-case-study.php [Accessed 1 12 2017]. Anon., 2017. O'Reilly. [Online] Available at: https://www.oreilly.com/ideas/optimizing-between-motivation-andcoordination [Accessed 1 12 2017]. Anon., 2017. Why Coordination is Called Essence of Business?. [Online] Available at: http://kalyan-city.blogspot.ro/2011/05/why-coordination-is-calledessence-of.html [Accessed 1 12 2017]. Bowdin, G. et al., 2012. In: Events Management. s.l.:Routledge, p. 492. College, C., 2017. Principles of Management, s.l.: http://www.colbournecollege.com/files/BA_103_Lesson_ONE.pdf. Consultancy, T. T. &., 2017. Top 5 Tips for Effective Performance Management. [Online] Available at: https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/community/blogs/thalestraining/top-5-tipsfor-effective-performance-management [Accessed 1 12 2017]. Dictionary, B., 2017. Business Dictionary. [Online] Available at: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/task-identity.html [Accessed 1 12 2017]. Dictionary, B., 2017. Business Dictionary. [Online] Available at: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/autonomy.html [Accessed 1 12 2017]. Dictionary, B., 2017. Business Dictionary. [Online] Available at: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/feedback.html [Accessed 1 12 2017]. Ghuman, K. & Aswathappa, K., 2010. Management: Concepts, Practice & Cases. In: Management: Concepts, Practice & Cases. s.l.:s.n., p. 473. Jones, G. R., 1997. In: Contemporary Management. s.l.:s.n. Medium.com, 2017. Medium.com. [Online] Available at: https://medium.com/seek-blog/the-art-of-misunderstanding-and-

the-4-sides-model-of-communication-7188408457ba [Accessed 1 12 2017]. ProjectSmart, 2017. ProjectSmart. [Online] Available at: https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-teamdevelopment-a-case-study.php [Accessed 1 12 2017]. ProSkillsEU, 2017. ProSkills EU. [Online] Available at: http://www.pro-skills.eu/tools/social-skills/Four%20ears.pdf [Accessed 1 12 2017]. Renn, R. W. & J., V. R., 1995. The Critical Psychological States: An Underrepresented Component in Job Characteristics Model Research. Journal of Management. Study.com, 2017. Study.com. [Online] Available at: https://study.com/academy/lesson/stages-of-group-developmentforming-storming-forming-performing-adjourning.html [Accessed 1 12 2017]. Thomson, T. M., 2017. Management by Objectives. [Online] Available at: http://home.snu.edu/~jsmith/library/body/v20.pdf [Accessed 1 12 2017]. Wikipedia, 2017. Wikipedia. [Online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four-sides_model [Accessed 1 12 2017]. Wikipedia, 2017. Wikipedia. [Online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuckman%27s_stages_of_group_development [Accessed 1 12 2017]. Wikiquote, 2017. [Online] Available at: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_D._Mooney [Accessed 1 12 2017].