A very respected business theoriest known as Dr. Ichak Adizes outlined a very interesting theory regarding the life cycle corporations go through. Formally known as the Corporate Life Cycle Model, the theory contains 10 distinct stages each business must pass through as it moves from a simple idea, through realization, and to its ultimate end.

Let’s first look at the 10 stages of the Corporate Life Cycle Model. They are as follows:

1. Courtship is the period during which you have an idea you are toying with in your head. You alk about development, create business plans, look for funding, etc.
2. Infancy describes the very first stages of a business, immediately after the official public launch.
3. The go-go stage occurs when a business is still relatively new. This stage tends to be very busy and in some cases is very chaotic.
4. A business is in its adolescent stages when it begins to define itself but still experiences growth.
5. The prime stage of any business model occurs when it is at it’s most profitable and competitive point.
6. A business is in the stability stage when it is starting to lose its edge but is still considered popular and profitable.
7. Aristrocracy occurs as a business begins to lose more of its edge and market share but still has a strong presence; it can’t keep up with new technologies.
8. Recrimination occurs when people begin to have doubts about the future success of a business and begin to feel threatened. They lose sight of their original goals.
9. A business will turn into a bureaucracy when the administration begins thinking only of themselves. At this point, you’ll notice many of the investors looking elsewhere and key players in the organization leaving for other opportunities.
10. Finally, a business will just die off. It will be sold to another company for the sake of a client base, file for bankruptcy, or simply close.

The trick, in any business, is to keep a business in the early and middle stages for as long as possible. This means using innovative marketing strategies to come up with new products and new marketing techniques in order to stay as competitive as possible for as long as possible. You and your team should always be looking forward, wondering what you can do next to make things better. If you fall into a rut, you’ll only push yourselves further towards the end of your careers.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Development

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The Equity Theory on job motivation, created by a psychologist known as John Stacey Adams, has been circulating since 1963. They theory talks about how employees who feel they are being treated fairly are likely to do more or better work than those who do not.

Treat me like an equal, I’ll work like an equal; treat me in an inferior manner, I will work in an inferior manner.

In short, the theory focuses on input versus output. It’s a a game of give and take and your employees will alway be trying to figure out if their efforts are worth the rewards they’ve been given (if you’re giving a reward at all).

You may think that the salary and benefits you agree to give a person should be enough to encourage him to do his job. The truth is that many people get to work and feel as though they’re constantly being asked to go above and beyond the call of duty and, at a very minimum, complete tasks that are not part of their job descriptions. Therefore, the average person does not feel his salary matches the work that he does.

Employees look to be treated fairly and equitably at all times. There are dozens of things you can do to make your employees feel valuable, from rewarding them with bonuses to buying them lunch or giving them extra incentives for extra work or a job well done.

First, however, you need to take a look around you. Are your employees happy? Do they feel as though they’re being treated fairly? Find out now – before they all resign and you’re looking for a string of replacements.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Leadership Training

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David McClelland was an American professor at Wesleyan University and Harvard in the United States before he died in 1998. While at Harvard, he spent more than 20 years studying the way people are motivated and how they address their achievements and needs.

After years of research he published a book called The Achieving Society in which he discussed the three types of motivational need he discovered: affiliation motivation, authority or power motivation, and achievement motivation. He found that everyone, regardless of their level in the workplace, experiences all three of these needs on some level – whether they need to motivate others or be motivated themselves.

The need for affiliation covers the idea that everyone needs to have positive relationships and, as a result, everyone is motivated towards developing some sort of interaction with others. Those who fall into this category, also labeled n-affil, want to be liked and work well in teams.

A person with a need for authority and power, also referred to as an n-pow person, wants to make a huge impact on the world. They want their ideas to be heard and also focus on making sure others see them as prestigious or with high status.

Those who feel a need to achieve, or the n-ach people, are highly motivated. They set a lot of challenging goals but remain realistic at the same time. Those who need to feel as though they’ve achieved their goals constantly seek to hear feedback from others.

Most people possess all three of these characteristics but spend most of the time leaning more towards one than the others. The one a person leans towards most will determine what type of worker or manager he will become – objective, determined, flexible, etc. Achievement motivated individuals, however, always seem to get the best results in the end!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Development

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

John Adair, one of the most respected leadership trainers in the world, spent years developing what is now known as Adair’s Action Centred Leadership Model. The model has three main parts, of which any good manager or leader should be familiar with. As a manager, you’ll need to be able to use all of these elements in your decision making process in order to control situations, keep things in balance, and get the results you ultimately desire.

The three components of Adair’s Action Centred Leadership Model are:

• Task achievement
• Team management, and
• Individual management

You have sets of responsibilities within each component of the model. Let’s start with your responsibilities as a manager in charge of achieving a task. Just a few of these include:

• Properly define the scope of the task
• Identify which tools and resources you need to complete the task
• Create a plan to achieve the task
• Set controls and standards
• Monitor and report on progress
• Review and adjust the plan as appropriate

Your next step is to take a look at the group participating in the project with you, helping you to bring it to fruitition. When you look at the group in general you must:

• Establish standards for communication, style, culture, and approach
• Monitor the groups behaviour and establish boundaries for ethics, culture, discipline and conflict
• Modify the dynamic of the group as necessary
• Make sure the group is able to cooperate and work as a unified team
• Lead the group towards the ultimate achievement of its goals

Finally you must look at each individual member of the group separately. This involves:

• Understanding the needs and strengths or weaknesses of each person
• Helping each person to define his own unique goals
• Set responsibilities and objectives and reward them for being met
• Develop strengths and utilize them with proper training

In all three categories you can see how important it is for you to be active in your approach. There’s no passive method for dealing with employees or projects with Adair’s model. No matter what model you follow, you’ll find that dealing actively with employees is a far more effective, proactive approach.

Thanks again

Sean
Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Training

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0800 849 6732

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I’ve found over the course of my career that there are three main types of decision making models or methods a manager will use when attempting to make a decision. While every individual manager will follow his own process, all tend to follow into one of the three following categories:

• Rational/Logical Decision Making
• Intuitive Decision Making
• Predisposed Decision Making

Managers who follow the rational or logical decision making model tend to gather facts, thoroughly examine situations, and make logical decisions based on all that they know on a given subject. He does as much research as possible and leaves nothing to chance. This is the most recommend method of decision making for those in management positions.

Intuitive decision making involves not the use of statistics and data but a manager’s gut feelings. While this method isn’t necessarily bad it can lead to disaster as one’s gut, or instinct, should never be the sole factor in the decision making process. It’s better to use past experiences, insight, and statistics together to make the right choice.

The worst decision making model is the predisposed method. A manager will make a snap decision based on his personal preferences and opinions and will work to find data that backs up what he wants to do, regardless of whether or not his decision is actually right. He tends to ignore important information merely because it doesn’t support his agenda.

It’s important for you to identify what type of decision making model you usually follow. Is the one you’re using most effective? Do you tend to act in a predisposed manner? Figure out where you stand on the decision making grid and then decide if you need to make a change. The future of your department may depend on it.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Courses

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