This indicates that not only has a team approach been developed by the manager by also a situational approach utilising a variety of people with different personalities from different backgrounds in different situations.
Motivating People
The motivating activities of any manager are essentially practical in their intent. In setting plans and then executing them, managers have to gain the commitment of their employees. This is primarily a question of leadership or style of management.
To ensure that any business is going in the direction required by internal and external customers all employees must feel part of the process. To motivate them effectively to perform to their optimum ability or hinder them from doing so. There are a number of key characteristics in relation to the worker rather than the work that exists in every organisational environment regardless of the central function being a leisure centre, a law practice or an engineering factory. Firstly employees cannot be treated in isolation but treated as members of a group. The need for this individual to have status and respect is much more important than monetary incentives or good working conditions. (Maslows hierarchy of needs) which are largely outside the remit of a leisure centre manager anyway. The manager needs to be aware of the pressures which exist and strongly influence the behaviour of workers. To achieve this leisure centre manager must assess the current situation through effective formal or informal feedback received from employees which allow him to assess measure and understand how well it is satisfying their needs and expectations. To do this effectively the manager must consider the following areas:
- The Working Environment
- Internal and External Communication
- Career Prospects
- Management and Supervisory Style
- Recognition
- Training
- Employment Conditions
Managing Performance
To effectively manage performance of individuals and teams within any organisation despite the activities goals and regardless of the management style adopted. Managing people effectively requires the careful consideration of a number of factors that affect individual and team performance.
Within our environment the team leader adopting a situational analysis approach has identified certain issues that ensure the effective performance of the individual and the team.
The employees are clear about what is expected of them and when. Secondly that we know both individually and as a team what we are doing well and what needs to be improved. He ensures that our individual talents and strengths are positively positioned with the leisure centre and that any gaps is knowledge, skills or experience is bridged using a mixture of general and informal training regimes.
It is acknowledged by the manager that even a single poor performer not only lets the team down, but can also affect other people attitude (both internally and externally) and performance.
To address any potential issues which may arise through this a system of performance reviews has been developed. This facilitates the opportunity to discuss the contribution each person makes to the centre and their personal development needs. The process as we use it is a mixture of formal exchanges.
Because of the nature of the leisure operation factors which may affect the performance of employees as detailed in models such as Maslows Hierachrey of Needs and Alderfer’s.
Conclusion
However Maslows and Alderfers hierarchy of need which put forward firstly the premise of self-actualisation which promotes esteem belonging and security. Secondly, Alderfers growth needs are all applicable to the individuals of any group.
In relation to what can be improved the most relevant model to use would be Hertzberg’s Motivator/ Hygiene Theory where specific demotivating factors can be recognised as directably attributable to the type of environment that we operate in. These include status, salary, work conditions supervision and policy/admin. These are largely outside the control or remit of the leisure centre manager who is constrained by budgets, reporting requirements
However what he can do is concentrate on those motivating factors which are within his control. Building responsibilities valuing the work itself, developing effective and appropriate recognition and achievement systems both in the structural and ad hoc way maximising boss and sub-ordinate relationships.
Learning Outcomes
There are a number of specific elements that we must consider when looking at the areas of people motivation and management. Firstly we must look at how people resources are planned and improved and to do this we must consider two specific issues. How management developed a plan which will ensure that it has the quantity of people necessary to achieve its targets in an acceptable standard of performance. Secondly, is to ensure that the manager regularly determines the satisfaction of the people and take steps to improve it if necessary.
The second element to be considered is how the manager develops and sustains the capability of employees. This is achieved through the development of a training plan identifying the needs of employees and reviewing and assessing the training plan for its effectiveness, through the medium of direct formal feedback.
The third element is the agreement of individual and team targets and continuously reviews performance. To do this effectively managers have to agree with individuals and teams performance targets and link it to the leisure centres objectives. People should be encouraged to improve their performance in the appropriate way.
The organisation must ensure the involvement, empowerment and recognition of its people. The manager has to actively encourage staff to get involved in improvement activities. This also involves the empowerment of employees and to develop recognition systems which sustain their involvement and empowerment.
Finally to ensure that effective communication systems are in place which allows employees to give and receive inflation effectively.
