Reflections

• Conflict can be used to get all the ideas out on the table
• Make sure everyone’s opinions get expressed
• Good results come from a good process

Use conflict to explore all options

While some may think that conflict in a group setting is counterproductive, research has shown that a little bit of conflict, whether intrinsic or manufactured, can go a long way towards ensuring that all options are explored. When a group is working together to come up with the best solution to a problem, conflict about the suggested outcome can ensure that the group thoroughly discusses all potential solutions before drawing a conclusion. When conflict is not intrinsic to a specific group discussion, it can be created by designating a devil’s advocate for the duration of the discussion. The devil’s advocate is charged with asking enough questions so that every possible avenue is explored before a final decision is made.

Diversity of opinions for varied perspectives

Another primary factor in ensuring that a decision is well considered is having a diversity of opinions represented in the group. This diversity could come from individuals who have different work experience, work for different groups within a company, or even come from different cultural backgrounds, as long as a fair amount of diversity is represented, and the group’s norms support the difference in experience coming out during the group’s discussions. Interestingly enough, studies have shown that even a variation in IQ levels represented in a discussion lead to a richer and more complete discussion. This research has shown that a group whose members have varied IQs make better decisions than those where the IQ levels are similar among all the group members. Generally, a group’s leader should make sure that all opinions are expressed during a discussion.

Create open communication for success

The process teams follow to make decisions can directly affect the outcome of that decision. When teams begin expressing opinions too early in a discussion, they tend to slowly drift to one of the expressed solutions, even if some of the group members actually have a better idea. There is a tendency among most people to not want to rock the boat; therefore, if the group tends to be leaning towards a certain decision, but one member of the group has information that contradicts the prevailing opinion, it is unlikely that the individual will bring that information up to the group. This has even proven true when that additional information is critical and would cause others to change their opinion completely. So what does that mean for group decision-making? Make sure that all of the necessary information is communicated before the group begins expressing a preference for a specific solution.

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In September of 2007, I joined a phenomenal group of professionals as we all embarked upon three years of study in the Fully-Employed MBA (FEMBA) program at UCLA’s Anderson School. I have been impressed by the intellectual diversity of the school, and the variety of experience each person contributes to the conversations we have.

I had always heard that business school is an incubator of business ideas, a place where schemes are hatched and potential business partners walk the halls. I don’t really consider myself an entrepreneur - even though generations of my family on both sides has been involved in business - but there something about thinking about business and management constantly, and being surrounded by people who are full of ideas and plans for the future, that just makes you want to join in. So a close friend and I recently realized that we had complementary ideas that could come together to form an interesting, and potentially successful, business. If nothing else, we thought, we’ll be able to put what we are learning to use as we work through the tribulations of starting something new.

Today I realized that this was also a great opportunity for me to communicate some of what I learn in school to my readers. So, as we move along in this venture, I will post articles about the process we are going through, what we are learning along the way, and the pitfalls we are encountering. Right now I’m not going to go into the specifics of what we’re working on, but as we get farther along I will start sharing some of the specifics. These posts will all be categorized under “Small Business”, so if you are most interested in these posts, please click on the “Small Business” category link.

To partner or not to partner, that’s one of many questions

One of the most difficult activities in any business venture is coming up with an idea. We are still in the process of figuring out exactly what we are going to offer to the world, but we happened to have similar interests and ideas, and they fit together very well. It is very difficult to decide whether you should partner with someone early on, and risk both having to compromise on your vision, or just go it alone and risk, well, being fully on your own.

My partner and I have only had two meetings so far, the first one involved us talking about each of our ideas and realized that they would fit well together, and the second was our first proper planning meeting (I’ll go into how one should start in a post very soon). Even in these two meetings, we have worked together rather than against each other, and have come up with ideas that neither one of us would have come up with on their own. Therefore, when you can find a partner who shares your business interests, I think it can be worth discussing further whether you might be a good match. Some might even argue that a good partnership is more important that a common vision at first, and though I have yet to see this through, I think there might be some validity to this point.

It is, however, extremely important that you spend time discussing how much you would each like to put into the endeavor. I have seen friends have problems with partners who wanted to spend a different amount of time on a given initiative, and this can often end in difficulty for all parties involved. Additionally, as you get farther along and decide exactly what you have to offer the world, it’s critical that some or all of the following questions are discussed:

1. How long are you each planning to work on this venture?
2. If you are both working regular jobs, how much time are you able to devote to this business?
3. Should the profits be evenly distributed, be based on capital contributions, be based on effort or skill-set, or something else?
4. If the business is a huge success, will you want to sell it off to the highest bidder to cash out early, or would you want to stick with it for a while and grow the business?
5. What do you each see as the future of the business, and how big do you feel the company should become?
6. Do you want to set a checkpoint sometime in the near future to discuss further your future plans, and how involved each of you wants to be in the business? Maybe once the business plan is better established you will each be better able to decide your level of involvement.

There are many more questions that should be asked, and discussions that should be had, but it’s critical that each party is open about their future intentions, so that there isn’t a huge disparity in goals when the company is growing, leading to dissolution and disappointment rather than success.

Tags: Small Business // 2 Comments »

A while ago, I was asked what the workplace of the future would look like. How would the way we work change? How would we use new tools to increase efficiency, and potentially mobility.

One major area of change - and we are just starting to see how some of these technological advances are changing the way we work - is the increase in mobility workers are currently experiencing. The preponderance of internet and e-mail access from our phones, and from our laptops that are connected at home, at hotspots, and increasingly anywhere, is allowing information workers who were once tethered to their desks to roam free and work from a multitude of locations.

How workers are reacting
This increased mobility is being received in the workplace in very different ways by different types of workers.

Work belongs at work - The work belongs at worker feels that work and home lives should be separated, and the wall that keeps work out of the home should only be breached under the most extenuating circumstances. These are the ones who yell at you when you give them a call with a question after they have left work for the day. God forbid you call them on weekends.

Now I can work from everywhere, and at all times! - You’ve seen the work from everywhere at all times worker, they are the one taking that work call at the table next to you at the restaurant as their spouse stares at them in dismay. They are the ones tapping at their blackberry while they are having a serious conversation with something they say matters in their life. The excuse you’ll get for these improprieties? “It’s work.” At some point these workers might have a nervous breakdown and flush their blackberry’s, but that’s only if their spouses don’t do that first.

I’m free to roam about - These workers feel like they have finally been freed from the office, and can work whenever, and from wherever, they have a laptop and can ideally get connected to the internet. They do not want to be micromanaged, but plan to get their work done, and in record time and with increased creativity as their freedom contributes to their contributions. But, because this worker is also used to working from their couch or the coffee shop, whenever and wherever the need or desire hits them, they are also at risk of spending a bit too much time on personal business at work, surfing the web, chatting with friends, or whatever takes their fancy. Even though in total they will likely work more hours, and get more done, than they would have if they were just working while at “work”, their coworkers can get the impression that they aren’t really working much of the time.

Supervisor Perceptions
In changing where and when people work, this increased mobility is also changing the interaction between employees and their supervisors.

You need to answer my e-mail at any hour! - We have all either seen or dealt with this type of boss, who thinks that, because they “agreed” to let you have a blackberry, they now own you 24/7. They send you e-mails about work on Saturday night, followed shortly thereafter by increasingly bitter e-mails pointing to your lack of immediate response. In the worst cases these e-mails will be followed by a phone call, and, in almost all cases, there will either be a back-handed or direct response when you show up in the office on Monday. Someone forgot to tell them that blackberry’s are for convenience, not to extend the reach of the corporate chain.

What do you mean you are working from home!? - This is the boss who things that, since you are working from home, you must not be working at all. It is entirely possible that they think this because when they “work from home” they don’t even approach working; they can therefore not imagine that someone can actually be productive while at home. They feel the need to micromanage, to follow your progress throughout the day by asking you how much progress you have made. It is generally beyond them that the act of asking you actually disrupts you and prevents your progress… it’s just somehow difficult to understand for them.

I guess freedom is a good thing -This is the boss who assumes that their own skepticism is just that, and they know, at least logically, that their employees must be trusted. While this one is not a proponent of the new-found freedoms, they occasionally work from somewhere outside of the office and aren’t totally reticent about others doing the same.

Just get your work done, and we’re fine -This is the manager who has learned to lead by objectives, and that they can trust their employees. This is what all bosses should aspire to become, though they are slow to change. Trusting their employees, this boss realizes that modern technological tools (instant messaging, blogging, team collaboration sites, etc.) are not the distractions that some insecure bosses think, rather they are tools that can lead to even more productive and creative employees. One of the focuses of future posts will be why becoming this type of boss can be to your advantage, and what to do to get there.

Check it out!
1. Survey of worker mobility in the April 14, 2008 issue of the Economist

Tags: Business and Technology, Management // 1 Comment »