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Develop an Action Centered Approach to Leadership

This lesson introduces you to John Adair’s Action Centered Approach to leadership. It explains that in order to be an effective
manager/leader you must pay attention to three important areas of management; task, team and individual.

Lesson 3

An Action Centered Approach to Management

To be an effective manager you have to be able to achieve the goals of the department. As it is impossible to do everything effectively and efficiently on your own, you will need the help and support of your team members.

John Adair’s Action Centered Leadership model, seen on the right, is an easy to understand model that highlights key actions that managers need to take in order to be effective. These actions are grouped under three main areas of responsibility, and are represented by three interlocking circles.


Achieving the Task

Achieving the task is primarily concerned with achieving the team’s goals. It includes, for example:

  • Identifying the aims and vision for the team
  • Setting and communicating clear goals/tasks
  • Creating work plans
  • Identifying resources
  • Monitoring and reviewing performance

Maintaining the Team

Maintaining the team is concerned with identifying the needs of the team and ensuring that those needs are met. For example:

  • Agreeing and communicating standards of behaviour
  • Resolving conflict and maintaining discipline
  • Developing morale and team spirit
  • Facilitating internal and external communications
  • Identifying training needs
  • Giving and seeking feedback

Developing the Individual

Developing the individual helps your team to develop their full potential in the workplace. For example:

  • Understanding the needs of individual team members
  • Agreeing responsibilities and objectives
  • Providing assistance and support
  • Training and development

Balancing Actions

Balancing Actions Across all Three Areas

This Action Centred Approach model states that although each area of responsibility is separate, it is also interdependent, requiring the manager to balance the actions they take across all three areas in order to be effective.

If a manager spends too much time in one area and neglects the needs of the other areas, problems will surface that will affect the overall performance of the team.

Example 1

An individual in the team is not pulling her weight and always submits her reports late. The other team members are dependent on the information in her report in order to complete their part of the proposal. They feel frustrated as the team is now in danger of not completing the proposal on time for the hosting of a lucrative and high profile event. The team ends up missing the deadline and the contract is offered to another hotel/resort.

The issue here is that under-performance by one individual has negatively affected the team and lost the organization a lucrative contract.

Example 2

The project goals have not been properly communicated and the team is unaware of the strict deadline for submitting the proposal. Team members are equipped with the right skills and work well together as a team. However, the contract was lost to a competitor because the proposal missed the strict deadline date.

In this example, both the individual and the team needs are being met. However, the need for the task to be clearly communicated has been ignored. This has resulted in the organization losing the contract.

As a manager, you will get the best results by firstly recognising the importance and interdependence of all three areas. Create balance by dividing your time in such a way that you are able to respond appropriately, to the needs of all three areas.


Activity

Using your pen and notepad, for each of the following areas, write down one change that you will make to ensure that you are taking a balanced approach:

  • Managing the achievement of the task
  • Developing the individual
  • Maintaining the team

Key Learning Points

  • To be an effective manager you have to manage the task, develop the individual and maintain the team.
  • The task, the team and the individual are interdependent and neglecting one area will impact negatively on the performance of the other areas.

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