Management Training Tips
                                    by
                            Phil Bartle, PhD
                                                       Workshop Handout

             A short collection of tips to improve management

  A. We (the community group) need      B. Once a goal and a direction
  vision. The community must decide,    are chosen, it is necessary to
  as a whole, what it wants to do.      make some planning decisions as
  There are many possible goals, but    to how to reach or get closer to
  the community must be unified and     that end. This can be
  choose what it wants to do.           illustrated during training by a
  Trainers can use a quotation from     catchy phrase: "If we fail to
  Alice in Wonderland to illustrate     plan, then we plan to fail."
  this. "If we do not know where we     (Also see "Slogans"). If success
  are going, then any road will do."    or winning can be defined as
  (Lewis Caroll). Without a vision      reaching the goal, then it is
  for where the community wants to      necessary to plan in order to
  go, it might as well stay where it    reach that goal. (Of course the
  is or how it is (with its apathy,     goal, or how it is interpreted,
  poverty, disease and discomfort)      may change during the process of
  at present.                           reaching it, and certainly after
                                        it is reached).


  C. The trainer can remind the       D. During the process of
  group that planning means the       identifying and selecting
  series of thought processes         strategies, the group is
  that will lead the group for        encouraged to make the best or
  where (or in what condition)        most efficient and effective use
  it is now, to where (or in          of what they have to get what they
  what condition) is envisaged        want. Efficiency must not be
  when the goal is reached.           rejected, although it can be
  those though process must be        interpreted in many ways.
  logical and consistent, and         Efficiency can be defined as being
  lead from the present               able to "Get more output for less
  actuality to the future             input (maximise our efficiency)"
  desired result. The trainer         One catchy phrase that may
  can point out that: "We plan        illustrate this is, "Do not work
  backwards in time (Start with       hard; get results." Here the
  the end and end with the            admired value of "hard work" (the
  start)." Start planning by          means or the input) is shown to be
  identifying where we want to        less important than the result of
  go, then ask what steps are         that work (the end or output). It
  needed in order to get there.       is not intended as an
  Every step from the current         encouragement to be lazy, but as
  situation must logically link       an encouragement to use resources
  with the next until the             (including one's own labour)
  desired end is reached.             wisely, and therefore (in this
                                      context) efficiently.


  E. A participatory and              F. The trainer must remind the
  inclusive decision making           community that it must aim to
  process can tap hidden              "stand on its own feet."
  resources that would otherwise      Dependency, and reliance on
  be lost by a dictatorial            outsiders' help, resources, and
  decision making style. The          even direction, is simply not
  trainer teaches to, "Involve        sustainable (the outsiders leave
  everybody in decisions." One        after some time), as well as a
  (imperfect) human, even if boss     weakness and vulnerability.
  or chief, has less information,     Encourage self reliance; it is an
  experience, wisdom, than the        obligation or duty as well as a
  whole concerned group,              right. Another catchy phrase can
  including the quiet or humble       be used here: "If you blame
  ones. In terms of                   others, you give up your power to
  democratisation, it is the          change," (Ray Anthony). The
  right of every community member     trainer must never be duped by the
  to participate; in terms of         dependent plea, "We are too poor
  maximising the strength of a        and we need outside help." Every
  community, identifying the most     (every) group or community, no
  of its resources, and finding       matter how poor, if it is composed
  creative and previously             of live humans, has resources it
  overlooked strategies,              can tap, most of which are hidden.
  involving all makes good            The real poverty is in the lack of
  management sense.                   knowing what they are, not in
                                      their absence.


  G. There is no free lunch (nothing is for       H. We cannot stand
  nothing). Volunteer labour and public           still. If we are not
  donations must be paid for, even if not in      going forward, then we
  purely monetary currency. That payment may      will slip backward.
  be public recognition, encouragement, praise    Human society is
  and acknowledgement. Management trainers in     dynamic, it is always
  corporations have pointed out that even paid    changing. It is
  labour does not participate fully or produce    impossible to solve
  the most just on the basis of salaries or       any problem, "once and
  wages; recognition, praise and encouragement    for all," (that is a
  go a long way to get the best output from       fallacy). What may be
  both volunteers and paid labour. Recognise      today a solution to a
  contributions, praise honestly, emphasise       problem, if it is
  the positive, ignore the negative, do not       continued to be used,
  criticise.                                      may tomorrow be the
                                                  problem.

  Of course there are many other        As you do, add them to your
  lessons and principles in management  personal professional bag of
  training. This web document cannot    tricks in mobilizing, and also
  list or describe them all. You are    share them with us and with
  invited to identify more.             your colleagues.

                                 --» «--
                                                  [Copyright Phil Bartle]

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Updated: 2003 May 14