Organising and managing team work in the changing PA
Tools and skills to communicate and collaborate effectively in the face of new working models
Recipients
The course is aimed at public administration employees in the Lombardy region (course venue: SDA Bocconi, via Sarfatti, 10 - Milan)
Calendar
The calendar for editions of the course will be determined at a later stage and communicated directly to the participants.
Context
In the light of the emergence of new organisational models and the increased popularity of diversified ways of working (both in terms of space, in the case of hybrid work, and in terms of the generational composition of teams, in the face of the effects of the public workforce’s demographic curve), the team will increasingly be the critical unit on which to base personnel management and optimisation practices in public administrations. Think, for example, of individual performance appraisal and the need to rethink objectives from a team perspective, to ensure greater organisational equity and to align individual contribution to the achievement of the organisation’s objectives more effectively. Moreover, the current historical moment has highlighted the need for public organisations to invest in staff engagement: therefore, strengthening team dynamics is a fundamental 'glue' at organisational level, capable of fostering a greater sense of identification in each employee with the organisation as a whole, with their managers and with their work group.
Against this background, the course aims to contribute to the development of effective teamwork skills for employees and managers in public administrations. In particular, we will reflect on the prerequisites for improving teamwork, starting with the recognition and appreciation of individual differences. Understanding how people make decisions, what they are most motivated by and thus which levers they respond to most is in fact crucial not only for those who lead a team in a public context (team leader) but also for those who are part of it (team member). On the other hand, in the realm of team dynamics, decision-making processes and individual stances may change: recognising how people position themselves with respect to these dynamics makes it possible to aid the start up of collaborative processes, anticipate possible conflicts and, if necessary, address them in order to resolve them, thus increasing work efficiency and efficacy. With this in mind, the course offers participants the opportunity to learn and practice effective communication techniques such as the ability to provide and receive feedback.
Lastly, the course intends to provide indications on the main aspects to oversee as team leader and team member given the spread of new work patterns that have been determined by technological or demographic factors, and the need to deal with teams whose traditional operational mechanisms may prove inadequate to the challenges of the context. In other words, in today's PA and even more so in the near future, it will become increasingly critical to develop communication, listening and feedback skills, understanding how to foster collaboration, engagement and motivation in people by adopting differentiated modes of communication.
In brief, the course aims to provide keys to public management, investing both in the development of knowledge and 'ready-to-use' skills for more effective work management. A combination of theory and practice will be used to meet this training objective, through active learner participation in exercises, simulations and interactions with both the teachers and peers.
Objectives
At the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- identify and understand their own position within the team dynamics, in light of their own motivational profile and predominant decision-making style;
- recognise the positioning of one's colleagues within the dynamics of their teams, learning how to value differences towards the achievement of the common goal;
- understand the evolution that characterises teamwork and the critical variables that determine its effectiveness, particularly in phases of transformation characterised - for example - by the consolidation of hybrid working methods and the coexistence of different generational cohorts;
- foster coordination, cooperation and collaboration dynamics within their own teams to increase the effectiveness of teamwork, also remotely and in teams with a differentiated composition (e.g. generational cohorts);
- define, communicate and verify the achievement of shared goals within their own team, recognising the effectiveness of different leadership styles in the public context;
- make meetings and coordination between team members effective, fostering mutual listening and the ability to give and receive feedback;
- understand how communication and teamwork patterns change in a hybrid working environment, recognising the critical factors that must be overseen;
- know the most effective managerial tools to use to delegate effectively, support the motivation and engagement of their co-workers/colleagues, and increase team productivity in a context of work evolution with increasing complexity (hybrid ways of working, different generational groups, etc.).
It should be noted that depending on the class composition, the lessons may include examples and specific cases from the attendees' own sectors (e.g. health, local authorities, schools, etc.). The teaching approach presented, in line with the training needs expressed, therefore aims to respond to the training needs of participants by developing their knowledge and skills with reference to knowing, knowing how to do and knowing how to be.
