Comments on: Love the One You’re With http://aboveandbeyondkm.com/2008/11/love-the-one-youre-with.html A discussion of knowledge management that goes above and beyond technology. Thu, 10 May 2012 17:45:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Mary Abraham http://aboveandbeyondkm.com/2008/11/love-the-one-youre-with.html/comment-page-1#comment-163 Mary Abraham Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:38:00 +0000 http://aboveandbeyondkm.com/?p=206#comment-163 Mark - <br/><br/>You raise a fair point. At the end of the day, there has to be a good match between the skills of the employee and the needs of the firm. Otherwise, neither can operate optimally. <br/><br/>That said, I'm not always sure that managers really focus on the individuals members of their staff. In the press of business, we tend to worry about the growing list of tasks we must complete, but don't always take the time to ensure we are deploying our staff strategically. Assuming the tasks themselves are of strategic value, then we owe it to ourselves and the firm to see that they are assigned to the person with the best natural ability for that task. This requires a deep knowledge and appreciation for the talent on your bench. And it allows you to adjust as those team members learn, grow and develop new skills.<br/><br/>If you suspect that you do have a mismatch between a person and firm needs, this is a reminder to managers to take a second look at that person to ensure (i) they have really understood the full range of skills and abilities offered and (ii) they have looked with fresh eyes at the ways these may be used productively within the firm. (This may require testing the strategic value of the tasks and your operating assumptions about the knowledge management function.) If, after all this, there truly is a mismatch, then we do neither the firm nor the staff member any service by prolonging a relationship that is not fulfilling for either party. Mindful of the economy, however, we shouldn't rush to judgment on this. Finding and training replacements takes a lot of time, money and energy on the part of the manager, and the impact on the staff member will be particularly tough this year.<br/><br/>- Mary Mark –

You raise a fair point. At the end of the day, there has to be a good match between the skills of the employee and the needs of the firm. Otherwise, neither can operate optimally.

That said, I’m not always sure that managers really focus on the individuals members of their staff. In the press of business, we tend to worry about the growing list of tasks we must complete, but don’t always take the time to ensure we are deploying our staff strategically. Assuming the tasks themselves are of strategic value, then we owe it to ourselves and the firm to see that they are assigned to the person with the best natural ability for that task. This requires a deep knowledge and appreciation for the talent on your bench. And it allows you to adjust as those team members learn, grow and develop new skills.

If you suspect that you do have a mismatch between a person and firm needs, this is a reminder to managers to take a second look at that person to ensure (i) they have really understood the full range of skills and abilities offered and (ii) they have looked with fresh eyes at the ways these may be used productively within the firm. (This may require testing the strategic value of the tasks and your operating assumptions about the knowledge management function.) If, after all this, there truly is a mismatch, then we do neither the firm nor the staff member any service by prolonging a relationship that is not fulfilling for either party. Mindful of the economy, however, we shouldn’t rush to judgment on this. Finding and training replacements takes a lot of time, money and energy on the part of the manager, and the impact on the staff member will be particularly tough this year.

- Mary

]]> By: Mark Gould http://aboveandbeyondkm.com/2008/11/love-the-one-youre-with.html/comment-page-1#comment-161 Mark Gould Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:16:00 +0000 http://aboveandbeyondkm.com/?p=206#comment-161 Mary,<br/><br/>This is a really hard question, and I am not sure that your answer is the right one.<br/><br/>Unlike the personal relationship in the song, the relationship between a manager and their staff is not a simple two-way one. There is a third person in this: the firm. And ultimately the firm has the final say: it is the reason why we are all in this relationship.<br/><br/>Bearing that in mind, if the people in the firm are not performing to the best of their abilities, <b>at the tasks that the firm needs doing</b>, then they should go. I know this will be painful for the people (managers and staff) involved, but I think being nice in a recession is a luxury few businesses can afford. Mary,

This is a really hard question, and I am not sure that your answer is the right one.

Unlike the personal relationship in the song, the relationship between a manager and their staff is not a simple two-way one. There is a third person in this: the firm. And ultimately the firm has the final say: it is the reason why we are all in this relationship.

Bearing that in mind, if the people in the firm are not performing to the best of their abilities, at the tasks that the firm needs doing, then they should go. I know this will be painful for the people (managers and staff) involved, but I think being nice in a recession is a luxury few businesses can afford.

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