Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Motors, once said that training without action learning would not be recognized in General Electric. Around the training plan with action learning as the core, a five-stage leadership development project has been formed within GM, which has been fully implemented and has become the best tool for management echelon to develop leadership. Every year, Jack Welch participates in the leadership development program of Welch Leadership Development Center.

GE BMC (business management course) senior project manager training program.

From our further analysis of this project, we can see that the action learning project is divided into three stages:

The first stage, learning. Or traditional training, the main purpose of which is to improve students' knowledge, skills and attitudes, is carried out in the first week and the second week.

The second stage, analysis. The project team establishes and analyzes the actual business problems and forms the implementation plan to solve the problems. Third, practice around.

The third stage, practice. The project team went deep into the business site, actually solved the problem and summed up the final solution to the problem. Time is 6-8 months.

This is the framework of GE's leadership training program and the main component of the action learning program. The structure is not complicated. It is important that the project team can form an effective implementation plan after a series of training and learning, and finally achieve the effect of solving practical business problems. This is the key to the success of the project.

The kick-off meeting of teamwork project helped GE realize the transformation of training program from learning to solving practical business problems. Teamwork is one of the most powerful tools for the development and reform of general organizations. However, the method of collective efforts based on common corporate culture and development stage is more complicated and detailed, and it may not be completely applicable to other organizations.

The author shares with you many years of experience in the operation of action learning projects:

Six-step operation essentials of teamwork

1 vision

Pay attention to action learning projects. What will we see if it is realized?

operational approach

After the project is successful, ask the team to draw the scene.

Adults are used to writing descriptions. When guiding the team to draw lots, the team doesn't know how to draw, and even most people can't sit still. This is normal. As an executor, there is no need to worry at this time, as long as each member is encouraged to pick up colored pens and try. Painting is infectious, and the team needs time to open it slowly.

Psychological explanation

An organization or enterprise has a vision and a dream, but whether the vision belongs to executives or everyone often determines the possibility of realization. So when a team wants to solve a problem, first of all, let everyone see what the success of the project means to everyone and what value it has. Through painting, it is easier to stimulate the positive emotions of participants.

2SWOT analysis

Rationally analyze the possibility of project success.

operational approach

Focusing on the project objectives, team members use SWOT as an analysis tool to discuss the project status. Advantages and disadvantages are internal factors of the organization, and the project can be analyzed from the dimensions of management, organization, customer base, financial situation, R&D, operation, market and marketing, delivery and commerce. Opportunities and threats are analyzed from the external factors of the organization, which come from forces, problems, trends and events beyond your control.

Psychological explanation

The first is * * * knowledge. Everyone is a unique individual with his own experience and background. They look at and analyze problems from different angles, just like half a glass of water. Some people will say it is still half empty, while others will say it is half full. Analyzing the status quo of the project as a group can promote the systematic thinking ability of the team and let all members see the same scene clearly.

The second is the key factor. During the SWOT analysis, did you make a general statement, or did you find the key factors that affect the achievement of the project objectives, which directly affected the team's real understanding of the project status?

It is often seen that teams write "national policy control, economic downturn" in "threats". It is very broad and has no practical significance to the current situation of the project. What we need to understand is: what is the policy? How does it affect our project? How great will the impact be? Compared with similar projects in the same industry, does it have a greater impact on us or is it all the same?

China people's thinking, like jumping, like summing up, from this point of view, is the difficulty for motivators to guide this link. The function of SWOT analysis is to analyze the current situation of the project and let the team see the same scene. According to different project topics, there are many analysis methods or models to choose from, and the useful method is the most effective.

3 commitment

operational approach

Each team should write a collective commitment letter of the project, which should be easy to operate, easy to supervise, punitive and entertaining.

Psychological explanation

A challenging project that needs the cooperation of team Qi Xin will certainly encounter various difficulties in the implementation process. The biggest difference between managers and leaders lies not in management methods and tools, but in whether they can lead the team; Management is not based on command, but on commitment, fully mobilizing the confidence and commitment of every member of the team to achieve the goal. Is the project a leadership project or a project of everyone? From the content of team commitment, we can see the cohesion of the team and the confidence to accomplish the goal. Did you try your best or did you try your best? True leadership is management based on commitment.

4 key actions (team * * * creation rule)

operational approach

Team * * * method, also called card method, includes the following steps:

1, brainstorming. Each team member writes down specific key actions that will help achieve the goal. The motivator should give everyone enough time to think and write, encourage members to write as much as possible, and pay attention to whether the content written by everyone is specific and give appropriate guidance.

2. Arrange and combine. After the motivator collects and confuses the key actions written by everyone, he leads the team to arrange and combine, with similar meanings posted in one column and different meanings posted horizontally. The final total number of columns is between 3 and 7.

3. Refine the central word. Name each column with verb-object structure, no more than 7 words. By naming, you can further clearly distinguish each column of cards; The fewer words, the easier it is to remember; After naming through the verb-object format, 3-7 action strategies are formed.

4. Action model: the structural expression of action strategy, using the model to present the relationship between the first words. Commonly used models include bull's-eye diagram, flow chart and emergency importance matrix.

Psychological explanation

Sense of participation, participation is will, and contribution is a sense of accomplishment.

Lei Jun said: Xiaomi bought a sense of participation.

Kurt Lewin, a representative of group dynamics, said that the change of personal attitude depends on the way he participates in group activities.

Peter Drucker, the father of modern management, said that asking questions leads to thinking, and informing leads to arguments.

In the process of creating a team, some people, usually leaders, may have a comprehensive understanding of the project and clear ideas for solving problems, but most people see one-sided, jumping and single events or jobs. The leader directly tells the employee what to do, and the employee may argue with the leader next: I didn't see this, or the geese lived without a trace. Mobilize every member of the team to fully participate, even if the final plan is the same as the leader's existing ideas, the employees' understanding and recognition of the plan has been greatly different. People are willing to change, but they are unwilling to be changed.

5 action plan

operational approach

1. "Adoption of children" (children are all action strategies generated in the process of team creation), and project members are grouped to be responsible for all action strategies and form action strategy groups. Students can take the initiative to become the leader of the action learning group of an action strategy; Then "make a plan", and each group makes an action plan according to the plan template; Finally, it is summarized into a complete project action plan.

Generally speaking, all enterprises will make plans, but are all plans feasible? Have you considered the implementation steps and details of the plan, including the demand for resources? How to check whether the plan has been implemented, and is there an objective measure?

Psychological explanation

Spontaneous. In the past, leaders often made plans and subordinates carried them out. Now, it is up to everyone to make a plan together and realize the transition from "I want to do" to "I want to do". The plan is not dominated by others, but is your own. Such a plan can be more realized, which is the key to automatic and spontaneous implementation. The management of 2 1 century can no longer be achieved by "a smart head" leading a group of "diligent hands and feet". Only by giving full play to the wisdom of each team member can we cope with the rapidly changing environment.

6 town meeting

operational approach

All members of the project team participate in the whole reporting process, and each team reports the action plan. Experts and executives ask questions to confirm the feasibility of the team plan and confirm whether the project plan is passed on the spot. If passed, the leader will provide corresponding support and resources according to the team plan, and make a concluding speech.

Psychological explanation

Quick decision-making and authorization. Town hall meeting, some people say that town hall meeting is the cornerstone of American democracy and the embodiment of democracy. The purpose of town-level meeting is to share project information with project decision makers, executors and heads of relevant departments, hand over the action plan and resource allocation of each project to project executors, and ask decision makers to make decisions on the spot. Through democratic and open communication, all project factors are put on the table to achieve the effect of rapid decision-making and authorization.

Through the six-step method of teamwork, the actual operation only takes 1-2 days, and through the six steps of vision-status quo-commitment-* * * innovation-planning-decision-making, aiming at complex, cross-departmental and comprehensive business problems (such as performance improvement, cost tapping, production efficiency, service satisfaction, etc. ) in the enterprise.