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Work together

When the relashionship is good , you can put your brains together and find the best for your school never forget asking and never understimate anybody.

Great point Anatoliy, Effective brainstorming happens when people work well together and feel free to give their ideas without criticism. We believe the staff at any organization has the answers to most problems. You just have to ask them! Susan

WE HAVE SUCH A SMALL STAFF WE WILL NEED TO HAVE OUTSIDE SUPPORT , MY ADVISORY COMMITEE ECT .WE ARE A SCHOOL SEEKING ACCREDITATION AND WE ARE PULLING ONLY A 3 PERSON STAFF TWO ONSITE. THE FUTURE WILL HAVE TO BRING IN STAFF AS WELL

Hi Kristen, When there is a small staff a lot can be done. First, determine the job titles for each according to their skills and background. Set up a traditional org chart. Assign people to each major positions and put their names on the chart even if you have to repeat the names.Try not to have one person do more than 2 key jobs. Ask everyone to list the tasks they are responsible for. Then ask each to prioritze their work. You'll probably find a lot of routine and duplicated work. Perhaps you can hire an admin asst to deal with the routine. And then determine how you can eliminate the duplication. Accrediting bodies like to see effective and clean org charts. Good luck, Susan

I too am in the same predicament as Kristen. We have a small nursing institute and we have only a few staff members. I am taking your advice that you had for Kristen in dividing major position to the staff members. I will make sure that each staff member feels comfortable with their responsibilities and job rolls. I hope this will help with a more concise organizational chart.

Working on an org chart provides many opportunities. You can see who each person thinks they report to. Sometimes it is much different than the org chart you put together. Also you might find a duplication in tasks. Or where one person can better consolidate the jobs of someone else. When you start talking job descriptions, and for a small staff, you get to see a lot of misconceptions. But if handled effectively you'll come up with a stronger org chart and more streamlined job responsibilities. And maybe identify a new leadership role that is needed. Thanks, Susan

Although we only have about 20 employees at my institution we have weekly staff meetings. This provides us an opportunity to keep abreast of what is going on in the institution and share strategic plans for each department.

That's interesting. 20 employees seems like a lot for a weekly meeting. I can argue pro and con. Do people leave the meeting knowing all the issues of each department? Are solutions developed to address issues? Is there a format? And how long does the meeting take and time out of the day? What would the results be if smaller groups met and save the big meeting for say 4 times a year. Or what if some meetings were held on line? I guess it is about effectiveness and how meetings address needs? Thanks for the thoughtful update. Susan

Only the senior leadership team meet weekly if deemed necessary. We leave the meeting understanding the issues and collectively brainstorming to come up with solutions. The meeting is held in the morning for one hour. Because we are a distributed model, some attendees are on-site and others participate via conference call.

Sounds efficient and formatted. Thanks for the update. Susan

I totally agree working together and putting together ideas and getting feedback within the organization will help develop the plans.

Maryolaine,

Open brainstorming is critical to results and buy in, in our opinion. It takes effort and practice to let your team know that they are welcome to present any ideas without criticism.... that all ideas are great (although not always at the moment). When people work together on shared ideas and feel creative they more likely to do the work to get things done. Thanks, Susan

Dr. Susan Schulz

I really agree with working together too. It builds staff cohesion, provides a better environment for students and also provides students an example of a fun, functional and productive work environment.

Nancy,

We agree. Working together generates a lot of results. It can generate ideas and solutions when staff feel comfortable with each other. They wll be willing to talk about ways to improve and innovate. Working together staff can also learn each others jobs. Thanks, Susan

Dr. Susan Schulz

I agree it is important to have a good relationship with your peers especially when the staff is small.....when the staff is a small body a lot can be done when you put heads together.

Roselyn,
Large or small working as a Team is essential. In our opinion it is important to create a collaborative and respectful and creative work culture. Figure out what each person does well, what they like to do, and what they don't like. Then work to switch tasks around so people are working productively and are happy. Use each other as resources for solutions to challenges and obstacles. Create collaborative opportunities. Make the work place a great place for work and for school. Thanks, Susan

Dr. Susan Schulz

I agree. I feel that the team and the institution benefits greatly from an all hands on deck mentality. As an administrator you are able to distinguish what it would take to help your team members work harder because you can see their passions. If you are able to know these things, you can use it not only to benefit your team, but also aid in improving situations in your institution.

Don,
There are so many ways to think about a Team approach. What we do is have meetings and ask everyone to share what they are good at, what they do best, and what they don't like to do. Then we ask how people can form mini teams and help each other. One person loves administrative tasks. Another doesn't but is great a strategizing. They team up and help each other out. Each person does what they like and are good at and is able to contribute a great deal more to the organization. Each person can follow his/her passion and feel good about their contributions. Thanks, Susan

Dr. Susan Schulz

It is always a struggle to find what your good at but in a team setting, there are those who have witnessed you in your element and this would help the Team approach. Thanks.

Don,
It is amazing that once staff members announce what they are good at and what they like to do everyone seems to remember. With our Team we only need to do this when we have new hires. People seem to team up and help each other automatically once the process is started. This means that each person can spend more time doing what they like and do contribute more. Productivity increases. Thanks, Susan

Dr. Susan Schulz

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