How to manage new department?

Question:
 I was recently appointment as a new head of a department.

The thing is the out going department head is transferred to another department, which is on the same floor, and still have great influence.

The out going head only taught me some of the works she used to perform and some unfamiliar work I still need to figure out myself. She was not happy with the transfer and also bad mouth about me, which I heard from my colleague. I felt that the things that she teach me was sometimes wrong and does not give a clear solution. So I have to use my own judgement.

The problem I faced is that my experience is not as experience as my staffs work under me because some of them have work there for more than 10 years. While I work there for around 6 months only. I still need them to teach me some work.

Besides that, I am also not clear about what work my staff are performing. Thus, I asked them to fill in a work survey questionnaire and give a deadline to it. At the end, no one reply me. Besides that, I also want to implement new procedure to better monitoring of work progress. One of them answer me, it is a waste of time.

How to manage the department when you are not the most experienced?

How to introduce new procedures with the staffs follow through?

How to instill confident in staffs that I could lead the department well and listen to me instead of to the former department head?




Answer: 
Well you have your work cut out for you. But this is not impossible. I will try to answer your questions.

How to manage the department when you are not the most experienced?


First off, managing a department is not so much about knowing exactly how to perform the work of your direct reports as it is about knowing how to lead, direct and manage people. You must make sure that the employees are respecting your authority. This is tough because as the newbie you don't want to come in looking like a big shot but at the same time these guys blowing you off and not resopnding to you is disrespect.

I would suggest partnering with your HR Manager and ask how to best handle these associates who are ignoring your deadline requests. That is one of the things HR is there for - to coach and direct new managers.

I think the survey was not the best approach because as a new manager you need to instill more of a one on one apprach. I suggest setting up one on one meetings with each of your new employees and get to know them. Make this more about rapport building vs just learning their job all at once. After the initial one on ones then I suggest setting up more time with each of them AT THEIR OWN DESKS And observe and ask them questions about what they do.

This is not going to happen overnight. You must lead by example and these people will eventually look to YOU for guidance vs the old dept head. You cannot become a manager and expect respect from day one. You have to earn it. Spend LOTS of one on one time with these folks but don't do it trying to be this big authority figure try to just get to know them as people first. Then when they respect you they will automatically want to listen to your direction. I would hold off on big changes right away because these guys need to get used to the management change first. Over-zealous new managers often make the mistake of thinking they need to come in and change everything around all at once. Bad idea. Change should come gradually.

I bet these employees have good ideas too, just as you do. In dept/team meetings I suggest you ask them for their input. Ask them what changes they would make and if you can implement some of their suggestions. This way they will see you are a member of the team as well and not just trying to play role of head hauncho.

MY management style is such that I work for them vs they work for me. My job as a manager is to get the most work from the team as possible in as efficient way as possible. Having this mindset I do not dictate I instead implement ideas and suggestions my team brings up and when I make suggestions for process improvement I always get their feedback first. No one likes the managers that make a lot of process improvements and fail to see the whole picture. Sometimes things on white paper don't look as good when you are the employee having to carry it thru.

And when I say I view it as I work for them I don't mean they dictate to ME what must happen it means that I see them as my team and a manager is ONLY as good as the team they manage. On performance reviews for managers, you can be the best model employee on earth but if your team is not producing, and if your team feels their environment is stifling to their advancement or not fostering a team atmosphere then they are going to ding the heck out of you on employee sensing surveys. Bad sensing surveys are a manager's worst nightmare. And on your own reviews if your team is not yielding desirable results that impact the bottom line then you are doomed.

So adopt the attitude that you work for them and let them know that you want to hear their ideas and will implement what you can. Take the time to get to know them. During one on one's ask about their kids, their families, what they like to do. Try to create some small talk with them. Vist out on the floor often and take a real active interest in their work. Compliment and praise where it is due. Do not praise if it is not warranted or then your words won't mean much but praise and praise often to your high performers. Everyone likes to be recognized.

You can also make work fun by running contests and team oriented games in team meetings. Bring some snacks in and make work fun.

How to introduce new procedures with the staffs follow through?


As I said I would not do that yet. You don't even know these people yet. You said yourself you are not familiar with their jobs. How can you make procedure changes without knowing specifically what the CURRENT procedures are? New managers always have the best of intent when making changes but if they don't know what the current process is, how can they improve it? Schedule one on one meetings to get to know these folks first. Then schedule time with each one to sit at their desks and learn what they do. Ask for their input. When you finally feel you have gotten your arms around current procedures and what each person is responsible for then you can start making improvement changes. ASK for and IMPLEMENT as many of their ideas as you can, if they are good ones. No one knows that work better than the employee.

How to instill confident in staffs that I could lead the department well and listen to me instead of to the former department head?

By employing some of the suggestions I gave you above. Respect will come when respect has been earned. I hate to compare it to a parent/child relationship since we are all adults but in a way it is the same concept. A child respects the parent who earns it. An employee respects a manager who earns it. The title alone will not automatically be commensurate with clout and respect. That former manager has it because she was there a long time and these people grew to trust her apparently. You have to make them trust you, and they can't trust that you know what is best for them until you know exactly what it is they do.

Take an active and sincere interest in their work, in them, and ask for their input and actually use it, and you will gain the respect you are looking for.