Proper delegation frees a manager to perform the most important parts of their job such as setting and measuring metrics, identifying opportunities for improvement, balancing team workloads, and driving team goals. However, if managers are burdened with constant oversight of their teams’ daily tasks, they aren’t managing; they’re babysitting.

The connection between effective delegation, better management, and leadership development is the heart of infrastructure optimization. One leads to the next, improving your company’s efficiency without overly taxing your resources.

How do you develop teams that don’t require constant and detailed oversight? The answer is good training.

How To Raise Teams To A Highly Efficient Level Of Operation

Consistently strong teams that perform well are usually the ones with the best training. It’s likely your company has some form of training in place, but do you know how effective it is? Are your employees receiving the right type of training? Are your managers spending too much time involved in their team details or are they serving as leaders that periodically check in on the the team and help shape the overall team productivity?

Harvard Business School Professor Christopher G. Myers conducted a study on organizational training and its effectiveness. He notes that the current strategy for most corporate training is for people to observe trainers, learn how they do it, and then copy the procedure. While this is not necessarily a wrong way to train people, it is not the most effective.

Real Learning Goes Beyond Manuals And Videos

When you learn something by audio-visual means only (online courses, videos, etc.), or strictly by reading a training manual, critical elements can be missed. There are aspects of any job that can only be learned through interactive, real world conversations and real-time learning.

When you only observe somebody performing a task, there is a chance you may not want to do it the same way. You might see someone doing something you don’t feel comfortable with, and it is possible you could learn how to do something incorrectly.

In his research, Prof. Myers uncovered there is a more effective way to learn. In his training method, a trainer still demonstrates and teaches, but instead of watching and copying, the student repeats the action in a fashion that is comfortable for them. Then the trainer and student discuss how the task was performed, why it was done the way the student did it, and evaluate the results.

The best part of this style is the way the student performs the task, coupled with the trainer’s style, can often lead to process improvements. The discussion with the trainer is the learning part. The student learns the steps of the task, and more importantly, internalizes them.

This style of learning also encourages people to discuss their experiences both formally and informally. Prof. Myers pointed out that this knowledge transfer doesn’t involve anything more than a company opening channels of communication both inside and outside the office. Areas such as break rooms or water coolers are great places to informally discuss and learn from past experiences.

Again, a low-cost and organic form of infrastructure optimization.

What This Means For Your Management Team

When all employees are properly trained, managers can concentrate on core tasks, which allows their critical-thinking and decision-making skills to be observed, critiqued, and improved.

Tasks can be delegated that force employees to show their mettle, and managers get to see how they work. Leaders can then select the right managers for the team and help the employees who are struggling.

Infrastructure optimization is a specialty of Equal Parts. We have helped many of our clients by helping them streamline their procedures and eliminating time-wasting or ineffective policies. Infrastructure optimization isn’t easy to accomplish internally. Often an outside view is the best way to see weaknesses or inefficiencies. We encourage you to contact us to see how we can help your business strengthen its foundation and improve efficiency.