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The 4 Dimensions of Relational Work of Timothy Butler and James Waldroop
is presented in the HBR of June 2004. According to Butler and Waldroop,
interpersonal savvy is critical in almost any area of business.
Managers
can boost productivity by:
A.
hiring the right employees
B. make the best work (project)
assignments
C. reward performance in the right way
D. promote
career development.
No wonder
most managers think they know which of their "people" are good at
dealing with interpersonal relations and which aren't.
However, contrary
to mainstream thinking, Waldroop and Butler say one should distinguish between 4
types of relational interests and skills:
1. Influence: Professionals who
enjoy developing and extending their sphere of interpersonal influence.
They take pleasure in persuasion, negotiation and the power of holding
valuable information and ideas. Typical for Sales Managers, Marketing
Managers, Negotiators and M&A dealmakers.
2. Interpersonal Facilitation:
People that are keenly attuned to the interpersonal aspects of work
situations. They intuitively focus on others' experiences and usually
quietly behind the scenes to keep their colleagues committed and engaged
so that projects run smoothly. Typical for HR managers.
3. Relational Creativity: People
who are good at forging connections with groups of people through visual
and verbal imagery. Typical for advertising people and brand managers.
4. Team Leadership: People with a
strong need to see and interact with other people (team members and
customers) frequently to feel satisfied. They love managing and working
through high-energy teams in busy service environments. Typical
for Program Managers and Managers of Direct Service Delivery Units.
These four dimensions of relational
work are not
discrete types; a person can have great interest and skill in two or
more area's or in none of them. Also scoring high in one dimension may
be detrimental to other areas and to certain types of work.
All 4 types of relational work
contribute to the bottom line (financial capital and intellectual
capital) and should be rewarded. Certain types of people will be
sensitive to specific types of (non-)financial rewards. Senior Managers
working on corporate strategy and financial performance are advised to
remain sufficiently attentive to relational work: a business strategy is
only as good as the people and teams who carry it out.
Book: Timothy Butler Ph.D., James Waldroop Ph.D. - Discovering Your Career
in Business - 
Book: Patrick M. Lencioni - The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership
Fable -
Compare with the 4 Dimensions of
Relational Work: ERG
Theory |
Emotional Intelligence |
Path-Goal Theory |
Six Change Approaches
| Seven Habits
| Seven
Surprises | PAEI
More management models
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