Department of StatisticsTEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

Advice, issues and ideas for recently appointed chairs and administrators

Professor Simon SheatherAugust 1, 2008

AGENDA

• Background Information• Leadership without control: influencing and building consensus• The importance of the first 6 months• Striking a balance between being a “producer” and a

“manager/leader”• Building a team rather than relying on “If it’s going to be, it’s up

to me”• Managing up• Communicating with faculty, students and alumni• Focus on developing the next generation• Focus on recognizing & rewarding “loyal high performers” as well

as those in demand externally• Focus on what is most important• Resolving disputes• Mission and vision• Suggested further reading

Background Information: TAMU Statistics Department

• 36 tenured/tenure track faculty• 7 lecturers/senior lecturers• 11 full-time staff • 6641 course enrollments in 2007/08

comprised of 1826 graduate and 4815 undergraduate enrolments

• Distance based Masters and Certificate Programs in Statistics began in August 2007 with 279 course enrollments in 2007/2008

• Stat Help Desk with over 100 consulting projects per year run by Master’s students

Background Information: Administrative Career History• 1994–1997 Program Director, Full-time MBA Program,

Australian Graduate School of Management, UNSW• 1998–2003 Program Director, Senior Manager Development

Program, Australian Graduate School of Management, UNSW• 1999–2001 Program Director, Hong Kong Administrative

Development Program, Australian Graduate School of Management, UNSW

• 2003–2005 Program Director, Consortium Program, Australian Graduate School of Management, UNSW

• 2003–2005 Head of Statistics and Operations Group, Australian Graduate School of Management, UNSW

• 2004–2005 Associate Dean (Research), Consortium Program, Australian Graduate School of Management, UNSW

• 2005– Department Head, Department of Statistics, Texas A&M University

Leadership without control

• Department Head vs Department Chair• Faculty members inherently believe in the

right to question, debate, and even oppose initiatives with which they disagree

• Faculty members feel it is their duty to provide feedback and/or suggestions

• Formal feedback is often sought about a Department Head mid-term and at the end of the first term

Influencing and building consensus

• It is not possible to undertake any new initiatives without the buy-in of faculty (especially senior faculty)

• It is important to build a consensus among faculty that any new initiative is a “good” idea

• Faculty retreats and working groups (rather than formal committees) are mechanisms for building consensus and minimizing “self interest”

2007 Faculty Retreat Agenda

• Large group exercise: Human Scrabble• Department Head Two-year Review: Results

and comments from the survey of faculty• Report on teaching and online learning• Report from the hiring working group & hiring

priorities for the coming year• Small group exercise: The Quest• Small group exercise: Turning the vision for

the department into reality• Center for Statistical Bioinformatics• Bayesian Bioinformatics Lab

Small Group Exercise: The Quest1. The most exotic place of birth is:

Attribute of:

2. The most interesting collection of middle names is:

Attribute of:

3 The most obscure credential or qualification is:

Attribute of:

4. The greatest sporting achievement is:

Attribute of:

5. The most amazing place to have spent the night is:

Attribute of:

6. The most boring task or job ever to have been assigned to was:

Attribute of:

7. The greatest act of civil disobedience was:

Attribute of:

8. The biggest lie ever told was:

Attribute of:

9. The most number of residential addresses in the last five years:

Attribute of:

10. Who has the car with the most personality and what is it?

Attribute of:

Influencing tactics

• Reason – The use of facts and data to support the development of a logical argument

• Coalition – The mobilization of allies to support and therefore strengthen a request

• Friendliness – The creation of goodwill and favorable impressions

• Bargaining – The exchange of benefits and favors• Symbol management – Personal role modeling to

communicate and encourage desired behavior• Higher Authority – The gaining of support from higher

levels to back up requests

Source: Delong, T & Nanda, A (2002) Career strategies and tactics in professional service firms. Harvard Business School Case Study 9-800-375.

Influencing through the use of personal power

Sources of Personal Power:• Expertise – Relevant knowledge and skills• Track record – Relevant experience• Attractiveness – Attributes that others find

appealing and identify with• Effort – Expenditure of time and effort

Source: Delong, T & Nanda, A (2002) Career strategies and tactics in professional service firms. Harvard Business School Case Study 9-800-375.

Improve your ability to understand others in order to have more influence

Beware of the three main social needs or motives: achievement, power and affiliation. The stronger the motive the more predictable a person’s behavior is likely to be:

• Achievement – A person with a strong sense of achievement is emotionally tuned to setting and meeting goals. Achieving unique results, and reaching self-initiated standards, are major sources of reward for people with a high need for achievement

• Power – A person with a high need for power has a strong drive to influence others. In some people, the need for power manifests itself as a strong desire to teach, coach, or inspire others. It is safe to say that many people who have a high need for power actively enjoy the process of leading others.

• Affiliation – A person with a high need for affiliation is concerned with establishing, maintaining or restoring positive emotional relationships with others. Liking others, and being liked by others are especially important to a person with a strong affiliation need, as is gaining the approval of others.

Source: Delong, T & Nanda, A (2002) Career strategies and tactics in professional service firms. Harvard Business School Case Study 9-800-375.

Appealing to Achievement, Power & Affiliation Needs/Motives

Build trust and credibility to increase influence

The more trust and credibility you have, the more others will be willingly influenced by you. Trust is a function of how an individual views a leader’s competence and character:

• Competence – Task-specific knowledge and skills, interpersonal skills and judgment

• Character – Integrity, motives, consistency of behavior, openness, discretion

Source: Delong, T & Nanda, A (2002) Career strategies and tactics in professional service firms. Harvard Business School Case Study 9-800-375.

The importance of the first 6 months• Early impressions count a lot• Make yourself known immediately for commitment, energy and

enthusiasm You can demonstrate commitment by being really rigorous about how you’re spending your time Deliver the goods and word will spread

• Don’t stand out for knowledge initially• Be a net energy contributor, not a net energy detractor No cynicism. Find ways to enjoy your job. Share your enthusiasm and not complaints. Spend time talking

about positive new ideas and opportunities

• Be inclusive in your relationships• Praise others• Control information about yourself• Be known for being ethical (Front page of the newspaper test)• Build your network (a strong network greatly enhances your

influence)Source: Delong, T & Nanda, A (2002) Career strategies and tactics in professional

service firms. Harvard Business School Case Study 9-800-375.

Honoring the staff

Celebrating success

Striking a balance between being a “producer” and a “manager/leader”

• This is the key issue every week – “Do you have a minute?”

• What balance does the Dean expect from you?• Explicitly think about and manage how you spend

your time – Does the way you spend your time match your priorities?

• Block out time for being a “producer”• Evaluate on an ongoing basis how you are

spending your time• Leverage your own strengths and accept the

limitations of your own weaknesses• The most important personal relationship is the

one you have with yourself

Building a team rather than relying on “If it’s going to be, it’s up to me”• Delegation, delegation, delegation• Get help with the key aspects of your

managerial role• The importance of having very highly

effective people in the roles of Assistant, Associate Head, Business Manager, Graduate Director etc.,

• Access to your email

Managing up

• When presenting ideas to upper management (e.g., the dean), remember that it’s your responsibility to sell, not their responsibility to buy

• Focus on contributing to the larger good, not just achieving your objectives

• Present a realistic “cost-benefit analysis” of your ideas – don’t sell just the benefits

Source: Goldsmith, M. (2008) How Can I Do a Better Job of

Managing Up? Harvard Management Update.

Communicating with faculty, students and alumni

• Formal communication mechanisms: faculty meetings, committee meetings, faculty retreats, emails, newsletters, magazines

• Informal communication mechanisms: corridor chats, chats over lunch, emails, behaviorHow do I behave have under pressure?What signals is my behavior sending?

• What are you most comfortable doing? Presenting an idea to a meeting or Writing a document explaining the idea

The 10 commandments of e-mail• Thou doest have several choices• Thou shalt never print thy e-mail• Thou shalt never send e-mail when furious or exhausted• Thou shalt never substitute e-mail for a necessary face-to-face

meeting• Thou shalt never delete names from thy address book• Thou shalt never forward chain e-mail• Never shalt thou pass on rumor or innuendo about real people• Never shalt thou do so about companies thou workest for or may

workest for one day• Thou shall remember the hierarchy and keep it sancrosnat: First

the meeting, then the phone call, then the voice mail, then the email.

• Thou shalt send nothing over e-mail that must be error free

Source: Harvard Management Communication Letter (1999)

Focus on developing the next generation

• More rewarding than doing “unimportant things for important people”

• Communication/Feedback is crucial• Mentoring usually works best when there is

some quid pro quo for the mentor (i.e., the mentor feels that they also benefit from the relationship)

• Teaching mentors / research mentors / service mentors

• Mentors can encourage “unhelpful” behavior

Focus on developing the next generation

• Each year we provide written feedback to assistant professors on where they stand in terms of performance/progress towards tenure

• We make clear what we will do and what they are expected to do in the next 12 months

Focus on recognizing & rewarding “loyal high performers” as well as those in demand externally

• “Loyal high performers” are absolute gems• Those in demand externally can provide

evidence that “loyal high performers” are paid below market rates and hence can provide an opportunity for you to argue for equity raises for the former

• At every opportunity it is important to recognize “loyal high performers”

• Outside offers – react quickly & ask many questions to find out what is most important

Focusing on what is important: TAMU Climate Survey

• Seeking predictors of Department Head X “is an effective administrator”

Aim is to predict Y “is an effective administrator” from

p3q4_1_1 maintains high academic standards.

p3q4_2_1 is open to constructive criticism.

p3q4_4_1 shows interest in faculty.

p3q4_5_1 encourages and empowers faculty.

p3q4_6_1 treats faculty in an even-handed way.

p3q4_7_1 helps me obtain resources I need.

p3q4_8_1 gives me useful feedback about my performance.

p3q4_9_1 articulates a clear vision for the department.

p3q4_10_1 articulates clear criteria for promotion/tenure.

p3q4_11_1 honors agreements.

p3q4_12_1 handles disputes/problems effectively.

p3q4_13_1 communicates consistently with faculty.

p3q4_14_1 creates a cooperative and supportive environment.

p3q4_15_1 works to create a climate that is respectful of all faculty members.

Note: College of Science removed from the data

Exercise: Choose up to 5 predictors of Y “is an effective administrator” from

p3q4_1_1 maintains high academic standards.

p3q4_2_1 is open to constructive criticism.

p3q4_4_1 shows interest in faculty.

p3q4_5_1 encourages and empowers faculty.

p3q4_6_1 treats faculty in an even-handed way.

p3q4_7_1 helps me obtain resources I need.

p3q4_8_1 gives me useful feedback about my performance.

p3q4_9_1 articulates a clear vision for the department.

p3q4_10_1 articulates clear criteria for promotion/tenure.

p3q4_11_1 honors agreements.

p3q4_12_1 handles disputes/problems effectively.

p3q4_13_1 communicates consistently with faculty.

p3q4_14_1 creates a cooperative and supportive environment.

p3q4_15_1 works to create a climate that is respectful of all faculty members.

Exercise Results

Predictor Times chosen

p3q4_6_1 18

p3q4_11_1 13

p3q4_5_1 12

p3q4_4_1 10

p3q4_7_1 10

p3q4_10_1 10

p3q4_13_1 10

p3q4_15_1 9

p3q4_9_1 7

p3q4_14_1 7

p3q4_8_1 5

p3q4_12_1 4

p3q4_1_1 3

p3q4_2_1 3

Five statistically significant predictors of Y “is an effective administrator” are

p3q4_9_1 articulates a clear vision for the department.

p3q4_12_1 handles disputes/problems effectively.

p3q4_5_1 encourages and empowers faculty.

p3q4_1_1 maintains high academic standards.

p3q4_4_1 shows interest in faculty.

How do these five match with your list?

Resolving disputes

• Leadership is not a “popularity contest”• Leadership is not an “unpopularity contest”• It is unwise to publicly demonstrate that X

was “right” and Y was “wrong”• Rapid responses (especially by email) can

escalate rather than help resolve disputes• Early intervention is important as it is often

more difficult to resolve disputes after things have been escalated

Mission and vision

• Mission - Why we exist• Vision - A picture of the future consisting of Core purposes Core Values Long term goals

Suggested further reading

Source: http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/

Suggested further reading