PREVENTING MISTAKES

Improving teamwork as a supervisor involves helping team members avoid mistakes without interfering with their performance. One way to help prevent mistakes is to make a constant check of every job as it is being done. A better way is to assign members to jobs only after you feel they are capable of doing the work. Then check completed work as a regular procedure, and make sure members know that you check it. That will enable you to detect any errors so that you can reintroduce policies and procedures needed to help members avoid carelessness.

Earlier in this chapter, we discussed how PN1 Seaman demonstrated this type of supervision in the example of the expired ID card. He did not interfere as his coworkers tackled the problem and identified the cause. When he saw that the best solution had not been found, he gave PN3 Doe an opportunity to ask for advice. If he had not asked, PN1 Seaman could then have suggested the possibility of a message. As important as his solution was to ET2 Door, his tact in handling the situation was even more important to the team. In no way did he belittle what the team had done, and he used a work situation as a training opportunity.

Here is another example of supervision that improved teamwork without interfering with performance. A group of PNs were receiving training as interviewers. As a final part of the interviewers' training, they conducted actual interviews at a recruit training command. They conducted the interviews in small interview booths with only the recruit and the trainee present. The supervisor monitored the trainees' performance through a concealed microphone in the interview booth. The interview validity was not affected

since the recruit was not aware of the monitoring. If a trainee did not perform an interview properly, the supervisor casually entered the booth and made a plausible excuse to consult the interviewer. The supervisor then sent the recruit out for a 5-minute break and, while the recruit was out, made suggestions to the interviewer for improving the interview technique.

Supervisory responsibility is inherent as portrayed by your rating badge. The higher the rate, the greater the responsibility. You don't gain this responsibility by only pointing out mistakes. You must do much more. You must be available for advice or to do whatever it takes to get the job done.

Members often make mistakes and errors in judgment because they want to avoid the displeasure or sarcasm some seniors display when asked for help. When that happens, who is at fault? But beyond fault, who is the loser when a mistake is made? Although the senior is at fault, the entire team suffers. Consider the following example:

MSSN Doe is fixing spaghetti sauce for the noon meal. Everything is coming along fine until he starts to add the seasoning. The recipe card is smudged and all he can read is: Pepper, cayenne 2 T. Does that "T" mean teaspoon or tablespoon? He starts to ask the watch captain, then hesitates. The last time he asked for help, he received several pointed remarks about his ancestry. In the end, the question still went unanswered. Looking back at the card, he mumbles to himself, "That's a fairly large batch of sauce, and a teaspoon is pretty small-it must be a tablespoon."

MSSN Doe finishes the sauce, and the sauce finishes the crew-no doubt that he should have used a teaspoon.

MEETING TRAINING NEEDS

In trying to improve teamwork, supervisors often substitute criticism for proper training. Criticism is a reflection of poor supervision and usually results in unfair treatment of team members. A better way to improve teamwork is through training. The excuse "We don't have time for a training program" is not valid. If the contact point is that busy, you can't afford not to train.

We will not go into methods and techniques of training; adequate materials are available on these topics. Rather, we will offer some ideas that you can use in the informal training situation.

Too often we limit the concept of training to classroom instruction. We forget that training is a constant process in everyone's development. That may be even more apparent in the Navy because of the frequency of transfers. There is always someone transferring out and a new replacement reporting in. Even though skilled in the job, the replacement must learn local procedures and adjust to local problems and working conditions.

Each new member presents an immediate need for training. The extent of the training needed is determined by the person's prior training and experience. The training needs may be met through three important steps:

1. Greeting the member pleasantly. While this act of courtesy is not training in the strictest sense, it sets the attitude of the new member toward the team and

opens the door for other team members to follow the example.

2. Teaching the basics immediately. The supervisor can quickly determine the new member's need for this training from information gained through an interview. The responsibility for providing this training may be assigned to other members of the team; the method used must be appropriate for each individual.

3. Providing follow-up. This step is just as necessary as the training step, from both the viewpoint of the supervisor and the new member. A follow-up lets the supervisor know how the member is progressing and what additional training is needed. It shows the supervisor's interest in the members progress and opens lines of communication.

Supervisors must be able to provide individualized training as well as group training. To do that, they must be accessible to the member and be willing to take the time to help the member when needed. They will quickly realize the compensation for this greater emphasis on training in the reduction of time they spend supervising. They need no outstanding ability or special training for this phase of supervision, but they must develop the following skills: l Listening patiently. Quite often supervisors may

feel that the person is taking too much time explaining, so they stop listening. Thus, they may miss the main reason for the member's communication with them.

. Refraining from hasty condemnation or conclusion. Supervisors must get the whole story before making decisions. . Refraining from arguing. Arguing with a

subordinate does not solve problems, and it may well lead to additional ones. One of the responsibilities of supervisors is the exercise of authority. After observing the two points above, a supervisor who reaches a decision and feels there is no justifiable alternative should stick with that decision. Argument will only intensify the member's reluctance to accept that decision.

. Paying attention not only to the content of the remarks but to the overtones and body language. What the member feels but does not say may be more important than what is actually being said. l Listening for what the person may be reluctant to

say or cannot say without assistance.

Learning is best accomplished when the instruction sets a pattern of primacy. That is, it moves from known to unknown, simple to complex, and complex to simple; or it is organized by performance steps. In other words, the trainee should learn how to follow a recipe and operate an oven before attempting to bake a cake. If instruction is arranged properly, the trainee can refer back to what was previously learned to better understand what is being presently taught. When this method is applied, the member learns more, learns it faster, and remembers it longer.

The use of training sessions can achieve the following results: l Stimulate trainees to perform self-evaluation. . Develop trainees' awareness of their knowledge

level. l Provide trainees with needed instruction.

l Encourage trainees to exchange ideas and knowledge.

As the leader of an informal training session, ^you must keep the group headed in the right direction. ^You should direct discussion sessions toward a stated or an agreed-upon goal. Training sessions provide excellent opportunities for frank, open discussions of mechanical problems as well as problems with work flow, time allocation, future work loads, and special jobs. The leader of informal training must be vigilant in preventing the session from losing focus. No one wants to listen to someone's gripes during a training session.

Role playing can be an effective means of developing face-to-face skills and of stimulating discussions about problems faced by certain ratings. When properly introduced to the participants, it has several possible uses in the training program. Since participants may be self-conscious at first, your first efforts in using role playing may not get off the ground. However, when participants realize they are not playing games, they will gradually assume their roles. Then role playing will achieve the desired results of training.

With an experienced member playing the role of the customer and the inexperienced members serving as the contact point representatives, you can provide real life experiences for members to solve. Select training problems that are not intended to overwhelm the trainees but to acquaint them with typical problems. Make sure each situation has a specific training objective.