Leadership in 4D

Twenty managers of structural subdivisions of the production departments of three CHPPs of AlES JSC were trained on the topic: “4D Leadership. Team Efficiency”.

The classes were conducted by a certified trainer, business coach, psychologist Lyudmila Serekbayeva. She – an accredited trainer-teacher and representative of ICBT International School in Kazakhstan, provider of the 4D system in Kazakhstan.

The developer and the first trainer to implement this universal system of 4-D projects to create productive teams at NASA is an American scientist, astrophysicist Charles J. Pellerin. His methodology allows to improve communication, productivity, morale, and team building in the shortest possible time, orienting the team to the results and goals of the company. Charles J. Pellerin not only created the system, developed the methodology, but was the first to create a highly effective team in practice.

– The 4-D Systems is a universal methodology for developing leadership and creating effective teams. It already operates in 15 countries around the world, proving its effectiveness both in organizing business processes of large corporations and for small business teams, says Lyudmila Serekbayeva. – Its integration requires little time and resources compared to traditional methods. Pellerin’s 4-D processes have significantly increased the productivity of hundreds of design, engineering and management teams at NASA. These simple, logical processes are well understood by technicians who shy away from conventional training methods.

The same objectives – to unite the team, to focus on results, to make a foundation of competitive advantages – are set when conducting trainings in JSC AlES.

The system can be easily adapted to the tasks of the industry and allows production commanders to identify their leadership type, strengthen leadership competences in the 4-D system to achieve team results while respecting common interests, increase the level of skills to manage risks associated with human factors, learn to create a social context that unites and strengthens the team.

In the recent past, psychology was not given due attention in economics and social spheres, it was not seen as practical, considering it only a fundamental science. Meanwhile, time has shown that group and team psychology, social psychology is becoming one of the important tools for achieving goals, including in production structures.

– These sessions allowed us to take a new look at many situations that arise in the work process. The training showed the possibilities of applying skills and knowledge in practice, says Murat Sarsenbayev, Head of the Turbine Shop at CHPP-1. – In particular, when working with personnel, it is important to be able to manage emotions of own’s and employees’s. Another practical conclusion concerns the ability to set clear objectives.

The training not only emphasizes the tasks, but also gives tools to solve them. And it is the practical aspects of the training that energetics note.

– I would emphasize such skills as the ability to concentrate on tasks, says Vladimir Pavlov, head of the eclectic shop at CHPP-2 n.a. A.Zhakutov – Classes teach you to think big, develop leadership skills and… train your stress resistance. That is not unimportant in the working process.

By the way, many power engineers who have gone through the trainings, emphasize their practical usefulness, noting in most cases the acquisition of skills in working with people. And in this process it is very important to manage emotions – to control and restrain them.

This conclusion is included in most of the questionnaires of the class participants. Dauren Baubayev, Head of Boiler Shop at CHPP-2 n.a. A.Zhakutov, formulated this thesis very briefly but succinctly, labelling the whole psychological “set” with a single term “emotional calm”, which is necessary at all times to work in a production team.

This, perhaps, is the main key to building teamwork, the importance of which was also noted by the trainees. The energy industry is not an industry of loners, it is an industry of a team, a collective. And many algorithms of teamwork have already been studied and described by psychologists, as well as typical mistakes of team management and their solutions.

– It is very important that during the training sessions the issues of defining team problems and their solutions were raised and discussed, – said Vladimir Pustovalov, Head of EC of CHPP-3. – And it is good that during the trainings, during the role-playing games the types of behavior, 4D processes are discussed. I think this will help all of us to avoid typical mistakes and achieve good results in practice.