[Your company name] presents:

Time Management & Effectiveness
Personal Effectiveness – The #5 ESCALATION Right Decisions
Michala Homolova

ESCALATION What is it?

Escalation is an act of informing people on the next (higher) management level about a problem or a situation, to get their attention and help.
When to escalate? How to do it?

Activity 1: Assessments of ESCALATION
From: Sales Manager To: CEO Cc: Superior of the Sales Manager Subject: Escalation Dear CEO, it is becoming increasingly serious, Operations poor deliveries prevent me from generating revenues. Please take this as official escalation, it is unsustainable, I cannot control all the Operations deliverables. Best regards XY

Activity 2: Assessment of Escalation
From: Project Manager To: Operations Director Cc: empty Subject: URGENT!!! Engineer needed Dear Ops Director, I urgently need an engineer for the completion of the YZ project. The engineer that is currently onsite fell sick. Best regards XY

Activity 3: Assessment
From: Engineer To: Chief HR Officer (based in UK) Cc: empty Subject: Complaint Dear James, I want to escalate poor people management in Brno. I was sent a performance improvement plan that I don’t agree with and I was told that it doesn’t matter, it is still valid. I reviewed UK HR portal and no policy states this is true. Please investigate this 1st line manager's master-servant type of attitude towards my role in the organization. Best regards XY

Activity 4: Brainstorming on ESCALATION

When to escalate? What things do you consider before you escalate? What things do you consider when reacting to an escalation?

Consider prior escalating
• Timing (not too early, not too late) BUT “bad news early” • Heat • Did you do maximum on your side? • Addressed with competent person first? • Choice of person to escalate to • Hierarchy • Clarity, specificity • Image, perception, professionalism

Consider when reacting to escalation

• Urgency • Empowerment of competent people (if you solve it on someone’s behalf, what message do you send?) • Did the person who escalated to you do maximum on his/her side? • Addressed with competent person first?

Activity 5: Reaction to ESCALATION

Work in teams on the assigned examples: react to the escalation.

What are the possible reactions to an escalation?

Homework for those absent All three examples are problematic. Imagine you were hired as a consultant to provide guidance in the first two scenarios. Respond to the following questions: Scenario I (slide 3): - What should the CEO do? - How should the Superior of the Sales Manager do? - Provide an example to follow for the Sales Manager so she knows how to escalate next time Scenario II (slide 4): - Analyze what is wrong with this escalation

Good luck!
• Questions • Suggestions • Discussion

Each lesson includes a list of suggested tasks and a set of test questions.