Return Home. Inquire via e-mail. Specific Teams
Common Tasks for All Specific
Teams
At any time -- Leadership and Management Transition Team
Phase 1
Management Team, Charter
and Documentation Team, Data Collection Team,
Process Design Team
Phase 2
Organization Development Team,
Process Improvement Team
Phase 3
Continuous Cultural Improvement
Team,
Personnel Actions Teams (Faces
and Spaces, Transition, Physical
Movement)
Phase 4
Environmental Scan Team, Prioritization
Team, Evaluations Team, Return-on-Investment
Team
Phase 5
Future Planning Team
A. Common Tasks for All Realignment Teams. Regardless of the reason for which a team has been formed (or chartered), members can expect to perform certain repetitive functions even though leadership and other roles on a team will change. Below are some of the more common functional activities and some guidance on how to complete each.
1. Share information. Members of a team have an obligation to each other and to their project to share all relevant information that will improve the quality of their product. From time-to-time this includes sharing information about what is going on in their lives so that other team members can better understand them and their contribution to the collective effort. Sharing information may even include letting each other know the "feeling" they are having about the nature of the project -- or about each other's contribution to it. Within appropriate bounds (discussed next) members are also obligated to share information with people outside their immediate team when it will advance the goals of the project.
Note. Chart transcriptions or other "products" generated during team meetings are ideal for memory-jogging as information is shared with others, or as information is recalled in future team deliberations. All team members must have access to this recorded history trail.
2. Respect anonymity, and when required, confidentiality. When sharing
information outside the team, members must respect each other's privacy and not attribute
dialog to specific individuals. There is always the possibility that remarks will
be taken out of context, or that listeners will selectively hear what they want to
hear based on who said it. On occasion, but rarely, a team may decide to keep its
deliberations confidential. Although this is not encouraged, it is recognized as
a potential necessity from time to time. When this occurs, members must respect this
confidentiality. In the event they cannot, they must ask to be relieved from the
team.
3. Obtain information. In order for a team to do its best work, it must have access to the highest quality information. Team members must be ever vigilant to the availability of information sources and obtain information needed. This may involve asking others for information, or asking people outside the team to attend a meeting and provide needed information. If there is an "expert" upon whom the team comes to rely for information on a regular basis, this person may be an ideal candidate for team membership. When possible, information obtained from any source ought to be included in the team recordings in in its entirety or in summary form (summarized information ought to contain a source reference when possible). If the Documentation Team is active, all team recordings should be channeled to that team for review and follow-through action when appropriate. In the absence of the Documentation Team, the Point of Contact (POC) for the project must fill this need.
Note. Either the Documentation Team or the POC may elect to structure a computer directory and file name discipline within which all information can be categorized and stored. A common-use system is ideal for this purpose. Documents not electronically recorded can be referenced in the file name structure.
4 Make decisions and/or recommendation. Teams make decisions or recommendations
for others to make decisions based on the highest quality of information available.
In some cases, it is appropriate to delay decisions until some specific time or event
occurs. Typically, delays are not justified when further information is demanded
if sufficient information is already available. When delays are encouraged by some
and not by others, it is always a good idea to get clear what benefit added information
will bring to the decision. Additionally, team decision making standards ought to
follow a hierarchy depending upon the importance of the decision itself. The following
four levels of decision making are encouraged with the least significant decision
made at the first level:
a. Authoritarian Decision. That person with the authority to decide makes and announces the decision. Team members who disagree with the decision for any reason are obligated to voice their concern and ask that the decision be appropriately reconsidered.
b. Democratic Decision. A democratic decision is made by a majority of those present and voting. The only stipulation is that all options be voiced so that the fewest possible voting alternatives will exist. That larger the number of options, the fewer people will have to favor any one option for it to be favored by a majority.
c. Consensus Decision. Under the consensus, those voting must be able to live with the final decision, and may even be asked to support the efforts of those who will have to implement the decision. A consensus decision may be made with a passive vote, "Is there anyone who objects to..."
d. Concordant Decision. All members voting must be willing to champion the implications of the vote and take an active part in its implementation. The concordant vote is an active vote in that all members present and voting must be willing to register a positive affirmation "for" taking the action. Any "against" or silent vote must prompt further dialog until the ideal solution is attained.
5. Make presentations. Participation on a team carries with it the responsibility for having to make informal presentations to the team and potentially to a larger number of people working on different parts of the project. Presentations are made to provide others with the necessary background information so they will have confidence in the decisions or recommendations made by the individual or the team/sub-team represented by the presenter. Presenters are assisted by members of their group when this is appropriate. The media used to present the material ought to be consistent with any presentations already made (if butcher paper presentations have been the norm, continue with this methodology in making team presentations -- this will improve the likelihood of presented material being incorporated into the recorded proceedings of the project).
6. Meet off-line. Being a member of a team carries with it the responsibility to carry out specific task requirements. This often means having to meet with partial members or adjunct members between team meetings. Whenever this happens, a representative of the group ought to make a brief presentation to the larger group of which they are a member. Any documents ought to also be included in the documentation trail of the team.
7. Acquire new members. Teams ought to always be on the lookout for new members who are interested in what they (members of the team) are doing. New members ought to bring with them a new burst of enthusiasm and fresh perspective. As teams cascade in size and complexity, newer members must always be ready to replace the older members on core activities. New members ought also be brought on board by someone with a history and perspective of the chronology of what has happened. These essentials must be transferred in person, not via mail or through cold documentation.
8. Learn constantly, and seek clarity. Team members ought to learn on at least three levels simultaneously:
a. The content of the project. If the content of the project is to "build a better mouse trap" then each member of the team must learn what they need to know about mouse trap building in a variety of contexts that include what the competition is doing about improving their mousetraps.
b. The process of that part of the project of concern to them. If, for example, marketing a better mouse traps is their part of the project, then they must learn everything there is to know about the sequence of events that make up the marketing process. These events will include cues that start and stop the pieces of work, activities in which one or more people engage during the marketing effort, and finally, the decision making patterns that move the events from one milestone to the next until the process is concluded.
c. The culture (rules of acceptable behavior) within which work will be done. The culture applies to how the team will work on its tasks as well as the required culture needed to implement any plans that will bring the project to a successful conclusion.
9. Model behaviors. Team members are watched and listened to by those not on their team or on any team in the organization. Others will emulate the behaviors of team members believing that they (team members) are exemplifying the way things ought to be in the organization. For this reason, team members must be authentic in their pursuit of the organization values. When teams are used to change the culture of an organization (and teams always are used for this purpose to some measure) members must realize they are being watched and emulated.
10. Be self-governing. Members of a team must govern themselves. This includes
making rules and suspending them. Members must be able and willing to police each
other to model the types of behaviors that others will ultimately emulate. It is
recommended that leadership and other necessary positions be changed on a regular
(quarterly) basis.
Specific Teams
The following guidelines are general in nature and designed to provide the broadest possible latitude for consultants assisting Ad Hoc Teams:
A. Management Team.
1. Purpose: Integrate Realignment Technologies into routine organization operations.
2. Recommended Realignment Phase Formation: Phase 1.
3. Description: A major outcome of Realignment Technologies is to integrate a new culture into the existing structure of the organization. To this end current executives (managers and supervisors -- those in Line-of-Authority positions) must fully understand the events that unfold in each Phase and become the prime movers of the change effort as quickly as possible. The Executive Team then, meets as required to develop an understanding of what is happening currently in the change effort and prepare for what is on the immediate horizon. This may also involve one-on-one coaching to those members of the team who need focused attention.
4. Specific Recommended Activities:
a. Meet at Phase transitions to determine project status and roles.
b. Attend all StreamLearning events as scheduled.
c. Schedule coaching sessions to assure accurate and focused understanding of events and roles to be played during those events as necessary.
d. Use of Realignment Team assets as they are developed.
e. Sponsor/mentor those who desire participation on Realignment Teams.
B. Charter
and Documentation Team.
1. Purpose: Maintain documents associated with the project and review them for consistency.
2. Recommended Realignment Phase Formation: Phase 1, and Subsequent
3. Description: The Charter and Documentation Team may assist any larger group by preparing drafts of documents for others to review and approve. This is particularly true of the project charter. Subsequently, the team will be provided with copies of all documentation associated with the project so that a review can be made to determine if the project is following the course for which it was originally chartered. The Charter and Documentation Team will call inconsistencies to the attention of the larger group or those in authority.
4. Specific Recommended Activities:
a. Draft and present Charter for adoption.
b. Monitor activities to assure they fall within the scope of the adopted Charter.
c. Collect documentation and review it for continuity.
d. Inform the appropriate authority when activities fall outside the intended scope of the charter.
e. Act as a clearinghouse for information about the project for those interested.
f. Aid in the orientation of new personnel.
C. Data
Collection Team.
1. Purpose: Gather facts upon which decisions
will be made.
2. Recommended Realignment Phase Formation: During
or prior to Phase 1.
3. Description: During Phase 1, up to four data collection methods are used: observation, surveys, inventories, and interviews. A team of up to seven members will assist with the initial data collection process for each intact cultural group. ODI will facilitate and guide each Team in the needed activities. Copies of suggested survey items will be available to assist the Team, but are not limiting.
4. Specific Recommended Activities:
a. Identification of groups from which information is needed.
b. Selection of appropriate questions to ask target groups.
c. Selection of data collection methods.
d. Oversight of data collection process.
e. Assistance in the formulation of trends.
f. Assistance with the feedback of data.
g. Assistance with the formulation of recommendations to appropriate authorities.
5. Anticipated Time Commitment: Per survey iteration, up to 2 half-day meetings.
D. Organization
Development Team.
1. Purpose: Develop and recommend viable
alternative solutions to organizational dilemmas.
2. Recommended Realignment
Phase Formation: At Phase 1.
3. Description. The Organization Development Team is concerned with coordinating the development efforts across organizational boundaries. An advantage of the Development Team as a standing membership team is that they will make more systemic connections during their consideration, since they will have been exposed to many individual sets of data, and potential solutions. Keeping some members rotating will prevent stagnation.
4. Specific Recommended Activities:
a. Determining the effectiveness of work group efforts.
b. Determining the effectiveness of inter-work-group combinations.
c. Stimulating improved effectiveness at the work group and inter-work-group level.
d. Attaining and maintaining a systems perspective of the organization for the
purpose of identifying root systemic problems and designing root solutions to those
problems.
E. Process
Improvement Team.
1. Purpose: Identify, solve, and implement
improvements that increase efficiency.
2. Recommended Realignment Phase
Formation: At Phase 4.
3. Description: When a process improvement is sought, an action team is assembled for that specific purpose and specific project. Little advantage is gained by keeping constant members on the team, except when numerous processes are being examined in the same functional area.
The process improvement team is linked directly to the alignment structure in the "Programs" element. Within programs are two additional sub-elements: procedures and processes. Processes are the lowest order of magnitude and receive much attention.
4. Specific Recommended Activities:
a. Examinations that reveal inefficient use of resources.
b. Determinations as to the root cause of inefficiencies.
c. Designs for improvements to overcome inefficiencies.
d. Determination of the implications on the larger system of adopting improvements
in a specific process, procedure, or program.
F. Continuous
Cultural Improvement Team.
1. Purpose: Identify alternative methods to improve the culture of the organization.
2. Recommended Realignment Phase Formation: At Phase 1.
3. Description: In complex organizations the relationships between people define the culture of the organization. To change the culture, one must deliberately influence changes in the relationships among organization members. Typically, these changes are most effectively begun at the "top" of the organization chart, cascading "down" until every individual is effected. There are ten major cultural elements that this team must monitor and look for opportunities to influence.
Often the Continuous Cultural Improvement Team begins with a cultural measurement to determine those areas where a change is desirable. Next, clearly defined cultural goals are established in each category so that outcomes are clear. As influences occur, subsequent measurements become a vital link in determining the progress.
4. Specific Recommended Activities:
a. Assessment of culture rooted in an examination of the health of critical relationships in the organization.
b. Clear articulation of desirable cultural attributes (how we want things to be around here).
c. Determination of the impact of "style" on operational effectiveness.
d. Provision of resources to specific individuals or small groups that want to improving culture within their work context.
e. Determination of the impact of the full range of "diversity" on operational
effectiveness.
G. Personnel
Actions Team.
1. Purpose: Provide mainstream personnel assignment
support. This is specifically done by :
a. Assist with the assignment of
qualified personnel to improvement projects.
b. Respond to cues that will
trigger CCIS service themes, such as personnel turnover and turbulence.
c. Assure that suitable personnel actions (awards and citations, letters of appreciation,
etc.) are initiated and posted to the records of those who support CCIS initiatives.
2. Recommended Realignment Phase Formation: At Phase 3.
3. Description. At least one member of the Personnel Actions Team must be assigned functionally within the personnel office is a key position that will be aware of important personnel changes as shifts.
The personnel action team is concerned with the smooth cultural transition of people into new positions in the organization. Typically, members of the personnel actions team are engaged in new employee orientation meetings and processes by meeting with new employees one-on-one to explain "what it takes to be successful around here" and "the way we want to be is..."
Members of the personnel actions team may also be "buddies" or "sponsors" to new employees, as well as assist with the transition of people from one department to another in the organization. These helpful connections often last for months or years.
4. Specific Recommended Activities:
a. Helping to orient new employees to their new work environment and culture, with the intent to improve performance, productivity and profitability as quickly as possible.
b. Helping to ease the turmoil of the internal transfer of long-term employees.
5. Specific Recommended Activities During a Reorganization:
1. Validating bone fide need for positions when asked to do so.
2. Determining proposed positions that people will occupy following a reorganization.
3. Talking with employees to determine transfer and/or organization structure preferences.
4. Making recommendations for personnel actions to those in authority to carry
them out.
1. Purpose: Used in an organization structural transition to determine or recommend "who" will occupy "what space" on the organization chart.
2. Recommended Realignment Phase Formation: At Phase 2 or 3.
3. Description: This team must have a competent personnel specialist on it.
As personnel placement decisions are finalized, results are published to other teams having an interest in those results: Personnel Actions Team, Physical Movement Team, and the Organization Development Team.
The Faces and Spaces will also publish a temporary (or transitional) personnel directory as decisions allow. Input may be required from the activities of the Physical Movement Team, if activated.
4. Specific Recommended Activities:
a. Validating a bona fide need for position when asked to do so.
b. Determining proposed positions that people will occupy following a reorganization.
c. Talking with employees to determine transfer and/or organization structure preferences.
d. Making recommendations for personnel actions to those in authority to carry
them out.
H2. Transition
Team(s).
1. Purpose: Provide continuity of alignment as organization elements transition in structure (reorganize).
2. Recommended Realignment Phase Formation: As needed beyond Phase 1.
3. Description: As soon as practical, members of the Transition Team(s) assign to individual new structural elements will begin meeting with the newly appointed Directors of those elements to discuss any and all items necessary for the smooth transition of the organization to the new structure.
When possible, an "all personnel" meeting should occur for each new element with members of the Transition Team(s) assigned to that group. Time should be reserved for people to ask questions and have those questions answered in a straightforward manner.
Members of the whole transition team should meet at least monthly during the first few months of implementation to assure continuity and resolve any issues possible.
4. Specific Recommended Activities:
a. Orienting people in newly structured elements to assist members in understanding their roles in the new organization and understanding the transition process.
b. Gathering information on the status of the transition that may become early warnings of a need to rethink transition decisions.
c. Being a catalyst for celebrating the accomplishments of the past as the transition progresses into a future-oriented posture.
d. Establishing milestones for performance, productivity, and profitability --
measures of success -- that inform the organization that the transition is producing
the results desired.
H3. Physical
Movement Team(s).
1. Purpose: Prepare a "floor diagram" with adjustments based on the structural chart that will optimize the working relationships of people, and prepare plans that will cause the physical movement of people to new spaces on or before a specific date.
2. Recommended Realignment Phase Formation: As needed beyond Phase 3.
3. Description: As they are made, reorganization decisions are passed to the Physical Movement Team(s). At least one member will have authority over the physical plant of the organization, and the allocation of property.
In all likelihood two iterations of the "floor diagram" will be required. The first iteration will be a general identification of "areas" within which people assigned to new structural boundaries can probably fit. The second iteration will identify placement of people into specific floor space with required equipment. This will include placement of partitions, phone jacks, electrical outlets, computer LAN/WAN wiring, and associated items.
At the conclusion of the final plan, names, locations, and telephone numbers (if changed) will be provided to the Documentation Team so that a temporary directory can be published.
4. Specific Recommended Activities:
a. Determining a space allocation plan for the organization.
b. Publication of floor plans, directories, property lists, and other space-related
information.
1. Purpose: Research influences outside the organization having an impact
on success, and report.
2. Recommended Realignment Phase Formation: At
Phase 4.
3. Description: The environmental scan provides decision makers with information having an impact on the success of the organization. This information is collected from a variety of local, county, state, regional, and federal sources. The specific nature of the information collected is based, in part, on the type of organization. A primary task of the team is to identify the categories of information needed by decision makers.
4. Specific Recommended Activities:
a. Determine routine sources of information, and who will be responsible for connecting to each source.
b. Establish format for scan information collection.
c. Determine information source categories: Federal, State, County, Local; or Government, Associations, Private, Internet, etc..
d. Determine a method of classification of information: Urgent, Moderate, Routine.
e. Determine the flow (to whom information flows and in what fashion) of information
so that decisions can be made in a timely manner.
J. Prioritization
Team.
1. Purpose: Prioritize efforts against which resources
will be applied.
2. Recommended Realignment Phase Formation: At Phase
4.
.
3. Description: Placing all the possible outcomes or activities
to which resources could be applied in rank order of importance is the responsibility
of a select group of individuals. This group must be chosen carefully. If the top
leadership and management are not well represented, shifting priorities may result
in mixed messages. If top management is well represented, priorities will tend to
stabilize, thus eliminating mixed messages. The Prioritization Team ought to be a
standing group of individuals.
The Prioritization Team would normally be
charged with the responsibility for identifying the priority among both problems
and potential solutions. Only in this way can multiple problems be solved with a
single solution.
4. Specific Recommended Activities:
a. Identification of optional priorities.
b. Establishment of the criteria by which priority ranking will occur.
c. Establishment of priority order lists.
d. Recommending the discontinuance, modification, or suspension of activities or programs in conflict with current priorities.
e. Communication of current priorities with members of the organization.
K. Evaluations
Team.
1. Purpose: Provide continuity to measures of success.
2. Recommended Realignment Phase Formation: At Phase I.
3. Description: At the conclusion of each phase/implementation, evaluation
criteria is applied to determine the degree of success of the intervention. It is
appropriate to have a majority of the members of the Evaluations Team standing in
order to provide consistent evaluation between interventions. It is also appropriate
to vary some of the team members to assure process/service expertise is fresh on
each evaluation effort.
4. Specific Recommended Activities:
a. Measuring the results of change.
b. Determining the degree of satisfaction with progress toward objectives, goals, and vision attainment.
c. Producing reports and presentations that attest to the current "status"
of the organization.
1. Purpose: Develop and document future plans that parallel organization alignment.
2. Recommended Realignment Phase Formation: At Phase 5.
3. Description: The Future Planning Team develops the organization business plan or future/strategic/long-range plan concurrently with the alignment process. As elements of alignment are formalized, planning to achieve those elements are discussed and documented. The result is a congruent plan that enables people to sustain the alignment process and achieve the organization vision effectively.
4. Specific Recommended Activities:
a. Determine the scope of the planning document.
b. Determine the format the document will take.
c. Determine milestones that will be required.
d. Formulate plans to achieve the desired planning document objectives.
M. Leadership
and Management Transition Team (formerly Executive Turnover Team).
1.
Purpose: Assist in providing continuity during periods of change in significant
leaders and/or managers.
2. Recommended Realignment Phase Formation:
At any time.
3. Description: During long-term cultural realignment
efforts, it is likely that changes will occur in key leadership and management positions.
In this case, members of the work force typically become confused and often frustrated
in anticipation that this change may cause a set-back in cultural realignment efforts
and cause other significant changes within the organization programs and culture.
In anticipation of these, a Leadership and Management Transition Team is often formed
to stabilize the organization during this period of potential confusion and hesitation.
What might normally take up to six months, the transition team can often accelerate
to a few weeks.
4. Specific Recommended Activities:
a. Act as
an information conduit between the "new" leader or manager and the work
force to squelch inappropriate rumors.
b. Determine and help satisfy early-on
information needs of the new manager concerning the culture at all levels of the
organization.
c. Assist in establishing priorities for the first 30, 60, 90,
and 180 days of the transition period.
d. Assist the "departing"
leader or manager make a clean transition from the organization.
N. Return-on-Investment
Team.
1. Purpose: Help determine the criteria by which a return on
the investment of ODI consulting will be determined.
2. Recommended Alignment
Phase Formation: Not later than Phase 4.
3. Description: Clients
often want to know the return on the investment of ODI consulting fees. This team
is formed to assist in determining the criteria by which a return-on-investment measurement
will be made. Although a process may be offered to assist the Team, no restrictions
apply in making these determinations.
4. Specific Recommended Activities:
a.
Determine a process to be used to measure return on investment.
b. Determine
financial factors that will be used to calculate return-on-investment.
c.
Develop and deliver return-on-investment reports to clients and/or sponsors requesting
them.
5. Anticipated Time Commitment: A minimum of 3 two-hour meetings.
O. Process
Design Team
1. Purpose: Promote continuous improvement through the
careful examination and modification of critical documented processes.
2.
Recommended Realignment Phase Formation: At Phase 1.
3. Description:
All organizations complete processes as a result of people remembering how it was
done last time (as modified occasionally to accommodate advances). Few, if any, processes
are documented so that a thorough examination and deliberate improvement regimen
can be followed. The process Design Team(s) flow chart processes, provide narrative
instructions to the flow chart, determine if those processes are being followed,
and determine if variances are improvements that deserve consideration for processes
modification. Well documented and carefully examined processes are a prelude to deliberate
and continuous improvement programs.
4. Specific Recommended Activities:
a.
Establish and maintain a system of process identification and record keeping.
b.
Prioritize processes that need attention based on the projected Return-on-Investment.
c.
Document how processes are being done.
d. Examine documented processes to
find potential improvements.
e. Determine the effect that modifications will
have on contiguous processes.
f. Modify process documentation to guide improved
implementations.
g. Monitor improvements to determine effectiveness and efficiency.
h.
Monitor processes to shift priorities.
5. Anticipated Time Commitment:
Intermittent.
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