You may call this a back to basics or Next Practices blog but the importance of effective teams in Category Management will never go away. And I was reminded of it in a recent conversation with a client who has taken over a new organization that has also expanded significantly with his arrival. And he is faced with the challenge of getting his organization to pull together and work across boundaries that they have never crossed. I assume that sounds familiar to everyone. So, I thought I would remind everyone else of some of the core messages of creating what are known as High Performance Work Teams (HPWT):
As all of you know, this has been a core value and part of our firm’s DNA since our inception (hence the name of the firm ). And we have done a lot of research to develop our tools and methodologies. Here is some of that:
Attributes of a HPWT:
- Vision
- Clear Roles and Responsibilities
- Effective Leadership
- Effective Communications
- Constructive Conflict
- Sharing Power
- Mutual Respect
- Mutual Dependence
This is a partial list and not in any particular order BUT it is based on extensive research and experience. Here are the many different models if you have an interest:
- Beckhard: GRPI Model
- Bolman and Deal: Four Frames Model
- Freedman: Socio-technical Systems Model
- Galbraith: Star Model
- Kotter: Organizational Dynamics Model
- Hornstein and Tichy: Emergent Pragmatic Model
- McKinsey: 7-S Model
- Nadler and Tushman: Congruence Model
- Blake / Mouton Grid
And I will share my personal experience also but here are some common themes that we have gleaned:
- Managing external Stakeholders is critical
- Pay attention to Vision, Culture and Organizational Climate – they are important
- Leadership must take responsibility to help team manage boundaries
- Feedback within team is critical
- Ensure goals are tied to results and not activities
- Change in any one area will impact everywhere else – count on it
- Information, Communication and Decision Making are key
- The “soft” stuff(Learning Environment, Alignment, Change Management etc.) are at least as important than the “hard” stuff(Technology, Processes etc.)
- Organizational Processes (e.g. Competency Based Talent Management) must be Aligned, Mutually Supportive and constantly managed for results.
- Need to provide a Burning Platform for people to rally around
- AND – Boundary Management is a major challenge
Now some of this may seem a little basic but I can attest that many organizations still miss out on many of these.
I spent a few years in a High Performance work environment early in my career and it was an eye opening experience. There were only two major technology companies in the world at one time IBM and DEC,(technology history buffs might know this ) and I worked for DEC at their Enfield, CT facility and it was designed as a High Performance manufacturing facility. It was:
- One of the first competency-based organization s
- It was a High-Performance Work System
- Self-directed, self-managed teams
- First 3 layered organization(Site VP, Leadership Team, everyone else(including all managerial staff AND manufacturing teams)
- Promotion and rewards based on competencies achieved or developed in others
- Became standard for many organizations across industries
I wanted to use this to share why we have been so passionate about this topic and that it’s based on three things: out extensive research, our experience with many, many clients that cut across all filters AND some personal experience. And by the way, that personal experience was a struggle initially for me till I got better at that team stuff . SO, if you are looking for better results, please make sure you focus on that team stuff!!!
