TeamMax Newsletter:

PUTTING THE WORK IN TEAMWORK TO WORK

Larry Cole, Ph.D.
TeamMax®, Inc.

Abstract
The new management team accepted the assignment to turn around a financially troubled manufacturing facility. The General Manager recognized that improving teamwork was a prerequisite to become profitable. A team building effort was initiated and guided by their TeamWork Value Statement. The MBC Software® methodologies were used to both measure progress and to use data to pin point opportunities for continuous improvement.
 
In the words of the General Manager, “We spend too much time beating on each other and looking for someone to blame rather than taking responsibility for our actions to help each other to be successful.”  Consequently, improving teamwork became a priority in this manufacturing facility.  If this new management team were not successful at returning this plant to profitability, the looming concern was the corporate office would shut it down.
 
The first step in the teambuilding process was to define a set of behavioral blueprints so that everyone knew the desired behaviors that would serve as the glue to underwrite the teamwork improvement process.  Employees throughout the organization had input into a simple yet powerful TeamWork Value Statement (TWVS).
 
We promote a positive teamwork environment in which respect, trust, and communication flourish.
 
Positive
1. We encourage each other to try innovative ideas.
2. We accept honest mistakes as learning opportunities.
3. We recognize each other for a job well done.
4. We proactively engage in activities to improve plant operations.
 
Teamwork
1. We understand what we need from each other.
2. We willingly work to meet these needs.
3. We encourage others to let us know when their needs are not being met.
4. We have input into decisions that affect us.
5. We support each other when working on common priorities.
 
Respect
1. We ask for each other's input.
2. We listen to understand that input.
3. We use that input whenever possible.
4. We explain why their input was not used.
5. We are friendly to each other.
 
Trust
1. We do that which we agree to do.
2. We allow each other to do their job.
3. We keep confidential information confidential.
4. We address issues directly with the appropriate person.
 
Communication
1. We keep each other informed.
2. We encourage each other to express their ideas.
3. We listen to accept the presented ideas.
4. We present the facts of the situation.
5. When we become aware of an issue, we present it for discussion.
 
While writing this statement, numerous employees commented that these nice sounding words would never be institutionalized in this facility.  The history of lackadaisical performance, ill feelings toward the present ownership, and rapid management turnover would sabotage all teamwork efforts.
 
General Manager serves as the ambassador for change
 
The General Manager listened to these concerns, but was not to be denied as he continued the drive to improve teamwork and the plant’s profitability.  The next step was to engage the MBC Software® measurement process with the General Manager’s team.  This electronic behavior support system allowed team members to rate the implementation of their TWVS in real time.  The measured results showed that the team could do a much better job at “Understanding what we need from each other” and "Explaining why they did not use each other’s input."  Based on these results the team elected to implement the following improvement strategies.
 
1. Use shift change and staff meetings to discuss what is needed from each other for the plant’s success.
2. We encourage team members to express their ideas regardless of whether their input was used.
3. We quickly respond to inform the person how their input was used.
4. We proactively ask, "Why was our input not used?"
 
Do you see me as I see myself?
 
The team members achieved varying degrees of success while implementing these strategies.   The General Manager was not satisfied with the measured progress, because some members continued to work more independently of the team and that adversely impacted the success of producing a quality product profitably.  The decision was made to evaluate each other’s implementation of the TeamWork Value Statement.  Based on the baseline results, the team defined a set of behavioral strategies specific for each member to positivelyimpact the team’s operation.  For example, the strategies for the General Manager were to:
 
1. Address issues directly with the specific individual(s).
2. Listen to all of the facts before making suggestions.
3. Proactively address issues with team members.
4. Hold people accountable to keep their commitments.
5. Proactively provide what is needed when a team member needs something from her/him to get their job done.
 
Each team member rated him/herself in terms of using their personal improvement strategies.  Team members also rated each other.  Each team member reviewed their personal data in preparation to discuss the data with the team.   As could be expected, various team members met with varying degrees of success to implement their personal strategies.  But this exercise was extremely beneficial to help each team member acquire a more comprehensive understanding of how they were perceived by their team members.  The open sharing and discussion of the data associated with using the personal improvement strategies demonstrated a crucial step in the team’s maturation process.
 
By this time, the plant had become profitable.   But, the data showed that team members were not working together to solve problems.  During the discussion of this data several members voiced concern about being left out of the communication loop when other team members were working on issues that affect them and members preferred to point fingers to lay blame rather than proactively solve problems.  The team decided to continue using this multi-rater environment to work on a “problem solving process” that could positively impact the team’s operation. The team decided to measure each other on the following set of strategies.
 
1. Assures that affected parties are involved in problem solving sessions.
2. Wants to find a solution to the problem rather than finding blame.
3. Accepts ownership to how his/her department contributes to the problem.
4. Works to identify and solve “small problems” to prevent them from becoming major issues.
 
As of this writing, the team is measuring the implementation of these strategies.  The point to be made is the team’s effort to continuously improve its performance.
 
Improving teamwork produces team member changes
 
In the process of institutionalizing the TWVS, an individual may decide not to integrate these behaviors into their day-to-day behavioral interactions.  When that happens, the individual is in essence saying that s/he does not want to be a member of that team.  Maturity and wisdom are illustrated when that person recognizes their “ill-fitted” situation and elects to move to another corporate environment.  In those instances when the person does not initiate such action, it is best to grant that individual their request and help them to find another corporate community that better fits their individual and preferred work style.
 
I mention this organizational truism for a couple of reasons.  First, in the course of working with this team a couple team members opted to leave the organization.  Second, this is a rather common occurrence when moving an organization forward.  For whatever reason, a person decides that particular corporate environment does not fit.  We need to remember that any given work environment is not going to meet everyone’s needs.  There is nothing wrong with that.  It is corporate reality and a change is best for all parties when that happens.
 
Top down change produces bottom up commitment
 
The work completed and progress achieved with the General Manager’s team was shared throughout the organization.  Knowing this information gave credence to the organizational effort to improve teamwork throughout the organization and served as a stimulus to encourage participation from the down line team members.   Team leaders throughout the organization participated in using the MBC Software® electronic performance support system to improve working relationships within their team as well as their individual performance.  The following methodology was repeated throughout the organization to improve working relationships among members of the team and between the team leader and their team members:
 
1. Obtain baseline measurements with their TeamWork Value Statement to identify operational strengths and opportunities to improve.
2. Define and measure the success of implementing behavioral strategies designed to strengthened the measured weakness.
 
In conclusion
 
The teamwork improvement process employed by this manufacturing facility illustrates several important features of the team building process while utilizing the MBC Software® methodology.
 
1. The commitment of the General Manager to drive the teamwork improvement process.
2. The importance of the TeamWork Value Statement to provide a behavioral blueprint of how team members are to work together to help each other to be more successful.
3. The use of the MBC Software® to quantify the teamwork dynamics and identify strengths and weaknesses provided the opportunity to pin point behaviors that needed to be strengthened by the team as a whole and/or by individual team members.
4. The flexibility of MBC Software® provided the opportunity to define and measure the implementation of behavioral strategies to improve working relationships.
5. The flexibility of the team building efforts focused on the particular set of needs of the team and individual team members.
6. The immediate graphical presentation of the data provided the necessary feedback to guide the behavior change.
7. The use of data to improve teamwork parallels the use of data to improve performance associated with the technical characteristics.
8. Open sharing and discussing people numbers as is done with numbers associated with the technical characteristics served as a stimulus to promote the team’s maturity to become a higher performing entity.
9. Top down change produces bottom up commitment.
 
About the author
 
Larry has been pioneering the measurement of individual and team behaviors since 1989 at which time he founded his consulting company.  As a co-founder of PeopleSystems SoftWare, Inc., he served as the primary architect to create the MBC Software® methodologies to measure behavior change.  MBC Software® is an electronic performance support system that is revolutionizing the measurement of people behavior in real time and in a variety of workplace applications.

Contact Larry at lcole@cei.net or 800-880-1728
www.people-systems.com
www.teammax.net