High-performance teams "HPT" redirects here. For other uses, see HPT (disambiguation).

High-performance teams (HPTs) is a concept within organisation development referring to teams, organizations, or virtual groups that are highly focused on their goals and that achieve superior business results. High-performance teams outperform all other similar teams and they outperform expectations given their composition. Definition A high-performance team can be defined as a group of people with specific roles and complementary talents and skills, aligned with and committed to a common purpose, who consistently show high levels of collaboration and innovation, that produce superior results. The high-performance team is regarded as tight-knit, focused on their goal and nothing else. Team members are so devoted to their purpose that they will surmount any barrier to achieve the team's goals. Within the high-performance team, people are highly skilled and are able to interchange their roles. Also, leadership within the team is not vested in a single individual. Instead the leadership role is taken up by various team members, according to the need at that moment in time. High-performance teams have robust methods of resolving conflict efficiently, so that conflict does not become a roadblock to achieving the team's goals. There is a sense of clear focus and intense energy within a high-performance team. Collectively, the team has its own consciousness, indicating shared norms and values within the team. The team feels a strong sense of accountability for achieving their goals. Team members display high levels of mutual trust towards each other. To support team effectiveness within high-performance teams, understanding of individual working styles is important. This can be done by applying DISC assessment, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument to understand behavior, personalities and thinking styles of team members. Using Tuckman's stages of group development as a basis, a HPT moves through the stages of forming, storming, norming and performing, as with other teams. However, the HPT uses the storming and norming phase effectively to define who they are and what their overall goal is, and how to interact together and resolve conflicts. Therefore, when the HPT reaches the performing phase, they have highly effective behaviours that allow them to overachieve in comparison to regular teams. Characteristics Different characteristics have been used to describe high-performance teams. Despite varying approaches to describing high-performance teams there is a set of common characteristics that are recognised to lead to success. Participative leadership using a democratic leadership style that involves and engages team members Effective decision-making using a blend of rational and intuitive decision making methods, depending on that nature of the decision task

Open and clear communication ensuring that the team mutually constructs shared meaning, using effective communication methods and channels

Valued diversity valuing a diversity of experience and background in team, contributing to a diversity of viewpoints, leading to better decision making and solutions

Mutual trust trusting in other team members and trusting in the team as an entity Managing conflict dealing with conflict openly and transparently and not allowing grudges to build up and destroy team morale

Clear goals goals that are developed using SMART criteria; also each goal must have personal meaning and resonance for each team member, building commitment and engagement

Defined roles and responsibilities each team member understands what they must do (and what they must not do) to demonstrate their commitment to the team and to support team success

Coordinative relationship the bonds between the team members allow them to seamlessly coordinate their work to achieve both efficiency and effectiveness

Positive atmosphere an overall team culture that is open, transparent, positive, future-focused and able to deliver success

Given the importance of team-based work in today's economy, much focus has been brought in recent years to use evidence-based organizational research to pinpoint more accurately to the defining attributes of highperformance teams. The team at MIT's Human Dynamics Laboratory investigated explicitly observable communication patterns and found energy, engagement, andexploration to be surprisingly powerful predictive indicators for a team's ability to perform.[3] Other researchers focus on what supports group intelligence and allows a team to be smarter than their smartest individuals. A group at MIT's Center for Collective Intelligence , e.g., found that teams with more women and teams where team members share "airtime" equally showed higher group intelligence scores. [4] SELF MANAGING TEAMS: Self-Directed and Self-Managed Teams Much of the confusion about teams in the workplace has to do with loose definitions of terms. Lets start off on the right foot by specifying what a few key words and phrases mean. Work Group - A group of people working together - (Example - the mechanics in a Sears Auto Center) Team - A group of people working together toward a common goal - (Example - The Denver Broncos)

Self-Managed Team - A group of people working together in their own ways toward a common goal which is defined outside the team - (Example - James River Corporations Kendallville Plant ALPHA team. They manufacture cardboard boxes as defined by executive leadership. Team does their own work scheduling, training, rewards and recognition, etc.) Self-Directed Team - A group of people working together in their own ways toward a common goal which the team defines - (as above, but team also handles compensation, discipline, and acts as a profit center by defining its own future) Before anyone would try to implement something as aggressive as a self-managed (and subsequently self-directed) team, they should know and be able to articulate the expected benefits. A mature self-managed team, when compared to typical hierarchical management, would have measured results showing: More Enthusiasm Learning from peers Comfort knowing help is there Camaraderie Shared responsibility Focus on the organization Responsibility for the team Simple, visible measurement Less Individual opinion about whats important Reliance on individual abilities Panic when workload peaks Backbiting Protecting information Whats in it for me? Stress on the "supervisor" Feeling unaccomplished

Some of the lessons I have learned in implementing teams are summarized below: 1. To create a team, a demand for performance is more important than team-building exercises. You can get a group together and train them in teamwork for weeks but they wont be a team until they have a common understanding of the need to perform. First comes the strategic plan, then the tasks needed to carry out the plan, finally, teams are formed to do the tasks. Team basics are often overlooked. Team basics are: size, purpose, goals, skills, approach, and accountability. Teams at the top are the most difficult. Executives have complex, long-term challenges, heavy demands on their time, and they got where they are by being John Waynes. Theres no need to throw out the hierarchy. Teams are the best way to integrate across structural boundaries. They are the best way to design and energize core processes. Teams permit performance and learning at the same time. There is no better way to become a learning organization than to have a team-based structure which thrives on people learning from peers. The learning endures.

2. 3. 4. 5.

BUILDING TEAM RELATIONSHIPS Steps to Building an Effective Team The first rule of team building is an obvious one: to lead a team effectively, you must first establish your leadership with each team member. Remember that the most effective team leaders build their relationships of trust and loyalty, rather than fear or the power of their positions.

Consider each employee's ideas as valuable. Remember that there is no such thing as a stupid idea. Be aware of employees' unspoken feelings. Set an example to team members by being open with employees and sensitive to their moods and feelings. Act as a harmonizing influence. Look for chances to mediate and resolve minor disputes; point continually toward the team's higher goals. Be clear when communicating. Be careful to clarify directives. Encourage trust and cooperation among employees on your team . Remember that the relationships team members establish among themselves are every bit as important as those you establish with them. As the team begins to take shape, pay close attention to the ways in which team members work together and take steps to improve communication, cooperation, trust, and respect in those relationships. Encourage team members to share information. Emphasize the importance of each team member's contribution and demonstrate how all of their jobs operate together to move the entire team closer to its goal. Delegate problem-solving tasks to the team. Let the team work on creative solutions together. Facilitate communication. Remember that communication is the single most important factor in successful teamwork. Facilitating communication does not mean holding meetings all the time. Instead it means setting an example by remaining open to suggestions and concerns, by asking questions and offering help, and by doing everything you can to avoid confusion in your own communication. Establish team values and goals; evaluate team performance. Be sure to talk with members about the progress they are making toward established goals so that employees get a sense both of their success and of the challenges that lie ahead. Address teamwork in performance standards. Discuss with your team: What do we really care about in performing our job? What does the word success mean to this team? What actions can we take to live up to our stated values?

Make sure that you have a clear idea of what you need to accomplish; that you know what your standards for success are going to be; that you have established clear time frames; and that team members understand their responsibilities. Use consensus. Set objectives, solve problems, and plan for action. While it takes much longer to establish consensus, this method ultimately provides better decisions and greater productivity because it secures every employee's commitment to all phases of the work. Set ground rules for the team . These are the norms that you and the team establish to ensure efficiency and success. They can be simple directives (Team members are to be punctual for meetings) or general guidelines (Every team member has the right to offer ideas and suggestions), but you should make sure that the team creates these ground rules by consensus and commits to them, both as a group and as individuals. Establish a method for arriving at a consensus . You may want to conduct open debate about the pros and cons of proposals, or establish research committees to investigate issues and deliver reports.

Encourage listening and brainstorming. As supervisor, your first priority in creating consensus is to stimulate debate. Remember that employees are often afraid to disagree with one another and that this fear can lead your team to make mediocre decisions. When you encourage debate you inspire creativity and that's how you'll spur your team on to better results. Establish the parameters of consensus-building sessions . Be sensitive to the frustration that can mount when the team is not achieving consensus. At the outset of your meeting, establish time limits, and work with the team to achieve consensus within those parameters. Watch out for false consensus; if an agreement is struck too quickly, be careful to probe individual team members to discover their real feelings about the proposed solution.

Empowered Teams: Team Empowerment Basics Empowerment is different from delegation. Delegation is entrusting a task to a team while still retaining all the decision making control. Empowerment, however, requires that a certain amount of responsibility and decision making capability is vested in the team. Assigning responsibility implies confidence in the team and confidence in its ability to take certain decisions on its own. It gives the team the independence to formulate an action plan and then implement that plan. Empowered teams can work in several situations; here are some examples of a few: Empowered product marketing teams are able to come up with ideas that help create better products and services in line with customer expectations. Empowered teams in the services sector can help to bring about greater customer satisfaction and retention levels. Empowered sales teams are better at achieving their targets and forming long-term partnerships with clients. Lets look at an example of a customer services team at a hotel: The customer services team is not empowered to handle complaints. When faced with an irate customer, they have to be polite but buy time. They then have to refer back to their supervisor and work out a solution that can appease the customer. When they finally get back to the customer, the customer has his bags packed and is ready to check out to move to a competitors hotel! Lets now consider an empowered customer services team: The customer services team is empowered to handle complaints in a particular manner. When faced with an irate customer, the team is empowered to use small promotional methods like discounts, offers or schemes to appease the disgruntled customer. The customer is happy with the offer and the matter is resolved efficiently. The benefits to the company can be enormous since customer retention is likely to go up. Lack of empowerment can be a functional glass ceiling and it can prove to be a stumbling block especially for teams that front organizations in customer services or client relations. Lack of empowerment can also slow down the work flow because the decision making is vested higher up the hierarchy. A certain amount of authority and decision making leeway helps improve work efficiency and also ensures that a team takes pride in its existence.

If the team is empowered to make some of the decisions, this empowerment becomes an enabling force and positively impacts the efficiency and revenues of the organization. Many companies have reaped tangible benefits by using empowerment as an enabling force. Leadership on teams: SEE THE PDF FILE MANAGING CROSS-CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN TEAMS Managing Diversity in the Workplace The Chancellor's Committee on Diversity defines Diversity as: "The variety of experiences and perspective which arise from differences in race, culture, religion, mental or physical abilities, heritage,age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and other characteristics." So why is it when many people think of diversity, they think first of ethnicity and race, and then gender? Diversity is much broader. Diversity is otherness or those human qualities that are different from our own and outside the groups to which we belong, yet present in other individuals and groups. It's important to understand how these dimensions affect performance, motivation, success, and interactions with others. Institutional structures and practices that have presented barriers to some dimensions of diversity should be examined, challenged, and removed. A good starting-point for thinking about diversity is to become familiar with UCs systemwide Non-Discrimination Statement: It is the policy of the University not to engage in discrimination against or harassment of any person employed or seeking employment with the University of California on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition (cancer-related or genetic characteristics), ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, or status as a covered veteran. This policy applies to all employment practices, including recruitment, selection, promotion, transfer, merit increase, salary, training and development, demotion, and separation. Of course, diversity also encompasses a wide variety of other differences, including work experience, parental status, educational background, geographic location, and much more. And managing diversity means more than simply observing legal and policy requirements. It also means actively promoting community and comfort with difference, as noted in UCSFs Principles of Community: We recognize, value, and affirm that social diversity contributes richness to the University community and enhances the quality of campus life for individuals and groups. We take pride in our various achievements and we celebrate our differences.

As this suggests, workplace diversity can provide tremendous benefits in terms of improved morale, outside-the-box thinking, greater teamwork, and an atmosphere of mutual understanding and respect. Guiding Principles How Well Do You Manage Diversity? Managing Diversity

Managing Diversity is Different from Affirmative Action Consequences of Ignoring Diversity Other Resources Guiding Principles

Workforce diversity is a reality at San Francisco. We already reflect the national demographic trends predicted for the year 2000 by the Hudson Institute in its 1987 report, Workforce 2000. Accommodation issues for our diverse workforce, such as childcare, elder care, flexible work arrangements, disability accommodation, and literacy are being addressed in the workplace. Managing diversity is defined as "planning and implementing organizational systems and practices to manage people so that the potential advantages of diversity are maximized while its potential disadvantages are minimized," according to Taylor Cox in "Cultural Diversity in Organizations." Managing diversity well provides a distinct advantage in an era when flexibility and creativity are keys to competitiveness. An organization needs to be flexible and adaptable to meet new customer needs. Heterogeneity promotes creativity and heterogeneous groups have been shown to produce better solutions to problems and a higher level of critical analysis. This can be a vital asset at a time when the campus is undergoing tremendous change and self-examination to find new and more effective ways to operate. With effective management of diversity, the campus develops a reputation as an employer of choice. Not only will you have the ability to attract the best talent from a shrinking labor pool, you can save time and money in recruitment and turnover costs. The campus will fulfill its role as a public institution by reflecting the diversity of the state as well as meeting the increasing demand to provide informed services to an increasingly diverse customer base. How Well Do You Manage Diversity? Do you test your assumptions before acting on them? Do you believe there is only one right way of doing things, or that there are a number of valid ways that accomplish the same goal? Do you convey that to staff? Do you have honest relationships with each staff member you supervise? Are you comfortable with each of them? Do you know what motivates them, what their goals are, how they like to be recognized? Are you able to give negative feedback to someone who is culturally different from you? When you have open positions, do you insist on a diverse screening committee and make additional outreach efforts to ensure that a diverse pool of candidates has applied? When you hire a new employee, do you not only explain job responsibilities and expectations clearly, but orient the person to the campus and department culture and unwritten rules? Do you rigorously examine your unit's existing policies, practices, and procedures to ensure that they do not differentially impact different groups? When they do, do you change them?

Are you willing to listen to constructive feedback from your staff about ways to improve the work environment? Do you implement staff suggestions and acknowledge their contribution? Do you take immediate action with people you supervise when they behave in ways that show disrespect for others in the workplace, such as inappropriate jokes and offensive terms? Do you make good faith efforts to meet your affirmative action goals? Do you have a good understanding of institutional isms such as racism and sexism and how they manifest themselves in the workplace? Do you ensure that assignments and opportunities for advancement are accessible to everyone? If you were able to answer yes to more than half the questions, you are on the right track to managing diversity well. Managing Diversity To address diversity issues, consider these questions: what policies, practices, and ways of thinking and within our organizational culture have differential impact on different groups? What organizational changes should be made to meet the needs of a diverse workforce as well as to maximize the potential of all workers, so that San Francisco can be well positioned for the demands of the 21st century? Most people believe in the golden rule: treat others as you want to be treated. The implicit assumption is that how you want to be treated is how others want to be treated. But when you look at this proverb through a diversity perspective, you begin to ask the question: what does respect look like; does it look the same for everyone? Does it mean saying hello in the morning, or leaving someone alone, or making eye contact when you speak? It depends on the individual. We may share similar values, such as respect or need for recognition, but how we show those values through behavior may be different for different groups or individuals. How do we know what different groups or individuals need? Perhaps instead of using the golden rule, we could use the platinum rule which states: "treat others as they want to be treated." Moving our frame of reference from what may be our default view ("our way is the best way") to a diversity-sensitive perspective ("let's take the best of a variety of ways") will help us to manage more effectively in a diverse work environment. Your Role You have a key role in transforming the organizational culture so that it more closely reflects the values of our diverse workforce. Some of the skills needed are: an understanding and acceptance of managing diversity concepts recognition that diversity is threaded through every aspect of management self-awareness, in terms of understanding your own culture, identity, biases, prejudices, and stereotypes willingness to challenge and change institutional practices that present barriers to different groups It's natural to want a cookbook approach to diversity issues so that one knows exactly what to do. Unfortunately, given the many dimensions of diversity, there is no easy recipe to follow. Advice and strategies given for one situation may not work given the same situation in another context. Managing diversity means acknowledging people's differences and recognizing these differences as valuable; it enhances good management practices by preventing discrimination and promoting inclusiveness. Good management

alone will not necessarily help you work effectively with a diverse workforce. It is often difficult to see what part diversity plays in a specific area of management. The Office of Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity and Diversity is experienced in providing help with training and advice on the variety of situations that occur, tailored to your specific environment. Their website is www.aaeod.ucsf.edu. To illustrate, the following two examples show how diversity is an integral part of management. The first example focuses on the area of selection, the second example looks at communication: Issues How do you make the job sound appealing to different types of workers? How can recruitment be effectively targeted to diverse groups? How do you overcome bias in the interviewing process, questions, and your response? Strategies Specify the need for skills to work effectively in a diverse environment in the job, for example: "demonstrated ability to work effectively in a diverse work environment." Make sure that good faith efforts are made to recruit a diverse applicant pool. Focus on the job requirements in the interview, and assess experience but also consider transferable skills and demonstrated competencies, such as analytical, organizational, communication, coordination. Prior experience has not necessarily mean effectiveness or success on the job. Use a panel interview format. Ensure that the committee is diverse, unit affiliation, job classification, length of service, variety of life experiences, etc. to represent different perspectives and to eliminate bias from the selection process. Run questions and process by them to ensure there is no unintentional bias. Ensure that appropriate accommodations are made for disabled applicants. Know your own biases. What stereotypes do you have of people from different groups and how well they may perform on the job? What communication styles do you prefer? Sometimes what we consider to be appropriate or desirable qualities in a candidate may reflect more about our personal preferences than about the skills needed to perform the job. Fair vs. Same Treatment Many people think that "fairness" means "treating everyone the same." How well does treating everyone the same work for a diverse staff? For example, when employees have limited English language skills or reading proficiency, even though that limit might not affect their ability to do their jobs, transmitting important information through complicated memos might not be an effective way of communicating with them. While distributing such memos to all staff is "treating everyone the same," this approach may not communicate essential information to everyone. A staff member who missed out on essential information might feel that the communication process was "unfair." A process that takes account of the diverse levels of English language and reading proficiency among the staff might include taking extra time to be sure that information in an important memorandum is understood. Such efforts on the part of supervisors and managers should be supported and rewarded as good management practices for working with a diverse staff.

Managing Diversity is Different from Affirmative Action Managing diversity focuses on maximizing the ability of all employees to contribute to organizational goals. Affirmative action focuses on specific groups because of historical discrimination, such as people of color and women. Affirmative action emphasizes legal necessity and social responsibility; managing diversity emphasizes business necessity. In short, while managing diversity is also concerned with underrepresentation of women and people of color in the workforce, it is much more inclusive and acknowledges that diversity must work for everyone. Consequences of Ignoring Diversity Ignoring diversity issues costs time, money, and efficiency. Some of the consequences can include unhealthy tensions; loss of productivity because of increased conflict; inability to attract and retain talented people of all kinds; complaints and legal actions; and inability to retain valuable employees, resulting in lost investments in recruitment and training.

Role of Internal Consultants in managing change

Internal Consultants play a unique role in driving successful change in organizations across the globe. Not only do they support the specific solution development and expertise, and sometimes the project management support, but they are often times a key player in the change management activities that support project implementation. This two-part tutorial includes an overview of internal consulting and a look at how internal consultants support change management. The first part is written by Dr. William Trotter, Managing Director of the Association of Internal Management Consultants, and looks at the role of Internal Consultants. The second part is from Tim Creasey, Prosci's Director of Research and Development, focusing on the role of internal consultants in supporting effective change management implementation.

Prosci's own Tim Creasey, Director of Research and Development, will be presenting at this year's Association of Internal Management Consultants 2008 National Conference. Find out more at the AIMC National Conference website.

Understanding the Internal Consultant

By Dr. William Trotter, Managing Director of the Association of Internal Management Consultants

What is an Internal Consultant

Our working definition is that an Internal Consultant (IC) is any individual/group which serves internal clients in an advisory capacity, including: Bringing a specialized management consulting expertise to improve the bottom line performance

of the company/organization Working within the corporate structure to resolve business issues and implement solutions in areas that include organizational effectiveness/development, strategic planning, or process improvement Serving as a change agent, coach, educator or facilitator within your company Supporting internal clients in a shared service type organization, such as: Human Resources; Training & Development; Information Technology; Finance; Quality Management; Health, Safety & Environmental Services; Competitive/Business Intelligence and Planning; etc.

My experience is that of the total number of people in a company performing this function, there are only a small portion of them in formal Internal Consulting Groups. Many formal IC groups have a combination of employees from various areas of the organization, either on a permanent or rotational basis, and external consultants hired into the group to bring their expertise and knowledge of how to provide the services needed. While some organizations do have formal internal consulting groups, there are many people fulfilling the role without the title. These individuals are often in HR, OD/OE, or Project Management Offices. Regardless of organizational affiliation, those performing internal consulting type services need core consulting skills which the AIMC helps to develop.

What makes a good Internal Consultant

Internal Consultants need a combination of company/industry knowledge and core consulting skills. It is also helpful to have additional expertise in one or more key practice areas such as: strategic/business planning and performance measurement; process management (including quality management and Six Sigma); or organizational effectiveness/development. It is also important to understand the essential dynamics of managing a consulting type of organization. The AIMC has developed a number of tools/frameworks to help organizations better manage IC services. The first is the IC Operations Model which provides key insights in the areas of: client relationship management, operating processes such as contracting, culture and people including staffing and development. This is linked to the IC Performance Measurement (Balanced Scorecard) System which provides key measurements in the financial, internal process, customer and innovation/learning areas to help ensure a balanced results focus. The next tool to be provided is the IC Competency Model, which will be presented at our AIMC National Conference in April. This has competencies for both individual contributors and IC leaders/managers, which will be linked to skill-building programs. Individual contributors in IC Competency Leadership elements in IC Competency Model Model Management Consulting Skills Client Service Focus Professional Impact Change Management Business Acumen Communicating Vision Selecting, Managing and Developing Others Decision Making Team Building

Coaching Project Management Business Process Optimization

Strategic Business Implementation Managing Cross Collaboration

Planning

and

Business

Unit

AIMC Internal Consultant Competency Model Categories - Draft (February 2008)

Where organizations are using Internal Consultants today

Internal Consultants are being used across the organization from corporate planning/business development to various human resources and other support/service functions. The growth of internal consulting has been due in part to organizations trying to get more value from their overall consulting spend. This includes focusing more on implementation and continuous improvement in addition to more effectively transferring technology from external consultants to the organization. ICs are also often involved in negotiating external consulting contracts, teaming with external consultants on large projects and maintaining a roster of qualified consulting suppliers who can supplement their services in times of heavy or specialized demand. One of the rapidly evolving growth areas in internal consulting is enterprise change management. Here, ICs are working with top levels in the organization to implement a consistent change methodology and build it into various activities throughout the firm, such as project management.

How Internal Consultants support change management

By Tim Creasey, Prosci Director of Research and Development Internal Consultants play an important role in managing the people side of change - applying structured change management tools and proceses. Below are the two simplest and most common team structures for change management. Team structure 1 Team structure 2

Team structure 1 shows an existing member or group from the project team taking on the change management activities. In this case, the change management team does have the project knowledge and background, but maylack change management experience or expertise. Team structure 2 is the use of Internal Consultants - whether or not they have the title "Internal Consultant" - to support a project team and sponsor on the change management front. Many internal consultants attend Prosci's change management certification program. These consultants tend to serve in a support role on projects in the organization, developing and delivering change management strategy and plans to internal clients. Many times these individuals are formally HR consultants, communication specialists, OD consultants, part of the Project Management Office or a separate strategy or transformation staff. In some cases, organizations are formalizing the role of the Change Management Office or the Change Management Consultant. The role of the Internal Consultant in supporting change management is three-fold: 1. Educate about change management 2. Develop strategy and plans 3. Enable the other 'doers' of change management

Educate about change management

Internal Consultants who support change management in an organization first must answer two questions for those they interact with: What is change management? Why is change management important? While the change management specialist has a full understanding of change management, what it means and what it looks like, many in the organization may not have the same perspective. For example, some might think change management is just communication. Others might think it is version control for IT hardware and software (this is a common use of the term "change management"). Those with a background in project management might think it is the steps to follow when there is a change to project scope. Still others might think it is just holding a group therapy session where people can vent. The first challenge is to accurately define change management for people in the organization as the tools, processes and practices for managing the people side of organizational change. Several recent tutorials might help you in educating about the what and why of change management: Defining change management Connecting change management to business results Change management quick reference glossary Why change management?

Develop strategy and plans

When Team structure 2 from above is utilized, the Internal Consultants who support the project team are responsible for developing the change management strategy and plans . These activities are not done in a vacuum. Input is solicited from the project team, the sponsor, impacted leaders and managers and

supervisors throughout the organization. For instance, when conducting the change management readiness assessments, the Internal Consultant might interview a business leader from each impacted group in the organization. However, it is ultimately the Internal Consultant who captures and delivers the strategy and the subsequent plans. Prosci's change management methodology is based on three phases - Preparing for change, Managing change and Reinforcing change. The action steps contained in each give the Internal Consultant guidelines on how to develop and present the strategy and plans. The recent change management methodology overview tutorial provides a high-level description of the methodology, as well as key benchmarking findings related to methodology use and selection.

Enable the other 'doers' of change management

The internal change management consultant has much of the responsibility for strategizing and planning the change management program, but there are a number of other 'doers' who must execute the plans. As an illustration, think about one finding from Prosci's 2007 Best Practices in Change Management benchmarking report with 426 participants from 59 countries. Participants were asked, "who do employees prefer to hear messages about change from?" Resoundingly, there were two preferred senders of change messages. First, employees want to hear from someone at the top of the organization about the business reasons for the change - e.g. why it is happening, what are the risks of not changing, why the change is happening now. Second, employees want to hear from their direct supervisors about the personal impacts of the change - how will this change impact my day-to-day work, how will it impact our group. Employees do not want to hear from HR, or a communications specialist, or the project leader or the change management consultant. They want to hear from someone at the top and the person they report to. So, the role of the change management resource is to enable the preferred senders (senior business leader and managers/supervisors) to deliver these messages. They can segment the audience, create talking points, build presentations and even schedule communication events, but the messages should be delivered by the preferred sender. Prosci released a Roles in change management tutorial that describes the different 'doers' required for successful change. It outlines how the change management resource - or internal change management consultant - plays a role in energizing, activating and enabling these different players.

Contemporary issues in managing teams:

TEAMS AND TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT One of the central characteristics of total quality management (TQM) is the use of teams. But why are teams an essential part of TQM? The essence of TQM is process improvement, and employee involvement is the linchpin of process improvement .In other words, TQM requires management to give employees the encouragement to share ideas and act on what they suggest. As one author put it, None of the various TQM processes and techniques will catch on and be applied except in work teams. All such techniques and processes require high levels of communication and contact, response and adaptation ,and coordination and sequencing. They require ,in short, the environment that can be supplied only by superior work teams. Ford began its TQM efforts in the early 1980s with teams as the primary organizing mechanism. Because this business is so complex ,you cant make an impact on it without a team approach, noted one ford manager. In designing its quality problem-solving teams, Fords management identified five goals. The teams should

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Be small enough to be efficient and effective. Be properly trained in the skills their members will need. Be allocated enough time to work on the problems they plan to address. Be given the authority to resolve the problems and implement corrective action. Each have a designated champion whose job it is to help the team get around roadblocks that arise.

At Amana, cross-functional task forces made up of people from different levels within the company are used to deal with quality problems that cut across departmental lines .The various task forces Each have a unique area of problem-solving responsibility. For instance ,one handles in-plant products, another deals with items that arise outside the production facility, and still another focuses its attention specifically on supplier problems. Amana claims the use of these teams has improved vertical and horizontal communication within the company and substantially reduced both the number of units that dont meet company specifications and the number of service problems in the field

TEAMS AND WORKFORCE DIVERSITY Managing diversity on teams is a balancing act .Diversity typically provides fresh perspectives on issues ,but it mkes it more difficult to unify the team and reach agreements. The strongest case for diversity on work teams is when these teams are engaged in problem-solving and decisionmaking tasks. Heterogeneous teams bring multiple perspectives to the discussion, thus increasing the likelihood that the team will identify creative or unique solutions. Additionally ,the lack of a common perspective usually means diverse teams spend more time discussing issues, which decreases the chances that a weak alternative will be chosen .However ,keep in mind that the positive contribution that diversity makes to decision-making teams undoubtedly declines over time. Diverse groups have more difficulty working together and solving problems ,but this dissipates with time. Expect the value-added component of diverse teams to decrease as members become more familiar with each other and the team becomes more cohesive. Studies tell us that members of cohesive teams have greater satisfaction , lower absenteeism, and lower attrition from the group. Yet cohesiveness is likely to be lower on diverse teams .So here is a potential negative of diversity. It is detrimental to group cohesiveness. The relationship between cohesiveness and group productivity was moderated by performance related norms .we suggest that if the norms of the team are supportive of diversity, then a team can maximize the value of heterogeneity while, at the same time, achieving the benefits of high cohesiveness .This makes a strong case for team members to participate in diversity training. REINVIGORATING MATURE TEAMS

Mature teams are particularly prone to suffer from groupthink .Members begin to believe they can read everyones mind so they know what everyone is thinking. As a result, team members become reluctant to express their thoughts and less likely to challenge each other.

Another source of problem for mature teams is that their early success are often due to having taken on easy tasks. Its normal for new teams to begin by taking on those issues and problems that they can handle most easily. But as time passes, the easy problems become solved and the team has to begin to confront more difficult issues. At this point ,the team has typically developed entrenched processes and routines, and members are reluctant to change the perfect system they have already worked out. The results can often be disastrous .Internal team processes no longer work smoothly. Communication bogs down .Conflicts increase because problems are less likely to have obvious solutions. And team performance can drop dramatically. What can be done to reinvigorate mature teams? We offer four suggestions: 6. Prepare members to deal with the problems of maturity .Remind team members that theyre not unique all successful teams have to confront maturity issues. They should feel let down or lose their confidence in the team concept when the initial euphoria subsides and conflicts surface. Offer refresher training. When teams get into ruts, it may help to provide them with refresher training in communication, conflict resolution, team processes, and similar skills. This can help members regain confidence and trust in one another. Offer advanced training. The skills that worked with easy problems may be insufficient for more difficult ones. So mature teams can often benefit from advanced training to help members develop stronger problem-solving, interpersonal and technical skills. Encourage teams to treat their development as a constant learning experience .Like TQM, teams should approach their own development as part of a search for continuous improvement. Teams should look for ways to improve, to confront member fears and frustrations, and to use conflict as a learning opportunity.

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