Here's the ultimate in accountability:  Employees can do whatever they want, whenever they want, as long as the work gets done.  May sound crazy, but that's exactly what is happening at Edmunds, a company that operates as an online resource for information on the U.S. automotive industry. 

Just a few years ago, the leadership at Edmunds was looking for a competitive edge in attracting hard-to-come-by tech talent.  They tried a flextime policy with high hopes.  But the policy was cumbersome to administer and it didn't achieve the objective.  After trying many iterations, Edmunds' Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) implemented a vacation policy that had no limits.  That's right - take as many days off as you wish, but you'd better be able to produce the results. 

This may seem like a policy that is lined with a whole host of problems, but upon further reflection, you realize that as long as the infrastructure and accountability are in place, everyone can be satisfied.  Employers get the intended result and employees enjoy flexibility in their work lives. 

Important features of such a program would include an infrastructure that clearly identifies what success means and how the results will be measured/tracked.  And if the company is to maintain or improve worker productivity, managers have to be on top of their game in managing team member activities and holding them accountable. 

It's amazing what organizations can do once accountability is in place!  Creativity in HR "policies" can drive significant culture change that improves company productivity and thus, positively impacts the bottom line.         

As a follow-up to my last blog post about absence of trust as a characteristic of team dysfunction, today we'll follow up two more:  fear of conflict and lack of commitment.  

Fear of Conflict.  Why does fear of conflict cause team dysfunction?  Because if your workplace is not "safe" for dialog about work situations, especially sticky ones, you are probably missing out on some of the best solutions.  Healthy discussion about the pros and cons of a problem bring out valuable perspectives that can help employees narrow in on the best approaches. 

Some of the symptoms of environments where fear of conflict prevail include:  1)  employees avoid discussion of topics that are crucial to team success, 2)  politics and personal attacks thrive, 3)  there is a lack of open forums where all team members express their thoughts/perspectives.

Overcome fear of conflict by creating an environment where new ideas and differing perspectives are encouraged.  Start by designating a few employees Patrick Lencioni calls, "miners of conflict".  These are stewards that encourage employees to share their thoughts and verbally encourage them as the discussion becomes uncomfortable.  The stewards also follow up with contributing team members after the dialog to remind them that the conflict they just engaged in is healthy for the team in the long run.     

Lack of Commitment.   Commitment is a team dysfunction for obvious reasons - if employees are not committed to your business goals and objectives, progress is stifled. 

Environments that exhibit symptoms of lack of commitment include:  1) employees aren't clear about team direction and priorities, 2) employees revisit discussions and decisions again and again, 3)  team members second-guess each other. 

Overcome a lack of commitment by honing in on clarity and buy-in.  Clarity exists when all parties understand the objectives of the project and their role in achieving the objective.   Buy-in exists when everyone is in agreement of the next step (this does NOT always mean agreement with the decision).   

One easy way to achieve both clarity and buy-in?  At the end of staff meetings, the team should review key decisions that were reached and agree who is doing what by when...and then the team needs to hold each member accountable.   

Sometimes merely "noticing" there are dysfunctions is the first step in eliminating them.  Hopefully by reviewing some of the symptoms of each, you can recognize which ones need work on in your environment!    Next time, we'll cover the last two team dysfunctions:  avoidance of accountability and inattention to results.

Of critical importance in reaching business objectives is making sure your people work well together.  If you haven't read Patrick Lencioni's, "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team", you might benefit from picking it up.  It is a fable (and quick read) about a CEO whose business is starting to fail mainly due to a critically dysfunctional team. 

Maybe you recognize that your own team has some struggles, but you're not really sure what is causing the turmoil.  Lencioni professes a kind-of-a Maslow's hierarchy of dysfunction as follows: 

His premise is that a lack of trust is the foundation (and cause) of many other dysfunctions.  Examples of behaviors where a lack of trust pervade include team members who:  1)  conceal their weakness or mistakes; 2) hesitate to ask for, or offer,  help; 3) jump to conclusions about the intentions or aptitudes of others without attempting to clarify them; 4) hold grudges; 5) avoid meetings and find ways to avoid spending time together.

How to overcome a lack of trust?  Certainly not overnight!  It requires shared experiences over time that include understanding and a building of credibility for team members.  One of the suggestions is...oh, no, dare I say it...team building exercises. 

Once the team buys into the vision of building trust, a simple exercise such as sharing personal history can work well.  In the next team gathering, go around the table and ask folks to share some information about themselves such as hometown, favorite hobbies, first job, worst job, etc.  This provides team members with the opportunity to relate to each other in another way and see each other as people with interesting backgrounds.  This encourages greater empathy and understanding, a few main steps in building trust and rapport. 

Next time we'll cover some of the ways to overcome the other dysfunctions of teams.  Stop back soon!

      

One of the industry's leading change agents, John P. Kotter writes,  "You know your organization needs to change.  You may even know what the change needs to be:  a new strategy, a new IT system, an acquisition or reorganization.  But somehow, change comes too slowly or it feels like you're pushing a boulder up a hill, or the implementation of that great new idea has stalled - again."  Sound familiar?   Then you may need to create a sense of urgency. 

The success of any change initiative depends on the people who are leading it.  They need to feel like there is some immediacy to their actions.  Sometimes it is much easier to get started and much harder to keep the momentum going.  Here are a few ways to see change through to the end.

1.  Build a guiding team.  Pick leaders who have a vested interest in the change initiative.  Ask them to help identify critical issues and potential challenges that might hinder your progress.  Work with them to  help minimize the roadblocks and pave the way toward success.

2.  Communication.  Successful change projects have one thing in common - the leaders relentlessly communicate the visions and strategies to stakeholders and those impacted by the change.   Find various modes to communicate the same messages - email, meetings, town hall gatherings, company fun functions.

3.  Empowerment.  Change agents empower others who are committed to make an vision a reality.  You can't force change...and the more supportive feet on the ground, the better chances your initiative has for success.

4.  Short-term Wins.   Change takes time and there may be slip ups along the way.  The best way to keep employees focused is to celebrate short term wins.  At each step in the process, use celebration or recognition of reaching important milestones as a way to keep the momentum going. 

5.  Make change stick.   Find ways of institutionalizing the change into the company structure, systems and culture...make the change the "new" way.

Need some more thoughts on creating a sense of urgency for your next change initiative?  Check out Kotter's book, "A Sense of Urgency" here. 

  


 

In studying any concepts in management, you are likely to come across his name.  Peter Drucker.  He was one of the first management consultants focusing on business improvement and worked with many of our leading corporations.  Heard of Management by Objectives (MBO)?  Mr. Drucker came up with that...and many other concepts businesses use to become more effective.

In his book, "The Effective Executive:  The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done", he summarizes his findings on the practices that effective executives have in common.   They seem pretty straight-forward on the surface, but implementation of them take some effort and focus.  The most effective leaders followed these eight practices: 

1)  They asked, "What needs to be done?"  Constantly.  An effective executive only focuses on one goal, maybe two, at a time.  Additionally, at regular intervals, he is re-evaluating those priorities to make sure they're still on track toward the RIGHT objectives. 

2)  They asked, "What is right for the enterprise?"  Not shareholders, not the Board of Directors, but what will make the business succeed.  Then the profits and pleasing stakeholders falls into place. 

3)  They developed action plans.  They figured out what needed to be done and who should do it...methodically.

4)  They took responsibility for decisions.  The buck stopped with them.  They held people accountable, but in the end, it was their responsibility to be sure everything stayed on track.

5)  They took responsibility for communicating.  They didn't expect people to just "get it".  They arranged meetings and weaved the messages and goals into everyday conversations.

6)  They were focused on opportunities rather than problems.  A problem is seen as a way to meet a need that is currently not being satisfied - either in making a customer for life or in providing a product that is superior to what's currently being offered.

7)  They ran productive meetings.  This often means not having meetings at all.  Discipline is one of the keys here.  Since time is our most valuable commodity, we are best suited to manage it as such.

8)  They thought and said "we" rather than "I".  Enough said - TEAM!

 

One of the books on my "To Read" List for January is, "18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction and Get the Right Things Done," by Peter Bregman.   A very interesting read and worth the time if you get the chance to pick it up - check it out here.  Strange thing is that all along, and about 65% through the book, I've been wondering, "What's the 18 Minutes About?"  Well, I guess it was a build up...

The 18 Minutes refers to key moments in your day that impact your ability to be effective.  In a nutshell, here they are:

• Your Morning Minutes: 5 Minutes
  Before turning on your computer, sit down with your "to do" list and decide which items, if accomplished, would make it a successful day.  It is critical to only pick the items you can realistically achieve by the end of the day.  Sometimes it helps to under-commit because you always have things come up that are unexpected.  This isn't an excuse to be lazy though!
  
  
• Refocus: 1 Minute Every Hour
  Set your watch to go off every hour and use that one minute after the alarm to take a deep breath and evaluate whether you spent your last hour productively.  Review your daily task list and determine how you're going to spend the next hour.
  
  
• Your Evening Minutes: 5 Minutes
  So how'd you do on your day?  Did you stick with your daily task list?  Did you achieve your most important objectives?  If so, great for you.  If not, use this time to recommit for tomorrow and maybe finish up things you didn't get to...little things like, do you need to quickly follow up with someone, or send someone an email.  A few minutes at the end of your day will alleviate that voice inside your head that nags you of the things you didn't get to!
  
  
  

BHAG, Big Hairy Audacious Goal  – a term coined by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras in their book, Built to Last:  Successful Habits of Visionary Companies.  Their application of a BHAG is for companies to implement visionary goals that are more strategic and emotionally compelling than a typical goal and they tend to have an outlook of 10 – 30 years. 

What separates BHAGs from what most companies do is their lofty spirit and time frame.  Many businesses set goals that describe what they hope to accomplish over the coming days, months or years.  These goals help align employees of the business to work together more effectively and are often very tactical, for example, to "achieve 10% revenue growth in the next 3 months." 

In contrast,  Collins and Porras state that BHAGs are "...an audacious 10-to-30-year goal to progress towards an envisioned future."    A true BHAG is clear and compelling, serves as unifying focal point of effort, and acts as a clear catalyst for employees to champion.  It has a clear finish line, so the organization can know when it has achieved the goal; people like to shoot for finish lines."

For more details on BHAGs, check out the article "How to Achieve Big Hairy Audacious Goals" from Inc. magazine and hopefully you’ll be able to use these thoughts to get you on your path toward a BHAG!  Put a stake in the ground that 2014 is your year to achieve what matters most.