ESTABLISH AN AGREEMENT FOR SUCCESS. Learning Objectives Upon completion of this unit, you will be able to:

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1 ESTABLISH AN AGREEMENT FOR SUCCESS Included with this Participant workbook are the following guidebooks, published by Richard Chang Associates, Inc. Building A Dynamic Team Measuring Team Performance Establishing teams is not a cure-all success formula for organizations. Teams will be successful only to the extent that they have a clear purpose, apply elements of high performance teamwork, and can produce measurable results. The goal of this session is to familiarize you with the fundamentals of high performance teamwork and help you build a Team Agreement that will serve as a contract to guide your team through to the completion of your mission. Organizations that master high performance teamwork have a competitive advantage that can translate into real business performance improvement. Learning Objectives Upon completion of this unit, you will be able to: 1. Develop and complete a Team Agreement that conforms to the guidelines found in these training materials and that a team will actually use on-the-job 2. Describe your role in the high performance team process according to the definitions found in these training materials and by using input from others (i.e., team members, team leader, team sponsor) 3. Identify your team s phase of development, as defined in these training materials, and set realistic expectations for team outputs (based on the team s development phase) 1

2 Building A Dynamic Team (cont.) Agenda Building Toward High Performance Starting Up A Team Creating And Using Team Agreements A Checklist For Getting Started Mission And Goals (Part I And Part II, Section 1) Performance Measures (Part II, Section 2) Team Business Objectives (Part II, Section 3) Scope (Part II, Section 4) Support (Part II, Section 5) Rules Of The Road (Part III) Clarify Roles And Responsibilities (Part IV) Summary Looking At Phases Of Team Development 2

3 Creating And Using Team Agreements (cont.) Why Create A Team Agreement? It may seem time consuming or bureaucratic to create this kind of document, yet the most common problem with most teams is a lack of clear direction. The Team Agreement creates alignment on the team from the start by accomplishing these objectives: Clarify scope, goals, and team objectives. Ensure alignment with strategic business objectives. Agree on roles, responsibilities, and time commitments. The Team Agreement is critical if you want to drive your team toward high performance. Process To Create The Team Agreement The team leader and team sponsor may want to draft a "strawman" to jumpstart the team. When developing a Team Agreement, the team should work through the following steps spearheaded by the team leader. 1. The team leader and team sponsor meet to discuss the shared view of big picture issues that impact your team. Questions to address include: What is the purpose and goal of the team? What are the desired outcomes? How will we know the team was successful? 2. The team leader and a couple of team members meet with the team s customers and suppliers (internal and external) to clarify their expectations of the team. 3. The team leader reviews other Team Agreements that were created for similar teams (if available) and determines if the material can be incorporated into their Team Agreement. 4. The team meets to discuss and complete the Team Agreement form shown on the following pages. The format is not the critical element. The thinking and decisions concerning the team s mission are the central issues to be addressed. 5. The team sponsor, team leader, and each team member initials and/or signs the Team Agreement to ensure everyone is on-board with the team s mission and process. The team leader sends a copy to all interested parties. 7

4 Creating Your Team Agreement: A Checklist For Getting Started (cont.) Sample Team Agreement* * If additional tools are used in your local environment, you can continue to use those existing processes just make sure all Team Agreement items are covered. TEAM AGREEMENT Name Of Team: Customer Service Team #2 Date: 5/6/XX Team Leader: Fran Klees Sponsor: Ruth Gamer Team Type:! Natural Work Group Team! Leadership Planning Team! Other Team Type:! Project Team! Process Improvement Team (PIT)! Organizational Systems Team! SWAT Team Part I Map Out Your Team s Mission Statement Building A Dynamic Team Pages Team Mission (i.e., the purpose of team, the charter, etc.): To improve the current telephone communications system which does not fully meet internal and external customers needs (e.g., can be on hold for ten minutes, prompts are too confusing, no way to override prompts, perceived as impersonal, misused based on over-reliance on system versus answering the phone live once in a while, etc.). Part II Chart Your Team s Goals And Priorities 1. Team Goals (i.e., what the team wants to do in support of the mission, key result areas that the team wants to impact, etc.): Building A Dynamic Team Pages To improve the telephone communication system by reducing response time and increasing customer satisfaction. 2. Performance Measures (i.e., specific measures that will be used to assess the team s success in achieving the mission and goals, the team s key indicators of success, etc.): Reference Material And Reproducible Worksheets Pages R5 R11 This team s efforts are linked to the organization-wide Key Result Areas of Customer Satisfaction and Improving Responsiveness To Customers. Specific measures are: 1.) Customer Satisfaction Index (from the G7 marketing report Telephone Communication section). 2.) Response time (as measured by minutes on hold from TCP system). 3.) Percentage of calls using the automated prompt, If you are unsure of your selection, please stay on the line Fran (the team leader) will collect these measures weekly from the G7 and TCP reports and generate a trend report to be submitted at each team meeting. Once the recommendations are implemented, the TCP system will automatically track measurement results and provide comparison to the original data. Fran will present these findings at each team meeting. 11

5 Creating Your Team Agreement: Clarify Roles And Responsibilities (cont.) Aspects Of Team Roles Well-defined roles clarify what each team member is expected to do. This clarity helps prevent misunderstanding and minimize conflicts. A team s success and speed (high performance) are influenced heavily by clarity of and conformity to the roles. Each team needs to clarify its own unique role requirements, but in general the following aspects of team roles must be addressed. TEAM SPONSOR TEAM LEADER TEAM MEMBER Purpose and contribution Link to larger organization Achieve team objectives Generates solutions Focuses on Alignment Objectives Involvement Helps team with Resource allocation and prioritization Direction and focus Ideas and participation Involvement in problem solving Provides the opportunity to learn and practice tools Encourages and guides process Generates ideas Involvement in decision making Encourages appropriate risk taking Creates consensus Provides alternatives Key processes used Asks questions Encourages involvement Participates actively Skills and competencies needed Exhibits listening and good judgment Exhibits leadership and encouragement Exhibits trust and commitment 24

6 LOOKING AT PHASES OF TEAM DEVELOPMENT As high performing teams mature, they follow four primary phases of development. Arrive Thrive Revive Strive Drive Knowledge and understanding of these phases of team development will enable teams to have a balanced perspective on both tasks and processes of team dynamics, and will keep them from overreacting to normal problems and setting unrealistic expectations. Phase 1: Drive KEY CHARACTERISTICS Excitement, anticipation, and optimism Hesitant participation Anxiety, suspicion, and fear about the job ahead and initial attachment to the team Dependence on leadership Complaints about the organization Minimal work accomplishment WHAT THE TEAM CAN DO Clarify the team s purpose, goals, and action plan. Establish procedures for conducting team meetings and for communicating outside of team meetings. Provide opportunities for team members to socialize and learn more about each other. Inspire team members to commit to the work of the team and to believe in the importance of their work. Validate and rely on the communication style and skills each team member brings. 26

7 ESTABLISH AN AGREEMENT FOR SUCCESS Personal Action Plan Key learnings: I need to contact and involve the following: Name How When The specific action steps I will carry out on the job include: What When Additional issues/concerns I need to address: 29