The Tale of Wonder Widget, Part Three

by Mark S. Fulton

Good things were happening at Wonder Widget. Harry Huddle of ConsultaCorp had begun training company managers how to apply DISC behavior profiling to their departments. Already, their awareness of how different behavior styles affect human interaction was opening long-closed lines of communication and reducing the friction that had built up between several departments.

The 360-degree evaluations Harry had done on Wonder Widget’s executives had resulted in reality checks about their relationships with subordinates, colleagues and superiors. Vice presidents had emerged from their offices and could be seen actually walking around their departments.

Walter Wonder was pleased. His sense of gloom over Wonder Widget’s shrinking profit margin was lifting.

Walter was looking forward to talking to Paula Paradime, the consultant from TeamTime Strategies Inc. At Harry’s suggestion, Walter had asked Paula to help Wonder Widget transform itself from a traditional hierarchical management model to one based on teamwork.

“Hello, Mr. Wonder,” Paula Paradime said perkily, as she entered Walter’s office, shook his hand and took a seat in front of his desk.

“Good morning, Paula. Please call me Walter,” he said.

“Thank you. Have you purchased the books I recommended in my letter?” she asked.

“Yes,” Walter replied. “They look interesting.

Paula took two books from her briefcase. “I’m recommending that you get copies for each of your managers,” she said.

Walter nodded and pulled his copies from his desk drawer.

“Team Basics by Kristin Arnold will be our guide for setting up and launching Wonder Widget’s teams,” said Paula. “The Team Coach by Donna Deeprose will be our handbook for training your managers to make the transition from supervisor to coach in their departments.”

“Excellent,” Walter said, taking one of the books in his hand. “I must confess, Paula, this team business is pretty foreign to me. We’ve always had a clear chain of command here at Wonder Widget. I get a little nervous when you start talking about turning my mangers into coaches.”

“I understand, Walter,” Paula said. “Let me give you a quick summary of what high-performance teams are all about and how they can boost Wonder Widget’s productivity.”

Paula handed Walter a paper containing two lists:

High-performance Team Characteristics

•Goals - Team members understand the purposes of the team and work together toward accomplishing them.

•Roles - Team members supply specific skill sets that fulfill the requirements for meeting the team’s mission. Members also occupy roles that promote team effectiveness, such as supporting, confronting, gatekeeping, mediating and summarizing.

•Communication - Team members work at developing good listening and speaking skills, especially when providing feedback during team interaction.

•Decisions - Team members use a variety of methods to make decisions, selecting the best method for each decision.

•Diversity - Team members are encouraged to express their ideas, methods, experiences and opinions. Every person’s unique contribution to the team’s make-up is valued.

•Conflict Management - When disagreements or problems arise, team members employ problem-solving strategies to resolve conflict in a fair and productive manner.

•Climate - Teams promote a positive atmosphere of participation, trust and openness. There is a sense of synergy that leads to superior solutions to problems.

High-performance Team Benefits

•Creativity - Teams solve problems that can baffle experts; improve inefficient processes; cut costs by reducing waste.

•Cooperation - Teams break down boundaries between departments and ameliorate the “silo mentality” that can pit one employee group against another.

•Capability - Teams can respond more readily and productively to corporate challenges by generating the synergy that comes with sharing burdens and rewards.

•Commitment - Teams evoke the “all for one and one for all” ethos. They bind people together until a common goal is attained.

•Camaraderie - Teams provide emotional support and build relationships among employees, which can contribute considerably to company morale.

“Let’s get everyone on a team,” Walter said after reviewing the paper.

“That may not be necessary or even desirable,” Paula responded. “The key is to determine where teams will work best and what kind of teams they should be.”

“What do you mean ‘what kind of teams?’” Walter asked.

“There are many kinds of teams,” said Paula. “I like to think in terms of four categories. There are tasks forces that are temporary problem-solving teams that often cross over departmental boundaries. There are quality circles that may focus on process effectiveness, product improvement, customer service enhancement, and so forth. There are project groups that have a specific focus such as a new product launch or public relations event. And there are committees, which are often investigative or advisory in nature.”

Paula explained that she would report back to Walter with a list of suggested teams for Wonder Widget and then begin the work of helping each team develop a team charter. She would also begin working with team leaders, training them to coach their teams effectively.

A few days later, Harry Huddle knocked on Walter’s door. “Time to talk about the last piece of the puzzle, Walter,” he said, handing him a business card. “By next week, I’d like you to start working with a business coach—someone who can help you grow into your role as head coach of Wonder Widget.”

“Why wait?” Walter said as he began dialing the number on the card.

Copyright 2000 © Mark S. Fulton