BA510 | SLT Relevant Notes

*   Overview
    *   Six Conditions for Senior Leadership Team Effectiveness
       *   Essentials
          *   Right People
          *   Real Team
          *   Compelling Direction
       *   Enablers
          *   The Enables
             *   Solid Structure
             *   Team Coaching
             *   Supportive Context
          *   To Contrast here are "some disablers"
             *   Existing norms encourage senior leaders to make
the real decisions "offline"
             *   The reward system puts the team members directly
into competition with each other for individual bonuses
             *   executives are encouraged to focus exclusively
on their functional responsibilities

*   Real Teams  (essential)

    *   Overview
       *   A team that is interdependent, bounded, and stable is
a real team.
Real Teams have clear boundaries.  Everyone knows who is a member
and who is not.  You cannot create a real teams by convening a
set a of people and calling them a team.  Instead, it takes
careful thought and planning about the work the team will do, its
composition, and the way it will be launched and developed.
    *   Writing focus: Is the team a real team. i.e. what makes a
real team
    *   What defines a real team?
       *   Interdependent
          *   Members share responsibility for achieving a
collective purpose.  Members also leverage each others, energy,
experience, and expertise to accomplish goals which have a
company wide effect.
          *   Teams will make decisions which are best for the
entire organization not just the individual
          *   Members will coach each other to become more
successful
          *
       *   Bounded
          *   Real senior leadership teams have clear
boundaries.  Team members as well as outside observers know who
is on the team and who is not on the team.
          *   Team must have clear boundaries to develop the
collective identity that it needs to interact as a unit without
external consequences.
          *   This allows the team to have a finite and
reasonable number of decision makers so that the team can quickly
make focussed decisions.
       *   Stable
          *   It takes time for members to learn each other's
strengths and abilities.  It also takes time to build trust.  In
real teams maintain membership overtime to allow for these strong
working relationships.
          *   Because these teams are not able to form an
identity and work through common challenges to achieve joint
rewards as a unit, the shifting member-set starts to view the
meetings as extraneous work--boring, burdensome sessions that
should be avoided by sending a substitute or skipping.

*   Compelling Direction (essential)

    *   Overview
3 things are required to have a compelling direction: 1)
consequence, 2) clarity, 3) challenge (clarity is the greatest of
these)
       *   The team's purpose must be challenging, consequential,
and most importantly crystal clear.
       *   The team's purpose must highlight the interdependence
between members
    *   Writing Focus: Is the team purpose challenging, clear and
consequential?  How do team members asses the relative value of
spending time and energy on the team, relative to other
accountabilities they have?
    *   What gives a team a compelling direction?
       *   The purpose of a team will be challenging only when
the members are asked to entrusted with culminating their
knowledge and resources to make decisions which impact the entire
company.
       *   A team can only be effective when it has a compelling
direction.  Challenge without direction can be harmful.  Clarity
of purpose makes the extraordinarily challenging and
consequential work of senior leadership teams fell possible. It
orients the team in a way that allows it to pull together toward
the same end.
       *   Clarity (how to make it)
          *   Identify the interdependencies among your team
members that move the strategy forward.  What leadership
functions require that all the leaders be at the table?
          *   Teams must have a short list of decisions and
actions that they need to realize.  Out of these the missions
critical tasks must be emphasized.
          *   The tasks must be raised to a thematic and
compelling level so that they guide team decisions and actions.
          *   The leader must clearly define the purpose for the
team. Others can assist in defining the purpose but ultimately it
belongs to the leader.

*   The Right People (essential)

    *   Overview
       *   Membership is not a right or a privilege but depends
on what the team needs to be successful.
       *   Members should be selected by the team leader based on
the value that the members bring to the team.
    *   Writing Focus:
Are the right people on the team? In your answer consider also
the team skills described in SLT, Chapter 4
       *   Diversity
          *   Too much diversity can cause problems unless the
leader creates a structure where the team can interdependently
leverage the strengths of each member.  So, while diversity is
good, it must be useful to the overall purpose and the
composition must be such that the team is able depend on each
others strengths.
       *   EVALUATING THE TEAM
          *   The first question to ask is: do the members bring
the correct expertise to the table?  Each team member must have
the correct expertise to fulfill his role. This enables the team
members to rely on each other as they work through tasks.
             *   Correct expertise is defined by the following:
                *   Knowledge
                *   Experience
                *   Skills
                *   Representation of key perspectives
             *   Do members must have EMPATHY and INTEGRITY
Are members able to engage in robust discussion and explore
alternate ways of addressing a problem or opportunity.  IT IS
IMPORTANT THAT MEMBERS NOT BE TOO PASSIVE TO WORK THROUGH THE
ALTERNATIVES OR TOO ARGUMENTATIVE TO COME TO CONSENSUS.
                *   Empathy
                   *   Empathetic members will acknowledge each
others frustrations and work through problems on a human level.
Open reflection on a colleague's feelings about a concern is
especially valuable.
                   *   Empathy is defined by the following: (see
page 91 for more)
                      *   The ability to understand the content
of what a person has just said.
                      *   The ability to understand the meaning
it holds for the speaker.
                      *   The ability to reflect back the
feelings the speaker has attached to the content.
                   *   To Identify Empathy
                      *   Look for members  who not only actively
listen to their peers but also speak directly to the concerns
they raise.
                      *   Listen for signs that they reflect what
they have heard when others speak.
                      *
                *   Integrity
                   *   Members who have integrity do the
following
                      *   Put enterprise affecting issues on the
table for discussion by the group even when resolution of the
issues could have negative implications for one's own area
                      *   Keeping discussions among members
confidential, not share with others who should not be aware of
the details outside of the team.
                      *   Actually implementing decisions that
have been agreed to by the team.
                      *   Do not revert to acting independently
under stress when asked to act as a team.

          *   Does each member know whey he is expected to

contribute to the team?
          *   Does everyone understand the norms for the team?
          *   Does the team have any de-railers?
             *   A dangerous type of de-railer is someone who
publicly agrees to buy in to the program but who actually is
quietly
             *   Traits of the de-railer
These people are usually technically very strong--otherwise they
would have been eliminated long ago.
             *
                *   frequently complains about and criticizes
others in public
                *   Bring out the worst in other members
                *   Attacks people instead of criticizing the
issues
                *   talks in the hall but not in the room
                *   constantly disagrees with everyone and
everything
                *   displays chronic discrepancies between public
words and private actions
                *   claims to understand her behavior but seems
unable to change

*   Solid Team Structure (enabler)

    *   Overview
(Considered Most Important of the 6 conditions)
       *   Even when a team has clear purposed and well
established boundaries, the members often have trouble figuring
out what to do together and how.  This is because the team lacks
the structure that it needs to ensure success.  Possible causes:
wrong size, have poorly designed tasks, or develop team
unfriendly norms of conduct.
       *   Good leaders design specific tasks that are whole and
strategically important pieces of work, and then put those
tasks--and only them on the agenda.
       *   Members adhere to an established set of norms.  This
would include things like members actively collaborating on key
initiatives or sharing all relevant informations with one
another.  A team might agree that members will express
disagreements openly in team meetings.
       *   The leader must make sure that members see the
enterprise not through the lens of their line or functional role
but rather as an executive responsible for the overall success of
the company.
    *   Writing Focus: Is the team structured appropriately?
Consider: size, nature of tasks, norms of conduct.
    *   The elements of structure
       *   Clearly defined and meaningful tasks
       *   The presence of clear norms of conduct.  The members
should share expectations about appropriate behavior.
       *   Team size, smaller teams work better
    *   Team meetings should be well planned because they can
easily slip onto a spectrum of inappropriate tasks.
    *   Creating an agenda
       *   Make sure every item is meaningful
       *   keep the agenda short
       *   define the outcomes you want from the team for each
item.
       *   define the measures that will tell you and the members
whether the team was successful.
    *   Running the agenda
       *   start with the most important issues
       *   team members should be prepared for the meetings
       *   much discussion about critical issues happens among
team members prior to the meeting, once the meeting begins the
team has almost already come to consensus
    *   Assessing  Norms
       *   how many of your teams norms match the norms on page
133?
       *   It is important that team members hold each other
accountable when one deviates from norms.
       *   It is important that the team clearly establish
norms.  If a team does not clearly establish norms, each member
may have his own idea of acceptable norms.
       *   The leader is key to establishing norms.
       *   an example of a norm would be that team members
consult with one another on shared accountabilities during their
normal daily work.
       *   Good norms always are the result of careful
assessments of what is getting in the way and what helps the
team, and are established and refined through conscious decisions
and hard collaborative work.
       *   Do team leaders ever break norms?  When leaders break
norms it can be very damaging to the team.
       *   Are team members called out when they offend
norms.  (Only if members are called out on offending norms will
the norms be seen as real by other team members)
    *   Essential points to asses teams structure
       *   Is the team too large
       *   does the team have meaningful tasks on the agenda?
       *   Have healthy norms been established?

*    Supportive Organizational Context (enabled)

    *   Overview
       *   Teams must ensure that they have all needed
resources.  It is important to request these resources.
       *   Does the team have the 4 types of resources (described
in chapter 6)

    *   Writing Focus

       *   Does the team have access to the four kinds of support
described in Chapter 6? Be sure

to examine the reward structure and whether it facilitates

behavior that is oriented to team performance, as opposed to
individual goals.

    *   The four types of support which are most critical.  Does

your team have them?
       *   Rewards: Does the reward structure recognize and
reinforce team members for delivering?
          *   are members financially compensated for the overall
success of the team on some level?
       *   Information: Does the team take action to acquire the
data they need, including taking measures to asses performance?
          *   Does the team leader work with the team to figure
out what intelligence, analysis,creative ideas are most vital to
inform the work that the team is doing?
       *   Education: Does the leader take time to educate the
members about the work they are doing?  Is out-side expertise
brought in to teach when the leader is not an expert on a given
area.
       *   Resources: Is the team provided with ample time,
space, staff support and mundane material resources?
*   Coaching The Team
    *   Overview
       *   The best teams are continually being coached
       *   Leaders and team members should focus on continually
and possibly even subtly coaching each-other to encourage
continued growth.
    *   Writing Focus: Have there been specific instances of
leader and peer coaching? Who was involved and how was it
initiated?
    *   What team coaching is:
       *   Team coaching is not JUST individual member coaching
       *   Team coaching is directly intervening in the process
that the team members use to interact , in order to improve team
effectiveness.
       *   A good team coach holds up a mirror to reflect back to
team members the collective behavior that hinder and advance
teamwork.
    *   Keys to coaching
       *   Does the leader identify the core capabilities of each
member
       *   articulate the team purpose
       *   establish team boundaries by creating a sense of
shared identity emphasizing "we" and "our accountabilities"
       *   putting the norms on the table for the team to revise
and ratify.
       *   Does the team rely on a combination of leader coaching
and peer coaching as it should?
    *   Does the leader do the following
       *   Does the leader follow through and continue to coach
even after the team has started to provide self-correcting
capabilities.  (Skilled authoritative coaching is always
important.)
       *   Does the leader know how to coach?
       *   When a team member shows coaching talent does the
leader reward that behavior?
       *

*   How is the team doing on the 3 measures of effectiveness

discussed in SLT on pp. 8-12?
(measuring the the effectiveness of senior leadership teams)
    *   Is the team meeting or exceeding the expectation of the
clients and other stakeholders.  (The expectations of the team
itself or teams leader are not the best measure.)

    *   How well do the members work together?  Effective teams

operate in ways that build shared commitment, collective skills,
and smart work strategies, and NOT mutual antagonisms and trials
of failure from which little is learned. They become adept at
detecting and correcting errors before serious damage is done,
and periodically review how they have been operating, milking
their experience for whatever learning can be had.

    *   Does the experience of being a member of the team assist

each member in learning and personal development? A team is only
effective when the members receive an overall positive impact in
their own growth.
Do members experience the team as worst case "Frustration
dominates; members express a desire to get out of the team" to
best case "Members are delighted to be part of this team and
describe significant personal learning and growth from its
collaborations"