Introducing

LEADING HIGH-PERFORMANCE WORK TEAMS

BACKGROUND

The need for fast, friendly, focused organizations is causing an increasing number of executives to question the design of their organizations. Most agree that hierarchical structures simply do not work. They tend to be internally focused, internally competitive and are slow to respond to the needs of the marketplace.

Performance will improve dramatically if we flatten our organization, put people in teams train them, measure them and add incentives.

Teams work, particularly if they are given a high degree of control and autonomy They bring out the best in people because the system assumes that people are responsible and will perform at a high level if given the opportunity.

Teams are not a fad. They are a fact of life in every world-class organization. They work wonders on the sports field and will do the same in your organization if given the right tools and leadership.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Any manager who needs to learn the first key practical steps to take their people on an ongoing journey towards improved performance through greater teamwork.

DURATION

Two days

OBJECTIVES

By the end of this workshop, participants will know:

• The value of teamwork
• When teams won't work
• The difference between regular teams, self-directed teams and self-managed work teams.
• Benefits to the company, the team and the individual
• How to implement the process successfully
• Possible pitfalls and how to overcome them
• How to give responsibility to front-line people
• How to manage the transition from supervisor/lead departments to self-managing teams
• How to motivate people to take extra responsibility
• What problems to anticipate in redesigning your office
• Why traditional measurement systems are counterproductive to teamwork
• How to get teams to set goals
• How your customers will be impacted by self-managing teams
• How to re-energize teams
• The type of training that is needed
• How long the transition will take
• How to reward the team
• How to change the performance management process
• What responsibility to give the team
• How to encourage the team to take on more responsibility
• How to exercise leadership
• How the role and behavior of the leader will change

AGENDA

CHALLENGES OF THE 90'S

What is new in the 90's. Why traditional organizations don't work New designs that can be flexible, friendly and fast. Case studies

ALTERNATIVE TEAM DESIGNS

Creating a vision of where you want to be. Different types of teams. The continuum of work-team democracy. What they manage. Multi-functional vs. single function teams. How each type of team can impact the customer.

LAUNCHING WORK TEAMS

Ten steps to success. Assessing readiness for the change. How to do it gradually and get buy-in. What research you should do. Who to turn to for the answers. Developing a balance between over-planning and no plan at all. The most important decisions to make as part of the design phase. How to customize the approach to suit your own organization. What training to provide and to whom. Reasonable time horizons.

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

Getting buy-in to shared responsibility for performance. Why measurement is a key to team performance. The difference between individual and team measures. How to integrate both. How to use measurement to motivate the team. Developing a mission together. Identifying critical indicators of performance. Setting measurable goals. Developing action plans together. How to back off and get the team to take responsibility.

TEAMBUILDING

Identifying and dealing with problems of morale. The significance of the 4 stages of team development. Two strategies guaranteed to improve morale. Developing and 'enforcing' a code of conduct.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Five strategies to deal with conflict. Deciding on your approach and the best approach. Choosing the best. Conflict prevention - ten strategies that work. Dealing with differences of opinion professionally.

LEADING THE TEAM

Changing the roles in an empowered team. How to get people to take responsibility. The difference between coaching and managing. How to handle peer evaluations. How to avoid conflict between members. How to organize on a daily basis.

FEEDBACK FROM A UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA PUBLIC WORKSHOP, HELD IN VANCOUVER, NOVEMBER 1-2, 2000

"When we first registered for the course, I wondered if you could deliver what you promised.  And you did!  Granted, our work situation is more project oriented, but you were able to confirm our approaches are basically correct and give us tools to use to fine-tune what we are doing." 

"This is the first time in a long time that I have been able to keep focused throughout a two-day course.  Part is due to the presentation, the other part to the content.  What a pleasant change!  Thank-you." VALERIE MACAULEY \n This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

"Lots of takeaways!  The content is great and so is Cy!  This info is going to make a difference."

FEEDBACK FROM AN IN-HOUSE WORKSHOP AT THE WHITEHORSE GENERAL HOSPITAL, WHITEHORSE, YUKON HELD OVER JANUARY 6-7, 2000

• "Great workshop. I enjoyed it thoroughly."
• "I am enlightened. Thanks."
• "Excellent. Excellent. Highly motivated to do wonderful things."
• "Passionately presented. Please come back again."
• "I really enjoyed the 2 days. I'm very enthusiastic to go back to my office and start developing some teams."
• "Thank you! I was totally inspired and excited about all the material."
• "Days were very long. -- I personally wish I had read "Instant Manager" prior to workshop. Plan to read it now as tips from workshop were excellent and hands-on."
• "Love your approach with people, your ability to challenge without offending others. Tools are useful and applicable. Would actually like to have a follow-up workshop for staff (selected) to develop their Peer Mentoring Skills."
• "This workshop formalized some of the activities that we have been doing on an ad-hoc basis. Now we can carry them through better.
• "The addition of humor was appreciated."
• "Very inspiring workshop. Something a person could use in personal and work day to day functions."
• "The best workshop I have taken - very valuable practical information and tools. I feel very motivated to get back to work Monday to start "my new job".
• "I had real expectations, was unsure what could be presented. Great practical tools. Clarification of team functions. "
• "Excellent, relaxed, fun 2 days. Learned lots. Skills for mentoring, coaching, etc. to be more effective leader. Improve through measurement - what we do."

• Tabulated from 21 responses:  Excellent: 20; Good: 1.