Empowering a Team, or a Group of People

I did some communications training last week for several groups of pipeliners.  These people are grouped into teams, but not all are on the field at the same time.  In some ways, they are individuals with specific skills, specialized knowledge, and mostly self-directed in their work.

Each person does need to speak up, be assertive, and give and receive feedback to one another.  Some had not been doing that well or at all.  It made me think about a book I read years ago:  Empowerment for High-Performing Organizations, by Bill Guillory and Linda Galindo.

The book contained some tips for empowering a team.  They work with teams, groups of individuals, and individuals.  But it requires intentional effort, and the process is painful to implement.  It is worth the effort and the pain.

1. The team is principally self-directed(even if they don’t want to be).
2. Individuals are expected to perform excellently in an interdependent network.(it’s hard for people to see the interdependence).
   
3. Personal responsibility, accountability, and authority are clearly defined.(easy to define, difficult to accept)
   
4. There are codes of conduct that govern expected team and individual behavior.(easy to develop a code and post on the wall, difficult to behave according to the code)
   
5. Trust, cooperation, and participation are valued.(difficult to earn, easy to lose)
   
6. Mastery of interpersonal skills is valued.(interpersonal skills are not valued as much as technical skills)
   
7. Diversity is valued.(believe diversity is valued, but people who are different than the majority experience difficulty fitting in).
   
8. There is alignment and commitment to common purposes, strategies, objectives, and goals.(this is difficult to define and to develop, but works when communicated well).

Posted October 19th, 2010 in Human Factors, Leadership, Operational Excellence

How is the Quest for Safety Like the Task of Sisyphus?

The Unending Task of Sisyphus

Do you know the myth of Sisyphus?  He was condemned to push a boulder up a hill. When he reached the top, the boulder would roll back down.  Then Sisyphus would run down the hill and push the boulder up again. (more…)

Posted July 14th, 2010 in Observations, Operational Excellence

“Biggest Cause of Serious Error…Is A Failure of Communication”

Finn O’Sullivan is a project executive for a company that builds skyscrapers.  He is quoted in The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, by Atul Gawande. Those who construct skyscrapers rely on one checklist to make sure all the many steps in planning and construction are completed. (more…)

Posted June 16th, 2010 in Human Factors, Leadership, Operational Excellence