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Creating
Team Agreement for Results
by
Stewart Levine
(Published Feb. 1, 2003) |
Because the WaWa, the Canada Goose, flies in formation,
it is freedom tempered by responsibility. The leader must keep the group
on course and look ahead for danger. The others must look around, to the
sides, to each other. And they will reach their destination, not because
they can fly, but because they fly together. We too, seek to fly. To
fulfill our dreams, to accomplish our goals. But we cannot fly alone. We
must always look ahead, behind, and to the welfare of those who seek to
fly with us. If our destination is a better way of life we must
demonstrate our commitment to work with one another. If we are to fly, we
must fly together, dependent on each other, or be scattered by the storms
that confront us.
WaWa Corporation Philosophy
It is much easier not to exercise or brush your teeth in the morning. It
is much simpler just to get on with your day. Although stopping to form an
agreement before moving forward is more tedious than moving into action
immediately, it will not likely produce the results you desire. It's the
difference between
Ready…Fire…Aim
and
Ready… Aim… Fire
The later is much more
effective because it provides clear direction before action.
When introducing the concept
of Agreements for Results to an audience, I think of the tag
line from an old Quaker State Motor Oil commercial - You can pay me
now, or you can pay me later. That line holds true when thinking
about agreements. Most people never think about investing the time to make
explicit the implicit agreement they believe they have at the beginning of
a new team or project. They're off and running, everyone with their own
vision of the destination, and how to get there, without the clarity
necessary to minimize the potential for conflict. Like the Quaker State
warning of engine damage if you don't do the preventative maintenance of
changing your oil, they will incur the cost of inevitable conflict, a cost
that can be prevented.
When we think about the idea of having an agreement we
usually think about long legal documents, lots of "what ifs" and how we
can protect ourselves from something we do not want to happen. They do not
want to get hurt. I believe that we would all be better off if when
beginning a new endeavor we could shift our focus to a vision of results
you want to produce, not the calamities you want to avoid.
The following Ten Essential Elements make up the template of items that
are elementary items that must be discussed if you want to create a vision
and a map to getting the results you want. I have compared the mindset
of an "Agreements for Results" perspective, with the traditional
Agreements for Protection" mental model. Notice the difference and please
think about which one is more effective.
The elements of an
effective agreement are:
1. INTENT & VISION
2. ROLES
3. PROMISES
4. TIME & VALUE
5. MEASUREMENTS OF SATISFACTION
6. CONCERNS, RISKS and FEARS
7. RENEGOTIATION
8. CONSEQUENCES
9. CONFLICT RESOLUTION
10. AGREEMENT?
RESULTS
vs. PROTECTION COMPARED
| |
RESULTS FOCUS |
PROTECTION FOCUS |
|
1. INTENT & VISION
|
desired
outcome |
"what
ifs?" |
|
2. ROLES |
take
responsibility |
limit
accountability |
|
3. PROMISES |
commitment |
qualifiers and conditioners |
|
4. TIME & VALUE
|
by
when's / fair return |
most
for least |
|
5. MEASUREMENTS
OF SATISFACTION |
inspiring goals |
excuses
and escapes |
|
6. CONCERNS, RISKS
and FEARS |
compassion |
understanding edge for strategic advantage |
|
7. RENEGOTIATION
|
deal
with unknowns |
changes
strike hard bargain |
|
8. CONSEQUENCES |
reminder of promises |
punishment |
|
9. CONFLICT
RESOLUTION |
get
back on track |
exact
some premium |
|
10. AGREEMENT? |
trust
enough |
escape
possible? |
RESULTS vs.
PROTECTION
- EXPLAINED
1. INTENT & VISION
RESULTS: Focus on what you want to happen.
PROTECTION: Focus on all the "what ifs" that could
go wrong
You can tell what will happen
in your life by paying attention to your dominant thoughts. Given that, if
we focus on the calamities we increase the chances they will happen. What
we really want in any collaborative context is everyone focusing on
desired results - the best possible vision of the future. That will
greatly improve the chances of what we want to materialize happening. It's
obvious that when you bring on a new hire, it's more useful to see them
leaping tall buildings than focusing on the mistakes they might make.
2. ROLES
RESULTS: Making sure someone has responsibility for all critical tasks
PROTECTION: Narrowly defining responsibility to
limit accountability and liability
We want to make sure we have what we need to get the job done without
anything slipping through the cracks. We want clarity about who can be
counted on for what, compared to someone saying, "that's not my job!" In
the old context people liked to hide. They did not like to take the
responsibility for making something happen because if something went
wrong, they were responsible. Hopefully the fear of making mistakes is no
longer as powerful a driver it once was. We have all learned that the need
for innovation requires experimentation. We know that mistakes cannot be
"punished" if you expect continued risking, the heart of entrepreneurship.
3. PROMISES
RESULTS: Contribution - committing to wholeheartedly do your part required
for success, not out of coercion, but from belief in the project's mission
PROTECTION: Doing the least; hiding behind
qualifying words that cloud and condition what you are promising
Who specifically will be doing what? The word "promise" is used too
lightly in our culture. It is essential for every member of the team to
understand the promises they are making and to realize that everyone else
is relying on them. You can also consider this a team action plan. It is
also a checkpoint. If everyone delivers what he or she promises, you will
produce the desired results. Each promise must have the discipline of a
"by when" because, without a date, commitment is illusory.
4. TIME & VALUE
RESULTS: Clear time commitments and satisfaction with the value given and
received
PROTECTION: The most for the least
Clearly stated "BY WHEN'S," and for how long the promises will be kept.
Everyone must be satisfied that what they will get from the project is
worth what they are putting in. If someone is under compensated they will
be resentful. Resentful participants do not produce results that are
"beyond expectation," but people committed to a vision do.
5. MEASUREMENTS OF SATISFACTION
RESULTS: Goals that inspire and state clearly and measurably what is
expected
PROTECTION: Qualifiers to argue from and use as
excuses
What are the objective
measures that will tell you if you accomplished what you set out to do so
there are no arguments about it? For some people it is frightening to make
a commitment that will hold them visibly accountable to a promise they
made, so they will look for an edge.
6. CONCERNS AND FEARS
RESULTS: Compassion for any "anxiety-producing" concerns and risks that a
"partner" sees and feels
PROTECTION: An edge to take strategic advantage
of when you are inside their head, in a position to play "games"
You address concerns and fears to make everyone as comfortable as possible
about moving forward. Doing this is a way of responding to "internal
chatter" that might inhibit full participation. It solidifies partnership
by addressing what is lingering in people's minds. It enables people to
clearly identify risks, and to choose to move forward anyway. Each person
should be willing to take the other's deal.
7. RENEGOTIATION
RESULTS: How can we make this work as unanticipated changes take place
PROTECTION: How can changes be used for advantage
A commitment to renegotiation
requires ongoing learning, and staying in the mind set of solving a mutual
problem to get desired results even though things happened no one
anticipated (which is one thing you can be sure of.) This is the key
principal that drives every learning organization.
8. CONSEQUENCES
RESULTS: What reminds everyone of the significance of promises and failure
PROTECTION: What would be a good punishment
It is important to keep people
mindful of promises they made and focused on delivering promised
performance. It is as important to have people realize the connection
between their expectations and failure to perform. Becoming conscious of
that gap serves as a motivator. Consequences are put in place not as
punishment, but to remind us of the loss of an unrealized vision, and the
sanctity of our promises.
9. CONFLICT RESOLUTION
RESULTS: What will get us back on track quickly?
PROTECTION: How can the resolution process be used
for leverage or advantage?
It is important to embrace
conflict as expected and to hold it as an opportunity for creativity in
how we deal with specifics we did not anticipate. It is very important to
understand the magnitude of the transaction cost of remaining in conflict.
10. AGREEMENT ?
RESULTS: Do I trust enough to be in an open, ongoing collaboration
PROTECTION: Can I get out without getting hurt?
Is there an opportunity for a windfall?
Has the process produced
enough trust so you can say "Let's do it, I'm comfortable
moving forward with you, and sense we'll be able to work things out as we
go forward."
Has the deep dialogue we have exchanged produced what Max DePree calls a
relationship based on covenant - a heart felt connection and commitment to
people and results.
A TEAM AGREEMENT
FOR RESULTS
A few years ago, at the height of popularity of "Self-Directed Work Teams"
I was working with a government agency to implement a team environment for
a unit of technical support people. The challenge was not only to create
"teams," but also to bring out the entrepreneurial spirit in each member
of the organization.
The critical part of a successful team environment is making sure everyone
has the same vision, before moving into action. The classic "forming,
storming, norming, performing" stages that teams traverse are best
resolved with an agreement. The agreement serves the norming function as
members of the team agree on how they will work with each other - what
their norms will be. The agreement reflects the resolution of their
"storming." With some coaching help the following agreement was put in
place to govern team activities.
TEAM AGREEMENT
1. INTENT & VISION: All
members of "The Programmers" agree to follow the terms of this agreement.
Our vision is to be a tightly coordinated unit whose members are
cross-trained in the jobs that all members of the team can do, so that any
one of us could step into a client request at any moment. The specific
vision we have is that we will be "self-supporting" within two years - we
will generate enough revenue to cover our costs and our salaries. We will:
-
train each other in what we
do;
-
become competent salespeople;
-
sell our core competencies to
other government and non-government agencies;
-
become a role model for what
an intrapreneurial government agency can do;
-
become qualified experts in
providing programming support for the growing technology business
community;
-
pool our resources so that
some of us will become salespeople while others will be engaged in direct,
immediate, revenue opportunities.
2. ROLES: We will each become intrapreneurs; life-long learners;
teammates; and a "work-family" who realize we are each essential to the
others survival during a time of government and military downsizing. We
realize a cooperative management team and a steady stream of new solvent
clients is critical to our success.
3. PROMISES: We each promise: to accept rewards on a team basis
only; to give each other ongoing honest feedback on matters that impact
our work and productivity; to accept that we are beginners in the realm of
interpersonal communication; to devote our full time energy to the work of
the team; to teach teammates what we learn when we take a training class;
to come to team meetings on time; to follow the standards for team
meetings we have drafted; to stay in a learning mode; to take our turn as
team-leader.
4. TIME / VALUE: We each agree that the potential benefits of
teamship far outweigh the cost involved, and we agree to experiment with
the team method of organizing work for the next two years.
5. MEASUREMENTS OF SATISFACTION: Our measure of success will be
sustainability - how long it takes to become self-sustaining. We have set
a goal of 18 months to become self-supporting: revenue equals expenses
plus salaries.
6. CONCERNS AND FEARS: We are concerned that in six months a new
"management" fad will be put in place, or we will be reassigned to other
units and our operation will be completely shut down. We are also
concerned that members of the team will leave for other departments or
non-government jobs.
7. RENEGOTIATION: We understand the importance of ongoing
communication. In that spirit we see our team agreement as a living,
evolving context in which we work together. We agree to keep our agreement
current - we will look at it monthly to make sure it reflects the reality
of what we are doing as a unit. We see "teamship" as a voluntary activity,
and agree that if anyone wants to leave the team they can.
8. CONSEQUENCES: We assume that all of us are smarter than any one
of us. We agree to defer to the team to determine consequences for any
violation of this team agreement. We realize that when we violate an
expressed or implied responsibility of teamship, a consequence should
follow. We fully understand that if we are not successful at becoming
self-sustaining our unit may be disbanded and we will be left without
jobs.
9. CONFLICT RESOLUTION: We agree to the following rules: 1.) manage
your own emotions; 2.) talk to the person or group you are in conflict
with; 3.) ask a team member to mediate; 4.) get the entire team involved;
5.) ask the team coach for help.
10. AGREEMENT ? : We are confident that all of us together are
stronger than if we worked independently during this time of change and
transition. We all take responsibility for managing the team as we rotate
team leadership.
Team members reported that
they enjoyed the process, found the dialogue generated closer
relationships, and that they use their agreement as a way of orienting new
team members. The agreement has become a combination operations and
personnel manual for the team.
CONCLUSION
The critical part of a successful team environment is making sure everyone
has the same vision, before moving into action. The classic "forming,
storming, norming, performing" stages that teams traverse is best resolved
with an agreement. The agreement serves the norming function as members of
the team agree on how they will work with each other - what will their
norms be. The agreement reflects the resolution of their "storming."
Agreements are a fundamental life skill we never learned when we were
young. It is the primary building block for all kinds of collaborations,
and working with others is the only way results, productivity and
satisfying relationship happen. Try having a dialogue that incorporates
the elements at the beginning of your next team project. I guarantee that
from then on you will become an advocate for "Agreements for Results" in
all your endeavors.
*******************
Conflict - Other Resources
 Stewart
Levine is the founder of ResolutionWorks, a consulting and training
organization dedicated to providing skills and ways of thinking people
will need to thrive in the next millenium. He is the author of
"The Book of Agreement" and
"Getting to Resolution." He spent ten years practicing law
before becoming an award winning marketing executive at AT&T where he was
recognized as a pioneer "intrapreneur. " "Getting to Resolution:
Turning Conflict into Collaboration" (Berrett-Koehler 1998) was an
Executive Book Club Selection; Featured by Executive Book Summaries; named
one of the 30 Best Business Books of 1998; endorsed by Dr. Stephen Covey
and featured in "The Futurist" magazine. "The Book of Agreement"
was just released. It has been endorsed by numerous thought leaders
including Geoff Bellman; Robert Fritz; Bev Kaye; Jim Kouzes; and Harrison
Owen.
This article is adapted
from "The Book of Agreement: 10
Essential Elements for Getting the Results You Want" (Berrett-Koehler,
Dec. 2002.)
*******************
Stewart Levine is
available to help your team or organization in creating more productive
relationships with strategies to eliminate destructive conflict. Contact
Teambuilding, Inc. at inquire@teambuildinginc.com or call us at 888.672.1120 .
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