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Rapid	
 Team	
 Alignment	
 Assessment	
 
                                    	
 
      To	
 conduct	
 a	
 rapid	
 team	
 alignment	
 assessment,	
 please	
 read	
 the	
 following	
 and	
 answer	
 
      the	
 questions.	
 
      	
 
      Imagine	
 that	
 you	
 are	
 a	
 team	
 leader	
 and	
 that	
 you	
 want	
 to	
 assess	
 the	
 performance	
 of	
 your	
 
      team.	
 How	
 do	
 you	
 know	
 they	
 are	
 aligned?	
 Your’s	
 may	
 be	
 an	
 enterprise	
 team,	
 a	
 business	
 team	
 
      or	
 a	
 function	
 team.	
 It	
 might	
 be	
 in	
 a	
 small,	
 large,	
 for	
 profit	
 or	
 not-­‐for-­‐profit	
 organization.	
 	
 
      	
 
      In	
 this	
 document	
 there	
 are	
 some	
 revealing	
 assessment	
 questions.	
 These	
 questions	
 will	
 allow	
 
      you	
 to	
 conduct	
 a	
 mini-­‐assessment	
 of	
 your	
 team	
 –	
 and	
 enable	
 you	
 to	
 go	
 back	
 and	
 explain	
 a	
 
      way	
 forward.	
 They	
 will	
 help	
 to	
 reveal	
 the	
 highest	
 leverage	
 issues	
 for	
 your	
 team	
 and	
 business.	
 
      	
 
      These	
 questions	
 are	
 based	
 on	
 a	
 leadership	
 philosophy	
 called	
 context	
 building.	
 A	
 
      context	
 is	
 a	
 set	
 of	
 key	
 conditions	
 that	
 determine	
 the	
 ways-­‐of-­‐thinking	
 and	
 acting,	
 
      relationships,	
 activities	
 and	
 results	
 that	
 are	
 sustainable.	
 Your	
 context	
 is	
 the	
 box	
 in	
 
      which	
 you	
 operate.	
 Context	
 building	
 is	
 about	
 create	
 those	
 key	
 conditions	
 that	
 make	
 success	
 
      inevitable.	
 	
 
      	
 
      	
 
	
 
Key	
 Definitions:	
 
      	
 
      	
 
      	
 
      A	
 context	
 is	
 a	
 set	
 of	
 key	
 conditions	
 that	
 determine	
 the	
 results	
 that	
 are	
 sustainable	
 or	
 not.	
 These	
 
      key	
 conditions	
 are	
 the	
 box	
 in	
 which	
 you	
 and	
 your	
 team	
 play.	
 
      	
 
      Alignment	
 is	
 when	
 the	
 key	
 conditions	
 in	
 a	
 context	
 work	
 together	
 to	
 make	
 success	
 inevitable.	
 It	
 is	
 
      an	
 optimal	
 state	
 in	
 which	
 there	
 are	
 no	
 constraints.	
 
      	
 
      A	
 leader	
 is	
 someone	
 who	
 is	
 accountable	
 for	
 creating	
 those	
 key	
 conditions	
 that	
 will	
 make	
 success	
 
      inevitable	
 for	
 a	
 team.	
 Effective	
 leaders	
 create	
 alignment.	
 They	
 build	
 effective	
 contexts.	
 
      	
 
      A	
 primary	
 constraint	
 (*)	
 is	
 the	
 one	
 key	
 condition	
 in	
 a	
 context	
 that	
 most	
 limits	
 sustainable	
 
      performance.	
 Resolving	
 primary	
 constraints	
 yields	
 the	
 highest	
 possible	
 return	
 on	
 investment	
 and	
 
      is	
 the	
 fastest	
 path	
 to	
 evolution.	
 One	
 of	
 the	
 goals	
 of	
 these	
 questions	
 is	
 to	
 help	
 identify	
 the	
 primary	
 
      constraints	
 in	
 your	
 team	
 and	
 business.	
 
      	
 
      A	
 business	
 is	
 a	
 system-­‐of-­‐workflows	
 designed	
 to	
 develop,	
 sell	
 and	
 deliver	
 products	
 and	
 services	
 
      to	
 customers	
 with	
 the	
 help	
 of	
 partners	
 in	
 order	
 to	
 create	
 competitive	
 advantage.	
 
      	
 


                                                                                                                                                                  1	
 
                                                      ©	
 2012	
 Growth	
 River	
 LLC,	
 All	
 Rights	
 Reserved.

	
 
Part	
 I:	
 	
  Identify	
 the	
 Constraints	
 to	
 Your	
 Team’s	
 Effectiveness	
 	
 
                   and	
 Your	
 Businesses’	
 
       	
 
       	
 
              We	
 have	
 found	
 that	
 if	
 four	
 key	
 conditions	
 are	
 optimized	
 (1-­‐4),	
 then	
 a	
 highly	
 effective	
 team	
 is	
 
              inevitable.	
 At	
 any	
 given	
 time,	
 one	
 of	
 these	
 four	
 key	
 conditions	
 will	
 be	
 sub-­‐optimal.	
 This	
 one	
 
              sub-­‐optimal	
 condition	
 is	
 the	
 current	
 primary	
 constraint	
 to	
 a	
 team	
 reaching	
 a	
 higher	
 level	
 of	
 
              performance.	
 
              	
 
              	
 
              	
 
              	
 
The	
 Four	
 Key	
 Conditions	
 for	
 Team	
 Effectiveness	
 
                                                           	
 




                                                                                                                                                                        	
 
              	
 




                                                                                                                                                                2	
 
                                                       ©	
 2012	
 Growth	
 River	
 LLC,	
 All	
 Rights	
 Reserved.

                    	
 
                    	
 
                                	
 
                    I.	
 	
 Vertical	
 Ways-­‐of-­‐Thinking	
 and	
 Acting	
 
	
  	
                               The	
 vertical	
 impulse	
 (↑)	
 is	
 the	
 impulse	
 to	
 increase	
 strategic	
 possibilities.	
 In	
 contrast,	
 the	
 
                                       horizontal	
 impulse	
 (→)	
 is	
 to	
 manage	
 risk.	
 
                                       	
 
                         A	
 successful	
 team	
 culture	
 requires	
 both	
 horizontal	
 and	
 vertical	
 impulses.	
 The	
 right	
 mix	
 is	
 
                         critical	
 as	
 it	
 profoundly	
 affects	
 innovation	
 and	
 the	
 kinds	
 of	
 business	
 models	
 that	
 are	
 
                         sustainable.	
 	
 
                         	
 
                    1. What	
 is	
 the	
 dominant	
 impulse	
 of	
 your	
 top-­‐leader	
 and	
 team:	
 vertical	
 or	
 horizontal?	
 	
 
                         One	
 important	
 implication?	
 	
 What	
 should	
 it	
 be?	
 
                    	
 
                                      	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 
                                                                                                                5	
                                                                                               4	
                                                                                                  3	
                                                                                                   2	
                                                                                                  1	
                                                                                       n/a	
 
                                                                                            ↑	
 Vertical	
 	
                                                                                                                                                                                                          	
                                                                                                                   	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 Horizontal	
 →	
 	
                                                                                                                                    	
 
                                                                                            To	
 expand	
 possibilities	
                                                                                                                                                                                              	
                                                                                                                                               To	
 control	
 risk	
                                                                                                                                          	
 
             	
 
                     	
 
                    II.	
 	
 Complete	
 System-­‐of-­‐Roles	
 
	
  	
                               In	
 a	
 complete	
 system-­‐of-­‐roles	
 every	
 key	
 issue	
 and	
 relationship	
 has	
 a	
 dedicated	
 owner	
 with	
 
     	
 
 	
  	
                              sufficient	
 authority	
 to	
 play	
 their	
 role.	
 	
 
                           	
 
                                       A	
 complete	
 system-­‐of-­‐roles	
 requires	
 champions	
 who	
 have	
 the	
 authority	
 to	
 innovate	
 and	
 
                                       drive	
 performance.	
 	
 
                                       	
 
                    2. Do	
 all	
 critical	
 issues	
 and	
 key	
 relationships	
 have	
 dedicated	
 owners?	
 
             	
 
                                                                                            	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 
                                                                                                                5	
                                                                                               4	
                                                                              3	
                                                                                                                                               2	
                                                                                                  1	
                                                                                        n/a	
 
                                                                                            Almost	
 Always	
 	
                                                                                                                                                                               Sometimes	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Rarely	
                                                                                                       	
 
             	
 
             	
 
             	
 
                    III.	
 	
 Aligned	
 Strategies	
 
	
  	
                               Strategies	
 are	
 aligned	
 to	
 the	
 extent	
 that	
 they	
 create	
 competitive	
 advantage	
 across	
 an	
 
 	
  	
                              organization.	
 	
 
                                       	
 
                                       Competitive	
 advantage	
 is	
 measured	
 by	
 four	
 factors:	
 market	
 potential,	
 scalability,	
 
                                       sustainability	
 and	
 return.	
 Any	
 strategy	
 can	
 be	
 evaluated	
 by	
 its	
 contribution	
 to	
 one	
 or	
 more	
 
                                       of	
 these	
 factors.	
 In	
 this	
 way,	
 disparate	
 strategies	
 across	
 an	
 enterprise	
 can	
 be	
 compared	
 
                                       and	
 integrated.	
 
                                       	
 	
 
                    3. Are	
 strategies	
 aligned	
 towards	
 competitive	
 advantage?	
 
                        	
 
                                  	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 
                                                                                                                5	
                                                                                               4	
                                                                              3	
                                                                                                                                               2	
                                                                                                  1	
                                                                                        n/a	
 
                                                                                            Almost	
 Always	
 	
                                                                                                                                                                               Sometimes	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Rarely	
                                                                                                       	
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               3	
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                     ©	
 2012	
 Growth	
 River	
 LLC,	
 All	
 Rights	
 Reserved.

                  1. 	
 
                  IV.	
 	
 Optimized	
 Workflows	
 
	
    *                 Businesses	
 growth	
 is	
 the	
 speed	
 at	
 which	
 products	
 and	
 services	
 are	
 developed,	
 sold	
 and	
 
                         delivered.	
 A	
 team	
 that	
 shares	
 this	
 understanding	
 –	
 and	
 structures	
 metrics	
 around	
 it	
 –	
 will	
 
                         align	
 to	
 create	
 growth.	
 
                         	
 
                         The	
 Business	
 Triangle	
 is	
 a	
 way	
 to	
 visualize	
 the	
 workflows	
 in	
 a	
 business.	
 In	
 any	
 business,	
 
                         there	
 are	
 Four	
 Key	
 Conditions	
 for	
 Go-­‐to-­‐Market	
 Effectiveness.	
 	
 
                  	
 
                         	
 




                                                                                                                                                                              	
 
                                                                                                                                                                      4	
 
                                                             ©	
 2012	
 Growth	
 River	
 LLC,	
 All	
 Rights	
 Reserved.

                       	
 
                       IV.	
 	
 Optimized	
 Workflows	
 (con’t.)	
 
	
    *               	
 
                                Different	
 kinds	
 of	
 businesses	
 or	
 industries	
 will	
 have	
 different	
 types	
 of	
 activities	
 around	
 
                                their	
 business	
 triangles.	
 The	
 primary	
 constraint	
 to	
 growth	
 in	
 a	
 business	
 will	
 lie	
 within	
 the	
 
                                activities	
 on	
 one	
 side	
 of	
 a	
 business’s	
 triangle.	
 
       	
 
                                Sample	
 business	
 triangles	
 with	
 key	
 functional	
 capabilities.	
 
                                	
 
                                MANUFACTURING	
 BUSINESS	
 

              	
 
                         	
 
                         	
 
                         	
 
                         	
 
                         	
 
                         	
 
                         	
 
                         	
 
                         	
 
                         	
 
                         	
 
                         	
 
                         	
 
                         	
 
                         	
 
                         	
 
                         	
 
                         	
 
                                RETAIL	
 BUSINESS	
 




                                                                                                                                                                             5	
 
                                                                   ©	
 2012	
 Growth	
 River	
 LLC,	
 All	
 Rights	
 Reserved.





                                                                                       6	
 
              ©	
 2012	
 Growth	
 River	
 LLC,	
 All	
 Rights	
 Reserved.

                            	
 
                      IV.	
 	
 Optimized	
 Workflows	
 (con’t.)	
 
	
    *
                      4. Using	
 the	
 table,	
 list	
 the	
 different	
 businesses	
 in	
 your	
 enterprise.	
 
                         	
 
                          A	
 business	
 is	
 a	
 system-­‐of-­‐workflows	
 designed	
 to	
 develop,	
 sell	
 and	
 deliver	
 products	
 and	
 
                          services	
 to	
 customers	
 with	
 the	
 help	
 of	
 partners	
 in	
 order	
 to	
 create	
 competitive	
 advantage.	
 
                          	
 
                          To	
 ensure	
 clear	
 accountabilities,	
 businesses	
 should	
 segmented	
 in	
 an	
 enterprise	
 to	
 reflect	
 
                          key	
 differences	
 in	
 how	
 products	
 and	
 services	
 are	
 developed,	
 sold	
 and	
 delivered.	
 Separate	
 
                          businesses	
 require	
 separate	
 strategies.	
 They	
 often	
 have	
 separate	
 P&Ls.	
 A	
 business	
 is	
 not	
 a	
 
                          function	
 like	
 marketing	
 or	
 sales	
 or	
 a	
 specific	
 market	
 but	
 it	
 is	
 a	
 complete	
 business	
 triangle	
 
                          that	
 can	
 encompass	
 several	
 functions	
 working	
 together.	
 

                         	
 
                      5. Identify	
 the	
 primary	
 constraint	
 to	
 growth	
 (pcg)	
 in	
 the	
 workflow	
 of	
 each	
 business	
 from	
 
                         Develop,	
 Sell	
 or	
 Deliver.	
 There	
 is	
 only	
 one	
 pcg	
 in	
 each	
 business.	
 (Place	
 a	
 checkmark	
 to	
 
                         indicate	
 where	
 the	
 pcg	
 is.)	
 
           	
 

                                                           	
 	
                                                                       ü Workflow	
 w/	
 pcg	
 identified	
 
                                                                                                                                                              Sell	
 
                                                                                                                                                       Capabilities	
 	
 
                                                                                                                                                -­‐	
 gaining	
 access	
          Deliver	
 
                                                                                                                                                         to	
 target	
        Capabilities	
 
                                                                                                                                 Develop	
       customers	
 and	
        -­‐	
 delivering	
 as	
 
                                                                                                                          Capabilities	
 	
            creating	
          promised	
 and	
 
                                                                                                                          -­‐	
 developing	
          successful	
               generating	
 
                                                                                                                         winning	
 value-­‐                     purchase	
                 positive	
 
                  #	
  Businesses	
                                                                                    propositions.	
                        moments.	
                referrals.	
 

                  1	
                                                                                        	
 	
                                 	
 	
                    	
 	
 
                                                                      	
 
                  2	
                                                                                        	
 	
                                 	
 	
                    	
 	
 
                                                                      	
 
                  3	
                                                                                        	
 	
                                 	
 	
                    	
 	
 
                                                                      	
 
                  4	
                                                                                        	
 	
                                 	
 	
                    	
 	
 
                                                                      	
 
                  5	
                                                                                        	
 	
                                 	
 	
                    	
 	
 
                                                                      	
 
           	
 
                          If	
 the	
 location	
 of	
 the	
 primary	
 constraint	
 is	
 not	
 clear,	
 apply	
 the	
 following	
 logic	
 

                                   ü The	
 pcg	
 is	
 in	
 developing	
 if	
 you	
 have	
 a	
 weak	
 value-­‐proposition.	
 
                                   ü The	
 pcg	
 is	
 in	
 selling	
 if	
 you	
 have	
 a	
 strong	
 value	
 proposition	
 and	
 excess	
 delivery	
 capacity.	
 
                                   ü The	
 pcg	
 is	
 in	
 delivering	
 if	
 you	
 can	
 sell	
 more	
 than	
 you	
 can	
 deliver.	
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                      7	
 
                                                                             ©	
 2012	
 Growth	
 River	
 LLC,	
 All	
 Rights	
 Reserved.

                                  	
 
               Part	
 II:	
 Questions	
 to	
 Clarify	
 the	
 Path	
 Forward	
 
    *          	
 
*                                 The	
 critical	
 objective	
 is	
 to	
 create	
 a	
 team	
 culture	
 in	
 which	
 every	
 member	
 knows	
 at	
 all	
 times	
 
                                  where	
 the	
 constraints	
 are	
 –	
 and	
 what	
 the	
 root	
 causes	
 are.	
 This	
 will	
 yield	
 maximum	
 
                                  alignment	
 towards	
 growth	
 and	
 return.	
 
                                  	
 
                                  Your	
 answers	
 to	
 the	
 questions	
 above	
 (including	
 non-­‐answers)	
 point	
 to	
 where	
 your	
 team	
 
                                  may	
 be	
 out	
 of	
 alignment	
 in	
 a	
 way	
 that	
 is	
 impacting	
 performance.	
 	
 
                                  	
 
                                  To	
 clarify	
 the	
 path	
 forward,	
 ask:	
 
               	
 
               6. Is	
 there	
 a	
 pattern	
 in	
 the	
 location	
 of	
 the	
 pcg’s	
 across	
 businesses?	
 Are	
 they	
 mostly	
 in	
 
                    developing,	
 selling	
 or	
 delivering?	
 One	
 implication?	
 
               	
 
                    The	
 causes	
 for	
 this	
 pattern	
 will	
 lie	
 in	
 one	
 of	
 the	
 top	
 three	
 key	
 conditions	
 for	
 team	
 
                    effectiveness	
 (Part	
 I):	
 Ways	
 of	
 Thinking	
 and	
 Acting,	
 Complete	
 System-­‐of-­‐Roles,	
 or	
 Aligned	
 
                    Strategies.	
 
                    	
 
                    If	
 there	
 is	
 no	
 pattern,	
 yet	
 business	
 constraints	
 are	
 not	
 being	
 resolved	
 efficiently,	
 the	
 root	
 
                    cause	
 will	
 also	
 lie	
 in	
 one	
 of	
 these	
 three	
 top	
 conditions.	
 
                    	
 	
 
                    The	
 reason	
 for	
 this	
 is	
 that	
 these	
 are	
 critical	
 conditions	
 that	
 determine	
 the	
 kind	
 of	
 business	
 
                    models	
 your	
 organization	
 can	
 and	
 cannot	
 sustain.	
 	
 
                    	
 
                    For	
 example,	
 if	
 your	
 team	
 is	
 risk	
 averse,	
 your	
 system-­‐of-­‐roles	
 may	
 be	
 unclear.	
 If	
 your	
 
                    system-­‐of-­‐roles	
 is	
 unclear,	
 your	
 strategies	
 are	
 likely	
 to	
 be	
 unclear.	
 Therefore	
 your	
 
                    workflows	
 could	
 be	
 inefficient	
 and	
 the	
 quality	
 uneven.	
 
               	
 
        	
 
        	
 
               7. How	
 significant	
 is	
 the	
 impact	
 of	
 these	
 constraints	
 on	
 team	
 and	
 business	
 performance?	
 
                            	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 
                                                                                                         5	
                                                                                     4	
                                                                                       3	
                                                                                       2	
                                                                                       1	
                                                                              n/a	
 
                                                                                       Very	
 significant	
                                                                                                                                                                                 	
                                                                                              	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 Not	
 significant	
 	
                                                                                                                    	
 
                                                                                       	
                                                                                                                                                                                                    	
                                                                                                                                                    	
                                                                                                                        	
 
               	
 
               	
 
               8. How	
 important	
 is	
 it	
 to	
 resolve	
 these	
 constraints?	
 
               	
 
                           	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 
                                                                                                         5	
                                                                                     4	
                                                                                       3	
                                                                                       2	
                                                                                       1	
                                                                              n/a	
 
                                                                                       Very	
 important	
                                                                                                                                                                                   	
                                                                                              	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 	
 Not	
 important	
 	
                                                                                                                      	
 
               	
 
               	
 
               	
 
               9. Are	
 you	
 planning	
 to	
 make	
 a	
 case	
 for	
 how	
 your	
 team	
 and	
 businesses	
 should	
 align?	
 To	
 
                    whom?	
 What	
 will	
 you	
 need?	
 
        	
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               8	
 
                                                                                                                                                                                     ©	
 2012	
 Growth	
 River	
 LLC,	
 All	
 Rights	
 Reserved.

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Rapid Team Performance Assessment

  • 1. Rapid Team Alignment Assessment To conduct a rapid team alignment assessment, please read the following and answer the questions. Imagine that you are a team leader and that you want to assess the performance of your team. How do you know they are aligned? Your’s may be an enterprise team, a business team or a function team. It might be in a small, large, for profit or not-­‐for-­‐profit organization. In this document there are some revealing assessment questions. These questions will allow you to conduct a mini-­‐assessment of your team – and enable you to go back and explain a way forward. They will help to reveal the highest leverage issues for your team and business. These questions are based on a leadership philosophy called context building. A context is a set of key conditions that determine the ways-­‐of-­‐thinking and acting, relationships, activities and results that are sustainable. Your context is the box in which you operate. Context building is about create those key conditions that make success inevitable. Key Definitions: A context is a set of key conditions that determine the results that are sustainable or not. These key conditions are the box in which you and your team play. Alignment is when the key conditions in a context work together to make success inevitable. It is an optimal state in which there are no constraints. A leader is someone who is accountable for creating those key conditions that will make success inevitable for a team. Effective leaders create alignment. They build effective contexts. A primary constraint (*) is the one key condition in a context that most limits sustainable performance. Resolving primary constraints yields the highest possible return on investment and is the fastest path to evolution. One of the goals of these questions is to help identify the primary constraints in your team and business. A business is a system-­‐of-­‐workflows designed to develop, sell and deliver products and services to customers with the help of partners in order to create competitive advantage. 1 © 2012 Growth River LLC, All Rights Reserved.
  • 2. Part I: Identify the Constraints to Your Team’s Effectiveness and Your Businesses’ We have found that if four key conditions are optimized (1-­‐4), then a highly effective team is inevitable. At any given time, one of these four key conditions will be sub-­‐optimal. This one sub-­‐optimal condition is the current primary constraint to a team reaching a higher level of performance. The Four Key Conditions for Team Effectiveness 2 © 2012 Growth River LLC, All Rights Reserved.
  • 3. I. Vertical Ways-­‐of-­‐Thinking and Acting The vertical impulse (↑) is the impulse to increase strategic possibilities. In contrast, the horizontal impulse (→) is to manage risk. A successful team culture requires both horizontal and vertical impulses. The right mix is critical as it profoundly affects innovation and the kinds of business models that are sustainable. 1. What is the dominant impulse of your top-­‐leader and team: vertical or horizontal? One important implication? What should it be? 5 4 3 2 1 n/a ↑ Vertical Horizontal → To expand possibilities To control risk II. Complete System-­‐of-­‐Roles In a complete system-­‐of-­‐roles every key issue and relationship has a dedicated owner with sufficient authority to play their role. A complete system-­‐of-­‐roles requires champions who have the authority to innovate and drive performance. 2. Do all critical issues and key relationships have dedicated owners? 5 4 3 2 1 n/a Almost Always Sometimes Rarely III. Aligned Strategies Strategies are aligned to the extent that they create competitive advantage across an organization. Competitive advantage is measured by four factors: market potential, scalability, sustainability and return. Any strategy can be evaluated by its contribution to one or more of these factors. In this way, disparate strategies across an enterprise can be compared and integrated. 3. Are strategies aligned towards competitive advantage? 5 4 3 2 1 n/a Almost Always Sometimes Rarely 3 © 2012 Growth River LLC, All Rights Reserved.
  • 4. 1. IV. Optimized Workflows * Businesses growth is the speed at which products and services are developed, sold and delivered. A team that shares this understanding – and structures metrics around it – will align to create growth. The Business Triangle is a way to visualize the workflows in a business. In any business, there are Four Key Conditions for Go-­‐to-­‐Market Effectiveness. 4 © 2012 Growth River LLC, All Rights Reserved.
  • 5. IV. Optimized Workflows (con’t.) * Different kinds of businesses or industries will have different types of activities around their business triangles. The primary constraint to growth in a business will lie within the activities on one side of a business’s triangle. Sample business triangles with key functional capabilities. MANUFACTURING BUSINESS RETAIL BUSINESS 5 © 2012 Growth River LLC, All Rights Reserved.
  • 6. 6 © 2012 Growth River LLC, All Rights Reserved.
  • 7. IV. Optimized Workflows (con’t.) * 4. Using the table, list the different businesses in your enterprise. A business is a system-­‐of-­‐workflows designed to develop, sell and deliver products and services to customers with the help of partners in order to create competitive advantage. To ensure clear accountabilities, businesses should segmented in an enterprise to reflect key differences in how products and services are developed, sold and delivered. Separate businesses require separate strategies. They often have separate P&Ls. A business is not a function like marketing or sales or a specific market but it is a complete business triangle that can encompass several functions working together. 5. Identify the primary constraint to growth (pcg) in the workflow of each business from Develop, Sell or Deliver. There is only one pcg in each business. (Place a checkmark to indicate where the pcg is.) ü Workflow w/ pcg identified Sell Capabilities -­‐ gaining access Deliver to target Capabilities Develop customers and -­‐ delivering as Capabilities creating promised and -­‐ developing successful generating winning value-­‐ purchase positive # Businesses propositions. moments. referrals. 1 2 3 4 5 If the location of the primary constraint is not clear, apply the following logic ü The pcg is in developing if you have a weak value-­‐proposition. ü The pcg is in selling if you have a strong value proposition and excess delivery capacity. ü The pcg is in delivering if you can sell more than you can deliver. 7 © 2012 Growth River LLC, All Rights Reserved.
  • 8. Part II: Questions to Clarify the Path Forward * * The critical objective is to create a team culture in which every member knows at all times where the constraints are – and what the root causes are. This will yield maximum alignment towards growth and return. Your answers to the questions above (including non-­‐answers) point to where your team may be out of alignment in a way that is impacting performance. To clarify the path forward, ask: 6. Is there a pattern in the location of the pcg’s across businesses? Are they mostly in developing, selling or delivering? One implication? The causes for this pattern will lie in one of the top three key conditions for team effectiveness (Part I): Ways of Thinking and Acting, Complete System-­‐of-­‐Roles, or Aligned Strategies. If there is no pattern, yet business constraints are not being resolved efficiently, the root cause will also lie in one of these three top conditions. The reason for this is that these are critical conditions that determine the kind of business models your organization can and cannot sustain. For example, if your team is risk averse, your system-­‐of-­‐roles may be unclear. If your system-­‐of-­‐roles is unclear, your strategies are likely to be unclear. Therefore your workflows could be inefficient and the quality uneven. 7. How significant is the impact of these constraints on team and business performance? 5 4 3 2 1 n/a Very significant Not significant 8. How important is it to resolve these constraints? 5 4 3 2 1 n/a Very important Not important 9. Are you planning to make a case for how your team and businesses should align? To whom? What will you need? 8 © 2012 Growth River LLC, All Rights Reserved.