change management process change management plan
Productive organizational team building starts at the top and works its way through the chain of command. Executive team building (ETB) is that starting point from which all organizational team building is initiated. But, one size does not fit all executive teams; rarely would you find an ETB Plan to be off- the-shelf. Therefore, expect a Plan to be hand built with professional help. Success is likely with good planning and research to find a facilitator with experiences targeted at an organization's needs. Remember, every member of the executive team brings their own hardwired attributes to the team. Individual attitudes and perspectives add the necessary synergy to the executive team's exercise.
As a starting point, here are some thoughts about ETB:
Team building approaches and techniques will always need to change to keep businesses relevant to specific industries, employees, customers and cultural mores. ETB sets the stage, a road map, for needed changes thro ughout an organization. It is not a one-time event that fixes everything. Like a business plan, state team objectives and results the executive team expects to achieve. Then find the right professional to design and carry out a plan for the executives and their subordinate organizational managers.Don't let any team building experience become esoteric or mystifying.ETB should not be heady. Having initiated numerous team building exercises and watched others approach the subject; it appears that a straight forward and honest approach is the most productive. These are not meant to be psychological exercises of the mind!
All organizations need to recalibrate management approaches toward their customers, available technologies, education levels of the workforce, new management tools, and the sophistication of the workforce. Team building is an effective management tool when objectives are defined and fit a high level corporate plan. This is no different than looking at a n employee evaluation system; evaluation system needs to be uniform and applicable to all.
Remember, "Change Happens", even in industry. Over the past 30 years think about the myriad business jargon we have used. First, we saw an explosion of motivational speakers who were hired to lecture teams on achieving super-human results. Then we had intense training gurus in business disciplines such as sales and production. That was followed quickly by commitment to quality; thank you Dr. Deming. Lest we forget, business and organizations got very heavy into the ISO accreditation process. And the list goes on: whole training industries coming into existence to support many of these efforts.
The internet, Siebel, Oracle and Sybase have been leaders in using technology to build business relationships and approaches. The CRM industry came into being since 1985 and the internet shortly after that. Yes, team building is a business, so make it work for you. There are a lot of professionals with very specific skills for each level of management a company want to target.
Look how quick relevancy of words can change. How about phrases such as: finding your inner self, re-invention, information super highway, business model, dynamic change, becoming customer centric, the 80/20 rule, quality, and I almost forgot my favorite-metrics. Executive Team Building is like style; you would not wear a leisure suit to a meeting would you? So think about the team meeting as keeping up with the latest styles/trends in business; present new concept using current lingo.
The whole purpose of this forced-march down memory lane is to illustrate how business does go through iterations and changes to drive or focus attention on addressing customer needs, employees and markets.
Executive Team Building (ETB) is not about self-improvement. It is about being a leader with of group of others, respect for each member's role on the team and a willing spirit to go beyond what's required. With executives so much of an executive's value is all wrapped up in vision, defining issues and results oriented leadership. There may not be an "I" in team but there is an "I" in team building. However, all members expect the "I" to add value to the team.
After all the meetings, the real question is: Were they productive at an individual level? The next question: Is there any individual accountability as a result of the meeting? If there is no accountability there is probably no commitment and no commitment means there is little collective achieve.
Steven S. Lay has been in the travel and corporate meetings business for 30 years and is now focused exclusively on small luxury corporate gatherings in Wine Country. More information about his company, Symtrek Partners, is available at: http://www.symtrekpartners.com/
Mr. Lay has held "C" Level positions in large private and public companies. These companies, in addition to the trav el corporate and leisure business, include the defense industry and e-commerce. Prior to launching Symtrek Partners, Mr. Lay was the Vice President of Exhibitor Sales for a major exposition company.
Symtrek Partners is a resource to any company contemplating a highly effective meeting, event or function for a small corporate group. Symtrek Partners is very interested in discussing ideas and options. To initiate a contact e-mail: stevelay@symtrekpartners.com or call 707-927-4205