Weigh-in = Buy In!Making Effective Team Decisions

ATD-Hawkeye Chapter2016 Non-Profit Training DayJune 14, 2016

In this workshop, participants will examine practical techniques for building a robustenvironment for healthy group conflict. We will discuss the role of the facilitator andparticipants in creating a safe environment where all ideas and opinions are heard,considered and understood. Weigh-in = Buy-in!

During this workshop, participants will:

C Learn innovative ways to test for buy-in and consensus in a group

C Explore different ways to avoid groupthink

C Discuss how to manage disruptive team behavior

C Demonstrate how to work collaboratively to make quality decisions with highacceptance and commitment

Create an environment where everyone feels safe to be real and open.

Ensure that each voice is heard, considered and understood.

Remember, silence means nothing!

Call the question! Test for consensus - get agreement - hold self and others accountable.

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The Five Dysfunctions of a Teamby Patrick Lencioni

Source: Lencioni, Patrick. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Jossey-Bass, 2002.

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Vulnerability based trust builds when team members get to knowone another as people first and employees second. They are openand forthright about their strengths and weaknesses. They takeownership for their behaviors and outcomes without blame orexcuses. They expect the best and believe the best about the peoplethey work with - there are no hidden agendas. Different ways teammembers demonstrate trust include:

_____ 1. Be vulnerable by sincerely sharing your weaknesses:“I don’t know.”“I need help.”“I’m sorry. I apologize.”“I think you have a better idea.”“This is not a strength for me. How can you help?”“I hadn’t thought about that. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.”“You have a different perspective on this. Help me to understandhow you see the situation.”

_____ 2. Take the time to connect with others as people first, employees second. Get to knowsomething about your peers including hobbies, interests, aspirations, and dreams. Peopledon’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. The number onesign of a miserable job, according to Patrick Lencioni, is anonymity- the feeling that noone knows you or cares about you at work. A sure fire way to eliminate anonymity is totake a sincere interest in others as people, to empathize with them, and wonder what itmight be like to be in their situation, to walk in their shoes.

_____ 3. Keep your commitments. Give advance notice when deadlines are in jeopardy andrespect the promises you have already made when making new commitments. Askquestions and be sure to communicate with clarity. “What did we agree to here?”

_____ 4. Take the time to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the people youcommunicate and collaborate with. What work activities do they love? Where do theynaturally excel? What activities do they loathe? What seems to be a challenge for themno matter how hard they try to improve? What is their communication style? How is itsimilar or different from your own? How might you need to flex or adjust your style tobetter connect with others?

_____ 5. Expect the best and believe the best about the people you work with. Do not makenegative assumptions about others’ behaviors and actions.

_____ 6. Be loyal to your team members and customers. Practice the principle, “tell me first.”

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“Abilene..42 Miles...Let’s Not Go There!”

1. What does it mean when we say we are “Going to Abilene?”

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2. Why don’t people often speak up openly and honestly about their true feelings and ideas?

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3. What can we do to engage in healthy conflict and robust dialogue as a team? How can we eliminate the“meeting after the meeting?”

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“We do not see the world as it is. We see the world as we are!”

Herb Cohen

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Managing Dysfunctional Participant Behavior

Late Arriver - Early Leaver:

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C _________________________________________

Bulldozer:

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Dropout:

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Whisperer:

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Workaholic:

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Eeyore:

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An ounce of prevention isworth a pound of detection!

Pay attention - actively lookfor signs of dysfunction.

Start with the smallest, leastintrusive, visible responsepossible.

Don’t be afraid to take abreak if necessary.

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Parking Lot (Issues Board)

Actions

Who What When

Decisions

“What did we agree to here?”

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Rational Process (Quality):

C Analyzing the situation (Bringing all information and facts to the table;keeping facts and assumptions separated)

C Identifying the goals/objectives (What is the goal? What are sub-objectives? Whatis the desired outcome? What is realistic?)

C Consider alternatives (Brainstorming multiple alternatives; keeping anopen mind to all options)

C Determine what solution or (Look at the pros/cons of each alternative; practicealternative has the greatest role reversal; look at the probability and severity ofpotential of achieving the best consequences; use a criteria matrix)results with minimum negativeconsequences

C Reach a decision that all members (Call the question; be willing to compromise wherecan agree with or support possible; ensure all members feel heard, considered

and understood; disagree and commit)

Interpersonal Process (Acceptance):

C Listening to others (Attentive, patient, asking clarifying questions, paraphrasing/summarizing, positive body language)

C Supporting others and looking (Use “and” not “but”, point out positive aspects of for what may be right with an ideas, referring back to other members’ input,idea building on others’ ideas)

C Differing from others when (Communicating differences in a non-judgmentalnecessary in a manner that is manner, “I” statements, inviting others to disagree constructive, not destructive with an opinion or idea, accept objections without

getting defensive, pointing out differences in ideas and strategies as a positive)

C Participating openly (Giving all members a chance to participate,involving quieter members, protecting one anotherfrom being attacked, interrupted or ignored, treatingone another with respect and courtesy, be willing tobe vulnerable)

Effective Decision = Quality x Acceptance

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What? What have you learned about the topic of making effectiveteam decisions by creating a safe environment for all to weigh-in andbuy-in?

So What? Why is this information important to you?

Now What? What is one way you might use this information?

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Recommended Reading:

Bens, Ingrid, M.E.d. Facilitation at a Glance: A Pocket Guide of Tools and Techniques forEffective Meeting Facilitation. GOAL/QPC. 1999.

Duarte, Deborah L. and Synder, Nancy Tennant. Mastering Virtual Teams: Strategies, Tools andTechniques that Succeed. Jossey-Bass, 2006.

Fisher, Kimball, Rayner, Steven, Belgard, William. Tips for Teams: A Ready Reference forSolving Common Team Problems. McGraw Hill Inc. 1995.

Harvey, Eric and Ventura, Steve. What to Do When Conflict Happens: Every Employee’s Guideto Resolving Workplace Problems. The Walk the Talk Company.

Lencioni, Patrick. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable. Jossey-Bass, 2002.

Patterson, Kerry; Grenny, Joseph; McMillan, Ron; Switzler, Al. Crucial Conversations: Tools forTalking When Stakes are High. McGraw-Hill, 2002.

Runde, Craig E. and Flanagan, Tim A. Building Conflict Competent Teams. Jossey-Bass andCenter for Creative Leadership, 2008.

Scott, Susan. Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and In Life, One Conversation ata Time. Viking Penguin, 2002.

Wilkinson, Michael and Smith, Richard. Click - The Virtual Meetings Book. LeadershipStrategies Publishing, 2013.

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Mote’s Notes: How to EncourageOpen Communication

1. Support and protect your team members:

T Rescue those who have been belittled or criticized;reaffirm them and ideas.

T Don’t allow interruptions; take turns.T Don’t allow side conversations when someone is speaking.T Watch your body language; be respectful and courteous.

2. Create a “Code of Conduct” for all team meetings. Define what isexpected from all participants including what is acceptable behavior andwhat is not!

3. Always present yourself in a positive, professional, proactive, and tactful manner. If youhave a complaint, offer a suggestion or solution.

4. Use problem solving tools (Pareto charts, check sheets, cause and effect charts, criteriamatrixes, pros/cons analysis, etc.) when identifying problems and brainstorming potentialsolutions. These tools help people to remain objective during the decision making process.

5. Be sure to have a detailed “ACTION PLAN” documenting WHO, WHAT, WHEN, andSTATUS of all ideas, suggestions, and actions to take from every meeting. Keep this visible toteam members at all times.

6. To encourage reserved and quiet participants try some of the following tips:

� Break out into small teams (5-7 people)� Use structured brainstorming (go around one at a time to give an opportunity to

all)� Use anonymous ballots to solicit ideas and suggestions� Ensure the meeting agenda and topics to be discussed is distributed 2-3 days in

advance of the meeting to give people time to prepare and discuss ideas

7. Listen, respond, and act! Nothing breeds enthusiasm and success like seeing positive results,knowing that I was listened to, and seeing ideas in action!

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8. Managers need to facilitate an environment of openness and honesty. Try these tips:

� Leader Speaks Last (LSL): Ask for input from others BEFORE stating youropinion.

� Have team members rotate leading team meetings; have someone other than thesupervisor or manager leading the meeting.

� Don’t shoot the messenger! Don’t punish people for doing what you want them todo! (i.e. be open, honest, share problems, ideas, etc.)

� Solicit feedback and suggestions; if you wait for team members to bring them toyou, you may be waiting a long time.

� Be open to constructive support; do not take feedback personally; practice theQBQ- “What Can I Do to be a more effective leader?”

� Provide the overall goals and directions; share lots of information and keep theassociates close to the customer; leave the details on how best to achieve the goalsup to the team members; get them more involved in making decisions; transferownership to the appropriate level. Involvement = Commitment = Ownership!

9. Try the following tips when you have someone trying to dominate the discussion, be thecenter of attention, or speak on everyone else’s behalf:

i Use small group discussions and rotate leadership within those small groups sothe dominant person is not always in control.

i Use physical proximity; walk toward the dominant person while they are talking. The closer you get, the quicker they finish talking.

i Practice effective “gatekeeping.” Recognize the dominant person’s input,paraphrase his/her ideas to demonstrate that you really heard what he/she had tosay and then redirect the conversation to the rest of the group by saying, “Let’s seeif we can’t build on that idea with input from some of the other team members” or“I’m concerned we haven’t heard from others on the team. Let’s open it up fordiscussion.”

i Have a published agenda with specific time limits for each topic. When thedominant person gets on a roll, politely interrupt and remind him/her of the timelimits, the need for everyone to have a chance for input, and the need for the teamto stay focused.

i Suggest that you and the dominant person discuss the topic in more detail off-line,after the meeting.

i If two dominant team members are sitting together, break into small groups bycounting off 1,2,3,4, etc. and begin with the two dominant participants. They willbe separated every time!

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JUST DO IT!!!

9. Dealing with the dominant team member (Continued)

i Ask for responses from specific members that do not include the dominantparticipant. For example, “Let’s hear from someone who hasn’t contributed yettoday” or “Let’s hear from someone who has been with our team/department lessthan one year (assuming the dominant participant has been here more than 1year)”, or “Let’s go around one at a time and get ideas. We’ll put a 1 minute timelimit on everyone’s comments.”

i Set ground rules or a “code of conduct” in advance that includes guidelines thatno one dominates or takes over the meeting.

i Offer the person some constructive feedback, in private, about his/herparticipation and how it is affecting the team’s performance.

i Give the offender another assignment like being the team recorder, timekeeper, oraction keeper to keep his/her attention focused on something other than doing allthe talking.

i Utilize tokens. Give everyone 3-5 tokens. (How many depends on the size of thegroup and the length of the meeting) Explain that each token can be used to askone question or make one comment. Encourage team members to use their tokenswisely because once they are gone, they are gone.

i Use a Koosh® Ball to indicate who has the floor. The participant who has the ballhas the right to comment. Anyone who wants the floor must get the ball from theperson currently holding it.

i Rotate teams and put the dominant participant closer to the front of the room andthe meeting facilitator.

10. Be courageous and DYOB! If you don’t speak up, and don’t agree with the decision, shameon you!

11. Always think WIN/WIN and use collaboration to resolve conflict. Remember, there’s yourway, my way, and a better way....OUR WAY!

12. If people are not being open and honest, inform the team that you think “We’re all goingstraight to Abilene” to interject humor and invite open, honest communication!

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Questions to Encourage Participation and Stimulate Discussion in Teams:

Asking for Feelings and Opinions:C How do you feel about…..?C What is your thinking on….?C What are some other ways to get at…?

Encourage Participation:C (Name), how do you feel about….?C (Name), what is your response to ….?C Before we move on, I’d like to hear from (name) on this.C We haven’t heard from (name) yet. What is your opinion?C Let’s go around one at a time and have everyone weigh-in on this topic.C I would like to hear from all team members regarding…..Let’s be sure that everyone has a

chance to participate.

Do a Quick Survey:C Let’s see a show of hands. How many of you…..?C How does everyone feel about this? Let’s start with (name).

Be Supporting:C Let’s give (name) a chance to tell it the way it seems to him/her.C (Name) – Thank you for your opinion. Let’s see how other team members feel about...C Thank you for sharing, (name).C That’s an interesting perspective and one I had not considered, (name.) Thank you for

challenging us to look at all options and ideas.

Questions to Encourage Mutual Understanding:

Paraphrase and/or Reflect on What You Think Some One is Feeling:C Are you asking me to…?C Let me see if I understand your position. Are you saying that…?C What I am hearing is….is that right?C Let me restate what you said to be sure I understand.C It sounds to me like…do I understand you correctly?C I get the impression that…is that right?C These comments suggest that we….do you agree?

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Questions to Encourage Mutual Understanding (Continued):

Ask for Clarification and/or Examples:C Tell me more about…C Help me to understand…what are some specific examples?C The examples you gave concern….do they also apply to…?C I’m sorry. I’m confused. I don’t understand what you are trying to say. Please give me

an example.C I see some confused looks in the room. What questions do you have about…?C (Name), can you expand on that? I’m not sure I understand.

Question Assumptions:C Your suggestion assumes….is that right?C Your objection is based on….is this an accurate assumption?C Your proposal assumes that…..is this accurate?C Let’s clearly state our assumptions…are they realistic?

Check on Targets or Orientation:C Are we asking the right questions?C What’s the most important thing we should be focused on right now? C Is this the best way to…?C Is this the only way to …?

Questions to Resolve Conflict and Encourage Effective Decision Making:

Confront Differences:C I sense that you don’t agree. Is that right? Please share your objections.C I feel like you are holding back. Is there something you disagree with? I would like to

hear your opinion.C It seems to me that we disagree about….is that right? Let’s see if we can find something

that we agree on with respect to this issue. Where is the common ground between us? C (Name) – I don’t think you understand what (name) is trying to say. I would like you to

state his/her position before you state your objections.

Role Reversal:C How would you feel if you were in that position?C Pretend you are (name/shift/department.) How would you respond to this suggestion?C Let’s reverse positions. I’ll share what’s right with what you are suggesting and you can

share what is right with what I’m suggesting. Perhaps, then, we can find some commonground.

C We have two alternatives on the table. As an entire team, let’s look at the pros and consof both options.

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Questions to Resolve Conflict and Encourage Effective Decision Making (Continued):

Invite Others to Disagree or Challenge One Another:C Let’s play the devil’s advocate on this idea. What is the opposite point of view?C What are we not thinking about that we should be considering?C If we proceed, what might happen that we are not anticipating right now? What is the

probability of that occurring?C I’ve stated my opinion. What am I not seeing clearly? What do you know that I don’t

know?C It appears to me that (name) and (name) are in disagreement about this issue. I would like

to invite the rest of the team to offer ideas and alternatives on how to resolve thisdisagreement.

Questions to Initiate Action, Explore an Idea or Suggest a Procedure:C What are some other ways to approach this problem?C What other things should we be considering?C What else does anyone have to add?C Would it be helpful to use structured brainstorming so everyone can weigh in?C What problem solving tool can we use to help us? How about….?C How do you think we should proceed?

Questions to End Discussion and Test for Consensus:C We’ve had good discussion on this issue. Would someone please summarize the major

points before we move on?C (Name) – I appreciate the concerns you have brought forward about this suggestion.

Would you please summarize your key objections?C (Name) – You have made a number of good points. So we can record your input

accurately – if this was a headline in a newspaper – how would it read? Can yousummarize your comments into a short statement?

C We have brainstormed three possible alternatives. I would like to suggest that we end ourbrainstorming on options and choose among these options. Are we all in agreement?

C I think we have discussed this enough. I would like to ask the team if all are in agreementto move forward. Are we all in consensus?

C So what did we just agree to here?C It’s time for the team to reach agreement. Are we all in consensus? Let’s use the five

finger method to see how we all feel about the decision.C We’ve been discussing this topic long enough. I feel that we are ready to agree and move

on. (Name) - I feel it is time for you to disagree and commit.

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Questions to Resolve Conflict and Encourage Effective Decision Making (Continued):

Raising a Sensitive Issue with the Team:

C I think we need to revisit our team norms about how we resolve conflict. Our norm aboutnot letting conflict get personal isn’t working.

C I think we are sacrificing the quality of our decisions for the sake of getting along and itmakes me uncomfortable.

C (Name) – I appreciate what you are saying. It seems to me that we have been hearingmostly your ideas on this issue. I would like to hear from the other team members aswell.

C (Name and Name) – I’ve noticed that you two have not said one word to each otherduring the entire meeting. What’s up with that?

C (Name) – I have seen you attempt to voice an opinion a couple of times and then stop. I’m wondering if you have a different perspective on this issue.

C It seems to me that the most difficult changeovers are being held until night shift wherewe have the least experienced operators. How do the rest of you see the situation?

C I’ve noticed that when (name) makes a comment, you respond with negative bodylanguage. I’m guessing there is still bad blood between the two of you. What can you doto help build a more positive relationship with (name) because your behaviors are makingit uncomfortable for the rest of the team to have an open conversation with one another?

C I notice a couple of you don’t look like you have your heart in this decision. What isgoing on?

C It seems to me that we are giving too much clout to the senior operators on the team inmaking this decision. How do the rest of you feel?

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Six Basic Rules of Dialogue

1. Be open and suspend judgment. Do not disparage other points of view.

2. Keep DIALOGUE and decision making separate–DIALOGUE precedes decisionmaking, negotiation or action.

3. Speak for yourself, not as a representative, and treat all participants as peers.

4. Listen with empathy–acknowledging you have hear others and that you care.

L Try to see things from the others’ perspective.K Reflect back what others have told you to show that you are listening andthat you care about their concerns.L Ask clarifying questions to further your own understanding and to helpothers articulate their thoughts.

5. Look for common ground–identifying areas where you agree.

P Identify where you find merit in their positions.Q When persuaded to modify your own positions, acknowledge thechanges graciously and responsibly.

6. Search for and disclose hidden assumptions–especially in yourself.

Best Idea to Practice:

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Advocacy/Debate Dialogue

Assuming that there is one right answer(and you have it)

Assuming that others have pieces of theanswer

Combative: attempting to prove the otherside wrong

Collaborative: attempting to find commonunderstanding

About winning About finding common ground

Listening to find flaws and make counterarguments

Listening to understand and find a basisfor agreement

Defending your assumptions Bringing up your assumptions forinspection and discussion

Criticizing the other side’s point of view Re-examining all points of view

Defending one’s views against others Admitting that others’ thinking canimprove one’s own

Searching for weaknesses and flaws in theother position

Searching for strengths and value in theother position

Seeking an outcome that agrees with yourposition

Discovering new possibilities andopportunities

Source: Dialogue! Now We’re Talking, Facilitator Guide. Quality Media Resources, Inc, View PointLearning.

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