Leadership

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To ensure you reach robust outcomes that deliver results, it is imperative to actively seek the differences between individual team members' positions. There is no collaboration (collaboration = deciding together) unless you have people who can think independently.

can be linear or iterative. Linear means working in a structured step-by-step manner. Iterative means refining the process through repeated cycles of exploration. Many teams get into difficulties because those who are operational and linear view those who are strategic and iterative as “fluffy” and wasting time. And those in the strategic-iterative quadrant view their operational-linear colleagues as “luddites” who are stuck in the day-to-day. It is easy to fall into the dangerous trap of believing that your approach is the way everyone else should work.

Try this thought experiment. Firstly, identify which quadrant you spend the majority of time in. Now think of the person in your team you fall out with most often and identify where they usually sit in the quadrant. Chances are they are in a different section, and this is likely to be a key component of the tension between you.

What is your core approach to business? At the senior team level it typically falls into one of the four quadrants.You can be strategic or operational and you can be linear or iterative.”

“Which quadrant does your team need to be in, in order to be successful with your business plan? It is a trick question, of course. You almost certainly need to use all four quadrants. Getting them to work well together is the issue. Many global organisations exhibit the classic tension between regional business managers, focussed on the linear current operational needs of clients, versus corporate directors, focussed on iterative future strategic development. By contrast, I am working with a great business in Bergen, Norway. Their vision is broken down into key strategic drivers and balanced score cards (linear) and is refined through a regular rhythm of strategic process meetings (iterative). Their process intentionally goes through all four quadrants in a planned and cohesive way. Their business has doubled its revenues this year.

5. Team work is a difference engine The foundation for effective team work is strong-minded individual leaders. Contrary to the “bumper sticker” slogan that “there is no i in team” the complete opposite is the case. The pre-requisites for productive team debate are coherent focus and clear leaders who are willing to articulate their divergent views, strongly if need be. Team work is a difference engine and divergence is the fuel. To ensure you reach robust outcomes that deliver results, it is imperative to actively seek the differences between individual team members' positions. There is no collaboration

(collaboration = deciding together) unless you have people who can think independently.

You can only have effective debate if each person arrives at the team session having already established their autonomous view (autonomy = deciding for yourself). But if your meetings are viewed as being a waste of time the chances are that, like Tim, you and your colleagues will turn up without having done the preparation work required to make the meeting effective. Especially if, like most businesses, you do not send an agenda out before the meeting.

Try this experiment at your next team meeting. Ahead of a key item give everyone ten minutes to think through their autonomous position, before engaging team debate. Then actively identify the areas of fundamental difference between each team member's initial position. Go for conflict rather than avoiding it and be cautious of early claims that “we are all really saying the same thing just in different words”. Chances are you are using similar words to mean something quite different from each other. Teams that fuel the difference engine go faster and further.

So what about Tim? He is not the team leader but has decided that every time he feels frustration welling up in a meeting he is going to work on one of these five factors. The great thing about Tim is that when he is frustrated everyone knows about it. Go Tim.

What about you? What are your expectations about the productiveness of your meetings and what are you going to do about it? The ball is in your court.

About the Author

John Sutherland runs the Leadership Initiative, focussed on providing businesses with the specific individual, team and organisational leadership skills required for success with their business plan. He also leads Strategic Resource, a provider of management due diligence services. Contact john@leadership-initiative.co.uk +44 15394 66000

62 The European Business Review January - February 2014