Strategic Approach

Toward
Team Building
For
Better Performance
- A case study

(by Anurag Johari)

 Table of Content

Introduction: .................................................................................................................... 3
Scope: ............................................................................................................................. 3
Scenario: ......................................................................................................................... 3
Challenges:...................................................................................................................... 4
Causes: ............................................................................................................................ 5
Strategy: .......................................................................................................................... 5
Result: ............................................................................................................................. 6
Suggestions: .................................................................................................................... 7

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Introduction:
Historically human beings have worked and lived in close - knit static
societies. As such people have the inertia to adapt for changes. But under modern socio-
economic scenario, people are made to join a new group and expected to get along with
rest of the team. When many people are roped in together simultaneous, then team
building becomes complex task. Moreover if some of the team members are having
certain kind of prejudices against one – another, the team building is nothing less than a
challenge.

In our daily life we do take various initiatives / decisions, which have direct impact on
team building and its performance. But such initiatives / decisions are often taken
inadvertently and produce intangible good or bad impact on the team.

This document presents the case study on strategic approach toward team building for
better performance.

Scope:
The scope of this case study extends to scenario and constraints, challenges,
causal analysis, strategy, and results achieved. The suggestions for creating a
performance driven culture within team are also included. However the quantification of
performance parameters is explicitly kept out scope of this document.

Scenario:
‘P’ was assigned an engagement, which had multiple complex issues
involved. Majority of the issues were internal only. On external side, there was no work
flow or work protocol defined, turn around time from client side was long and there was
no tracking of issues. Moreover there was free flow of communication between offshore
and onsite, which was creating more problems than solving ones. In the absence of issue
tracking mechanism, there were slippages in term of schedule and quality, finally
resulting in discord between onsite and offshore team.

On internal issues side the team had no clear and defined leadership, every one had
personal agenda ahead of organizational goals.
There were also other common team issues like individualism, indiscipline, personal life,
demotivation, conflicting interest, lack or professionalism etc. These issues were causing
greater harm to team and individuals alike. The threat of losing the engagement was
looming large.

Now ‘P’ had three immediate challenges to take on.

i. Ensuring his own acceptance within offshore and onsite team

ii. Managing the expectations of the client, senior management, onsite team and
offshore team
iii. Identifying the core issues affecting the team and its performance
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To handle the first challenge, ‘P’ took some initiatives just to build the confidence in
onsite and offshore teams that the things can be changed for better. But the stake was so
high that onsite team was not in position to afford the time required for the damage
control. ‘P’ believed that the things could be changed for better, but would take some
more time. The goal was set to minimize the timeframe, by setting up clear priorities.
The basis of setting the priority was based on its impact on relationship with the client.

Second challenge was somewhat complex. Here client, onsite team, offshore team, senior
management had diversifying expectations and none of the expectation was clearly
defined. Though expectations were indicated objectively, but no particular goal was
defined and no particular priority was set.

Third challenge was the root cause for other two, thus critical for any kind of
improvement. But again ‘P’ needed the time to understand the team, personalities,
individual’s strength, weaknesses and their respective agenda. Based on these input he
could logically deduce the issues affecting the team and its performance.

Still ‘P’ identified the key challenges by quick analysis.

Challenges:
From organizational perspective, following challenges needed to be taken
care of.
1. Poor Quality:
The quality of deliverables was poor. Often resulting in considerable
reworks or mismatch with client’s expectation.

2. Lower Productivity:
The productivity of the team was considerably low. It was due
to high volume of rework, high processes overheads and unprofessional working.

3. Low Profitability:
Lower productivity and under utilization of the team were
resulting in low profitability.

4. Lower operational performance:

Delay or slippage in turn around time was the
norm than exception. There was no effective tracking of issues and status, resulting in
poor coordination.

5. Undisciplined team:
The team was heavily affected by individualism and
indiscipline. Improper alignment of individual’s goals was resulting in conflicting
interest. There was the environment of mistrust among team members. Blame game
and non cooperation were the regular features for the working of the team.
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Here poor quality and low operational performance were the client’s concern. Senior
management was more concern with low productivity and profitability. Mother of all
problems, undisciplined team was the major concern for ‘P’.

Over a short span of time, ‘P’ ensured his acceptance by the team and client. Though
there were escalations in process and pressure on ‘P’ increased. But he kept his head
cool, knowing very well that such things were unavoidable. He was desperately in the
need of motivation and support to handle the situation, but not getting the same for all
practical reasons. ‘P’ self motivated himself and in the absence of required support,
decided to fight his own battle. That was another challenge for ‘P’. In due course ‘P’
extracted and analyzed the required information.

Causes:
On analysis of relevant information, ‘P’ found the following root causes for
lower performance.

1. Lack of motivation

2. Unjust culture

3. Lack of innovation

4. Lacking in knowledge and skills

5. Lacking environment of mutual faith and trust

6. Unprofessional working

7. Lacking in respect for dependencies and priorities

8. Individual’s agenda and goals independent of organizational need and goals

Strategy:
‘P’ adopted following strategy to meet the challenges. The strategy was
formulated after careful evaluation of causes, options and possible effect. However the
two fold strategy was employed in parallel. In first fold the approach was to clean up the
mess in ongoing tasks / projects, whereas second one was for clean and controlled
beginning of new tasks / project. In first fold, there was a challenge of wrong team
members (in term of skill & attitude) critically involved in few tasks. ‘P’ insisted such
resources to complete the short duration task under his close supervision and other tasks
were assigned to other appropriate team members by ensuring proper overlapping.
Other strategic steps were following.
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 1. Identified the individual’s strengths and leveraged on the same.

2. Availed the opportunity to use individual’s weakness, considering that as strength

3. Managed the chemistry of the team members for smooth operations

4. Simplified of operational processes for higher productivity

5. Motivated the team

6. Enhanced the skill and knowledge by training, coaching and mentoring

7. Facilitated in aligning individual’s goal with organization’s goals

8. Created the belief that even individual’s goals can be realized only by setting
priorities and respecting dependencies

9. Created the just and fair environment

10. Built the high level of faith and trust among team members

11. Managed and preserved the knowledge by job-resource rotation system

12. Took various software engineering initiatives and did experimentations (with due
risk involved), some of them really clicked.

Result:
On employing the above strategy, initially there were issues, resentment within
team, escalations along with appreciations for some of the better initiatives. The road to
success was not a cakewalk. But over a period of time following results were found. Out
of that first three can be quantified but other two are intangible. Nevertheless their
importance can not be undermined.

1. Higher Productivity

2. Improved Quality

3. Greater profitability

4. Improved Operational Performance

5. An efficient team

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Suggestions:
Based on experience and analysis ‘P’ suggested following for creating
the performance driven culture.

1. Value the intangible

2. Developed our own performance criteria

3. By-products of the quality services

4. Leadership by direction, coaching and support

5. Focus on customer needs, constraints and goals

6. Any process, which does not facilitate higher productivity, quality,

profitability and efficiency should be tailored accordingly

7. There is NO perfect knowledge rather there is good judgment

8. Be receptive to ideas and value them on their respective merits rather than on
the status, relationship or credential of those who had submitted.

9. Team members are normal human being, be empathetic with them.

10. Focus on essence not on peripheral.

11. Coach the team in developing technical, professional skills and relationship
Management

12. Celebrate the achievements of individual’s / team often and spontaneously

13. Assign the task with a brief discussion on objective, goals, constraints and risk

14. Informal communication is as important as formal communication

15. Clearly delineate what the team is doing and why

16. Always strive for available best practices and tailor them as per team’s requirement

-------Concluded-------