In an earlier post I listed 5 challenges in creating and sustaining team performance.

This post is looking at redefining the team task.

Redefining the team task

A crisis demands action & provides clear direction for that action. In stability the tasks of the management team are ambiguous.

When a team is created in a crisis situation external demand & clear direction define the action. When an organization has stability & the teams work is that of sustaining operations the tasks of a top management team are ambiguous. To overcome this ambiguity the management team must be proactive in defining a direction for the organization. This challenge is greater & feels murkier than responding energetically to an immediate externally imposed challenge.

What is the top management team to do with this challenge?

1. Understand the current condition of the environment.  Instead of guessing & creating fictitious threats or enemies, work as a senior team to identify current trends & conditions of the work.
2. Identify a target + target condition to move the company to a new standing in the environment. Target Condition = Target is an outcome, and a target condition is a description of a process operating in a way – in a pattern – required to achieve the desired outcome. (Toyota Kata)
3. Involve people who will be impacted & a part of the target condition. Share the results of #1 & the teams ideas for #2. Ask, What do you think? What about the environment do you notice? How can we tell that this is the right target + target condition? What clues or indicators will let us know we are making progress / regress?
4. Create a small experiment.  While in the experiment use a Plan, Do, Study, Act process to see what works to amplify and what does not work to muffle.

Difference between a target condition and a target (Toyota Kata)

Target Condition	Target An outcome, result, or goal
Process A description of how the process should operate in order to achieve the target.	Staffing Levels Timeliness of service Cost per/unit of service New programs/services Quality Level Workforce Development Etc…
Actionable These conditions will generate ………………	Cannot be achieved directly …. these outcomes and results