The Rapid Response Institute

Tag: Teams

  • Hierarchy of Team Needs in Challenging Times

    Hierarchy of Team Needs in Challenging Times

    First it was Covid-19 and now a Recession?  Is a Global Military Conflict on the Horizon as well?

     

    Social, economic and personal pressures continue to mount.  There is already evidence of Reductions in Force, (RIF) aka layoffs are underway or planned.  With consumers stretched to the max, higher interest rates, equity markets in retreat and a struggling real estate environment, one wonders what the holiday season will bring.

    Cross Cultural (Diverse) Teams

    Ronald Reagan is credited with saying, “Recession is when your neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours.”  Would that it would be that simple.

    As we have addressed in the series on several occasions organizational teams consists of different types of people with diverse background and perspectives on life.  More importantly team members can be at different levels of maturity (both personally and organizationally).  We will address this in more detail.

    Maslow’s Hierarchy

    Many are familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.  While a simple physiological (group level) safety model and as my colleague Rob Jones discusses in his new book, A Hole In Science–Grammar of The Sociological Problem.  He takes a very sophisticated and well thought out approach to addressing this group dynamic problem.  For our purposes in the blog, his in-depth analysis is really for professionals and not the casual reader.  However, for those interested, I highly recommend this newly released publication.

    Released in the early 1940s, the hierarchy consists of these five levels of needs that humans progressively move through (these levels were take directly from the aforementioned linked article and should be treated as direct quotations):

    1. Physiological–Air, water, food, sleep, health, clothes, and shelter, etc.
    2. Safety–Include personal and emotional security (e.g., safety from abuse), financial security, and wellbeing.
    3. Belongingness and Love–Family connections, friendship, and intimacy.
    4. Esteem–According to Maslow, there are two subtypes of esteem.  The first is esteem reflected in others’ perceptions of us.  That is, esteem in the form of prestige, status, recognition, attention, appreciation, or admiration.  The second form of esteem is rooted in a desire for confidence, strength, independence, and the ability to achieve.
    5. Self-Actualization–Examples include the acquisition of a romantic partner, parenting, the utilization and development of one’s talents and abilities, and goal pursuit 

    Maslow and others continued to advance the model, but readers can get the gist of it from these definitions.  Moreover, the following short (2.17 min) video covers this model very effectively.

    We can look at Maslow through the lens of a Maturity Model.  For example, certain Teams and/or Individuals might be higher up the hierarchy than others.

    This may change team interactions.  Usually, such models reflect the maturity of the lowest member.

    With the stress of an economic setback, some members may move from of a position of feeling good to one of Safety if jobs or personal cash flow are threatened.

    Guidelines for Going Forward

    In one sense,, teams composed of individuals in different phases of the Hierarchy are no different than other diverse teams.  Teambuilding techniques such as found in our Cross Cultural Serious Games are good tools to teach team member about the state of mind of their team members and/or competitors.

    We have been through tough times before and we will all get through this one as well.  Be sure to learn from history so as not to repeat it.

    How are you helping your family and organization deal with challenging times?

    Note: The definition of a recession is a political football and this is a blog about organizational excellence and not politics.  Investopedia has a good and generally accepted definition of the term (recession) and it is provided herein for completeness.  Readers can decide for themselves as to  its relevance to their individual situation.

    For More Information

    Please note, RRI does not endorse or advocate the links to any third-party materials herein.  They are provided for education and entertainment only.

    The author’s credentials in this field are available on his LinkedIn page.

    “People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.” (Martin Luther King speech at Cornell College, 1962).  For more information on Cross Cultural Engagement, check out our Cross Cultural Serious Game.  You can contact this author as well.

    For more insight regarding the economics of Climate Change, check out our recent blog, Crippling Green.

    For those start-up firms addressing energy (including renewables) challenges, the author is a member of Global Energy Mentors which provide no-cost mentoring services from energy experts.  If interested, check it out and give us a shout.

  • Getting to Diverse and Inclusive Teams

    Getting to Diverse and Inclusive Teams

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Team Models

    There is a tendency to see DEI through the lens of initiatives or often a process semi-outside the daily ‘organizational’ grind.  Does this represent reality?

    Organizations spend countless sums training employees and others they depend on for Operational Excellence performance.  They often trust global Teams to add stakeholder value.

    No less than Microsoft names a software product, Teams.  A tool designed to foster collaboration.

    The Way We Do Business

    Culture is often defined as ‘who we are.’  The approach an organization takes towards its ecosystem.  If this model is an accurate representation, it suggests that when organizations launch initiatives meant to address current social mores, they likely fail or at least do not live up to full potentials.

    Change management, often referred to as transformation often takes on the mantel of ‘you will be changed.’  Contemporarily, take the Covid-19 vaccine or you will be fired!  Not surprisingly, this mandate is resisted and seemingly increasingly with each new warning.

    As of this writing, the all out war (on decrees) has been declared by the likes of the Navy Seals, Health Care Workers, Law Enforcement and others with the demands from the Feds.  Likely, the result will be a draw at best, with the administration quietly acquiescing.  Too many critical, non-replaceable positions are at risk.  Not to mention votes.

    Governance

    In October 2011, we published our first draft of, Asset/Equipment Integrity Governance: Operations–Enterprise Alignment.  We recognized that traditional organizational Governance models were strictly focused on finance and maleficence therein.  The reality is that revenue is generate by operations and as such governance is critical as well.  Safety Culture, is intangible but now required by most organizations in Critical Infrastructure sectors.

    Flash forward to today and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) is the model most organizations use.  Effectively, this expands governance to include a broad range of non-financial commitments.  From this blogger’s perspective, likely DEI will fall under this governance model.  Therefore, moving it from the ‘initiative status’ to the ‘way we do business.’

    Team Building

    This dynamic environment requires workforce upskilling.  The need to constantly assure that individuals have current Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs) necessary to meet current challenges.  KSAs now include the ability/necessity to work across cultural/diverse lines.

    When one thinks of a ‘team’ it is not a homogenous collection of like minded and ‘like’ individuals.  Teams are a collection of hopefully, ‘fit for purpose’ individuals who comprise the KSAs needs to accomplish the task(s) at hand.  Teams can mirror the discrete views of its members.

    For example, our early research on the subject assessed the different approaches Japanese nationals took when negotiating with white American males.  In each case, the individual players were deemed to be homogenous.

    Nothing could be further from the truth.  Each individual, in this case all males were of different ages, different education, from different regions of their respective countries, married or not and so forth and so on.

    The reality is that individuals do not negotiate deals.  Teams do.   Members of teams, like juries need to arrive at the same place prior to engaging with other collaborative counterparts.

    Juries need to be arrive at consensus.  Likewise, organizational team members must arrive at a similar place internally prior to going forward.  This not to say that individuals must cave to the will of the majority or the Tyranny of the Minority.  It is to say, a common position that all must accept as part of collaboration or consensus.

    Inclusive?

    There is no doubt that token individuals and in some case high profile figureheads have been put forth to ‘prove’ inclusivity.  Thankfully, those days are fading.

    Teams need to have the input of all members, even contrarians.  Often it is the outlier that has the most insight into a difficult problem.  Differences of opinion need to be resolved and a go forward plan agreed upon.

    Often, individuals do not speak up.  Perhaps they are new to the environment, shy or unsure of themselves.  Whatever the reason their input must be sought and at least given a fair hearing.

    Training can help elicit input from the reticent.  Moreover, they help dominate individuals acknowledge and accept said input.

    How Does Your Organization Assure Real Inclusion?

    For More Information

    Please note, RRI does not endorse or advocate the links to any third-party materials.  They are provided for education and entertainment only.

    For more information on Cross Cultural Engagement, check out our Cross Cultural Serious Game

    We presented, Should Cross Cultural Serious Games Be Included in Your Diversity Program: Best Practices and Lessons Learned at the Online Conference, New Diversity Summit 2020 the week of September 14, 2020.  Check Out this timely event and contact the organizer for access to the presentations!!

    For more on DEI Standards, see the newly released ISO-30415.

    You can contact this author as well.