Keep the focus on the simply on the problem. Of course, that means that you and the team need to spend sometime truly identifying the problem. Clearly and concisely as possible. Identify the gap on what is happening and what should be happening. Define that desired state! First step in collaborative here is getting agreement on the problem. Once agreed upon, write it down – keep it visible.

Problem must matter! Above you got agreement on the problem, that is a powerful first step. Getting the team to really focus on what the expected outcome will be and how great it will be for them will add a layer of frosting on the teams cake. Some of the team may agree on the problem and just go about doing the same old stuff (status quo), but keep the focused on the why and benefits will keep them from the status quo.

Let team discuss concerns and potential barriers. Giving the team an opportunity to put forth all of the concerns (some of that will be their personal agenda) and desired outcomes gives everyone a clear view. So, create that safe environment to get people talking.  If everyone was just to let the team lead do everything from identifying the problem, why and desired outcome – nothing will change. Get everyone involved, actively involved.

Get everyone on board. I know this seems like just me summarizing what was above. Think about it awhile… If you are the leader of the team, this area is going to be the toughest for you. Your team may say that they are on board. They may even give it a try. Actions speak! Watch closely for individuals that a still posturing or holding out for their solution. Be ready to act on your part quickly. Remember this is the whole team.

Over the years, I have seen better results when I apply the above. Is it completely successful? Not really. Collaborative problem solving is difficult and requires time and effort. When collaborative problem solving is done right, it is a very powerful tool. It also, demonstrates to the complete team that they are a high performing team…

How does a project manager really get their team to be successful? How do they make stuff happen without having their team reporting directly to them? There are some initial basics that each team needs to have to be success:

• Goals are clearly defined and matched with measurable outcomes. Basic project management tools help to make sure that this is written down. How do they really get everyone on board – that is the trick. My best project managers used to pull everyone in for complete understanding and formulation of the project charter, outcomes and deliverable’s - as a collaborative effort. Making sure to really focus on Tuckman’s model of forming and storming… Make sure that you have set realistic expectations..
• Accurate 2-way communication. Setting up the working norms for the project team. Could be meeting workspaces, social media group or anything that everyone felt comfortable using. The project manager set up regular review meetings that were short and focused. Meetings do not mean work gets done. Regular one on one discussions are scheduled – around the critical milestones. Of course we have the normal communication channels – the hallway, email, phone and cafe – but if you have a dispersed team – those channels need some TLC to work.
• Cooperation and collaboration. Probably the single hardest thing is getting work done through people. Since you are responsible, as the project manager, you need to move the team from storming to performing as quickly as possible. Getting everyone to be all in. I usually see good project managers – meeting with their team one on one to fully get to know the person. Understanding them and how they work to help move forward. Spending lots of time listening and understanding. Taking that knowledge and applying it to the the team as a whole. Reviews can be a good thing, if structured well, (I like them rapid fire). Focus on encouraging dialog among team members on the time-lines and deliverable’s.
• Shared identity. I know this seems somewhat cheesy, but having a team name, maybe a logo or something to identify helps. When working with shared resources – the more you can make those resources feel special – the better off you will be.
• Celebrate and recognize extra effort. Want to keep your folks motivated to keep on keeping on track – when something special happens – celebrate.. Award the team or set of individuals on the above and beyond effort. Praise never hurt anyone.. Just be fair and consistent.

When I think of social media tools and capabilities for the enterprise, I am thinking about better communication and collaboration capabilities. What are the important factors that your enterprise is trying to accomplish? Global company trying to improve collaboration within the team? Knowledge capture and management? Better communications? Finding experts? Cool new tools that others are using? What is it that makes you want to change what you are doing today? Get your answer(s)… Since this is not “new” anymore – there is plenty of information (and suppliers) to help.

Here are the items that I believe need to be done to make this transition successful…

• Pull in your HR, IT and business unit teams to spend the right amount of time drafting and finalizing your social media policies. Nothing worse than going down to the path of implementation and then being hit with the IT Security or HR policies roadblocks. They are there – just include them right off the bat.
• Make sure that you are looking at tools and capabilities that integrate together. Don’t be looking for another stand alone solution. Of course, don’t be looking at that potential one-size fits all model either. Look for a platform that you can build on. You can add “best in class” solutions or the platform supplier does. Either way – you win!
• Gauge how supportive your senior management team is with this endeavor. Are they receptive to changing how things get done? Do they feel okay with more challenging of the status quo? How thick is their skin? How about the ROI monkey? Leaders are supposed to removed roadblocks, but sometimes they like to leave the speed bumps in.
• Start small and move fast. Goes back to an earlier comment. Don’t try to find the one-size fits all. Making a huge change will not go over well. Start small, start with the capabilities that are most often lacking (by listening to the user base). Get that in, make it work, make it fit within the normal workflow and go fast.
• Take advantage of the “evangelists!” You know, the folks that jump at a chance to use “new” capabilities, that adopt early and really see how to make things work. Get them from the individual departments to help train and communicate success.
• Stay your course. It is too easy to get distracted by upper management, a shiny “new” capability or feel progress is moving slower than you want. Once more people get into using and adopting these tools the better off your company will be – you will see.

I know this is not new to many folks… Those folks and I have had plenty of war-story discussions together. I felt like I had to take that interview question and writing it down – As I thought I gave a pretty good (not 100% – did not mention suppliers) complete answer.

I got to listen to plenty of challenges from each group that I have worked with. They basically came down to the following statements:

• There is no consistent way to capture information or content.
• There are lots of tools to use, which one is best for me? Or my team?
• I have too many distractions today; meetings that fill up my complete calendar, emails that just go on and on, instant messages and every once and awhile the phone will ring.
• Social computing is not work… It is social… (I guess that is why using Enterprise 2.0 saves you from having to listen to social computing confusion)

To help the teams understand better what is meant by this I found that Terry Starbucker’s 7 Essential Truths About Social Media very helpful. For the internal purposes I used and/or modified about 5 of them – fitting the audience that I was dealing with.

• It’s not a “strategy” (it’s just a tool to communicate)
• It’s not going to fix all that ails your business units problems (no silver bullets)
• It will open up your world (just have to be open to making changes)
• It will expose some basic communication weaknesses (so, be careful when you jump in).
• It’s not going away (so, learn how to use it).

Usually after going over these truths and the examples that fit each one of them I can assess if this particular team is going to be resptive to making the necessary changes and work needed to be successful using the tools at their disposal. The other day, I was blessed with a quote from the team manager that just blew me away. “We are too busy with work, to work on reducing our workload.” I kid you not! Making changes take time and effort (work). I am willing to help, but I can not be the one that does it all… Almost all of the team needs to be a change agent to make this work. Not everyone, there will always be nay-sayers, but once they see how successful this is making the others or truly reducing their workload – they will come around, they always do. Just need a group that is willing to learn, open their eyes to dream how things could be and then work towards that dream.

Success rate overall, is still coming in. This takes time! Time to get moving, time to keep moving and getting the desired results that the team is looking for. I right now, have to say – this has been about a 50/50 split! My first months of starts, were with everyone that came knocking for help. The second month, I am only taking on those that are willing to give it a serious go. So, maybe my success rate will go up. I only have one month left – so, it better!

I do still love that title! I really enjoy the role… Maybe I can continue this role someplace else soon.

Related articles

• E L S U A ~ A KM Blog Thinking Outside The Inbox by Luis Suarez ” Enterprise 2.0: Two Success Stories on Connecting People with People to Make a Difference! (elsua.net)

Leading in an environment that is characterized by constrained resources, an uncertain and unpredictable economic environment and where competition is constantly increasing, is extremely challenging as there is no clear direction, not clear answers and the risk of failure is high. In these times, when decision making is difficult and change has become the order of the day, having the right leadership team in place is of utmost importance. This is why having a robust leadership strategy is key.

You many be asking yourself, what exactly is a leadership strategy and how will is help in times likes these? William Pasmore describes a leadership strategy as follows.. “A leadership strategy makes explicit how many leaders you need, what kind, where, with what skills, and behaving in what fashion individually and collectively to achieve the total success you seek.”

According to William, developing your organization’s leadership strategy require that you answer the following four questions:

1. What are the drivers of our business?
2. What kind of leadership do we need?
3. How am I myself leading?
4. Who are our leaders? 

This quote also made me think about change in general.Let’s look at the changes that are needed to happen when it comes to an area that is near and dear to most of our hearts, communication and collaboration. I have been hearing from many folks that are down at the work level (no offense to management and leaders) that today things are not working well. In fact, some folks have said it is broken. My first question is how are you doing with it today? Let me phrase the answer as – I do anything and everything that works for me. Within that – you can read between the lines – some would not meet security or IP protection, some are group(s) creative solutions (that if shared, others could benefit hugely) and others are just plain – we put in the ton of hours necessary to be success. As the company continues to spread out – communication and collaboration is stretched a lot. Every knows that when you stretch a rubber band too much – it does break. Well, we are doing just that – stretching. I wonder if leaders are listening to these cries for help? I know it is being heard in pockets – usually when it is so bad (emergencies or out of compliance) - that we jump into task force mode.

The groundswell has been going on for quite awhile. What made me think about the quote and this particular passion of mine – is that we are pretty good at throwing technically at problems. Hell, we are a technically company. The answer is not how much technically that we can change the way we operate. It takes leadership and a solid change management strategy to really transform. I think many of us have seen Field of Dreams – the movie that coined that phrase – “if you build it, they will come.” I think we have built plenty and have many items that just miss the complete mark – but we don’t help transform. When someone tells me – tools need to be intuitive and easy to use – I usually have problems. My first thought is – another tool that is going to be used the same old way. Transformation takes time and effort. From the top to the bottom.. The benefits will be realized, but over time. There is more than building it. There is more than letting grass roots efforts, just become reality. Time to lead the change in the manner necessary for true success.