Thursday, July 22, 2010

Monday, June 28, 2010

Pages 26-78

After reading these pages, it is apparent Kathryn believes her team is unaware there are major problems within their organization. They are aware that there is friction within the executive team but they don't believe it is affecting the overall  momentum. Kathryn believes a poor debate environment, where team members don't really discuss issues, is also contributing to the problem.
Awareness of the problem, or problems, is the first step all organizations must take before becoming an effective team. In the book " Good to Great" Jim Collins refers to this as addressing the brutal facts of your reality. Lack of trust in each other hinders this process.
Kathryn attempts to increase their awareness by utilizing the retreat to Napa to discuss the absence of trust and invulnerability. Slowly, they begin to recognize that dysfunction not only exists but is having a negative impact on their progress as a company.
Inattention to results, status and ego are then discussed by the team. The most important quote of this section for me is from Kathryn as she states " there is a place for ego on a team but the key is to make the collective ego greater than the individual ones." These executives believed that if they met quotas and focused on profit the team would be successful and everything would continue status quo. Team members sometimes become immersed in their own little world  forgetting that if the team loses they lose. Kathryn is trying to help them believe in the big picture not just their snapshot but the whole album. She is challenging them to become part of something bigger and better, a team where all members are focused daily on the same goals and results.


Question - How does a poor debate environment contribute to the dysfunction of a team?
              

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

TSA Summer Book Discussion

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