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Collaborative Environments For Today’s Multi-Company Teams

Collaborative Environments For Today’s Multi-Company Teams. Exploring the Challenges and Solutions. Eric Honour INCOSE Past President. Topics. Multi-Company Teams Driving factors Intra-Team Communications Psychology of dispersed teams Communications needs Characteristics and urgency

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Collaborative Environments For Today’s Multi-Company Teams

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  1. Collaborative EnvironmentsFor Today’s Multi-Company Teams Exploring the Challenges and Solutions Eric Honour INCOSE Past President

  2. Topics • Multi-Company Teams • Driving factors • Intra-Team Communications • Psychology of dispersed teams • Communications needs • Characteristics and urgency • Collaborative Tools • Five classes of collaboration tools • Examples and references

  3. Multi-Company Teams Why Are They So Prevalent?

  4. Driving Factors • Specialization • Reduced Development Time • System Failures • Growing System Complexity • Market Pressures 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 COMPANY PROJECTS PRIME/ SUBS PROJECT TEAMS DOMAIN TEAMS

  5. CUSTOMER MODEL MANUFACTURING DIVISION MODEL SALES DIVISION MID-SIZE AUTO DESIGN DIVISION BRAKE SYSTEMS SUPPLIER ELECTRIC SYSTEMS SUPPLIER ENGINE CONTROL SUPPLIER ENVIRONMENT CONTROL SUPPLIER TIRES SUPPLIER Example - Automotive • Domain “team of teams” • Conflicting goals • Conflicting cultures

  6. Team Communications How Can A Dispersed “Team of Teams” Work?

  7. PERFORMING ADJOURNING STORMING NORMING FORMING Developing a Team • Well-known psychology • Basic process described for over 40 years • Team culture always happens • Beliefs, Expectations, Shared Values • Heros and Heroines, Myths and Stories • Rituals and Ceremonies • Creating a culture of collaboration • Explicitly reward collaboration traits • Honesty, integrity, sharing, receptivity, consistency, respect • Build trust • Individual involvement in planning, creating, strategizing, structuring

  8. Psychology of Dispersed Teams • Special difficulties • Conflicting goals, conflicting cultures • Constant divergence • Cohesiveness • Extent to which team members like and trust one another • Improves productivity, decision quality, member satisfaction, member interaction, safety. • Improve cohesion • Goal agreement • Frequent interaction • Homogeneity • Stability • Isolation • Outside pressure • Status • Intergroup competition • Decrease cohesion • Disagreement • Large size • Unpleasant experiences • Intragroup competition • Domination

  9. Boundary Management in Technical Teams • Recent study of 45 high-tech new product development teams • Significant portion of time is spent at team boundaries • Individual Time Spent • Outside Team 14%* • * Typically limited to few individuals • Within Team 38% • Alone 48%

  10. CREATION DEVELOPMENT DIFFUSION Boundary Management in Technical Teams • Recent study of 45 high-tech new product development teams • Significant portion of time is spent at team boundaries • Specific boundary roles exist, that change with phase • Ambassador • Buffering, building support, reporting, strategy • Task Coordinator • Lateral group coordination, info transfer, planning, negotiating • Scout • Obtain possibilities from outside - interface with marketing • Guard • Withhold information, prevent disclosure

  11. Boundary Management in Technical Teams • Recent study of 45 high-tech new product development teams • Significant portion of time is spent at team boundaries • Specific boundary roles exist, that change with phase • High-performing teams did more external interaction than low-performing teams • Internal team dynamics (goals, processes, individual satisfaction) did not correlate with performance

  12. Downward • Customer to supplier • Directing • Gaining buy-in BUSINESS MANAGER TEAM A TEAM B TEAM C • Upward • Supplier to customer • Reporting • Gaining support • Lateral • Equal to equal • Coordination • Information • Task completion Communications Needs • Communications directions

  13. WYE CHAIN RING STAR FULL Communications Needs • Communications directions • Network connectivity

  14. Communications Needs • Communications directions • Network connectivity • Data types to support group roles • Individual-Oriented • Recognition • Blocking • Domination • Avoiding • Task-Oriented • New ideas • Solutions • Products • Questions • Information • Coordination • Evaluation • Group-Oriented • Standards • Feedback • Encouragement • Harmony • Gatekeeping

  15. VERBAL ISSUES Words used have different meanings Amount of information Bypassing NONVERBAL ISSUES Body language Use of space Use of time Paralanguage - pauses, intonation, rate, tone, volume Artifacts - objects with or on the person SEND FILTERS CHANNEL NOISE RECEIVE FILTERS MESSAGE UNDERSTOOD MESSAGE INTENDED MESSAGE RECEIVED MESSAGE SENT Verbal vs NonVerbal Communications • Select method based on content • Rich methods for ambiguous, complex content • Lean methods for routine, simple content

  16. Why Don’t Teams Communicate? • Replace tools • Change culture • Change processes • Acquire tools • Formal training SKILLS NEVER KNOWN SKILLS NOT LEARNABLE SKILLS WEAK, LITTLE USED • Evaluate skills • Refresh training • Change culture • Change processes COMMUNICATIONS IS PUNISHED NON-COMMS IS REWARDED OBSTACLES EXIST NOT IMPORTANT • Change culture • Change rewards • Replace tools • Replace people • Replace tools • Change culture • Change processes ROOT CAUSE POSSIBLE SOLUTION(S) SKILLS NOT AVAILABLE SKILLS NOT USED

  17. Collaborative Tools What’s Available Today for Dispersed Teams?

  18. Collaboration Tool Classes • Interconnection and security (not covered herein) • Internet, Intranets, Gateways • Data Warehouse • File servers, Configuration management, Internet repositories • Shared Information • Phone, E-mail, File transfers, Bulletin boards, Virtual environments • Meeting Support • Teleconferencing, Desktop conferencing, Meeting management • Decision Support • Brainstorm, Categorization, Prioritization, Documentation

  19. Data Warehouse Tools • File Servers (Fast, Accurate, Lean) • Intranet-based file structure • Project files appear as separate folder on all stations • Mutual access to project files • Configuration Management (Mid-speed, Accurate, Lean) • Capture and control of baselines • Controlled, multi-level access • Check-in, check-out of files • Public Repositories (Mid-speed, Mid-accurate, Lean) • Internet-based ftp sites • Browser access • Immediate or delayed download

  20. Example - Data Warehouse Tools • Rational Software (http://www.rational.com) • ClearCase - version control, workspace management, build management, and process control. • ClearCase Attache - Windows client • ClearGuide - defining tasks, prioritizing activities, allocating resources and tracking project progress • Clear Quest - track and manage change activities - customize and define queries, fields, activities, and states for change request management

  21. Shared Information Tools • Telephone (Fast, Mid-accurate, Mid-Rich) • Verbal plus paralanguage (tone, emphasis, pacing) • Excellent for ideas, two-way exchange, social impact • E-mail (Fast, Mid-accurate, Lean) • Point-to-point, addressed messages w/ or w/o ensured receipt • Verbal only, without feedback • Excellent for ideas, solutions, coordination, general information • File transfers (Fast, Accurate, Lean) • Rapid, reliable transfer of information • Accurate, in-depth information • Verbal only, without feedback • Excellent for technical solutions, products

  22. Shared Information Tools • Bulletin boards (Slow, Mid-accurate, Lean) • Messages posted to site available to many • Linked threads of related messages • Retain communications for longer duration • Excellent for unstructured discussion, broadcast of information to unknown recipients • Virtual environments (Mid-speed, Mid-accurate, Lean) • Structured site with navigation tools • Variety of posting tools, formats • Information available to participants via original tools • Operates real-time (virtual meetings) or as repository • Excellent to provide structure to on-line information sharing, data warehousing

  23. Example - Shared Information Tools QuickTools Bulletin Board - http://www.quicktools.com

  24. Example - Shared Information Tools Mesa Vista - http://www.mesavista.com

  25. Examples - Shared Information Tools • eRoom - http://www.instinctive.com

  26. Examples - Shared Information Tools • Multi-User Virtual Environment - SSC San Diego project

  27. Meeting Support Tools • Teleconferencing (Fast, Inaccurate, Rich) • Linked conference rooms • Audiovisual T.120 PictureTel standard • Transmitted presentations • Transmitted whiteboard • Excellent for complex, ambiguous discussion, rapid consensus • Desktop conferencing (Fast, Mid-accurate, Mid-rich) • Virtual Presentation • Screen Sharing • Virtual whiteboard • Internet Chat • Audiovisual H.323 Internet standard • Excellent for complex discussion of technical content

  28. Meeting Support Tools • Meeting Management (Fast, Accurate, Lean) • Meeting scheduling with joint knowledge of conflicts • Participant agreement on schedules, topics • Agenda following • Excellent for setting expectation, controlling meetings

  29. Examples - Meeting Support Tools • PictureTel - http://www.picturetel.com/ • Many related and interactive conferencing tools • Microsoft - http://www.microsoft.com • PowerPoint - virtual presentation • Outlook - meeting management, e-mail, scheduling • NetMeeting - desktop conferencing • Lotus Notes - http://www.lotus.com • Rich set of interoperating office/conference tools • SunForum http://sun.com/desktop/products/software/sunforum/index.html • Virtual Rendezvous (Visualtek) http://rendezvous.visualtek.com

  30. Example - Meeting Support Tools Microsoft NetMeeting - http://www.microsoft.com/netmeeting/

  31. Collaborative Process Tools • Brainstorming • Generation of ideas, thoughts • Automated capture and display during brainstorming • Categorization • Tool-aided sorting, binning, categorizing • Prioritization • Rich set of voting methods - chips, ranking, weighting, etc. • Immediate calculation and display • Participant comparisons to facilitate vote evaluation • Documentation • Automated capture of entire collaborative data set • Immediate output in usable formats

  32. Collaborative Process Tools • Remote (Slow, Inaccurate, Mid-rich) • Browser-based tools, centrally-facilitated • Asynchronous access over structured time periods • Access from any Internet location • Excellent for semi-structured collaboration from many locations • Local (Fast, Mid-accurate, Rich) • Client-server tools, locally-facilitated • Synchronous access within local or virtual conference • Requires client software to access • Excellent for live, facilitated conferences

  33. Example - Collaborative Process Tools Facilitate.com - http://www.facilitate.com/

  34. Example - Collaborative Process Tools GroupSystems - http://www.groupsystems.com/

  35. More Information? • Psychology references Gordon, J.R. Organizational Behavior Aamodt, M.G. Applied Industrial/Organizational Psychology Mager and Pipe Analyzing Performance Problems • Tool references picturetel.com sun.com microsoft.com lotus.com facilitate.com groupsystems.com visualtek.com ncms.org rational.com and many others... • Or contact Honourcode for further assistance in developing collaborative environments Eric Honour (850) 995-1649 ehonour@hcode.com www.hcode.com

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