AugusBoth checks were cut the was cut on1/16 and the other one for was cut yesterday, both went out yesterday Marybeth Tahar Interaction Associates, Inc. Building Collaborative Capability in Competitive Organizations STEP Presentation April 2006 Marybeth Tahar, Chairman of the Board, Interaction Associates

2 Desired Outcomes An understanding of the top challenges STEP members have in building collaborative cultures and An understanding of the best practices 8-10 large and competitive companies have used to create collaborative capability… So that members leave the session with specific and actionable ideas to implement in their organizations.

3 Interaction Associates Overview Over 35 years in business serving over 1200 clients, 1/2 of the Fortune 500 Industry pioneer in: Collaborative Problem Solving & Decision Making Facilitation Facilitative Leadership Involvement Mapping Interaction Institute for Social Change & Alliance Partners: HBSP iDL Center for Organizational Fitness Top-rated books include: How to Make Meeting Work; and recently released: How to Make Collaboration Work Learning Solutions: Combines world- class content, learning process expertise, and implementation advice to deliver unmistakable business value. Collaboration Consulting Services: A facilitative approach to working with leaders that builds clarity, alignment, and commitment to business priorities, while modeling the power of collaborative action. Our Mission: Our mission is to empower people in organizations and communities to realize their most noble aspirations by transferring the skills and demonstrating the power of collaborative action.

4 Our Aim with Clients We help our clients achieve success – outstanding results, better work processes and satisfying relationships – by providing high quality learning solutions and consulting services that improve their collaborative capability in the most complex and challenging situations.

5 Challenges in Building Collaborative Cultures What have you seen as the principal barriers to increasing collaboration in your organization?

6 Conference Board Research Results: Leadership 2010 Personal and Organizational Communication Skills Personal and Organizational Communication Skills Influence and Persuasion Skills Influence and Persuasion Skills Cognitive Ability Cognitive Ability Strategic Thinking Skills Strategic Thinking Skills Analytical Ability Analytical Ability Decision Making Amidst Ambiguity and Uncertainty Decision Making Amidst Ambiguity and Uncertainty The Ability to Manage in an Environment of Diversity The Ability to Manage in an Environment of Diversity

7 Key Content Domains Key Content Domains Collaborative Skills Self Awareness Strategic Thinking

8 Collaborative Skills  Enrolling others by offering an inspiring vision of the future  Setting up and launching teams for rapid success  The ability to effectively distinguish between positions and interests  Using effective and efficient stakeholder analysis and involvement  The ability to discern between diverse decision making options  Utilizing strategies/tools to guide group processes in ways that results, process and relationship satisfaction.  Expertly managing the emotional and cognitive complexity of change

9 Collaborative Skills Typical Content Areas include models, tools and practice in: Inquiry Advocacy Conflict Resolution: Positions and Interests Facilitating Agreement Feedback Stakeholder Analysis

10 Collaborative Skills Group Discussion: Best Practices in Developing Competency in Collaborative Skills

11 Strategic Thinking The world is increasingly complex. The world is increasingly complex. In great companies, strategic thinking is expected and rewarded. In great companies, strategic thinking is expected and rewarded. For any complex decision, leaders must be able to: For any complex decision, leaders must be able to:  access and organize the most pertinent data,  draw accurate and compelling conclusions  enroll others in shared meaning and  build alignment toward action

12 Strategic Thinking Interaction Associates defines Strategic Thinking as… “the process of taking in complex data and making shared, sound decisions.”

13 Strategic Thinkers Can… See the forest and the trees at the same time. See the forest and the trees at the same time. Scan for just the right amount of data from the best sources to inform decisions. Scan for just the right amount of data from the best sources to inform decisions. Organize/bucket data into meaningful patterns. Organize/bucket data into meaningful patterns. Identify and understand the relationship among multiple complex variables. Identify and understand the relationship among multiple complex variables. Create robust, data based hypotheses and conclusions. Create robust, data based hypotheses and conclusions. Selects a successful course of action amidst a highly complex, ambiguous situations Selects a successful course of action amidst a highly complex, ambiguous situations

14 Strategic Thinkers Can… Seek out/enroll key stakeholders strategically in decisions. Seek out/enroll key stakeholders strategically in decisions. Think through the possible impact of different options and select a course of action that produces positive results. Think through the possible impact of different options and select a course of action that produces positive results. Seek data and reframe hypotheses and conclusions as necessary. Seek data and reframe hypotheses and conclusions as necessary. Describe the belief system from which they operate to identify areas of alignment/lack of alignment with others. Describe the belief system from which they operate to identify areas of alignment/lack of alignment with others. Identify and integrate short and long term variables in difficult decisions. Identify and integrate short and long term variables in difficult decisions.

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16 Strategic Thinking Group Discussion: Best Practices in Developing Strategic Thinking Competency

17 Personal Awareness Research and literature points to the need for individuals at all levels of organizations to improve self awareness. Research and literature points to the need for individuals at all levels of organizations to improve self awareness. Employees are motivated to follow leaders who understand the impact of their behavior and are willing to change it. Employees are motivated to follow leaders who understand the impact of their behavior and are willing to change it. When their decisions produce unintended results, successful leaders draw upon personal- awareness, courage and skill to engage in behavior transformation. When their decisions produce unintended results, successful leaders draw upon personal- awareness, courage and skill to engage in behavior transformation.

18 Personal Awareness The ability to: Be conscious of one’s character, feelings, motives Be conscious of one’s character, feelings, motives Objectively recognize and understand your moods, emotions and behavior as well as their effect on others. Objectively recognize and understand your moods, emotions and behavior as well as their effect on others. Separate yourself from the facts in order to reflect upon them and take appropriate action in a way that creates desired results. Separate yourself from the facts in order to reflect upon them and take appropriate action in a way that creates desired results. so that you may improve your ability to change limiting structures, beliefs, thoughts and behaviors. so that you may improve your ability to change limiting structures, beliefs, thoughts and behaviors.

19 Personal Awareness Increasing self awareness creates: Increasing self awareness creates: – more accurate and productive problem-solving – more mature emotional well-being – more tolerance for ambiguity – more capacity to move from competition to collaboration – more sophisticated relational abilities – more accurate and productive problem-solving – more mature emotional well-being – more tolerance for ambiguity – more capacity to move from competition to collaboration – more sophisticated relational abilities – greater abilities to see and recognize the value of others in relation to themselves and the organizational system in which they work. – greater abilities to see and recognize the value of others in relation to themselves and the organizational system in which they work.

20 Personal Awareness Group Discussion: What trends have you seen over the last 3- 4 years in your organization’s need and/or readiness to develop personal awareness capability? Group Discussion: What trends have you seen over the last 3- 4 years in your organization’s need and/or readiness to develop personal awareness capability?

21 Learning Processes: Key Learnings The power of working with intact work groups (eg: facilitate them through specific conflict to mutual interests” The power of working with intact work groups (eg: facilitate them through specific conflict to mutual interests” The importance of having executive “sponsors” speak to the importance and possibility of collaboration in a competitive environment The importance of having executive “sponsors” speak to the importance and possibility of collaboration in a competitive environment Developing skill/capability in only one of the 3 domains (collaborative skill, strategic thinking or personal awareness) won’t get you sustainablilty Developing skill/capability in only one of the 3 domains (collaborative skill, strategic thinking or personal awareness) won’t get you sustainablilty The increasing use and impact of action learning projects with ongoing coaching. The increasing use and impact of action learning projects with ongoing coaching.

22 Learning Processes What learning processes are you beginning to implement that are getting increased traction in your organization? What learning processes are you beginning to implement that are getting increased traction in your organization?

23 Return on Involvement Thank You