TEAM AND ORGANIZATIONAL ALIGNMENT

To achieve the best results, members of teams and organizations must share a concrete understanding of what they are trying to achieve and how they are going to achieve it.  One of the most common complaints from people at all levels in organizations is that they do not  fully understand how their own activities contribute to the organization's strategic objectives and mission. 

When any team comes together, especially a cross-functional group with different views of the organization and different professional or functional priorities, the challenge is to translate the collective goals and objectives into an understanding of what people must accomplish and how best to enable the team's success.

Getting everyone working together and "playing from the same playbook" is a perfect application of Six Boxes Performance Thinking.  Using the logic of the Performance Chain to work backward from business goals to group and individual performance requirements, managers can clarify for themselves and others what must be done to succeed.  Shared understanding of goals and requirements based on clarification of the Performance Chain becomes a common touch-point for ongoing planning, decision-making and collaboration among members of the team.  Teams can then use the Six Boxes Model to understand and plan for all the behavior influences needed to optimize performance for groups and individuals within the team, and for others whose performance the team is chartered to influence, support or improve. 

We find that teams who share an understanding of goals and means based on Six Boxes Performance Thinking can bridge the silos and separate viewpoints that often drag down team performance, leading to more effective plans, ongoing decision-making, and project or team management.  In situations such as new product launches, strategy implementation, and complex project management, the Six Boxes Approach for gaining team alignment can make the difference between exceptional levels of execution and muddling through.

Organizational and team alignment is built into the fabric of the Six Boxes Management Development Program and the Six Boxes Application Program. Participants can select team or organizational alignment as a specific application during the coaching portions of either program.  Participants in the Champions Program devote a significant portion of their time over the program's 12-month duration engaging in projects and communication to improve team and organizational alignment.