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Greetings!

We’ve been asked by many of our customers for periodic, no-nonsense emails with just-in-time information for managers and knowledge workers on how organizations work. This is our 17th edition and we hope you enjoy it. Past editions are available on our website.

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What We're Reading

Fair Process: Managing in the Knowledge Economy. By W. Chan Kim & Rene Mauborgne. Harvard Business Review, July-August, 1997, Reprint #407X.

This HBR reprint is one that Andrea and I give out in our workshops on Collaborative Conversations. The authors are probably better know for their book, Blue Ocean Strategy (HBR Press) however this article is a great one for succinctly summarizing how to create an environment that creates enough trust for people to "volunteer their creativity and expertise". Here's the summary of the concept from the HBR 'idea at work' version of the article:

"A process can be fair without being consensual or even democratic, for that matter. Although a fair process gives every idea a chance, it is the merit of the idea-not the agreement of all involved-that drives the decision making."

How do people decide if a process is fair? The authors suggest that there are 3 key steps. First, those who will be affected by the decision have a chance to give input. This is often confused with 'consensus' in which all have to agree, which results in a watered down decision. It's not agreement that people are after; it is the chance to be heard. If 'everyone' can't be at the table to speak, they have to believe that someone is representing their view. Do they 'trust' their leaders to represent their interests in a fair manner? Or does a small, select group make the decision after hearing very narrow alternatives and views? Another huge mistake is asking for input AFTER the decision has already been made. This will destroy trust as soon as people find out.

Second, people want to know how the decision was made. Who made it? Why this decision and not another? How were their views considered? The most effective way to integrate this step into your work is to begin to make your decision-making process explicit. In an organization or team, people get very confused on their role in the decision making process. They think they have a 'vote' when in fact, they only have input, or perhaps a recommendation. People come to meetings expecting to make a decision, only to find that the process is fuzzy. There are many good books on decision-making and there is another HBR reprint you can pair with this one to present a model for the roles in decision-making. ("Who has the D", HBR, January, 2006)

Third, after people hear the explanation of the decision, they want to know what they need to do differently as a result of the decision. It's hard enough to get people to change their behavior; it's even harder if they don't know what is expected. This is one of the reasons change fails so often in my opinion. We get in a hurry and skip steps 2 & 3 or only do them in a very superficial manner, and then we wonder why no one is doing anything different. Sometimes we have to slow down in order to gain speed.

Underlying this concept is as always, the three human universal needs; the need to have a voice and be heard, to be seen as essential to the group and to be seen as unique and exceptional. If people feel their needs have been met, you are on the way to a fully engaged workplace with high quality decisions being made and implemented.

The Elements of Trust

In our continuing effort to help organizations create the environment of trust, we've produced another downloadable presentation (PowerPoint & Keynote formats), The Elements of Trust.

The presentation will help you facilitate a 2-hour session on trust. In contrast to our other Team Trust presentation, this product doesn't incorporate the TrustTalk cards so it is a stand-alone. It will start the conversation about trust within a group and lead to action planning. We recommend you listen to our podcast on trust before you run the session.

The Elements of Trust is available for only $30 (normally $39.99) during March. A great session would include the two HBR reprints, noted above, as a way to focus the group on creating the environment described by the authors.

Click here for more information and to order.

March Webinars

Two webinars scheduled for March:

• Mar. 18 - The Leaders's Role: How to
  Engage Employees - More
• Mar. 11 - Virtual Team Building: Best
  Practices of Virtual Teams - More

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Thanks for your interest and support.

Sue Annis Hammond
email: news@thinbook.com
phone: 888.316.9544
web: http://www.thinbook.com