The wider system
Why is the wider system important?
All teams exist to serve some wider system outside themselves. The team’s success and even its long-term existence depend on meeting the needs of its “customers” and maintaining good relationships with its “suppliers.” Both of these groups can be external or internal. The skills you need to work well inside your team are the same skills you need to work well with the wider system. Some simple tools can help, too.
Understanding the wider system
Make a map of the groups and key people you influence or who influence you
List the groups and key people on a chart. A diagram or picture often helps. Some of the people will be inside the organisation, some not. Give everyone a turn to think. You don’t have to agree at this stage.
Think about the nature of the relationship you have with them
Pick out, say, eight or ten of the groups or people so you don’t get overwhelmed. Think of a phrase like “cooperative” or “distant” to describe the relationship now. Some people like to draw a “cartoon” to illustrate this. This is essential work, but a light touch helps.
Talk about how you feel about those relationships.
You might see your management team’s relationship with the shop floor as “remote.” Now, consider how you feel about that. This helps create the energy for change. People might feel sad or frustrated, for example.
Think about how you would like to feel and how you would be working if you felt good.
Setting priorities
Choose which relationships you want to develop first
Think about the relationships that you would like to improve. Some people choose a relationship that is not working too well, where there is reasonable hope for improvement and where there are not too many knock-on effects. You should not be too ambitious to start with.
Act
Choose what to do from a range of possibilities.
Ask the other group or person what you could do differently to make the relationship or work more productive.
Where problems arise, investigate them to learn how to prevent them in future. Avoid blaming.
Set up joint informal meetings to explore issues of mutual interest.
Encourage everyone to be clear and open with others about what they want and do not want from them and to listen to their points of view.
You can set up an Inter-Group workshop. Two groups meet in separate rooms and list “How do we see ourselves? How do we see the other group?” and “How do we think they see us?” The groups share perceptions (listening!). They then form mixed groups to work on common issues. This is enjoyable and very effective.
Use survey feedback. An outsider or members of the two groups interview people to uncover the nature of the difficulties, examples of successful cooperation, and ways to improve things for mutual benefit. People from both groups discuss the data and plan what to do.