I was engaged in supporting an assignment, of turning around IT service delivery experience.
Statistics states that IT projects run under failure ratio as high up to 55%. And in practice we see much higher ratios.
The usual complaints that the service provider is in short towards the expectations of engaging company in meeting the defined service level agreements.
The Engaging Product Company considered its choices; shifting to a different service provider, build in-house capabilities, or to do a due diligence to understand what can be done right to bring in the necessary changes for a better user experience towards its customers.
I shared some suitable approaches in terms of addressing the dissatisfaction which are being experienced at both the teams.
Having engaged in providing back office support for a top four UK bank in past, I had first-hand experience of such situation and in innovative ways of building high performance teams. I was confident on the approach needed irrespective of the situation, because it has proved in similar earlier cases.
Both the companies had conducted meetings for few months to find the probable or even the best approach the situation demaded. There came the idea of collaborating together inorder to provide the required end user experience.
Service provider was exhausted with the treatment that they were responsible wholly and has been paid for it. Major problems were on volatile requirements, the priorities being changed without noting the implications on agreed deliveries.
Fast forwrd, here are some pointers observed; which may be useful in building your high performance team.
First we are humans; means emotional creatures do make errors. All cut from the same cloth, and wear different hats during the day.
People who provide the ground level support do know what the real problem is and what the real solution required. In the absence of trust factor, these realities are masked to avoid the tough situation which needs a great deal of leadership to confront.
People rather allow problem to go to next level while individuals plan for their safe exist, from the project or from the job provider itself. And may even put on the blame to the lesser vocal individuals.
Such approach elongates the period for failing, does not avoid the failing itself. When fails, it would prove more expensive than being handled with right leadership’s investment in terms of time and focus.
Individuals open up only to the sincere listening ears in an unbiased circumstances to solve the situation or to own the responsibility of identifying where exactly the problem lies.
Few individuals in the team may volunteer to go beyond extra mile to safe guard the situation, which may work at best, a stop gap. As it doesn't consider all the factors cauing the situation.
When we have ability to take things on its face value, answers would be easier.
In this case, understanding the reality and then look forward to arrive at a common goal for both the teams in terms of end user experiences (customers), were needed.
I sat with both teams together to run an exercise with key stake holders to identify what are their personal interests to be part of such a project. At first I got politically correct answers which were only to manage the situation they were in.
With more ice breakers , emphasizing that now there is a chance to overcome the daily exhaustive work hours, dailly dissatisfaction, and towards voicing it out the real pain. It took for a while to list out the need for individuals to be in the game.
It was time to understand, it’s NO more about conveying the massage the right; it’s about living the message, so that it conveys.
Every engagement played, should be able to satisfy the individual’s personal need, otherwise there would be no real effort to solve the situation they are in.
Soon stakeholders understood the gravity of the situation and the investment being done in the direction to correct the mess.
Both Team opened up. Now a new common vision statement drawn involving, the incumbent service provider and the engaging product company.
With the collective vision, it was clear that both would gain enormously if they focus on the real problem solving, rather showcasing it green'er; and it is going to be a WIN - WIN situation.
I gained the necessary attention to take the discussion forward.
Following method can work for anyone who are considering similar situation.
ASCENT TEAM
The overlapping portion is the new team with a renewed approach for the implementation. New team,
Requires high degree of trust on each other knowing what is the game all about
Belief in the individuals capabilities being fully aware that together everyone turns better
Joint responsibility and co-ownership, when you fail, we fail.
Transparency of operations, sitting together and executing a common goal,
It can lead to indentifying the process improvments need at individual, team or organization levels.
One cannot expect different results by with same approach; attitudenal changes are necessary
High degree of leadership, develop ability to call spade-a-spade, setting aside emotions
Team to have the authority and capability to correct their members, if ever fall back to old ways of working
Most importantly, giving a well defined career growth road-map for everyone who are part of the team.
I am concluding the brief here, leaving you with one question...
Do we have that leadership to do what is right?
Comments