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SOS: An OD Intervention

Purpose

1. To assess the degree to which your organization supports teamwork as a business strategy.
2. To identify the supports required for the success of teamwork as a business strategy.
3. To develop a plan for enhancing the organizational supports for teamwork as a business strategy.

Group Size

Works best with a group of four to eight people.

Time

Six hours (can be divided into two or three short sessions).

Physical Setting

A small room with a conference table and chairs.

Materials

1. Easel, flip charts, markers, and masking tape or push pins.
2. A copy of the Survey of Organizational Supports (SOS) for each person.
3. A copy of the Organizational Action Plan for each person.

Process

1. Prior to the meeting, distribute a copy of the survey to a representative sample of employees in the organization. Summarize the results and prepare a report for use by the team leader.
2. At the meeting, isolate the key factors that need to be improved in order to increase support for teamwork. Discuss examples of the current supports and factors working against teamwork. You can use the flip chart to record and organize the input. Try to work on only a few issues at a time.
3. Develop an action plan for each of the issues. If appropriate, use the Organizational Action Plan.

Debriefing

• What conclusions can you draw from this activity?
• Do the results of the assessment lead you to believe that teamwork is an integral part of your business strategy?
• What supports are in place to foster the success of teamwork in your organization?
• What can you do to enhance the organization's supports for teamwork?

Variations

1. Revise the SOS to include factors that are more closely related to your organization.
2. Revise the SOS to include a space for respondents to write in examples of the supports (e.g., preparing an agenda, dealing with conflict).
3. Distribute and complete the survey at a senior management retreat. Record the responses on a flip chart and then discuss the answers.

Survey of Organizational Supports (SOS)

Instructions: Please indicate the degree to which you agree or disagree with the statements according to the following scale:

1. Strongly Disagree
2. Disagree Somewhat
3. Neither Disagree nor Agree
4. Agree Somewhat
5. Strongly Agree

Place the number of your response in the space to the left of the statement.

Statement

_____ 1. Our vision/values/mission statement includes teamwork as a key business strategy

_____ 2. Teamwork is a prominent part of all statements, Presentations and reports by our organization.

_____ 3. The management team encourages everyone to work as a team.

_____ 4. Promotions, key assignments and important projects go to people who are positive team players.

_____ 5. The performance appraisal system incorporates team player behaviors as important factors in assessing employee performance.

_____ 6. Individual performance on cross-functional teams is included in the performance appraisal prepared by the functional department manager.

_____ 7. The formal awards program acknowledges the contributions of team players and teams.

_____ 8. Informal day-to-day recognition regularly acknowledges the contributions of team players and teams.

_____ 9. The recruitment and hiring procedures support our efforts to increase the quantity and quality of team players in our organization.

_____ 10. The stories and myths that underline the norms in Our organization demonstrate positive support for teamwork.

_____ 11. The formal work environment (space and equipment) makes it easy for teams to be successful.

_____ 12. The informal work environment is relaxed and casual, and it encourages spontaneous teamwork.

_____ 13. The organization's planning process requires the involvement of work teams in the development of plans.

Strengths (factors that support teamwork): ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

Areas for improvement: ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

Organizational Action Plan

1. Current Reality. Describe the organizational supports that need to be added, deleted or strengthened. ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

2. Desired Future State. Describe the organizational supports you want and how you want them to function. ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

3. Getting from Here to There. Describe how you plan to get from the current reality to the desired future state. Include what needs to be done, who will do it and when it will be completed.

What	Who	When

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Reprinted from Team Workout by Glenn Parker and Richard Kropp. Copyright © 2001 HRD Press.