Management By Teams

"While leaders may be convinced of the need for change based on their own dissatisfaction with the status quo, that dissatisfaction is not enough. They must find ways of sharing it with the members of the organization who will actually institute new ways of thinking and acting."

- Todd Jick, author of Managing Change

The job of a leader today is to make sure that the organization knows itself. There are certain durable values that underlie an organization. The leader should embody those values because they have to do with human relationships and the obligation of the organization to its individual members and its customers. If organizations are doing the same thing the same way for over two years, there is a high probability that it can be done better and smarter.

The Naperville Park District is involved in a major reorganization affecting its structure, culture, internal resource management systems, policies and procedures, as well as accountability and rewards. These five systems comprise all organizations. Like other public as well as private businesses that exist to deliver more service at the lowest cost (do more for less) it requires a challenge to renew the mind-set of employees. The mind-set represents the culture of an organization; the way of thinking and behaving. These mind-sets are often institutionalized in vision, value, and mission.

Naperville has renewed its service delivery system from a hierarchal structure to a team-based work structure that has flattened the organization to two levels: executive management council or EMC (executive director and deputy directors) and teams. These teams include direct service teams (community services, recreation centers, park services north, park services south, riverwalk complex and golf services), and support service teams (business, communications, employee services, planning, police, facility maintenance and fleet maintenance).

The teams exist to meet the mission and vision of the Naperville Park district by being empowered to self-direct, self-manage and self-control. Ultimately, it's the customer who benefits.

The second job of the leader is to pick the right people and create an environment in which employees can succeed. It means more collaboration and team-work.

The members of the executive management council (EMC) are "coaches." Coaches don't control; they lead. They don't tell how. They set the what, when and where. This is the definition of empowerment.

When employees ask for a decision, we tell them to look to themselves and look to the team. I, the executive director, know I don't know many things. Why should I pretend to know all the questions asked?

Leaders produce customer service and generate a team of people who support and nurture each other.

Leaders have to be genuine and accessible. The work team leaders are to be open to people and be accessible for two-way communication that's honest, open and direct.

Managing the change process from a hierarchy to a team structure requires:
• reviewing the organizational change process and how it impacts people;
• evaluating policies and procedures and the impact they will have on transition;
• mapping the process used in performing district functions;
• designing the team structure;
• reviewing the structure with all staff and obtaining input;
• evaluating input and adjusting structure as necessary;
• planning the team selection process;
• laying out roles and responsibilities of the teams and members of the team;
• providing the necessary training and evolving to a learning organization; and
• continuously evaluating tasks and the impact these tasks may have on the people who work in your organization.

Our work today requires people to work in teams, especially in customer service organizations like park and recreation districts. Our ultimate task is to serve the customer; thus teams focus on communication, service delivery system approaches, conflict resolution and leadership. It is essential for team members to be knowledgeable about other team members' roles and responsibilities to broaden their perspective of customer service. The cross-training that occurs within teams enhances our service delivery and creates a broader knowledge base for the employee.

People issues are at the core of the Naperville Park District change for renewal. Its about creating an organization of effective, enthusiastic customer service employees, where everybody thinks about the future; everybody amazes customers; everybody manages the bottom line. It's the ultimate accountability strategy.

Attributes that make the teams work effectively are attitude, ability, and action.

Teams are accomplishing their goals as set by the districts consensus-driven strategic plan by using their collective wisdom, creativity and imagination. Goals are also achieved by working toward the mission and vision of the organization. The more you polish a gem, the more it shines.

Todd Jick, author of Managing Change (McGraw Hill Company, 1993) states the key to change is that, "Organizational leaders do not change organizations. What they do is to oversee and orchestrate a process to instill the employee with more aggressiveness and responsiveness.

No matter how you plan to use teams in the workplace, you must prepare the organization to make the change. Innovation in management will benefit the internal and external public.

The Benefits of Management by Teams

During the past year the Naperville Park District has witnessed some definite benefits from its reorganization to teams.

Enhanced Customer Service
• Teams are organized around customer service functions
• Teams are empowered with the control and authority over resources needed for customer service
• Improved response and efficiency
• Broader range of on-site services

Enhanced Employee Satisfaction
• Cross-training and job diversity
• Ongoing training and development
• Team goals are relative to available resources
• Performance-based team evaluations
• Employee efforts become team efforts
• Team leaders become coaches and facilitators
• Team members have the resources and are empowered to achieve their goals
• Peer-to-peer team member evaluations

Overall Benefits to the Organization
• Enhanced customer service
• Enhanced employee satisfaction
• Strategic long-term planning drives the organization
• Focus shifts to continuous improvement in all systems and processes
• Management perceives employee training and development as an investment in the future
• The organizational structure is flatter and more flexible

-by Joe Schultz

Employees expect their leaders to be great and inspiring. The public expects the organization to do more for less. By constantly learning, and applying the knowledge, both constituent groups will benefit.

Re-energizing for sustained customer service is challenging, frustrating, tedious, rewarding, exciting, intense, inspiring, motivating, growing and influential. These words signify that employees are involved in the process of change, and they are enjoying the opportunity.

JOE SCHULTZ
is executive director or the Naperville Park District. He has 27 years or park and recreation experience. He holds a bachelor's in recreation from Southern Illinois University, a master's in public administration from Sangamon State University (now University of Illinois at Springfield). and is working on his doctorate in Business Administration from Southern California University for Professional Studies.

Management by TEAMS

Organizational charts of the future will show less hierarchy and more power among teams of employees