When Partnering Fails… Gayle Waldron President, The Management Edge

Introduction : Definition of Partnering Inter-Agency Partnering Successes Our Experience with Partnering Factors in Partnering Failure with Recommendations Summary

Partnering Definitions: “Partnering is a process by which two or more organizations with shared interests act as a team to achieve mutually beneficial goals.” From: Dept. of Defense Guide to Partnering

Partnering Definitions: “Partnering is a commitment between government and industry to improve communications and avoid disputes.” Army AMC Partnering Guide “Partnering is common sense. Partnering is good government, in that we are trying to streamline the process to integrate the missions and mandates of the different agencies. Consensus Journal Interview,

Inter-Agency Partnering Successes: Substantially Reduced: Document review time Violations and fines Need for formal dispute resolution Cleanup costs Length of time from site investigation to closeout

Inter-Agency Partnering Successes: Substantially Increased: Cost savings and cost avoidance Positive Inter-agency relationships Levels of trust Collaborative, on-target decisions Quality of designs Level of innovation Ability to manage risk Ten-to-One Estimated Return on Investment, According to Florida/Air Force/EPA Metrics

The Management Edge (TME) provides:  Team Building and Partnering  Meeting Facilitation  Leadership and Staff Development  Conflict Resolution  Change Management  Executive Coaching  Organization Development  On-Line Surveys

TME Experience with Partnering TME provided training at the first Partnering workshop---December,1993 and has provided facilitation/team building services continuously since then Project and Management Level Environmental Teams (98) DOD: Navy, Air Force, Army, Marines, & Pentagon Department of Energy (DOE) EPA (7) regions States (17) TME consulted on the DOD Environmental Partnering Guide

Factors in Partnering Failure 1. Lack of management buy-in 2. Unresolved Interpersonal Conflict 3. Inability to effectively deal with “Baggage” 4. Misunderstandings stemming from personality and style differences 5. Inability of some individuals to work on a team

Factors in Partnering Failure (cont.) 6. Lack of initial and ongoing training in team development 7. Lack of initial and ongoing training in interpersonal skills 8. Failure to build efficient meeting processes 9. Lack of Professional Team Building/Facilitation and Conflict Resolution

#1 Lack of Management Buy-in Recommendations: Involve managers of all Partnering organizations as early as possible Include all managers in on-going efforts to support the project teams Provide managers and project teams with the same training and team building/facilitation Managers need to monitor the technical and team development progress and collaborate on solutions to any problems

#2 Unresolved Interpersonal Conflict Recommendations: Specific training in managing and resolving conflict Ground rules for eliminating or controlling the circumstances that lead to conflict and for managing conflict A clear conflict resolution process for identifying and resolving conflict Clear guidelines for escalating conflict which cannot be resolved

#3 Inability to Effectively Deal with “Baggage” Recommendations: Provide neutral, professional team builders / facilitators to: – Coach the parties individually – Safely guide the team through confronting, clarifying and dealing with the negative history productively Develop ground rules which: – Emphasize positive attitudes and behaviors – Remind the team of behaviors which build baggage – Build commitment to the team

#4 Misunderstandings Stemming From Personality and Style Differences Recommendations: Early team training in personality and work style differences such as Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) or DiSC allows team members to re-evaluate previous interactions On-going use of the concepts in team meetings to maintain and improve skill level Training team members about their own profiles, and those of the other team members, as well as the implications of the different approaches

#5 Inability of some individuals to work on a team Recommendations: Work with team & individuals to assess the situation, analyze for root causes, and intervene appropriately. If this effort is not effective after 3 to 6 meetings, inform the management team Develop understanding that not all people can work successfully on a team, and should not be required to do so Managers of the difficult team members need to address the issue Management must stay aware of team development issues and understand their effect on technical progress

#6Lack of Initial and Ongoing Training in Team Development Recommendations: Include training in stages of team development early, including characteristics of each stage Team builders need to use the concepts in their feedback to the team and management on an ongoing basis Managers and team members need to use knowledge of team dynamics in assessing the team’s progress and recommending training to move the team to High Performing

#7 Lack of Initial & Ongoing Training in Interpersonal Skills Recommendations: Focus on developing and reinforcing interpersonal skills in initial and on-going training Build awareness of Emotional Intelligence and the part it plays in achieving team goals Involve teams in planning what skills they need to develop as they progress Provide adequate time during each meeting for training and team building activities

# 8 Failure to Build an Efficient Meeting Processes Recommendations: Include training in meeting management in the initial workshop Devote adequate time in first few meetings to develop the foundation for effective meetings, such as building the Agenda, adequate meeting minutes, documenting and tracking decisions, action items, etc., roles and responsibilities of team members, especially the leader Include meeting management structures in the ground rules and reinforce adherence Revisit processes at least once a year to improve upon them

#9 Lack of Professional Team Building/Facilitation and Conflict Resolution Recommendations: Require a high standard of skills and expertise in the team builders/facilitators Select highly trained, neutral professionals with actual successful team building experience Technical skill is no substitution for expertise in interpersonal skills and group process Have team building available to all Partnering teams long enough to move them to maturity

Summary: Inter-Agency Partnering leads to increased success in cleanup—cost and time savings and more innovation All partnering teams have made significant improvements, even if they never reach the High Performing Stage Building and maintaining High Performing teams rarely happens without assistance from managers, training and facilitation There are solutions to identified failure factors; all are under management influence or control Skilled, professional and neutral Team Builders increase the chance of success Teams do not fail due to lack of intellectual and technical abilities or commitment----they fail primarily when they lack the ability to communicate effectively, respect others, and believe in the good intentions of team mates

Thank You For more information: Gayle Waldron The Management Edge Phone: