1. Unit-Based Team Performance Update
Trends in team development and impact
September 2011

2. UBTs’ Developmental Status and Goals
Kaiser Permanente will meet the goal of doubling the number of high-performing teams in 2011.
We are meeting our commitment to double the number of high-performing unit-based teams over the 2010 year-end total.
As the chart shows, the number of lower-rated Level 1 and 2 teams has declined steadily, and the number of operational Level 3 teams and high-performing Level 4 and 5 teams has increased steadily.
As of August 1, there were 608 high-performing teams in place across Kaiser Permanente, toward the year-end target of 658.
Total number of UBTs at all levels of performance:
3,411 as of August 2011 1 1

3. Developmental Status of Teams by Region
Team status across the regions varies:
Variation in number and percentage of high-performing (Level 4 and 5) teams across regions.
Regions with low numbers of high-performing teams are planning more aggressive goals than the national target (i.e., more than doubling their high-performing teams).
Here’s the breakdown of UBTs at each level of performance in each region, as of August 1.
The number of total teams, and the percentage of high-performing teams, varies depending on the size of the region and how long it has been rolling out teams.
The regions with low numbers of high-performing teams are planning to more than double their number of high-performing teams by year’s end. 2 2

4. Concentration and Variation in Performance
The percent of high-performing teams varies widely by location
As of August 1, 42 locations accounted for ALL the high-performing UBTs at Kaiser Permanente.
This ranges from Fresno Medical Center, where 57 percent of UBTs were rated high performing, to many other locations with few or no high-performing teams as of August 1.
There are practices and approaches that vary across locations and can make a difference in teams’ development. For instance, Fresno has a detailed strategic plan to help teams get the training, resources and sponsorship they need to advance along the Path to Performance.
This is part of the natural progression of team capabilities. What’s important is not just the grade that teams get, but also what they are working on and the impact they are having on Kaiser Permanente over time.
Source: UBT Tracker 3 3 3

5. A Regional Analysis of UBTs Shows:
It’s the way they work – The departments with the greatest level of success handle operational issues and improve performance on a daily basis with the involvement of their full unit.
Teams’ projects are moving beyond PSP goals (patient satisfaction, workplace safety and attendance) – Most focus on affordability or employee well-being.
Relationships – Every level (sponsors, co-leads, teammates) talks about the importance of having strong, open relationships, which provide the foundation for transparency, full team engagement and the trust that helps resolve conflicts.
Sponsorship – Management sponsorship especially is strongly correlated with teams that report achieving or sustaining targeted results.
‘Walk the Talk’ and ‘Talk the Walk’ – Consistently visible collaboration across management and labor sponsors and co-leads is a critical component of continuous improvement culture and producing results.
Recently each region reported on what was working and what’s been learned in their UBT development efforts.
Northern California’s self-assessment included five factors that contributed to the successful development of their UBTs. These lessons can help teams in other regions as well.
Source: UBT Tracker 4 4 4 4 4