Learning More About Process Teams!
 
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“Together everyone achieves more.”

-- Who knows, but it makes sense!

“Teamwork is the fuel that allows common people to produce uncommon results.”

-- Successories poster

“Effective teams are a necessary part of any high performance organization.”

-- Kevin McManus, the Systems Guy

What is a Process Team?

All organizations have at least one process team. Process teams are also referred to as natural work groups - the people that work together each day to make sure one or processes are executed to meet the needs of the customer. Self-directed work teams are an advanced form of a process team. Process teams are also called work teams.

Process Team Characteristics

A process team is a group of employees that meets regularly to:

  • Share information on "state of the business" topics"
  • Receive feedback related to performance against key measures
  • Propose ideas for improvement and get updates on existing projects
  • Reinforce practices related to safety, quality, productivity, and customer satisfaction
  • Evaluate and provide input on possible changes that would affect them or their work
  • Interface with members of other teams and members of management

The group's makeup (size, membership, and stability) is primarily influenced by:

  • The physical location of a job that an individual performs
  • The type of job being performed
  • Similarities in work schedules
  • A mandatory need to participate if continuous improvement is to occur

Meeting frequency options include:

  • Once per month for approximately one hour
  • Twice a month for twenty to thirty minutes each time
  • Weekly for 15 to 30 minutes per meeting
  • Less formal, 5 to 10 minute meetings at the start of each day

More frequent meetings are suggested to:

  • Help maintain a focus on the overall status of the business and day-to-day performance
  • Align individual and team efforts with the organization's mission, goals, and objectives
  • Allow a regular forum for idea evaluation and proposal presentation

Meeting location and timing possibilities include:

  • A meeting room if a quiet or multi-resource location is desired
  • The work area if a particular problem is being discussed, to stay informal, or to save time
  • At the beginning or end of each shift to avoid work flow interruptions

Skills desired of members initially would include:

  • A desire for and understanding of continuous improvement and quality
  • Knowledge of the work area and the needs of internal and external customers
  • A basic awareness of communication and decision making approaches
  • The ability to interpret charts and graphs
  • Certain members with more advanced team, leader, and quality skills

Over time, as the team matures, possible changes will include:

  • A transition in process team leadership from supervisor to lead person
  • Possible team leadership rotation between team members
  • Growth in information sophistication and understanding
  • Improvements in communication and cooperative problem solving
  • Faster resolution of needs and a longer term, more focused team orientation
  • Possible peer review of performance and involvement in other personnel issues

Process team meetings are not a forum for:

  • Working on problems outside of the team's work area
  • Involved problem solving exercises or lengthy project development
  • Providing formal training packages over thirty minutes in length
  • Non-constructive criticism, one way communication, or order giving
  • Resolving issues that relate to the labor agreement

Possible constraints to team effectiveness and regular meetings include:

  • Providing meeting time without adversely impacting customer service
  • Supervisors not being trained in and comfortable with team facilitation
  • Team members failing to learn about how teams work and their role in improvement
  • Failing to provide the systems for regular, consistent support information and data

 

Would you like to learn more about other team types?

Select the type of team that you would like to learn more about to go directly to that type. Review the summary matrix that is provided through that link to gain a 'big picture' view of how the three team types compare to each other. Operational definitions for each team types are also provided on that summary webpage.
What are focus teams?

Would you like to learn more about the "Team Effectiveness" workbook?

Click on one of the following links to learn even more about how this workbook can help the teams you already have in place, and those that you might be thinking about using, even more effective:

"Myths and Realities of Team Effectiveness" workbook overview
Summary of workbook exercises
Summary of key team myths and questions
Job Design Power System
Great Systems! home page

 

“The only thing I know is that I do not know it all.” -- Socrates

  
Copyright © 2005, Great Systems!
Last Revised - July 1, 2005 		For pricing or to place an order, contact me at: kevin@greatsystems.com