Photo by Nikhil Mitra

This is a structured approach to forming and aligning teams at the "group" level (a team of teams). It combines synchronous and asynchronous facilitation methods to:

• Define the group’s context, relationships, and purpose.
• Design workflows, metrics, and decision-making frameworks.
• Establish behavioral agreements and communication channels.
• Streamline meetings and reduce coordination overhead.

The practice draws inspiration from adaptive leadership principles (e.g., Gen. McChrystal’s "gardener" leadership model) and emphasizes clarity, autonomy, and alignment to combat organizational entropy.

• Reduce Organizational Chaos: Prevents process bloat and misalignment by clarifying roles, workflows, and dependencies upfront.
• Accelerate Onboarding: Provides a clear reference for new members to understand the group’s purpose, structure, and norms.
• Improve Collaboration: Aligns teams on shared goals, reduces friction in handoffs, and fosters a culture of accountability.
• Manage Complexity: Addresses dependencies, risks, and external stakeholder relationships to ensure smooth workflow.
• Enhance Adaptability: Creates a foundation for continuous improvement and resilience against market or strategic shifts.

Preparation

1. Gather Artifacts: Collect stakeholder maps, strategy documents, value stream maps, RAID logs, and existing metrics.
2. Assemble Participants: Include leaders and key team members (small enough for efficiency, large enough for diverse input).

Execution Steps

1. Define Group Context

• Activities:

  • Map relationships (internal/external customers, stakeholders).
  • Clarify strategic intent, unmet needs, and sources of demand.
  • Identify dependencies and risks to workflow.
  • Draft a purpose statement aligned with the group’s "edge" (specialization and differentiation).

• Outcome: A shared understanding of the group’s role in the broader organization.

2. Design Group Workflow

• Activities:

  • Categorize work into Planned, Unplanned, and Expedite.
  • Map stages for each category and test with historical work examples.
  • Define success metrics (e.g., customer satisfaction, flow efficiency).
  • Clarify decision authority (executive, leader, team, individual).

• Outcome: A unified workflow and measurable goals for the group.

3. Establish Group Agreements

• Activities:

  • Co-create a social contract covering values, conflict resolution, and support expectations.
  • Map team structures and handoffs to identify tensions.
  • Build a backlog for continuous improvement (e.g., skill development, tooling).

• Outcome: A culture of accountability and mechanisms for resolving inter-team friction.

4. Optimize Meetings

• Activities:

  • Audit existing meetings and eliminate redundancies.
  • Design events for prioritization, planning, dependency management, and improvement.
  • Assign ownership and frequency (e.g., weekly syncs, quarterly reviews).

• Outcome: A streamlined cadence that minimizes meetings while maximizing alignment.

Follow-Up

• Track Actions: Assign and monitor completion of decisions surfaced during sessions.
• Document Outcomes: Translate outputs into the team’s knowledge management tools.
• Iterate: Revisit agreements and workflows periodically to adapt to changes.

By following this structured approach, groups can launch effectively, sustain alignment, and deliver value consistently.