ELECTRONICALLY REPRINTED FROM JUNE 2011

SMARTBUSINESSINSIGHT. ADVICE. STRATEGY: PITTSBURGH

_ Leslie W. Braksick, Ph.D. I

TEAMS, TASK FORCES AND COMMITTEESHow to tell if and when you need them

Companiesoften launch special projectteams, task forces andcommittees to get importantwork done. Often it makesgreat sense: charter asmall group with a distinctpurpose, let them workquickly, and get their findings/recommendations.These special teams offer

tremendous advantages. Theygive executives the chanceto observe different people'sperformance. Special groups

can bypass thebureaucracy andavoid organizationalchurn thatmainstream effortscan stir up. Thereare all kinds ofbenefits for usingspecial teams.

However, lurkingbehind the launchof special projectteams may be anunacknowledgeddissatisfaction withthose accountablefor that work. Rarelyare there honestconversations withthem about why theproject team is being

launched instead of asking themto either perform or oversee thework. Rarely are they given suchcaring feedback, which mighthelp them to actually get better.

Let's consider a few real-lifeexamples:

A team is formed to evaluatea potential joint venture inChina. (The head of strategyand business developmentgroup were bypassed for thisimportant work.)

A small group is assignedto evaluate the organization'sculture change needs. (The

CEO lacked confidence in thehuman resources organizationbut that feedback was nevershared directly with HR. It was,however, shared obliquely withothers when they asked whyHR was not leading this effort.)

A team is pulled together todetermine if a new productline, targeting a growingdemographic, makes sense.(Corporate's new productdevelopment group and headof innovation were bothbypassed when this projectwas launched. And the specialteam was told to keep its workconfidential until they weretold otherwise.)

You have to stop and ask:was a special project teamreally necessary in each ofthese situations? Or did theexecutives opt for specialteams because they lackedconfidence that those whowould normally be responsiblecould perform the quality ofwork they were seeking? Andif they lacked such confidence,did they give the individualswho hold those jobs therespect of telling them, whichwould have been a step towardhelping them get better?

I would say this: If, in fact,the special project teams area workaround, then the firstone who needs to changebehaviors is the executive incharge. Delaying the dealingwith a performance issueor competency gap onlyperpetuates mediocrity in theorganization and weakens theleader's effectiveness. Imagineif the whole organization did

that same thing.Another issue to watch for

is how implementation ofproject team recommendationsare handled. Because theteam was structured from theoutset to work in parallel tothe core organization, thereis no "permanent horne"or ownership for what isrecommended, let alonewhat is implemented. This isa serious problem, becausethe game is won or lost onexecution, not on the greatnessof the ideas.

So what should yourtakeaways be? First, sometimesusing special project teams isexactly the right thing to do.However, before you launch aspecial project team, task forceor committee, ask yourself:are you working around acapability or performance gapin your own organization? If so,have you dealt with the people/performance concerns directly- in a caring, yet clear andconstructive way?And second, if you want to

be a respected leader whomothers look up to and if youwant others to freely discussthe "real issues" and to addressperformance issues, you needto be the first in line to modelthe right behavior. As a leader,people are watching you forcues all of the time. Be theleader you want and expectothers to be. «

LESLIE W. BRAKSICK, PH.D., is the co-founder of CLG Inc. (www.clg.com) and author of"Preparing CEOs for Success: What I Wish I Knew" (2010) and "Unlock Behavior, Unleash Profits"(2000,2006). Braksick coaches and consults with top executives and their boards on issues of leader-ship effectiveness, succession and strategy execution. She can be reached at Ibraksick@clg.com.

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