High Performing Teams in Unfamiliar Places - Dan Field
This talk will be a discussion of the critical success factors when offshoring knowledge work to international teams.
Many companies from many industries have successfully offshored & outsourced their basic processing and operations, far fewer have replicated this success with critical and high value tasks. Some success factors are obvious, others are not – all are relevant to companies of any size considering going offshore to access talent.
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High Performing Teams in Unfamiliar Places: Dan Field at SMECC - 20131030
1. High Performing Teams in Unfamiliar Places
Crossing the cultural divide
Dan Field, 29/10/2013
2. Overview
Introduction
What are we actually talking about?
A framework for understanding the keys to success
9 things that matter
Summary and questions
3. Not so fast?
Outsouring? (skeptek.com)
NO! This is about expanding a business
Just for big corporates?
NO! This applies to expanding any business
Only relevant to India?
NO! High performance is its own culture
4. In general…
I am going to assume there is an existing business
that is expanding to a ‘foreign’ country
The ‘foreign’ country is likely to be a lower cost
alternative
HOWEVER – most of what follows applies much
more broadly as well
8. 1) Believe it is possible
Pygmalion effect is real (and
so it the Golem effect)
Don’t fail before you even
start
In a cross cultural setting,
the risk of (unconsciously)
making limiting
assumptions about ability
is real
A
9. 2) A challenging problem to solve
Intrinsic motivation is built
upon meaningful work
Work should require
judgement, expertise and
have scope for out of the
box thinking
W
Work can be repetitive – but
hiring strategies need to
reflect this
10. 3) Attitude before expertise
Good behaviours matter
more than good knowledge
and skill (these can be
taught)
Attitude is much harder to
shift than ability
W
Poor behaviour can quickly
undermine culture
11. 4) A cultural bridge
Learning to work with different
culture requires coaching
Cross culture: use of language,
interpreting communication,
interpreting behaviour etc.
Existing culture: jargon,
policies, history, office politics,
personalities etc.
Key to efficiently 'interfacing' a
new team with an existing
business
C
12. 5) A respected insider
The key to achieving buy-in
This person builds in a degree
of trust and respect.
Much more likely to afford
second chances to a team
represented by someone they
know to be capable
Provides a 'cut out' for key
stakeholders, allowing any
issues to be discussed offline
and communicated indirectly
A
13. 6) Put faces to names
Anonymity is the enemy –
make it personal
Insist on voice and video,
encourage relationship
building
Create an incentive for team
members to invest in each
other
C
A
14. 7) Multidisciplinary depth
Give them what they need to
succeed
More autonomy equals greater
efficiency
Reliance on shared resources
introduces bottlenecks
Innovation, accountability,
learning, speed - all increased
by greater independence
A
15. 8) Equity like incentives
Be creative, take advantage of
economic imbalance
Yes, can be financial, but often
not the best option
For example, in developing
markets, a transfer to head
office in a developed country
can quite literally be life
changing
If everything else is done right,
this is primarily about retention
W
16. 9) Involved & Visible Management
Get the ‘big boss’ involved
Signal to rest of the business –
legitimacy, push through
roadblocks, advocate
Motivator to team members;
success or failure will be highly
visible (especially in hierarchal
cultures)
Role models a flat management
structure by giving team
members executive access
W
17. Overview: Dan’s 9 Things that matter
1.
Believe it is possible
2.
A challenging problem to solve
3.
Attitude before expertise
4.
A cultural bridge
5.
A respected insider
6.
Put faces to names
7.
Multidisciplinary depth
8.
Equity like incentives
9.
Involved and visible management
18. A few other quick points
Leadership is really important
In a perfect world your leader is a generalist, the
cultural bridge, and the respected insider (too bad
the world is rarely perfect)
Success is a long term investment – and therefore
usually not cheap (but return can be very high)
19. Some risks to consider
(Very quickly - more relevant to a corporate context)
Unrealistic expectations regarding speed to scale
Resistance for fear of destabilising existing business
segments
Corporate policy roadblocks
Attrition and career paths
Powerful vested interests and lack of management
urgency
20. Summary
1.
A challenging problem to solve
3.
Attitude before expertise
4.
A cultural bridge
5.
A respected insider
6.
Put faces to names
7.
CONTEXT
Believe it is possible
2.
ABILITY
Multidisciplinary depth
8.
Equity like incentives
9.
Involved and visible management
KNOWLEDGE
SKILL
WILL
ART
A*C*(K+S+W) = ART
Invited to talk to you about my Share ideas, frameworks and approaches for maximising It's a little bit different from topics normally presentedIncreasingly relevant in today's world
Framework - foundation of a successful team. 9 very specific success factors that you can How they relate to the Few other ideas and things that you mightIn theory I have 2 hours of your timePresentation not workshopReasonable pace, compelling, concise, entertainingLots of time for questions networkingAsk questions as we goMy storyDon't claim to be an expert in outsourcing or offshoringNo study, stats, papers I do have is 2.5 years of hands on experience in travelling to a country I'd never been to before, bringing together a group of people most of whom had never left their country before, and integrated those people in to a global business in a way that was extremely successful.
Skeptic storyThat’s outsourcing at it’s worst. Obviously sometimes it works really well too. But not what I’m talking aboutGrowing your business internationally Getting high value, judgment oriented and complex Integrated in to your overall business. Not setting up support team or something like that. Setting up a business unit. Not corporate?Good business is good business.Hong Kong is a small Because talent, particularly technology, is often Because small businesses can’t absorb failures India?Crux of my presentation, convince you India, I’d never visited before, belief fundamentally the Respected, challenged, learn, responsibility, accountable, supported, acknowledged, credit for a job well done.I’ve proved it to myself in India, but I’d take the same I’m not suggesting there would be no differencesGetting the best out of people is about the culture you create