The following excerpt is from Riaz Khadem and Linda Khadem’s book Total Alignment. Buy it now from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
The best results are produced through collaboration, a fundamental requirement for alignment. Collaboration needs to take place both within and outside teams, throughout the organization. In particular, the action planning process requires collaboration.
How do you improve collaboration? Here are two approaches: Abide by the five principles of collaboration discussed below, and use the team reviews to erode the silos that might exist in your organization.
Five principles of collaboration
Collaboration produces a greater good, one that benefits the entire organization as well as your own department or function. The following principles of collaboration have a strong impact on releasing the power of alignment:
1. Only make a command decision when safety is at stake. This applies to everyone regardless of the role they have relating to a process indicator. A command decision is a decision you take without consulting with others. In an emergency situation, a command decision could be appropriate. However, at all other times, this type of decision can be highly demotivating.
2. Only take back responsibility after it’s been delegated if the person is incompetent and is being replaced. This applies to managers with critical management factors (CMFs). If you have a CMF in your scorecard, then you’ve already delegated the accountability for the indicator to someone reporting to you directly or indirectly. If you’re not happy with the performance of the person who has the critical success factor (CSF), you should pay attention to their level of competency and put them on fast track training, or replace them.
3. Only make a decision about your own CSF after first getting input from…