Lessons from 100 Teams
Paul Elstone
Sr. Associate VP, Development
April 2016
University Advancement
• Development
• Federal, State & Community Relations
• Alumni Association
• Operations
Organizational Culture
Teams
•
Formal
•
•
•
•
•
•
Departmental oversight
Authority-based leadership
Formal structure and evaluation
More often based on physical location
Permanent
Informal
•
•
•
•
•
Situational-based leadership
Manage their own work
Bring different functional expertise
Must coordinate work with wider organizations
Form and disband continually
UO Advancement
Formal – Unit
Formal - Central Formal - Region
Informal Relationship
Other
CAS
Stewardship
NoCal
Donor 1
President
LCB
Annual Giving
SoCal
Donor 2
VP
AAA
Gift Planning
PNW
Couple 1
Deans
SOJC
PM & Analytics
East Coast
Couple 2
Faculty
LAW
Comms
Portland
Foundation 1
Staff
COE
Bend
Corporation 1
Volunteers
LIB
Oregon
Etc.
UOF
7 people
600 proposals
Multiple
SOMD
CHC
GRAD
ATHLETICS
19 units
5+ functions
Donor 1
Team: Academic unit, three central functions, multiple
faculty and staff.
Internal and
external
relationship
management
Shared
Accountability
and clear roles
Donor
Factor C
Time Required?
Safety
Systemic or personal
relationship-based?
Shared Accountability
Leaders and teams must:
1. support a culture of universal
accountability
2. Lay out clear roles and responsibilities
Psychological Safety
1. “Do good work and good things will
happen”
2. Celebrate the No’s!
Factor C
1. Higher than average social perception
skills
2. Less dominance by any one team
member
3. More women
Donor 2
Team: Central DO, unit DO, one central function, faculty
member and volunteer
Trust
LEADERSHIP AND
FOLLOWERSHIP
-DO to DO
-Faculty to DO
-DO to Volunteers
Donor
Mentorship
Timely Follow-Up
What if trust is
broken during
the team’s work?
Effective Followership
1. Team A and Team B
2. Be an agent AND a target of influence
3. Share the credit – for success and
problems
Donor 3
Team: Junior Development Officer, Development
Supervisor, two central functions
Junior
colleague
unafraid to lead
Supervisor has
confidence to
let junior
officer lead
Donor
Tolerance for learning,
but mistakes
reinforced by positive
support from senior
managers.
Too many mistakes
might put the gift
at risk.
Its all about the climb….
1. Task AND process goals
2. Culture
3. Clear expectations
4. Senior following junior
Project LAMP
Team: Four peers working in corporate client relations at a
business school
Cohesive strategy
to maximize org
and client
outcomes
Client
Corp
Uncoordinated
set of goals
and efforts
Process
goals!
Team conflict
1. No clear roles and responsibilities
2. Defending turf, dept expectations
3. No psychological safety
Getting in sync
1. “I have to link my thinking to hers/his”
2. Synchrony
1. Are we all motivated?
2. Do we look at the whole picture?
3. Are we musical?
Motivation
Intrinsic motivators – Daniel Pink
1. Purpose
2. Autonomy
3. Mastery
Donor 5: No Substantive Relationship Yet
Team: Two Development Officers
No agreement
on who is the
lead
Both believe
they are owed
the lead
Senior /
Junior
dynamic that
complicates
Donor
Donor 6: No Proposal Yet
Team: Two Development Officers
Identified Leader, But…
Can’t agree on strategy
or readiness
No agreement on
shared credit
Lack of appreciation for
each other’s expertise
No trust
Donor
Donor 7: Ask Declined
Team: Development Officer and Faculty Member
Didn’t have enough information
about the donor.
Didn’t share the information we
did have
Donor
What’s happening?
1. Key success factors not in place
2. Social loafing?
3. Sticky brands?
4. Structural/Cultural dissonance?
Group discussions
1. Behavior from both DOs does not match the
cultural expectations.
2. The donor is waiting, or worse, is going
somewhere else.
3. How do we get back on track?
4. What’s your team problem du jour?
Bringing the Teams Together
1.
Formal and informal teams are part of the same culture
2.
Link the culture to the motivating incentives
3.
Managers need flexible people with high emotional
intelligence
4.
Managers need to manage ambiguities and dichotomies
5.
TIME REQUIREMENTS
6.
FOCUS ON EXCELLENCE