The history of Self-Directed Teams at CHD
In 1992, while still a part of Union County government,
the Center for Human Development (CHD) in La Grande,
Oregon, began a pioneering move to change its internal
structure in order to save costs and meet the challenges
of a rapidly changing health care industry. Five years
later, this effort continues and has resulted in a flat
organization utilizing fully self-directed teams. The
elimination of a top-down structure has provided
increased flexibility and innovation throughout the
organization and has positioned CHD for maximum success
in the managed care environment.
Recognizing the need for change, CHD management and line
staff joined to redesign their workplace. The first step
was the formation of an informal discussion group that
met each week to learn about key concepts in
organizational transformation. All interested staff were
welcome. This group called itself Darwin’s Gang,
understanding that this was an evolutionary process, not
a simple reorganization with an end point. They were
influenced by the work of socio-technical systems and
organization development theorists including Fred Emery,
Eric Trist, Marvin Weisbord, Peter Senge, Peter Block,
Tom Peters and Edwards Deming.
Since CHD didn’t yet have computer conferencing
capability in 1992, a newsletter dubbed the Chaos
Chronicle began reporting the progress of Darwin’s
Gang to all CHD staff. The idea of decentralizing power
and shifting it from managers to line staff required a
major paradigm shift! To enable staff to begin to
visualize a new structure, work groups formed to draw
graphic representations of their own conceptualizations
of the new agency organization. Staff lined the walls of
the conference room with their depictions of what
self-directed teams might look like. Some drawings
resembled spaceships. Others tenaciously clung to a
hierarchical ladder design; nevertheless, there was much
levity as each group presented their different designs.
The eventual organizational redesign reduced management
from 12 positions to 5 administrative staff while
turning over tasks traditionally performed by managers
to the work teams themselves. To do so, a facilitator
outlined these tasks and asked each team to identify
which ones they wished to take on, which they wished to
have remain with management, and which they felt they
could take on with training and consulting from
administrative staff. Next, individuals volunteered for
these new "Team Roles" according to their professional
interest or expertise.
The new organizational structure created a workplace
where teams deliver high quality services and products
without team leaders or supervisors, where they design
and schedule their own work and are mutually accountable
to one another. Teams are responsible for program
development and budgetary decisions. Teams also hire
their own members using a group interview process and
evaluate each member’s performance and productivity
during an annual open appraisal process. All of these
high-performing activities utilize a number of unique
tools, developed, borrowed or adapted by CHD teams and
consultants.
One CHD workgroup answered the question, "Why use
self-directed teams?" by saying: "Self-directed teams
enhance flexibility, quality, creativity and
responsiveness of services through promotion of constant
innovation and development of leadership and
communication skills among staff at the closest point to
service." In a top-down organization, those vested
with the authority to make policy and procedure changes
are usually the furthest away from the consumer.
Self-directed teams have turned this upside down.
Other benefits of self-directed teams are that they
invite supported but direct person-to-person conflict
resolution; they honor workers as lifelong learners;
they provide workload variety thus lessening monotony;
and they continuously encourage innovation, dialogue and
interaction both among teammates and between teams. The
concept of workplace "superiors" and "subordinates" has
been replaced by a collaboration of peers with varying
knowledge, skills and personal leadership ability. A
compatible system of group and individual clinical
supervision has been developed to meet the requirements
of regulators and professional disciplines.
Decision Making Parameters guide teams in
understanding what level of agency involvement a
particular decision requires. These parameters instruct
teams to consider six areas of potential impact: policy;
budget; legal or contractual compliance; congruence with
CHD mission, vision and values; other teams’ operations;
and political considerations. CHD corporate values (the
"Half Dozen Truths") are
the foundation of all decisions and actions:
All there is is us and us.
Always look for the win-win.
Anything worth doing is worth doing well.
We’re in it for the long haul.
Go for it!
No surprises!
By 1995 when CHD left Union County to become a private,
non-profit corporation, the organization was well versed
in adapting to changes and utilizing flexible, creative,
self-directed teams. Consequently, CHD was able to
radically redesign the majority of its clinical services
within a few months in response to the shift from a
fee-for-service system to managed care under the Oregon
Health Plan. Empowered, flexible staff accustomed to
pro-active problem solving met the challenges of managed
care.
Cross-team committees and training have enabled
employees to take a broad view of the whole organization
within the context of the external environment and not
focus solely on their own team. Cross-team collaboration
has also fostered new product lines.
The introduction of a computer-based conferencing system
on desktop computers has allowed CHD to capitalize on
the power of many-to-many communications. Even as we
learn to use the information capabilities of the
computer system, we have begun to conceptualize a
paper-free work environment. Most work groups are now
using electronic conferencing in place of, or in
addition to, meetings. Nearly all conferences are open,
allowing any employee to stay abreast of discussions,
announcements and decisions taking place throughout the
agency. Personal communications have gone from notes in
an actual mailbox to messages in the virtual mailbox and
cross-fertilization between teams is creating exciting
hybrid products.
Self-directed teams have meant that employees are in
charge of their own work and accountable to one another.
Self-directed teams have meant that the former managers
are now co-workers and collaborators who bring
leadership expertise and access to vital contacts
outside CHD to teams. Self-directed teams have meant
more freedom and more responsibility to those who work
at CHD. The future holds further steps in this unending,
intriguing, evolutionary process.
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