The Case for “Know-Nothing” Value Teams
When we orientate our client’s executive management teams for the first time on how our Team-Based Project Management™ Team model works they can’t believe we espouse the concept of “Know-Nothing” value teams. Or, to put it another way, we recommend assigning value analysis projects to value team members from outside the area of their expertise to obtain the maximum results. These executives predictable first reaction to this new and different idea is that it doesn’t make any sense.
On the contrary, we have found over the last 12 years that if you want different results than you have been achieving on your value analysis projects then you need to embrace a disconnected value team model to obtain new, better and more lasting results. Here are six reasons why this new, different and client tested model works every time:
1. Unbiased Analysis
All value team members have built-in biases about the project, services and technologies they use. Therefore, to insure an objective, data-driven and arms-length view of the issues it is critical that a project manager be assigned who doesn’t bring any baggage with them that will negatively affect their projects efforts.
2. Eliminates Preconceived Solutions
We call this rush to judgment: a project manager deciding prematurely what the solution should be for their value analysis study. Having a project manager for outside the home of the project, service or technology under investigation virtually eliminates the problem.
3. Reduces Turf Protection
If you own (i.e. use, recommend or are an advocate of) the product, service or technology under investigation and are assigned a project on your turf, you will have a natural tendency to protect your turf from any change whatsoever. However, if you have NO ownership you are free from organizational and cultural pressure to give an independent solution to the case at hand.
4. Stretches Project Managers
You have heard the expression that a person “phoned in their report” with little or no effort on their part since they didn’t take the project seriously or thought they knew ALL the answers and the right solution to the problem. This doesn’t happen when a project manager “knows nothing” about a project and is then forced, by their ignorance, to thoroughly investigate the subject at hand. The big benefit is that you won’t have predefined solutions to your value analysis studies before they even get started and the quality of your VA studies will improve exponentially.
5. Increases Team Knowledge
You will quickly notice that when you employ the “Know-Nothing” principles to your value team model it will straight away promote a cross-pollination of new and better ideas and knowledge heretofore missing from your value methodology. It will also surface new relevant facts and a candor that will lead to much better outcomes.
6. Keep Ideas Fresh
Most fresh ideas come from without, not within an organization, department or unit. Once you understand and incorporate this paradigm shift into your value analysis methodology you will be quickly rewarded with more original ideas and genuine breakthroughs in your service quality and total cost reductions than ever before.
Change management is ALL about setting the stage for change, not forcing change to happen. The “Know-Nothing” concept is one technique that we have employed for 12 years with our client’s value teams that made change happen naturally, organically and logically. I firmly believe that you too can make use of this concept to make a big leap forward in your value teams’ performance.
Filed Under: savingsblog • Training
