top of page

Real Alignment

Dec 1, 2004

Achieve seamless organizational alignment for unmatched performance and efficiency.

Achieve seamless organizational alignment for unmatched performance and efficiency.

Performance Alignment: Real Alignment

Move from concept to action. By Howard M. Guttman


The Challenge of Alignment

It’s a common trap: The top team meets, makes a decision, and later wonders what, if anything, happened. The decision to align the organization—to ensure it is a unified force to achieve results—is too important to risk apathy. Alignment is the axial principle of high performance. Here are six actions to take:


1. Take Stock

Alignment is often triggered by a leader who senses a disconnect between the "should be" and the "what is." First, ask:

  • What would this organization look like if we could take it to the next level of performance?

  • What could the senior-management team accomplish?

  • What goals could we reach?

  • What barriers could we eliminate?

  • What problems could we solve?


2. Engage the Team

The message that "We need to up the performance bar" is disquieting. It puts the status quo on trial. So, the leader must communicate with team members, allay their fears, secure buy-in, and generate excitement for high performance.

The leader presents the case for a performance-improvement initiative: "We are here, and we need to be there." The leader shares their perspective. Effective leaders come with solutions, not just problem statements.


When a team is committed to a common direction, focuses on deliverables that evolve from that direction, is clear about its roles and responsibilities, has decision-making protocols in place, and fosters open relationships, it acquires new performance muscle and the will to win.


While the leader presents the "why" of alignment, a trusted consultant briefs the team on the "how"—the steps forward in the alignment process.


3. Get the Facts

Team members need to be informed that the consultant will be speaking with each of them to get their perspective. The alignment revolution is a team effort. Do team members share the leader’s view? Do they share the same sense of urgency and assessment of the barriers to high performance?


The consultant draws out and analyzes viewpoints and "stories." Confidentiality allows team members to candidly answer tough questions such as:

  • How would you rate the clarity of team goals?

  • How clear are you about your role/accountability? Others’ roles/accountabilities?

  • How would you rate the working dynamics within the team?


Alongside these quantitative questions, open-ended ones obtain qualitative data:

  • What one suggestion would you give your team leader to increase their effectiveness?

  • What isn’t working in the way the team functions?

  • What is working?


At the end of these interviews, the consultant has an accurate picture of the alignment journey. This information is shared first with the team leader, then with the rest of the team.


4. Give the Leader a Heads-Up

Some leaders perceive feedback from their team as a personal challenge or, worse, an attack. The consultant helps the leader depersonalize the critique and view it as the fact pattern in the case.

The consultant must give the leader time to absorb the team’s feedback and plan the next step. Together, they discuss key areas requiring work:

  • Where breakdowns exist between players.

  • Where turf battles between functions are paralyzing the team.

  • Where decision-making is stalled.

  • Which team members are perceived as aggressive or non-assertive.


Think of this session with the leader as the "choreographing" of the alignment workout.


5. Hold the Alignment Workout

First, have the team take a long look in the mirror by sharing the data from the interviews. The consultant asks team members to look objectively at the data and address four questions:

  1. What adjectives would you use to describe this team?

  2. What is the main message or "story" that comes through about this team?

  3. What are the obvious issues that this team needs to resolve?

  4. What will happen to this team if, six months from now, it hasn’t changed?


As responses are shared, team members begin thinking about the team as a cohesive social unit. They start to see the implications of their behavior on the group, realize how much is at stake, and buy into the need to change.

They identify key issues to resolve, gain a clear picture of what each needs to do differently, and assume responsibility for their transformation.


6. Assess on an Ongoing Basis

After their initial alignment, team members must work hard to maintain momentum. Promises made must be kept:

  • Let go of destructive stories.

  • Be candid and encourage candor in others.

  • Refuse to play the triangulation game.

  • Put allegiance to the team above functional self-interest.


Self-assessment sessions must be held regularly, and team members must take corrective action as soon as they realize a contract has been broken.


The Importance of Multi-Tier Alignments

All teams must turn in a stellar performance, making "multi-tier alignments" an imperative.


Contributing Editor Howard M. Guttman is the author of When Goliaths Clash: Managing Executive Conflict. He is the principal of Guttman Development Strategies, a consulting firm specializing in high-performance teams, executive coaching, and strategic and operational alignment. He can be reached at hmguttman@guttmandev.com.


Action: Align teams to boost performance.Reprinted with permission of Executive Excellence Publishing. To subscribe, call 1-800-300-3454.

bottom of page