On this page you'll find examples of Collaborative Group Behaviors in action. For descriptions of each 8 training protocol.

For a full background on Collaborative Group Behaviors, see here.

MISSION

Assume every group member brings value to support the overall mission. Adopt an “If it’s important to you then it’s important to me” ethos.

Background: No more silos. No more “us versus them” behaviors. No more bashing other departments. Remember we all have the same mission and values.   

Performance Requirements: When consistently supporting these efforts your evaluation scores go up:

  • When other departments need help for the challenges they are facing, support them.

  • Explore a better understanding that what is hurting their success instead of verbal bashing.

  • Be supportive and create value by promoting cross departmental training and by participating in these training activities such as configuring work tasks across silos.

Recovery Behavior:

  • Stop determining the value of a request based on what department that request is coming from. Everyone should be following the chain of command, which means if another department comes asking for your services, they should be going through your supervisor to get to you. Also, be ready to help other department when directed to do so by your supervisor.

  • Anyone not promoting cross-training or bashing other departments is not doing their job.

  • Modify future behavior away from future instances of negative performance.

  • Not using recovery behaviors will cause evaluation scores to go down. Anyone not sure of how to meet this or other mission and values performance expectations should consult their supervisor.
     

EFFECTIVE INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS

Getting along with your fellow employees is now part of your job. Your ability to develop professional relationships is now as important as your technical competency.  

Background: Mission success is entirely dependent on the collective collaborative behaviors demonstrated by group members. We are no longer in a group where people are “at each other’s backs” instead the future holds that we are in a group where we now “have each other’s backs”.

Performance Requirements: When consistently supporting these three efforts your evaluation scores go up:

  • Getting along with our fellow employees is now part of our job.

  • We are now required to develop professional relationships

  • We are now required to demonstrate trustworthy behavior that will maximize collaboration and mission success.

Recovery Behavior:

  • If this type of performance expectation is new, it might take some getting used to.

  • Acquiring this skill and demonstrating the ability to get along with fellow group members to support the goals of a collaborative group is so necessary that it is now part of our job.

  • The ultimate responsibility of being able to develop collaborative professional relationships with fellow employees rests upon each and every individual in the group.

  • If a person has been given feedback because they have not demonstrated this type of behavior, they need to use recovery behavior by modifying future behavior to change towards future instances.

  • Not using recovery behaviors will cause evaluation scores to drop to less than standard evaluation scores. Anyone not sure of how to meet this or other performance expectations, should consult their supervisor.


PROBLEM SOLVING

Always get the facts, verify information, or assist in verifying information; recheck facts if something isn’t making sense.

Background: Many don’t verify information as factual, which then results in beliefs or feelings being accepted as facts. To the extent the group is right or wrong about the facts, the group will get closer or farther from a solution to the problem. A fact is a true state or condition that actually exists.

Performance Requirements: When consistently supporting this effort your evaluation scores go up:

  • Fact find information with the intent of finding reality. Don’t ignore or deny what you hear simply because it forces you to change your mind, causes discomfort, or confronts a long held belief.

  • Do not operate outside your area of expertise when problem solving. Do not rely on the opinions of non-experts when problem solving.

  • Theories and beliefs are not facts.

Recovery Behavior:

  • If you are relying on unverified information and it results in creating a problem you will be held responsible for making poor assumptions. Remember, when in doubt pass it up.

  • If your solution to the problem doesn’t seem to be working, go back and look at your information, piece by piece. Review and if necessary, retest all the information and assumptions.

  • When the problem persists after you have applied what you think is the solution, it is often because the true cause was not adequately identified through the fact finding process.

  • If your investigation reveals the possibility or probability of inaccurate information, check it out again!

  • Take the time to reconfirm and revalidate the facts, as if you were doing it for the first time with fresh eyes. Once you find the error, have the guts to admit it and move forward. Anyone having questions should consult their supervisor.

  • If a person has been given feedback because they have not demonstrated this type of behavior they need to use recovery behavior by modifying future behavior to change towards future instances.

  • Not using recovery behaviors will cause evaluation scores to drop to less than standard evaluation scores. Anyone not sure of how to meet this or other performance expectations, should consult their supervisor.