Case Study Seven – Leadership Makes It Happen – Execution as Learning; The Discipline of Teams
Case Study Seven – Leadership Makes It Happen – Execution as Learning; The Discipline of Teams
Section I – Summary
Real teams at the top of large, complex organization are few and far between. One of the issues is because groups at the top of large corporations needlessly constrain themselves from achieving real team levels of performance because they assume that all direct reports must be on the team, that team goals, that the team members’ position rather than skills determine their respective role, that team must be a team all the time, and that the team leader is above doing real work (Katzenbach & Smith, 1993). Nonetheless, Pepsi Bottling Group (PBG) has become the world 's largest manufacturer, seller, and distributor of Pepsi Cola beverages (Levi, 2009). "Execution -as-Learning" (p.263), has played a significant part in PGB’s successful infrastructure implementation. "Execution-as-learning” entails operating in a manner that allows organizations to learn as they go. The whole company, departments, or work groups can create, innovate and make adjustments while at the same time successfully deliver services or products to customers. This method forces action and reflection that complement each other. There are four steps involved in the framework for “Execution-as-Learning” that organizations use for making leadership happen. They are diagnosing, designing, acting, and reflecting (Edmondson, 2012).
The first task is to diagnose the challenge that lies ahead. This can be done by identifying process issues, performance flaws, or chances for innovation. "Execution-as-Learning” (p. 263), intent is to strive for continuous improvement for greater efficiency and reliability (Edmondson, 2012). Productive learning in organizations does not happen when individuals work alone to sort through and solves important problems, but rather through people working and learning collaboratively in flexible teams. Often times, leaders might have to recruit and look outside of
Section I – Summary
Real teams at the top of large, complex organization are few and far between. One of the issues is because groups at the top of large corporations needlessly constrain themselves from achieving real team levels of performance because they assume that all direct reports must be on the team, that team goals, that the team members’ position rather than skills determine their respective role, that team must be a team all the time, and that the team leader is above doing real work (Katzenbach & Smith, 1993). Nonetheless, Pepsi Bottling Group (PBG) has become the world 's largest manufacturer, seller, and distributor of Pepsi Cola beverages (Levi, 2009). "Execution -as-Learning" (p.263), has played a significant part in PGB’s successful infrastructure implementation. "Execution-as-learning” entails operating in a manner that allows organizations to learn as they go. The whole company, departments, or work groups can create, innovate and make adjustments while at the same time successfully deliver services or products to customers. This method forces action and reflection that complement each other. There are four steps involved in the framework for “Execution-as-Learning” that organizations use for making leadership happen. They are diagnosing, designing, acting, and reflecting (Edmondson, 2012).
The first task is to diagnose the challenge that lies ahead. This can be done by identifying process issues, performance flaws, or chances for innovation. "Execution-as-Learning” (p. 263), intent is to strive for continuous improvement for greater efficiency and reliability (Edmondson, 2012). Productive learning in organizations does not happen when individuals work alone to sort through and solves important problems, but rather through people working and learning collaboratively in flexible teams. Often times, leaders might have to recruit and look outside of
References: Edmondson, A. (2012). Teaming: How organizations learn, innovate, and compete in the knowledge economy. (1st ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Katzenbach, J. R., & Smith, D. K. (1993). The discipline of teams. Harvard Business Review, Retrieved from http://www.harvardbusiness.org Levi, S. (2007). Designing and managing the supply chain: Concepts, strategies, and case studies. Retrieved from http://www.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml