Mark wiese

Influencing a Culture ChangeNASA PM Challenge – Orlando, 2012

Mark Wiese / NASA KSC

Agenda

• Introduction

• Culture & Branding

• Background

• Process

• Launch Vehicle Processing S&MA Example

• Summary

• Q&A

2

Introduction• Who am I?

• Driving influences in my life

▫ Upbringing▫ Perceptions▫ Influence

• My core values

▫ Work-Life Balance▫ Excellence▫ Creativity/Innovation▫ Integrity▫ Teamwork

3

Why Culture?

• What is the connection to Project Management?

▫ Cost▫ Schedule▫ Technical

• People & Teams are the true key to a successful project

▫ You can effectively manage your cost, schedule, and technical requirements through your people and the diversity of your team

• How do you assure you have the best team?

▫ Pick them yourself? (Can’t always do that, surely doesn’t guarantee results)

4

The Power of Brand Recognition• Why does “Branding” your organization work?

▫ Inspires▫ Connects the Mind & Heart▫ Lasting

• How do well known organizations differentiate their brand to you?

▫ Through Visions, Logos, & Products that define their team and/or their goals

Pink Ribbons Yellow Wristband

▫ Through Slogans; can you name the organization tied to these below?

“Just Do It” “Be all you can be” “Breakfast of champions” “Think Different” “Don’t be evil”

5

Culture as it applies to teams

Culture: the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization (www.merriam-webster.com)

• Strong cultures immediately invoke emotions▫ Examples: Music/Phones: Innovation, integration Sports/Football: Black & Yellow, multiple championships

• What culture exists in your team today (+/-/neutral)?

• As a leader you can take steps to re-shape a team culture

• As a team member, you can influence a culture

• Your environment can set it; however it may also drive the need for you to pay more attention to influencing a culture

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So What?

• Cultures will form anyway

• Cultures can be negative and counterproductive

The right culture can cultivate your team to have…

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My environment won’t support change

• Find a way, set a vision no matter what your environment may be

• Don’t ignore the negative, openly talk and refocus on what you can influence, what your team is in control of

• Use examples

8

Challenge yourself

• Dream

• Share the vision, no matter how big or small

• Examples from my career

▫ Launch Services Program S&MA

▫ Shuttle (framework for following charts)

▫ Source Evaluation Board

9

Background: Shuttle example

• KSC S&MA Directorate – Shuttle Division, 2007▫ Team of 140+ (120+ Civil Servants, 20+ Contractors)

▫ Projected to scale down to a team of 1/4 the size after the last Shuttle Mission

▫ 15 Missions Remained

▫ Challenges in front of S&MA Poor perception of “value added”

“Oversight” (Shuttle) vs. “Insight” (Constellation)

Engineers vs. Technical Specialists (Union Represented)

▫ Poor morale; people in jobs that were a poor fit for their skills; unknown of how they could contribute in the future

10

Process Overview

• Setting the culture and branding the organization requires

▫ Time Less, if starting from scratch on a new team

More, if attempting to turn around the Titanic

▫ Attention Less, if a small group, easily focused

More, if team is large, spread out, distracted

• Process Steps

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Branding the OrganizationInfluencing the Culture

Initial Planning

Establishing Framework

Rollout Make it Stick

• Dream (brainstorm, listen, seek help)▫ Invest the time (took me 4 months for Shuttle example)▫ Capture ideas, then capture more! (notes, charts, drawings)▫ Discussions with mentors and leaders▫ Obtain expert help from Human Capital This step brought me back to reality! Influence vs. Direction

• Document “Why”▫ Main reasons your team needs change▫ Find a selling factor (business case)▫ What will improve as a result

• Determine “How”▫ Full participation▫ Focus group▫ Leader only

• Obtain approval to proceed

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Initial Planning


RolloutMake it

Stick

INITIAL PLANNINGInfluencing the Culture

Why

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• Facilitate a smooth transition to Constellation

• More insight, less oversight

• Better utilization of assets & resources

• Improve communication

• Increase efficiency

Initial Planning


RolloutMake it

Stick

Shuttle ExampleLVP S&MA Division

How

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• SA-B Realignment Advisory Team (BRAT)▫ Members from all SA-B elements▫ Labor Union leadership▫ SA-A1 Admin Office▫ BA-C (HR Operations)▫ BA-E (Facilitator/Organizational Development)

• Utilized Organizational Development Model to establish Vision, Mission, Goals, Organizational Design and Change Management

Initial Planning


RolloutMake it

Stick


For your Team, determine each of the following;

• Purpose▫ Document the goals you wish to achieve▫ Understand any guidelines you must fit within▫ Develop a Vision, Mission, & Values (Top Down approach)▫ Analyze tasks the team performs or should perform (Bottom Up approach)

• Structure▫ Find a structure that is a “best fit” to Top Down and Bottom Up analysis▫ Assure structure enables career progression▫ Assure structure allows for proper accountability

• Relationships▫ How will each sub-team interact▫ Establish interface points

• Norms▫ Empower▫ Assure understanding of Values

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Initial Planning


RolloutMake it

Stick

ESTABLISHING FRAMEWORKInfluencing the Culture

Purpose

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• Goals• Allow for seamless transition to Constellation

• Transfer SMA operational/floor knowledge to Constellation

• Restructure Quality Engineering function

• Increase Mission Assurance focus in Division

• Improve leadership development structure

• Guidelines• No FTE increase, reduce supervisors in prep for smaller organization

• Continue to meet Shuttle requirements

• SA-B workforce buy-in

Initial Planning


RolloutMake it

Stick


Purpose, cont.

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Initial Planning


RolloutMake it

Stick

Top Down Analysis

Vision:“Advancing Space Exploration through Safe and Successful Launch Vehicle Processing”

Mission:“Playing a key role in space exploration by independently acquiring insight, assessing risk, and influencing safe and successful launch vehicle processing”

Values:▫ Integrity▫ Competence▫ Cooperation▫ Independence


Purpose, cont.

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Initial Planning


RolloutMake it

Stick

Bottom Up Analysis

• Review of all functions in org today (with PPBE projections for each task)

• Evaluated who should perform functions ▫ Safety▫ Quality▫ Mission Assurance

• Identified major attributes from mission statement (1 - acquiring insight, 2 – assessing risk, 3 - influencing)

▫ Determined primary & secondary attributes for each function▫ Weighted between safety, quality and mission assurance

• Realigned FTE based on weighting and PPBE numbers


Team Structure

• Organization outline

• Clear description of roles

• Interfaces (with whom, how, badgeless)

• Understanding of major changes and benefits▫ Globally, from an entire organization standpoint

(up, down, across to customers)▫ Locally (internally to the team itself)▫ Break down personnel movement, responsibility

movement, position creation & abolishment

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Initial Planning


RolloutMake it

Stick

Team Structure, cont.

• Complete revamp of organization structure▫ From 5 branches to 3

▫ Eliminated 8 supervisory positions

▫ Created “lead” and “senior” positions for improved career paths

• Updated position descriptions

• Improved use of support contractor to add flexibility

• Major Changes & Benefits▫ Transfer Floor Knowledge

▫ Mission Assurance focus

▫ Leadership and developmental opportunities

▫ Increased communication within the Division

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Initial Planning


RolloutMake it

Stick


• Detailed communication between leadership and BRAT team

• BRAT representatives relayed information discussed to employees

• BRAT concluded with go-forward actions for management team

▫ Finalize new position descriptions to clearly communicate duties

▫ Creation of a leadership development training program for Division

▫ Team leads for new organization would continue to meet regularly (without management) in order to assure consistency in communication processes

▫ Management would establish process for assuring constant flow down of information

▫ Division would kick-off a “knowledge capture” effort to assure all internal processes are captured for post Shuttle era learning

21

Initial Planning


RolloutMake it

Stick


Relationships & Norms

• Communicate your plan

▫ Uphill (w/ Senior Leadership, Human Capital)

▫ Horizontally (w/ your Team)

▫ Externally (w/ stakeholders or interfacing organizations)

• Set a timeline for next steps

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Initial Planning


RolloutMake it

Stick

ROLLOUTInfluencing the Culture

Communication & Timeline

• Created master All-Hands presentation▫ Outlined process, provided additional details of changes▫ Focused heavily on new Vision

• Shared this presentation when seeking approval of Senior Management & Human Capital

• Used presentation for an All Hands with Division employees, followed by smaller Q&A sessions▫ Shared new vision and how change will work▫ Explained commitment to success of the plan

• Used presentation to communicate with stakeholders▫ Smaller modified version of presentation, focusing on stakeholder expectations from

our team

• Timeline (before & after) included in presentation▫ Previous steps (15 months)▫ Next steps for implementation (phased over 8 months)

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Initial Planning


RolloutMake it

Stick


• Actions speak louder than words▫ Leadership must set the example▫ Leadership must follow through on commitments▫ Allows you to continually gain trust of your team

• Provide continual attention▫ Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

• Create an identity▫ Team logo, adopt a mascot▫ Bring life to the spaces you work in▫ Give nicknames (don’t offend!), stay light hearted▫ Empower the team to do the same

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Initial Planning


RolloutMake it

Stick

MAKE IT STICKBranding the Organization

Actions, Attention, & Identity

• Provided constant updates during final stages of change in order to share status with the team (this proved invaluable following cancellation of Constellation)

• Spent time meeting in smaller groups (or one-on-one where appropriate)

• Created a new sharepoint site, including Mission, Vision, Values; logo for Directorate; videos from leadership explaining their groups

• Spent time teambuilding, away from office, focused on relationships and team interaction

• Celebrated our successes through use of mission patches on wall after each landing, newsletter to team members, special awards and recognition events

• Continual empowerment of team members to innovate and create while respecting lines of communication

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Initial Planning


RolloutMake it

Stick


Culture – Before/After

BEFORE

• Low morale

• Lack of trust

• Uncertainty surround roles

• Uncertainty for future

• Status quo (it isn’t broke, leave it alone)

AFTER

• Excitement, contagious attitude

• Initiative

• Embraced change (even after Constellation cancellation)

• Pride of ownership

• Innovation

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Summary

• Culture is critical to the growth and success of your team

• Leadership drives culture (actively or passively); however you can influence even as a team member

• Set a plan, act on it, continually follow-thru

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Branding the OrganizationInfluencing the Culture

Initial Planning


Rollout Make it Stick

Question & Answer

28

Business

Mark wiese