115/04/2023 Classification of Teams

Classification of Teams

The Body as a System

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Classes Of Functions Within An Organisation

• Primary functions

• Secondary functions

• Support functions

• Connective functions

Let’s look at these in turn……

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Primary Functions

The network of whole work units that directly deliver the primary purpose of the organisation.

– In a factory this would be the design, manufacturing and sales departments.

– In a hospital this would be the patient serving wards and medical departments.

– In a service organisation this would be the departments that design, deliver and promote the service to the public.

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Primary Whole Work Units

R

P

SPP

RPPS

S

R

Whole Work Unit

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Primary Whole Work Units

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Facility Whole Work Units

Primary flow 1 Plan Deliver Learn

Primary flow 2 Plan Deliver Learn

Primary flow 3 Plan Deliver Learn

Primary flow 4 Plan Deliver Learn

Primary flow 5 Plan Deliver Learn

Primary flow 6 Plan Deliver Learn

Primary flow 7 Plan Deliver Learn

Primary flow 8 Plan Deliver Learn

Plan

LearnDeliver

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Support Functions

Support functions provide local, non-critical services to a cluster of primary functions.

Primary Functions

Support Functions

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Support Functions

• Primary Whole Work Teams must own the critical resources to achieve their whole work unit if they are to be responsible for their whole work cycle

• For practical reasons it may not be sensible for each primary whole work unit to own all of the non-critical resources and facilities required.

• Primary functions may choose to share such non-critical services. These can be set up in closely aligned support functions, often reporting in at a higher level of management

• There should be a low Tricord score between a primary function and its support functions.

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Some Examples Of Support Functions

Plan

LearnDeliver

Primary FunctionsConsumables Store

Equipment Maintenance

Laboratory Facilities

Good Receiving Deck Office Cleaning

SecurityCatering Facilities

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An Example Of The DebateOver A Support Function

Equipment Maintenance – In or Out Of The Primary Teams?

• What is the level of capability and robustness of the equipment to be maintained?

• Does the equipment need constant adjustment and repair so that its maintenance is a central part of successfully delivering the significant event? If so keep it in the primary function.

• Is the equipment almost always available and solidly capable and reliable? If so its maintenance may be best ‘outsourced’ to a shared support function.

An equivalent debate applies to all support functions…try it!

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Connective Systems

Blood Supply System The Nervous System

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Connective Functions

Examples:– HR– Finance– Information Systems/IT– Technical/medical Systems– Quality Systems– Environmental Systems– Health and Safety Systems

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Connective Functions

• Connective functions connect, integrate, supply and assess the primary and support whole work units across the whole organisation.

• They steward ‘assets’, and the integrating systems that manages them, across the whole organisation.

• They thus provide the framework, systems, standards, protocols and procedures for the primary and support functions to work with and through.

• They should be careful not to take ownership of those tasks associated with the use of these ‘assets’ which are rightfully delegated to the primary and support functions as part of their whole work cycles.

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Connective Functions

Function ‘Asset’ Systems and Procedures

HR People, Experience, Skills Many and various personnel procedures and systems

Finance Money Financial accounting system. Management accounting system

IS/IT Information and Knowledge. IT know-how.

Many and various computer systems and communication systems. Information and knowledge management.

Technical/medical Systems

Technical/medical know-how and professionalism

Technical standards, procedures and knowledge management. IP management.

Quality systems Capable, reliable processes

Quality standards, procedures. Quality audit process

Environmental systems Environmentally sustainable processes

Environmental standards, procedures. Environmental audit process

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‘Quality’ - An Example Connective Function

‘Quality’ Within Primary Functions

• Those aspects of ‘quality’ that are an inherent part of the work cycle of the primary whole work team.

• The evaluation of the unit of whole work.

‘Quality’ Within The Connective Functions

• Those aspects of ‘quality’ that are to do with maintenance of the quality system throughout the organisation.

• The evaluation of the quality system throughout the organisation.

An equivalent debate applies for all connective functions…try it!

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Related to Mintzberg’s Five Parts

Powerful top-down strategic functions

Support

Services

Board / Parent

Connectiv

e teams

Middle Management

Primary Teams / Facility Teams /Business units

Resource

Pools

Overlay

Units

Less powerful support / influencing functions

Board / Executive

Operating core / Primary functions

Classification of Work Teams in a Simple Hierarchy

• Primary teams are the network of work teams that directly deliver the primary purposes and ‘significant events’ of the organisation.

• Facility teams maintain substantive, critical facilities or resources in readiness for use by those managing the primary.

• Support services provide local, non-critical support services to a cluster of primary or secondary teams. They aim to do this cost-effectively and responsively.

• Connective teams own the governance of critical resources on behalf of the corporation (human, financial, knowledge and information). They provide the framework, systems, standards, protocols and procedures for all other units to work with and through (e.g. HR, IT, Finance, etc.).

• Board / Parent caries out the high-level corporate governance, policy and

coordination on behalf of external stakeholders

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Cross-cutting units forming more complex structured

networks

• Overlay Units are used to develop specialist skills and perspectives to influence the activities of the primary teams for serving target product/market segments defined by different dimensions than they are built around.

• Project Teams are set up to achieve benefits from focusing on specific tasks or projects that cut across other units. They are normally temporary.

• Resource pools focus on stewarding critical resources key to competitive advantage. They develop these resources into a source of advantage and allocate them to other units in accordance with strategic priorities.Acknowledgement to contribution from Michael Goold and Andrew Campbell’ Designing Effective

Organisations, Jossey-Bass 2002.

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Structured Network

Board /

Parent

Support unit

Connective

Primary team

Primary team Facility Team

Connective

Support unit

Project team

Overlay unit

Project team

Primary team

Resource Pool

Classification of Teams