Private-Public
Collaboration – Sounds
Great, But Hard To Do!
Example of Success:
Regional Dairy
Modernization Task Force
Kevin Bernhardt, University of Wisconsin-Extension,
Presentation at the National Extension Risk
Management Conference, April 2007.
Today’s Presentation
• What is the Regional Dairy Modernization Task
Force – Brief Summary
• Brief Literature Review of Coalitions – Benefits
and Challenges
• Principles of Teams
• Being Successful
• Example of the Regional Dairy Modernization
Task Force
– What we did
– Outcomes
– Future
Today’s Presentation
• What is the Regional Dairy
Modernization Task Force –
Brief Summary
• Brief Literature Review of Coalitions – Benefits and
Challenges
• Principles of Teams
• Being Successful
• Example of the Regional Dairy Modernization Task Force
– What we did
– Outcomes
– Future
Who and What is the Regional
Dairy Modernization Task Force?
• The “Regional Dairy Modernization Task
Force” is an action team of the Southwest
Wisconsin Regional Economic
Development Coalition
What Is The Task Force?
Campfire For
Collaboration:
Public
Private
Producer
Educator
Campfire Currently Includes:
What Is The Task Force?
•
For organizing, coordinating, and
leveraging resources towards the end
goals of:
1. Improving producers’ ability to achieve
desired financial performance and/or other
farm business and family goals including
health, quality of life, and farm transition.
2. Increasing milk production
3. Adding cows
4. Increasing economic activity
How?
• Target specific dairy operation systems and 1) enhance
drivers of modernization and 2) reduce barriers to
modernization
– including skills, knowledge, social networks, entrepreneurial
confidence, facts and information, and/or negativism/lack of
support by surrounding community.
• Programs, activities, and events will be organized to
drive producers through the steps of:
– Awareness of modernization topics, information, skills, networks,
etc.
– Comprehension at beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels
– Trial and Testing via peer groups, tours, and on-farm workshops
– Adoption/Implementation.
By The Way
• What we are, what we do and how we do
it took about a year to figure out!!!!
– Collaboration may be very effective in the long
run, but it is often agonizingly slow in the short
run!
Patience is a Virtue!!
Today’s Presentation
• What is the Regional Dairy Modernization Task Force – Brief
Summary
• Brief Literature Review of
Coalitions – Benefits and
Challenges
• Principles of Teams
• Being Successful
• Example of the Regional Dairy Modernization Task Force
– What we did
– Outcomes
– Future
Definition (Spangler)
• “A coalition is a temporary alliance or
partnering of groups in order to achieve a
common purpose or to engage in a joint
activity.”
• “Forming coalitions with other groups of
similar values, interests and goals allows
members to combine their resources and
become more powerful than when they
each acted alone.”
Spangler, Brad. “Coalition Building.” Beyond Intractability. University of
Colorado, Boulder. June 2003
Why Join a Coalition
• Member goals are similar and compatible.
• Working together will enhance all groups’
abilities to reach their goals.
• The benefits of coalescing will be greater
than the costs.
Spangler, Brad.
Coalition Benefits
Spangler, Brad.
• Leveraging of resources
– Material, dollars, labor, clientele, ideas
• Increases effectiveness of individual
organizations in the coalition
• Creates broader appeal
• Creates secondary coalitions
• Reduces risk
Coalition Challenges
Spangler, Brad.
• Distraction from work at home organization
• Free-Riders
• Caving into the strong or to those with the
most resources
• When goals differ
• Getting credit
• Need an understanding chief bottle washer
Today’s Presentation
• What is the Regional Dairy Modernization Task
Force – Brief Summary
• Brief Literature Review of Coalitions – Benefits
and Challenges
• Principles of Teams
• Being Successful
• Example of the Regional Dairy Modernization
Task Force
– What we did
– Outcomes
– Future
References
• Scholtes, Peter, David Bayless, Gabriel
Massaro, and Nancy Roche. “The Team
Handbook for Educators – How to Use
Teams to Improve Quality.” Joiner Assoc.
Inc, Madison, WI. 1994.
• Kreitner, Robert. “Management.” 6th ed.
Houghton Mifflin Co. 1995.
Performing Teams
• A small number of people with
complementary skills who are equally
committed to a common purpose, goals
and working approach for which they hold
themselves mutually accountable
Teams Need To Develop
• Good teams do not happen just by coming
together.
– They must be nurtured, developed, cared for
– Relationship building is not a waste of time!
All Members Bring Their
Baggage With Them
I wonder how Mom is
doing today, can she
make it another week
until I can get home to
see her?
This guy drives be crazy! I
can’t stand him on the
basketball court, as a
neighbor he drives me nuts,
and his dog smells too.
Individual Member Concerns
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Am I an insider or outsider
Do I belong
What can I do to fit in
Whose the boss
Will anyone listen to me
Should I say anything
They’ll laugh at me
Team Growth Stages
1.
2.
3.
4.
Formin
Stormin
Normin
Performin
Team Growth Stages
1. Formin
a. Feelings of excitement, anticipation,
optimism, fear, and anxiety
b. Behaviors of
•
•
•
•
•
defining process,
How members act towards each other
Determination of member roles
Lofty and abstract discussions, idea
generation
Early feelings of dread and impossibility of the
task
Team Growth Stages
2. Stormin
a. Feelings of panic, resistance, anger,
despair
b. Behaviors of:
•
•
•
•
•
Arguing among team members
Defensiveness
Choosing sides
Blame game (stupid project, stupid class,
stupid teacher!)
Nothing getting done, it will never get done
Team Growth Stages
3. Normin
a. Feelings of relief, renewed hope,
friendliness, deeper relationships, sense
of team spirit
b. Behaviors of:
•
•
•
•
Acceptance of task and team members
Helping each other
Being able to give and receive constructive
criticism
Excitement
Team Growth Stages
4. Performin
a. Feelings of understanding and knowing
how best to work with each other,
satisfaction, elation.
b. Behaviors of:
•
•
Seeing real work done
Pride of accomplishment
Team Growth Stages
5. Complacency
a. No new ideas, repetitive, loss of
excitement
b. Behaviors of
•
•
•
Boredom,
begin to lose members,
small role players peal away,
Team Efforts are a Roller Coaster
Optimism, hope,
excitement
Boredom,
impatience,
overwhelmed
Small victory,
encouraged,
renewed hope
WE DID IT!!
#^*@%*(@
Project!!
Today’s Presentation
• What is the Regional Dairy Modernization Task
Force – Brief Summary
• Brief Literature Review of Coalitions – Benefits
and Challenges
• Principles of Teams
• Being Successful
• Example of the Regional Dairy Modernization
Task Force
– What we did
– Outcomes
– Future
Recipe for a Successful
Collaboration
“Essential Tips for Successful Collaboration.” Joint Work Group on
School-Based Teen Pregnancy Prevention in partnership with
Center For Disease Control and Prevention and et. al.
1. Include stakeholders
a. You are programming for producers,
make sure producers are part of the
group!
2. Allow for sufficient time to build a
strong foundation.
a. Take the time to get to know each other
b. Establish a shared vision
c. Develop working principles & structure
Recipe for a Successful
Collaboration
3. Conduct a needs assessment
4. Develop a specific plan of action
a. SMART objectives
5. Keep all members engaged
a. Create ownership
6. Maintain communications with and
among all members
7. Monitor progress
a. Monitor members ideas of progress
b. There’s no foul in adjusting goals
Recipe for a Successful
Collaboration
8. Know how to use team/group tools
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
Nominal group technique
Force field Analysis
Brainstorming
Small groups
Fishbone diagrams
Etc.
Recipe for a Successful Team
9.
Have a party!
Recipe for A Successful Team
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Clarity of team goals
Implementation plan
Clearly defined roles for each member
Clear and open communications
Well defined decision procedures
Balanced participation
Established ground rules
Use the scientific approach
More detail provided in accompanying slides
Recipe for a Successful Team
6. Balanced Participation
a. Every team member is important and has
important contributions to make
b. Indicators of problems
•
•
Meetings being taken over by one person or a
subset of members.
No ownership then no effort
c. What to do: actions that force inclusion
such as structured brainstorming, gate
keeping, or nominal group technique
Successful Teams Work
Through Group Problems
•
•
•
•
Floundering
Overbearing members
Reluctant members
Rushing to
accomplishment
• Digressions and
tangents
• Feuding team
members
• Free-riders
More detail provided in accompanying slides
4. Rush to Accomplishment
a. Symptoms:
 “We got something, let’s go with it.”
 Unquestioned acceptance of opinions as
facts
 “Trust but Verify!” (Ronald Reagan)
 In God we Trust! All others must have data and facts!
b. What to Do about it:
 Review team mission, rules of conduct and
operation
 Remind all of the team rules such as
decisions based in fact!
 Designated doubter
Successful Teams Build a
Foundation for Successful
Meetings
Meeting Agendas
• Topics with short explanations
• Expected outcomes of each topic
• Decision, creation of alternatives, open discussion
• Who is presenting each topic
• Time guideline for how long that topic will take
• Timekeeper may be helpful
• Don’t overload the agenda!
• Reserve time to set next meeting’s agenda
• Logistics: Date, time and place
• Content
• Review assignments (what, who and
expectations)
– Never leave a meeting without something happening
before the next one
Meeting Agendas
• Might also include:
– Team warm-up (favorite movie, book, etc.)
– Quick review of agenda and any changes
– Observers report or end-of-meeting
evaluation and what could be improved.
Potential Member Roles
•
•
•
•
Facilitator
Gatekeeper/Timekeeper
Observer
Recorder
Today’s Presentation
• What is the Regional Dairy Modernization Task Force – Brief
Summary
• Brief Literature Review of Coalitions – Benefits and Challenges
• Principles of Teams
• Being Successful
• Example of the Regional Dairy
Modernization Task Force
– What we did
– Outcomes
– Future
Financing Partners
• Organizational Sponsorship
– $5,000-$7,000 per year
• Grants
– UW-Extension Kohl Dollar Grant, 2003
– SW Technical College (USDA/Risk Management
Agency) grant, 2004
– Value Added Dairy Initiative, Local Dairy Development
Grant (DATCP) 2005-06
– North Central Risk Management Education Center,
2006-07
Impact
• Participation
– 26 events in past four years (2003-2006)
– 4 events to date in 2007 (as of April 1)
• 230 total participants to date for this year
– 1,413 total participants over last five years
Impact - Participation
500
450
456
422
400
350
300
250
200
150
175
130
100
50
0
Participation
230 To
Date in
2007
with 4
events
left.
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Impact
• From Summit II Evaluation
– 21 producers returned a survey
• 12 stated they had modernized in last year
– 10 of the 12 (83%) stated that the decision to do so had
been influenced by task force events
– 35 dairy industry professionals
• 7 stated they had been part of modernization
planning for a client
– 5 of the 7 (71%) stated that task force events had been
beneficial in the decision-making process
Impact
• From Summit III Evaluation-Industry
– 22 dairy industry professionals answered that
they had helped a client modernize in the past
three years
• 9 (41%) stated that the task force events were
“very influential” in helping them help their clients.
– The total number of modernizations by this group of 9
totaled 67!
• 12 more stated that the task force events were
“somewhat influential”
– These 12 accounted for 110 modernizations
Impact
• From Summit III Evaluation-Producers
– Of 25 producers thinking about modernizing, 12 of
them (48%) answered that the task force events are
“very influential” in their decision to potentially
modernize, and 13 (52%) said “somewhat influential”.
– Of 16 producers who modernized in the last year
• 7 (44%) stated that task force events were “very influential”
• 7 (44%) stated “somewhat influential”
• 1 stated the task force events had no influence
Impact
• From Summit IV Evaluation-Industry
– 21 dairy industry professionals answered that
they had helped a client modernize this past
year:
• 8 (38%) stated that the task force events were
“very influential” in helping them help their clients.
– The total number of modernizations by this group of 8
totaled 32 (adjusted downward from one response of
400).
• 11 more stated that the task force events were
“somewhat influential”
– These 11 accounted for 70 modernizations
Impact
• From Summit IV Evaluation-Producers
– Two producers answered that they are “very seriously committed
to a modernizing effort” and both answered that task force
events are “very influential” in their decision to modernize.
– Of the 15 producers who answered that they are “somewhat
serious about modernizing, but not yet committed” 5 (33%)
answered that the task force events are “very influential” in their
decision to potentially modernize, and 10 (66%) said “somewhat
influential”.
– Of the 25 producers who answered that they had modernized in
the last three years
• 9 (36%) stated that task force events were “very influential”
• 12 (48%) stated “somewhat influential”
• 4 (16%) stated the task force events had no influence
Future
• Complacency
• Too Much Success
– (organizational structure)
• What is success?
– Number of heads
– What the heads you have do
• Staying novel
• Funding
• Didn’t we say that collaborations are temporary!
Definition (Spangler)
• “A coalition is a temporary alliance or
partnering of groups in order to achieve a
common purpose or to engage in a joint
activity.”
• “Forming coalitions with other groups of
similar values, interests and goals allows
members to combine their resources and
become more powerful than when they
each acted alone.”
Spangler, Brad. “Coalition Building.” Beyond Intractability. University of
Colorado, Boulder. June 2003
Future
• Must show documented success as defined by
coalition members
– Public organizations
• Making a difference, showing results, stakeholder support
– Lenders
• New business, new loans, better performing financial
situations
– Agribusiness
• New business, new customers, public relations
– Producers
• Better financial performance
• Quality of Life
• Family Goals
Recipe for a Successful Team
1. Clarity of team goals
a. Each member is crystal clear as to team
mission, goals, tasks, etc.
b. Indicators of problems
•
Frequent switches in direction,
Disagreements and arguments, Lack of
progress, Nobody understands what is going
on
c. What to do: Take a time out, retrench,
get on the same page, multi-voting,
Nominal Group Technique
Recipe for a Successful Team
2. Implementation Plan
a. Each member knows the steps of the
process, knows each stage of progress
towards the end goals, a written flowchart
exists.
b. Indicators of problems
•
When something gets accomplished, team does
not know what to do next. Members just stop
working, no next step.
c. What to do: Make sure you have a written
flow chart, update if necessary, but have your
next steps thought out and ready to go.
Recipe for a Successful Team
3. Clearly Defined Roles for Each Member
a. Responsibilities are assigned, and everyone
knows who is doing what and by when.
b. Indicators of problems
•
Confusion over who is doing what.
c. What to do: Deployment chart
Recipe for a Successful Team
4. Clear and Open Communication
a. This one will sink the ship.
b. Indicators of problems
•
Confusion, anger, frustration, bullying, shyness,
lack of involvement, steaming tempers just below
the surface
c. What to do: honesty, encouragement, time
out to speak as if I was someone else,
designated observer, agreement to disagree
Recipe for a Successful Team
5. Well Defined Decision Procedures
a. Part of early team effort is designation of
a decision-making procedure that all
agree to abide by.
b. Indicators of problems
•
Forced decisions by one person or clique
within the team, too frequent recourse to
voting that is split
c. What to do: develop a process, test for
consensus, use data and facts to guide
decisions
Recipe for a Successful Team
6. Balanced Participation
a. Every team member is important and has
important contributions to make
b. Indicators of problems
•
•
Meetings being taken over by one person or a
subset of members.
No ownership then no effort
c. What to do: actions that force inclusion
such as structured brainstorming, gate
keeping, or nominal group technique
Recipe for a Successful Team
7. Established Ground Rules
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Attendance
Promptness
Regularly scheduled meetings
Participation
Basic conversational courtesies
•
you have two ears and one mouth – use them
in that proportion
f. Assignments
g. Preset agendas, minutes, and records
Recipe for a Successful Team
8. Use the Scientific Approach
a. Let data and facts inform your decisionmaking process
b. If you don’t have data, can you get it
c. Understand and use basic statistical tools
d. Dig for root causes of problems
(fishbone)
Working Through Group
Problems
1. Floundering
a. Symptoms: endless discussions with no
actions, loss of direction, frustration
b. How to deal with it:
 Review (maybe re-write) team mission and
process
 What’s holding us up (force field analysis)
 Let’s take a baby step, gain a victory, even if
small
 Absolutely force ourselves into a specific set
of actionable steps.
Working Through Group
Problems
2. Overbearing participants
a. What to do?
 Reinforce team rules that everyone’s opinion
is important
 Talk to the main culprit(s) privately on the side
 Discussion by written statement
 Could be anonymous
 More structured team discussions that force
all to say something in an “around the table”
fashion
Working Through Group
Problems
3. Reluctant participants
a. What to do?
 Reinforce team rules that everyone’s opinion
is important and needs to be heard
 Discussion by written statement
 Could be anonymous
 More structured team discussions that force
all to say something in an “around the table”
fashion
 Gatekeeper function that has one person
riding herd over the team and assuring all are
participating.
Working Through Group
Problems
4. Rush to Accomplishment
a. Symptoms:
 “We got something, let’s go with it.”
 Unquestioned acceptance of opinions as
facts
 “Trust but Verify!” (Ronald Reagan)
 In God we Trust! All others must have data and facts!
b. What to Do about it:
 Review team mission, rules of conduct and
operation
 Remind all of the team rule – Decisions
based in fact!
 Designated doubter
Working Through Group
Problems
5. Getting Off on Digressions and
Tangents
a. Symptoms:

A whole lot of time spent talking about matters that
have virtually nothing to do with the matter at hand
b. What to Do about it:
 Written agenda with “objectives to be
completed”
 Time & Task keeper whose sole job is to
remind everyone to keep on task
Working Through Group
Problems
6. Feuding Team Members
a. Symptoms:
 Usually obvious, watch the body language,
people disconnecting/leaving the group
b. What to Do about it:
 Consider a code of conduct, well defined
roles, team building time
 consult conflict resolution ideas
Working Through Group
Problems
7. Free riders!!
a. Symptoms:
 It is perceived at least that some members
are not pulling their weight
b. What to Do about it:




Be honest and direct privately
Assignments
Observers reports
Discussion leader