Unleashing the power of creative collaboration: a look at three real-world stories about human potential.

When thinking about factors that distinguish top performing companies from the also-rans, the root of their success often can be traced to the human equation. How many of today's companies are able to tap more than a fraction of their workforce potential? How many are able to take advantage of latent talents, ideas and contributive strengths waiting to be switched on? The companies that do best are the ones that find the means to use a larger fraction of their human resources than their competitors do, That is their edge in the global economy.

And they hone that edge by taking action based on two fundamental principles:

1. Rely on human potential as central to corporate strategy.

2. Liberate that potential through creative collaboration.

A company's competitiveness factor is a combination of the potential of its people, the quality of information those people possess and a willingness to share knowledge with others in the organization. The leadership challenge is to link these components as tightly as possible, Rest assured that there is a lot of untapped potential in all organizations waiting to be liberated and knowledge waiting to be shared, As proof, let's look at three success stories of companies that are using creative collaboration to tap into that potential. We'll then look at the moral of these stories--at what they can teach us about the value of optimizing human potential.

EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION IN THE PIAZZA 

How Caterpillar created an environment in which employees from many different backgrounds and cultures came together. At Caterpillar's European headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, employees represent a mixture of nationalities. Although essential for a successful global operation, this diversity complicates communication: not only are employees dealing with multiple languages and backgrounds, they're also interacting with people from different communication cultures. The challenge was how to make members of this diverse population begin to think of themselves as a team.

Employee Communication Manager Gottardo Bontagnali kept thinking about the role played by the central market square--"piazza" in Italian--in virtually all European villages. In addition to going to the piazza for necessities of daily life, villagers went there to exchange news, pick up gossip, pass on information and socialize. It was, and still is in many places, the village's most efficient communication tool.

So Bontagnali decided to create a "piazza" at Caterpillar's Geneva headquarters. Local artists were brought in to paint the walls of the top-floor cafeteria with large village scenes, dotted with bright yellow Cat machines, of course, as well as sights from multiple Cat locations. The "villagers" portrayed in the panoramas were actual Cat employees. With a little imagination, employees could actually picture themselves in a European market square surrounded by familiar faces and sights.

Employees were encouraged to use the piazza for informal meetings and discussions. "Let's discuss it over a cup of coffee in the piazza" has become part of Caterpillar's culture in Geneva. And because so many people use the piazza for regular exchanges, it's become an important means of sharing information on an impromptu basis as well. But the most impressive result is how workplace design helped build workforce camaraderie and a common sense of purpose.

WHO IS THAT GUY AT THE BACK OF THE ROOM?

How Bob Buckman reinforced a knowledge-sharing culture based on trust. Buckman Laboratories has been in the specialty chemical business since 1945. Under the leadership of Robert H. (Bob) Buckman, it also has become a world-class, knowledge-sharing organization. Buckman would tell you that converting a command-and-control organization into a networked one was not without its challenges and setbacks. Still, by 1994, Buckman Labs had jumped into full-bore knowledge sharing: new software and connectivity had been installed, most of the associates were equipped with laptops and online forums were up and running. To honor and reward the top 150 people who had done the best job of sharing knowledge, a "Fourth Wave Meeting" was held in Scottsdale, Ariz., USA. The meeting was three days of fun, celebration and work--specifically, critical discussions about business trends and strategies. It was also the setting for a remarkable story.

Throughout the conference, a man wearing shorts, a T-shirt and sandals sat at the back of the room, chronicling the meeting on his laptop and posting live messages on the forum for the rest of the company to read. His name was Mark Koskiniemi. About midway through the meeting, one of the organizers approached Koskiniemi and asked him to stop sending out his notes. Koskiniemi refused, saying he didn't feel that was appropriate. When the organizer suggested that the request came from the top, Koskiniemi countered by saying he'd appreciate hearing it personally.

A few minutes later, a break was called, and Koskiniemi found himself face-to-face with Bob Buckman. Here is how Koskiniemi recalls the conversation:

Koskiniemi: Hello, sir.

Buckman: Mark, I understand that you have been posting notes from the meeting on the forum. I have to say that I have not read them, but are you sure that is such a good idea?

Koskiniemi: Do you trust me?

Buckman broke into a big smile, nodded slightly, and nothing further was said about Koskiniemi's continued reporting of the events.

Two results emerged from Koskiniemi's reporting. First, he sent more than 50 messages related to the reports coming from the meeting, sharing knowledge with others in real time. Second, Koskiniemi (now the head of Buckman's operations in Australia and New Zealand) experienced the power of trust: "If knowledge sharing is built on trust, then to me this moment over any other demonstrated that Bob Buckman really trusted the associates of Buckman Laboratories to take the company forward," Koskiniemi reports.

BECOMING A LEARNING ORGANIZATION

How After Action Reviews drive knowledge-sharing and innovation at the J. M. Huber Corp. 2 May 2003 at the J. M. Huber Corp. headquarters in Edison, N.J., was marked by a special occasion--the Breakfast of Champions and the presentation of the Chairman's Award for After Action Review (AAR) Excellence. That morning, Board Chair, President and CEO Peter Francis handed the coveted award to the cross functional team that had earned it.

He remarked: "I selected this team because they fully integrated the AAR process into their project plan, using AARs to implement a critically important system on time, within budget and with an exceptional level of quality. The team avoided 'recreating the wheel' by applying lessons learned from other teams. They also contributed to Huber's knowledge base by providing new lessons learned that others at Huber can apply in the future."

AARs? What are they? And why are they so vitally important to this successful, multinational, privately held company?

The After Action Review was developed by the U.S. Army during the 1970s to help American soldiers learn both from their mistakes and from their correct judgments. Basically, the AAR process assembles people involved in a planned project or an unscheduled event and asks them to answer three questions:

1. What happened?

2. Why did it happen?

3. What should we do about it?

Central to the process at Huber is a sophisticated database that captures, stores and reports on accumulated learning. To conduct an AAR, employees can download an information gathering template that helps guide the face-to-face discussions that are the basis of the AAR. After employees answer the three basic questions, they can input their learning and post it immediately to the database. Other employees around the world can search the database to find AARs on topics related to their work.

In just a few years, Huber transformed itself from a company that was just starting its own AAR process to one that was embedding it solidly into the culture. In 2002, Huber employees conducted more than 2,000 AARs--against a goal of 1,000 for the year. As the number of AARs steadily increased, the quality and value of the AARs improved, too. Huber employees completed more than 90 percent of the action items they committed to in their 2002 AARs--greater than the stated target. Now more than half of all AARs focus on the company's critical success factors, aligning learning with areas of strategic importance to the company.

THE MORAL OF THE STORIES

Three different stories, three different locations and three very different companies. But all lead to one critical conclusion.

Success in today's global economy boils down to the single, universally recognized objective of getting more for less--with one exception: human resources. Human labor is not a disposable commodity. It is a unique creative resource for the future of the organization. Companies can't devalue workers and expect to come out ahead. Give people less, and they give less back. Treat them like underlings, and they behave like underlings.

On the other hand, offer them more, and they repay the company's investment with interest. We're not talking about money now. We're talking about liberating untapped potential, about energizing employees and engaging their commitment and enthusiasm.

Give people a chance to grow and they will blossom. Entrust them with greater authority and they will take on greater responsibility. Educate them to understand the changing business dynamics and they will make excellent business decisions. Encourage them to collaborate and they will amaze you with their inventiveness. Treat them like full partners in the organization and they will participate like owners.

Companies that make human potential the corporate strategy will be ready for the new business age.

LESSONS FOR CORPORATE COMMUNICATORS

In their own way, the case studies of Buckman Laboratories, J. M. Huber Corp. and Caterpillar reflect how business--even corporate communication itself--has been turned upside down. There are a number of lessons to be learned.

1. The key issue is trust.

* Developing employee trust is critical in today's post-Enron, post-WorldCom environment.

* Trust begins (or is reinforced) through timely, transparent communication.

* Communicators have the opportunity to become ambassadors of that message. Without trust, everything else is just fancy footwork.

2. Think "Little C," not always "Big C."

* For every example of the "Big C" (the overall company culture), there are often a dozen examples of the "Little C"--incredible pockets, or mini-cultures, of creativity and collaborative spirit.

* In any environment, even a repressive one, communicators can create whatever kind of mini-culture they wish within their departments or teams.

* Often, in fact, creating a collaborative culture makes a communication team shine--and will become an example others wish to emulate.

3. The role of communication has expanded.

* Communicators are helping people interact and connect with each other.

* They have, even in a literal sense, become architects. They are using their expertise not only to design events and speeches in ways that signal a shift from traditional top down message giving but also to help design office environments that encourage collaboration.

* The traditional role of the communication staff has changed from information gatekeepers to developers of environments conducive to information sharing.

* Put another way, this isn't the communication department most of us joined, either. If it is, it shouldn't be.

Carol Kinsey Goman, president of Kinsey Consulting Services, coaches executives, facilitates management retreats, helps change teams develop strategies and speaks to business audiences around the world. She is the author of nine books including, "This Isn't the Company I Joined--How to Lead in a Business Turned Upside Down," from which this article is adapted. Find more information at www.ckg.com.