DIRECTION ISSUES CHECKLIST
Check any of the factors below that could be contributing to weak directions on your team.
Seek input from others to confirm your observations.
DIRECTION IS NOT CLEAR
We are in early stages of working together & have not taken the time to articulate a
shared direction.
Many People assume there’s a common direction, but we’ve never really talked about
it .
The individuals in charge decided on a direction, but others have not had an opportunity
to discuss, digest & really understand the direction.
THERE’S DISAGREEMENT ABOUT DIRECTION
We only agree on a very general direction, but it is also broad & nebulous that different
people understand it in different ways.
There’s disagreement about the best direction, but it isn’t openly acknowledged.
We can’t resolve our differences about the best direction to pursue, so agree to
disagree.
THERE’s RESISTANCE TO CREATING A SHARED DIRECTION
We fear choosing a shared direction because that one might end up being the wrong
one.
People aren’t interested in combining efforts toward a shared direction, they want to
work independently.
Individuals are concerned that prioritizing work in service of a shared direction will
eliminate or reduce the importance of tasks or projects they are currently engaged in.
ALLIGNMENT ISSUES CHECKLIST
Check any of the factors below that could be contributing to weak directions on your team.
Seek input from others to confirm your observations.
COORDINATION PROCESSES ARE WEAK
We jump into tasks and projects before putting together a plan for our work.
Individuals don’t see the bigger picture of how their work connects with other work.
Individuals accomplish work on their own without communicating with others.
Individuals don’t involve others with Relevant expertise.
STRUCTURING OF WORK IS POOR
All the task necessary for accomplishing the work of the group have not been clearly
identified and resourced.
Some people have too much work, some too little.
Some people do not have the level of knowledge or skills needed to accomplish assigned
work.
Resources for accomplishing work are not appropriately allocated among group
members.
ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES ARE UNCLEAR
We haven’t clearly articulated who is responsible for what task.
Individuals do not know who has the authority to make what decisions.
Individuals are not clear about what the group expects of them.
There are aspects off the group’s work that no one takes responsibility for thus, these
aspects often fall through the cracks.
There are conflicts among individuals over who is accountable for different aspects of
the work.
Individuals are unaware that others are doing the same or similar tasks, resulting in
unnecessary duplication of effort.
Individuals are not help accountable when they don’t carry out assigned responsibilities.
THERE’S A LOW MOTIVATION FOR COORDINATION
Individuals are not rewarded for coordinating with others.
Coordinating with others is hard work, so people avoid doing it.
Coordinating with others take time away from a person’s primary responsibilities, so
they don’t give it the attention it needs.
People in positions of authority actively discourage coordination.
COMMITMENT ISSUES CHECKLIST
Check any of the factors below that could be contributing to weak directions on your team.
Seek input from others to confirm your observations.
INDIVIDUALS DON’T FEEL RESPONSIBLE FOR THE GROUP
Individuals think of themselves as primarily doing individual work, not as group
members with responsibility to work of the whole group.
Individuals complain about working in the group but have no interest fixing it.
When obstacles or challenges get in the way of success, group members don’t see
themselves having the ability or influence to address them.
People are concerned that others may think they are greedy for responsibility if they
take responsibility for something other than their own tasks.
MEMBERS DON’T SEE THEMSELVES AS PART OF THIS GROUP
The group is new, and people are still trying to get sense of whether they want to
commit to the group.
There’s a constant turnover in the group membership; it’s hard to establish a sense who
the group really is.
The group is made up of a number of small subgroups; individuals feel committed to
those subgroups rather than to the group as a whole.
There’s a central powerful subgroup that dominates the group; other people feel left
out.
This group is just one more group that individuals are part of; it’s not a meaningful
group for most people.
MEMBERS DON’T VALUE BEING PART OF THIS GROUP
Individuals don’t feel that they benefit from being part of this group.
The work of the group is not engaging to some members.
Relationships in the group are strained; individuals dislike working with one another.
Individuals feel like they don’t get the credit they deserve for their contributions to the
group.
The work of the group is not valued in the larger organization or community.
INDIVIDUALS ARE SELF- INTERESTED AT THE EXPENSE OF THE GROUP
Individuals publicly talk about supporting the group but privately pursue personal ends.
Individuals take advantage of the group for their personal gain .
The climate of the group is overly competitive; individuals are for their own ideas and
don’t compromise with others.
Individuals frequently complain about how some aspect of the group process is a
burden to them personally.
DAC SYSTEM ELEMENT CHECKLIST
Are changes in one or more of these system elements needed to enhance direction, alignment
or commitment in your group?
INDIVIDUAL GROUP MEMBERS’ SKILL AND MOTIVATION
a) Knowledge, skills & abilities represented in the group
b) Personal values of group members
c) Extent to which individual identify with the group
d) Engagement of individuals in the work of the group
e) Individual motivation to contribute to the group
1. GROUP COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE
a) Size of the Group
b) Diversity of Group Members
c) Stability of Group Membership
d) Organization of the group into subgroups
e) Reporting relationships
2. INTERACTIONS AMONG GROUP MEMBERS
a) Communication patterns (i.e., who communicates with whom, about what, how
frequently)
b) Type of access group members have to one another
c) Frequency and quality of group meetings
d) Customary ways of treating one another
e) Typical strategies for dealing with conflict
3. RELATIONSHIPS IN THE GROUP
a) How well group members know each other
b) Level of trust among group members
c) Structure of informal networks in the groups
d) Presence of any strained relationships in the group
e) Relationship of formal leader with group members
4. GROUP PROCESSES
a) Planning processes
b) How work is assigned
c) How work is accomplished
d) Performance management process
e) Decision making process
f) Information -sharing practices
g) Processes for developing group members
h) Reward systems
5. GROUP CULTURE
a) Shared beliefs about what’s important
b) Informal rules of behavior in the group
c) Assumptions about what is right or true
d) Values that group members aspire to
e) Traditions maintained by the group
6. RELATIONSHIP WITH EXTERNAL ENVIORNMENT
a) Quality of relationships with key stake holders
b) Degree of isolation or connection with larger community
c) External processes and regulations governing the group
d) Openness to external influence
e) Reputation of group in larger organization or community
