Using Diversity to Ignite Team Performance (interview)

“Using Diversity to Ignite Team Performance”
Diversity Trends LLC and Tracy Brown Presents
Conversation with ― Vincent M. Cramer
Transcript, July 21, 2005

TB - Tracy Brown opening remarks
VC - Vincent M. Cramer opening remarks

TB - Could you tell us a little about yourself and why you wrote Cramer’s Cube?

Tracy, as you mentioned, I am an Electrical Engineer. I spent my career in the semiconductor business, in sales. I enjoyed Sales but my greatest satisfaction came from developing teams and building organizations.

It was rather easy for me to be a good leader and an effective manager because everyone was just like me… a white, male, middle class, geek.

When the bubble burst in hi-tech a few years ago, I was the VP of Sales and Business Development for a startup company. The market crashed, we crashed and soon we were out of business!

I used this time to write a book about the 3 keys to team success – Communication, Collaboration and Decision Making. While I was writing Cramer’s Cube something very surprising dawned on me.

I realized that it wasn’t until I had a diverse team that I truly learned about team communication, collaboration and decision-making.

TB - Your book describes the Cramer’s Cube MODEL and how to apply it. Since there are people listening who have never been exposed to the model, can you quickly summarize it?

Yes. Here are the bullets:

• Cramer’s Cube is a 3D decision-making process, used by teams to meet clearly stated objectives.
• Team members collaborate and build a Cube that encloses WHERE THE SOLUTION IS.
• Then the team goes inside the Cube to figure out WHAT THE SOLUTION IS.
• The team actually generates 3 solutions that will meet their objective.
• Those 3 decisions are then presented to management for final selection.

TB - On the cover of the book (Cramer's Cube) it says “Diversity + Decision Making = Destiny.” That’s a powerful statement! How did an engineer working in technology environments arrive at that insight?

The chip companies that I worked for were startups. Startup chip companies not only develop new technology and innovative products, they actually create new industries, like cell phones and wireless networks, satellite radio and GPS.
Since most startups are going into unknown territory we can’t rely on traditional sales and marketing methods. We need to figure it out for ourselves as we go along.

When I created my first organization from scratch, I was not looking for diversity, but that is what I got.

I was actually looking to assemble a team that had

• Fresh viewpoints
• New insights
• Talent
• Commitment
• Experience and IN-EXPERIENCE

That is how I created a diverse organization without really trying to.

TB - I have not heard of a leader who intentionally recruited inexperienced people. Most managers want the most experienced people that they are able to hire. Could you explain this?

I needed a team that would take a fresh look at the customer, the competitors, the market and the opportunities. Together, we needed to figure out how we could be successful by helping the client to be successful.

I recruited outstanding individuals! I assembled a very motivated team. Everyone was bright and dedicated. Eventually, we were very successful and everyone in the organization contributed to that success.

TB - You said that eventually you were successful. Does that mean that you had problems with this approach?

Yes, I had one major problem. I wasn’t getting the full participation that I needed from everyone on the team. Unless I did, we would fail.

The problem was most apparent in our decision-making and strategy meetings. I needed their input and perspective, but they weren’t giving it to me. For some people there were cultural obstacles because they had a deep respect for people of age, rank or position.

For some, there were personal obstacles because they weren’t as aggressive as others. I needed a decision-making process that would empower everyone to FULLY participate and contribute. However, I couldn’t find a method that met my needs, the needs of the organization and the needs of the individuals.
I tried them all:

• The Straw Man approach was not a solution.
• Soliciting ideas was not the solution.
• Providing them with solutions was not the solution.

So I developed my own process that relied on two core elements:
First: To clearly define objectives
Second: Give the team the ability and the freedom to make decisions and solve problems.

We were very successful with that approach. That process is what became Cramer’s Cube.

That is why I feel that “Diversity + Decision Making = Destiny.”

TB - If the team collaboratively made decisions and solved problems, what did you do? Some might think you were abdicating your leadership and management to the team.

No, I believe that I was abdicating my ego to the team. I had a wealth of experience, but I didn’t have their experience, their customer knowledge and most importantly, I didn’t have their insight. It was their insight that I needed.
Telling the team what to do would have been easy, and everyone would probably be comfortable with my decisions and my leadership, but I couldn’t be confident in my decisions because I didn’t know what I didn’t know.

I didn’t abdicate my leadership. It was exactly the opposite. The methods of Cramer’s Cube enabled me to be a more effective leader. I didn’t create diverse teams in order to be a benevolent boss. I suppose that I did it for selfish reasons. I wanted to be successful, but I couldn’t be unless everyone in the organization was successful.

For that to happen, everyone person needed to be an impact player, not just execute my directives.

TB - You mentioned that the 3 keys to success are communication, collaboration and decision- making. How did you begin to change the way people communicated with each other?

First, we cleaned up the language that we used. No… not crude language - - imprecise language. We could only use language that everyone understood. No words or phrases could be ambiguous.

We eliminated meaningless phrases that seemed to be popular in corporations. We decided that our language needed to be effective, not popular. We eliminated phrases such as “Give 110%”, “Failure is not an option.” and “Think Outside of the Box” Those phrases, and more like them, added nothing to the process, so they weren’t used.

TB - How did you begin to change the way people collaborate and make decisions?

Not only didn’t we Think Outside of the Box, I actually eliminated Ideas and Opinions from our deliberations. That might sound very strange to most people because most corporations encourage ideas. They even train their employees to learn how to generate ideas. We didn’t.

I had 3 reasons for eliminating ideas and opinions from our discussions.

1st... Ideas and Opinions are very personal to people. When you attack a person’s ideas or opinions, you are attacking the person. That rips a team apart.

2nd... Ideas generate more ideas, which generate more ideas, and so on and so on. The visual that I have of ideas is that they are like the finale at a 4th of July fireworks display. Countless and all over the place!

3rd... If we generated ideas, who would make the judgment on what ideas are the best ideas?

I would! But how could I know that my judgment was right?
Judgment is very subjective. I wanted to make decisions… not judgments.

TB - Can you give us an example of making a decision instead of a judgment?

Yes. I will give you an example that most people can relate to. Do you remember the Apollo 13 crisis? Three astronauts were on their way to the moon when there was an explosion that crippled their spacecraft. Not only was the mission-to-the-moon in danger, three lives were hanging in the balance.

Ron Howard directed a very popular movie titled Apollo 13 and two famous quotes came from that movie.
“Houston, we have a problem!” AND “Failure is not an option!” These quotes are still frequently repeated thirty-five years after the event. The drama and suspense of the movie focused on the way the NASA engineers and controllers in Houston handled the crisis.

• Gene Kranz,, the NASA Flight Director set a clear objective for his support team in Houston: Get the crew back to earth alive.
• Jerry Bostick, was an engineer on that team. He indirectly provided the famous quote by Ed Harris, who played the role of Gene Kranz…”Failure is not an option.” However, what he actually said to the researcher who wanted to know the panic level of the engineers trying to solve the crisis. Jerry Bostick said, “We just calmly laid out all the options, and failure wasn’t one of them”
• At first, the team spent a few minutes throwing around ideas about what the solution to the problem is. They quickly realized that they were wasting precious time. Then they changed their approach.
• The team first determined WHERE THE SOLUTION IS by deciding what would enable them to meet their objective. They decided that it was Fuel, Guidance, and breathable air.
• The team was then able to decide WHAT THE SOUTION IS. As you will see in the movie, it was the right solution because it was an effective solution.
• The solution was effective because it utilized the insight of absolutely everyone on the team.
• Instead of throwing around ideas, they were guided by a clear objective (Return this crew safely to earth) and they had the freedom to collaborate and create the best solution.
• This Apollo 13 example is explained more fully in the September 2005 issue of Chief Learning Officer Magazine. The title is: Leaderless Teams Achieve More.

TB - Now I need to watch Apollo 13 again. That is very dramatic example of Igniting Team Performance, but it appears to be a long process. I have a feeling that you will tell us that it isn’t.

Yes I will. If diverse teams use the Cramer’s Cube process, they will always be moving toward a decision and a solution. It is a convergent decision-making process because it uses insights instead of ideas. Ideas are countless and they diverge, plus someone needs to sort through all of the ideas and choose the “best” one.

That takes a lot of time. AND you don’t even know that you are moving in the right direction. As a friend from Texas is fond of saying, “There is a lot of circlin’ around and barkin’ at it.”

Even after an idea is selected, can you really say that everyone on the team fully contributed? No! A decision based on ideas is more like a winner-take-all process.
Of course there is discussion and agreement, but was there reaaaaly full participation by everyone in the group? The answer is NO.

That is why I needed to create a decision-making process that allows everyone to contribute her or his insights without constraint. Once I did, decisions were better; innovation was achieved and creativity was not stifled.

There are two reasons why we were more effective, innovative and creative:

• Everyone was guided by the objective.
• 2nd Together, they determined Where the Solution Is (just like Apollo 13) and then they decided What The Solution Is.

TB - Okay . . . so how does the typical manager take the Apollo 13 example and apply it to their own team if they want to “Use Diversity to Ignite Team Performance”?

The path is very easy to travel. Gene Kranz of Apollo 13 claimed, “This will be our finest hour.” well before he could be confident that his team would succeed. He feared for the lives of the astronauts, but he remained confident throughout the crisis, because he set a clear objective for the team and then he gave them the freedom to use their insights and judgment to solve the problem. He believed in his team. He had confidence in his team, so he had confidence in their decisions.
That is what all individuals are looking for …the opportunity to contribute and to be valued.

With the diversity in our corporations, there is richness of insights that are valuable to the company.

But people must be given the opportunity to apply their insights. Don’t give people Predicaments-to-ponder; Give them Problems-to-Solve.

TB - Most diversity initiatives are trying to create an environment that does just that but it often doesn’t work. So what are they doing wrong?

I wouldn’t say that they are doing anything wrong. I might say that they are focused too narrowly in one area. Many corporations have built their diversity training programs on the premise that:
“If we can understand and appreciate each other, we can accomplish something.”
There is nothing wrong with that concept. However, I approach training and organizational effectiveness from the opposite direction. I believe that “if organizations can accomplish something, people can understand and appreciate each other.” People who demonstrate their ability to have an impact are valued and appreciated. That can only happen if they are given the opportunity to be a member of the team, with equal power and influence.

So, in order to “Use Diversity to Ignite Team Performance.” You need three things:

• You need the fuel, which is diversity
• You need the oxygen, which is insight
• You need the spark, which is collaborative decision-making.

TB - Aren’t Insights and Ideas the same thing?

At first glance, that is what you would think, but they’re not. Insights have tangibility that ideas don’t have. Not only can we talk about our insights, we can demonstrate them. Let me explain.

I mentioned that I am skeptical of Thinking Outside of the Box. However, I am in awe of the abilities that some people have to come up with innovative ways and unique views…but they don’t come from ideas. They come from insight.
Corporations are looking for a competitive edge, which means that they are striving to be innovative.

Encouraging people to Give 110% or to Think Outside of The Box doesn’t accomplish that.

The Cramer's Cube process is more practical and more effective than having a room full of people thinking really, really, really, really hard hoping for that comicstrip light-bulb to appear over their heads.

Using an insight-based process instead of an idea-based process allows everyone in the organization to make dramatic contributions.

I discussed the topic of Insights vs. Ideas in an interview with Chief Learning Officer Magazine. The interviewer, Kelley Whitney published an article that contained the interview in the February 2005 issue of CLO Magazine.

TB - I think I understand your point. Are you saying that each of us is very unique and that we can have a huge impact on team performance, but in order for that to happen corporations must change the way teams collaborate and make decisions?

YES!
In order to make that happen, organizations should focus on insights instead of ideas. Give people clear objectives. Then, give teams a decision-making process that will draw upon all of the team’s insight. Allow them to make decisions and solve problems. That is how Diversity can be used to Ignite Team Performance.

TB - Obviously, you’re not a big supporter of the box, but you use a Cube. What is the difference?

As Twyla Tharp, the famous dance choreographer, said, “In order to Think Outside of the Box, you Have to Start With a Box.” I believe that each of us is a unique box. We cannot go outside the limits of what we are, but we can go toward those limits and we can demonstrate the uniqueness that we have.

There are people who have demonstrated their uniqueness and altered the way we see the world. Some people might say that they were Thinking Outside of the Box. They weren’t. They were simply being themselves. What appears to be outside the box for some is actually obvious to someone else. That is why I refer to people as BOXers. Every individual is unique, with unique insights. The objective is to draw on those insights and use them to make better decisions and facilitate innovation.

The goal of corporations should be to utilize their diversity and allow the BOXers to have an impact on the organization. Don’t tell them to Think Outside of the Box. Instead, give them a clear objective and allow them to be themselves, work together and get the job done.

TB - Vince, we have about five more minutes. So, let’s go back to the foundation . . . the Cramer’s Cube model. You were able to capture your experience leading sales teams in high tech environments and translate the successful behaviors into a geometric model. To explain the different elements of the model you ended up creating a variety of proprietary terms that really help differentiate your approach from others. Before we close can you review a few of those terms so people listening in can have a sense of the steps in the process?

Not only did I want Cramer’s Cube to be effective, I wanted it to be easy to use and fun to use. So, some unique vocabulary was created along the way. Here are a few that you will never hear from someone who is trying to Think Outside of the Box.

First I want to tell you about BOXers. I have identified some people, both famous and unknown, who have changed the way we view the world because they shared their unique insight and dramatically impacted the rest of us. People such as Mahatma Ghandi, Dick Fosbury, Mary-Ellis Bunham, Brownie Wise, Martin Luther King, Eunice Kennedy Shriver changed our world forever because they saw the world differently than the rest of us. Then they acted on their unique insight and altered our world in the process.

Blind Vision is a phrase that I am especially fond of. Some people have such clear vision that you can think of it as having laser precision. They are so focused that they literally blind themselves to the distractions and the obstacles that the rest of us might notice.

Then we have Faux Factor. No! not Fear Factor. Faux as in the French word that means fake. I use Faux Factor as a warning to people working together in teams. The greater a person’s reputation and integrity, the more believable they are, and the more confidence that we have in that person. That confidence can be a warning sign that we may be allowing someone to influence the team more than they should.

You will see that I still have that engineering streak in me when you read…The Power of Diversity is in Dark Energy. Dark Energy is a term used by astrophysicists to describe the indescribable. Dark Energy comprises 73% of the Universe, but scientists can’t figure out what it is. BUT…they know what it does and they can observe what it does. I believe that people are mostly Dark Energy. We can never expect to truly understand ourselves, or each other, but we can work together effectively and we can be affected by each other’s Dark Energy. Let’s not overanalyze it, let’s just utilize it and we will all be the better for it.

Finally, let me mention Dèjả versity™. It means: Diversity training that feels like dèjả vu. We can break out of that box, no pun intended, and move diversity programs to the impact level as corporate processes, just as quality programs did. That is the reason why Diversity Trends produced the conversation that is taking place today. Paraphrasing Yogi Berra, This Diversity Trends conversation is NOT…. dèjả vu all over again!

TB - Vince that’s very helpful because in our conversation today we have primarily focused on the concept. But I also want people to understand that the model can actually provide them with the language and the process steps they can use to transition their work groups into collaborative decision-making teams. Now we are just about out of time. Would you like to make a closing comment?

Tracy, I want to thank you again for this opportunity. Also, I want to thank the attendees for investing their time in what I hope was a valuable discussion.

I would like to conclude by saying that people do not fully understand how unique and valuable they are. Also, corporations do not yet realize the value that is locked inside its corporate diversity. In order for diversity to ignite team performance, corporations will need to implement a collaborative decision-making process that will fulfill everyone’s expectations. Just as Quality Programs changed the way corporations operate, I believe that Diversity Programs will do the same, but with even greater impact.

I would like to work with corporations to move diversity programs from Inclusion to Impact and the journey goes through the highway of collaborative decision-making. Thank you.

TB - Vince, thanks for being with us today. I believe the Cramer’s Cube model can really help to unlock the potential of diversity in intact work teams. And to those of you on the line, or listening to the recording, thank YOU for participating in CONVERSATIONS ABOUT DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION.
For information about other conversations in the series, visit www.diversitytrends.com/conversations.