At Tuesday's Austin PMI Chapter meeting, one of the presentations was with Doug Russell of Executive Team Leadership, LLC.  He spoke on Leading Knowledge Worker Teams:  Creating a Team Culture of Integrity that Pays.

The focus was on a "culture of Integrity" using the TACTILE(tm) scorecard.  This translates as Transparency, Accountability, Communication, Trust, Infrastructure, Leadership, and Energize(s the team).   As a knowledge worker, the lack of these components, or more precisely, the misuse of them, has been a source or stress and frustration. 

I've worked on projects and for companies where to bring a problem into the light is not just an assumption of ownership, but of culpability.  On at least one occasion I've been labeled a troublemaker for bringing up problems,or mentioning that the deliverables I've been given by a higher level manager don't match what another manager insists on, and the two wouldn't work it out.  

I was particularly heartened to hear stories of meeting methodologies that ensure scope alignment and don't get bogged down in minor details.  The idea of allowing team leaders to do what they know how to do the best but ensuring each time makes clear their high level status for higher level teams.  I've been in so many meetings where time was wasted when important topics have been sidelined because of lack of understanding of scope, deliverables, or being able to report on status at the appropriate level.

That's a project to work on.