Rotating Expertise

Multi-disciplinary project teams are excellent for creating new ways of conducting business. By involving staff from different organizational units and professions, the project's results have more richness and solve more problems. Plus, the seconded staff act as ambassadors to their colleagues in their permanent organizational units.

Extending knowledge even further can be achieved by rotating staff through the project team. For managers, this makes life difficult, but the reward is a much easier transition as project-driven changes occur. Rather than looking to managers for motivation, staff generate their own reasons to change and their own techniques for adapting to the new regime.

Rotation must be carefully managed to avoid it collapsing over time.

• Gain the support of all organizational units involved and of senior management.
• Define the length of each rotational assignment - usually 3 - 6 months. Longer terms tend to create an anxiety that the assignment will "last forever".
• Limit the number of staff rotated at any one time to less than a quarter of the team. Each new person entering the team begins as a burden while they get up to speed.
• Plan exactly how the first round of rotations will be staggered to ensure sufficient expertise remains with the team during its start-up phase.
• Identify the next rotational sequence well in advance. This lets everyone plan their work to conclude at reasonable stopping-point as they change roles.
• Celebrate both the new-comers and those returning to their permanent positions.
• Continue to communicate and consult with past team members - remember they are ambassadors.