Warewithal Online: assemble teams based on employee instincts - team management software - Software Review - Evaluation

What would it be worth for a manager to know that he had assembled a work team capable of completing a project on time and within budget? Some teams do make the grade and some don't, but it's hard to be objective about matching employees to team needs when it's your team and, perhaps, your job on the line.

If predicting team members' productivity or resolving a workplace conflict has ever confounded you, it might be a good idea to check out Warewithal Online, an Internet-based application, from Phoenix-based Kolbe Corp. at www.warewithal.com. For a demonstration, go to the Web site and log on with the user name "guest." The password is "user."

What It Does

Organizations do cognitive testing to see what people know and affective testing to see how they relate. But the results of either type of test instrument can vary over time, and neither is accurate at predicting productivity, says Kolbe Corp. CEO Kathy Kolbe. She has pioneered a third category, "conative" testing, to identify the instinctive behaviors that govern job satisfaction.

Kolbe has identified four clusters of instinctive behaviors, or action modes - Fact Finder, Follow Thru, Quick Start and Implementor. Her company has developed a test called the Kolbe A index to determine an individual's dominant method of operation. Work groups, to be their best, require a blend of all four methods. The Kolbe A index measures employees' instinctive methods of operation. The Kolbe B index measures employees' expectations about their jobs, and the Kolbe C index gauges supervisors' expectations.

To use these measurements, Warewithal Online has three modules - KolbeCore, for managing the database of employees' index measurements; TeamTactix for building, merging and assessing teams; and RightFit for determining job requirements and rating candidates. KolbeCore, which scores and stores Kolbe index surveys, is the building block required for using TeamTactix or RightFit.

From the Web site's home page, the user can select KolbeCore, TeamTactix or RightFit. TeamTactix is for building, merging and assessing teams, based on the data in KolbeCore. A user begins by choosing to create new team data or to review existing data. The first step in creating a new team is to select the divisions from which team members will be assembled (finance, marketing, HR, etc.). The user can search the database by job title, Kolbe A information, business location or individual employee.

The user who reviews existing teams can add or remove members and produce reports such as a spreadsheet of team strengths or an analysis of team productivity. A "meltdown probability" gauge shows the team's risk for major problems. A bottom-line report predicts the team's viability and projects the return on effort.

Warewithal also creates "what if" scenarios from the test results. One scenario asks what happens if your company is going through a merger, or has recently acquired a new division and the transition team seems to be sputtering.

Warewithal can reveal whether the two cultures being blended have the same instinctive approach. For example, Warewithal's "gap analysis" report can show whether the team has the right mix of talents for its assigned tasks. The team might be expected to develop a transition plan rather than brainstorm new ideas, so the analysis might show that the team needs more members whose method of operation focuses on following through with plans. The software suggests how to improve the team's makeup or coach the team through problems.

Because Warewithal Online is an Internet application, anyone with Internet access, anywhere, can take any of the tests, and anyone with the necessary authority can access the results immediately.

Currently, users' data reside on Kolbe's servers and you use a password to access your data. In the future, the company will enable customers to download their data to their own servers or PCs so the data can be used with other software from firms such as PeopleSoft and SAP.

What I Like

All three modules are suitable for HR use, but Kathy Kolbe also sees Warewithal Online as suitable for use by line managers. "HR is most likely to use it for selection, training and team-building," she says. "Line managers love TeamTactix for its ability to resolve conflicts and manage change. One of our customers is a CEO who carries his Warewithal data on a laptop everywhere he goes."

"Myers-Briggs is going to get blown away by this," predicts Ross Slater, a consultant with The Strategic Coach, a Toronto firm that trains entrepreneurs. "We use [Warewithal Online] internally to replicate our high performers and to help understand conflicts," he says. "We ask all of our clients to take the Kolbe A index. It's the best way to explain the methodology to them, and many of them, after they've taken it, have become Kolbe clients directly."

Vee Sutherland, a senior consultant focused on organizational change at IBM in White Plains, N.Y., also is enthusiastic about Warewithal's conative testing capability. "It reduces strain and tension within individuals, workgroups and organizations, and that improves productivity, which eventually equates to dollars," Sutherland says. "The only reason [for an HR department] not to use it is if they want to self-destruct."

What Could Be Improved

Warewithal Online was launched in early May, and Kolbe Corp. concedes that the software needs some finishing touches. Navigating from one module to another isn't difficult, but neither is the process as slick as experienced Internet users might expect. For example, a user has to go back to the home page to get from one module to another.

Kolbe Corp. has presented seminars and done consulting work for several dozen customers, most of them major corporations. Kathy Kolbe has written two books on the vital role that instinct plays in organizational effectiveness. Clearly there's a wealth of insight and intelligence built into the application, but the application is not immediately intuitive. Each module includes an index with step-by-step instructions, but the help isn't contextual. Line managers and HR staff who haven't been trained to use the application, or who don't use it regularly, might benefit from a "read me first" overview.

Kolbe is working to improve navigation. For example, the company is adding buttons that enable a user to jump directly to the next logical location rather than first having to return to the main menu. Kolbe also is making its page layout more printer-friendly. The company plans to enhance the user interface in RightFit, the module used to set job requirements and rate candidates, to incorporate more prompts and tutorials.

Summary

If Kolbe Corp.'s marketing can catch up with its product concept, Warewithal Online has enormous potential, not only for taking much of the guesswork out of hiring and team-building, but also for improving the quality of personal relationships.

Specs

Warewithal Online

Kolbe Corp. 3421 North 44th Street Phoenix, Arizona 85018 Phone: (602) 840-9770 Fax: (602) 952-2706

Web site: www.warewithal.com for a demonstration; www.kolbe.com for more information on Kolbe products.

PRODUCT USE

Helps HR and line managers select team members, predict productivity and resolve conflicts.

EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS

An IBM-compatible or Macintosh with a standard Web browser. A color printer is strongly recommended.

RELEASE DATE

May 1999.

INSTALLED BASE

About 100 clients.

PRICING

Under $3,000 for a six-month lease on KolbeCore and selected Kolbe Indexes. The complete Warewithal Online application, more indexes and training materials cost $74,000 for a two-year lease.

John Day is a freelance writer and consultant based in Stone Mountain, Ga. He contributes regularly to several technology trade publications and writes a weekly column on Internet advertising.

COPYRIGHT 1999 Society for Human Resource Management
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