CPC Delivers High Performance University to Marine Corps Systems Command

AREA FIRM CHOSEN TO DEVELOP NEW PROGRAM FOR MARINE CORPS

CParker Consulting, Inc. develops six month High Performance University to improve systems for modern battle space.

Fredericksburg, VA - CParker Consulting, Inc. delivered a new High Performance University (HPU) curriculum February 2012, on behalf of its customer, the Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM) in Quantico, Virginia.  The program is being kicked off to help MARCORSYSCOM Competency-Aligned Teams fully live their mission, providing Marines and civilian Marines improved systems for the modern battle space in a faster, more efficient manner.

HPU is one of several components of the MARCORSYSCOM Team Improvement Program, which objective is to support the completion of MARCORSYSCOM’s transition into a Competency-Aligned Organization (CAO).  Other elements of the MARCORSYSCOM Team Improvement Program include CAO Chartering, where teams build their roadmap, and the future Team Leadership in a CAO Environment course, which will use active, modern teaching methods to engage team leaders CAO success principles for leading the workforce.

“HPU provides teams with a new understanding of team processes characterized by high performance, effective team functioning, and an ability to monitor and self-correct,” said Cara Parker, CEO of CParker Consulting. “High Performance University is a six-month program designed to assist newly-chartered Integrated Product Teams and other support teams develop the necessary skills to promote cohesiveness and a unified sense of mission that keeps goals and objectives in front of the team after the initial enthusiasm of chartering wears off and daily routine settles in.”

The HPU program is centered on helping teams to understand the tenets of what creates an environment of High Performance, and the role they play in its creation.  HPU helps teams to establish and monitor effective team processes in the areas such as shared participation, decision making, problem solving, and conflict management.  Throughout the course, the team’s charter is used as a lens through which to focus the lessons learned, helping teams to ensure that their processes and goals are in alignment with the objectives they have laid out for themselves.

The planned curriculum for HPU is broken into two major parts.  The core curriculum, comprising the first four months, focuses on bedrock topics that are essential for all teams.  During this phase the current state of the team is assessed, and tools such as Team Behavior Roles Identification are employed to give everyone a better sense of who is on the team, and how they can best contribute.  Topics covered as part of the core curriculum include advanced sessions on setting goals and norms, problem definition, and stakeholder analysis.  Capping the core curriculum is a session on conflict resolution within the team, as well as a simulation that will allow the team to break out into smaller units and put these critical skills to use in a safe environment.

Understanding that every team is different, the last two months of the program consist of electives.  About a dozen additional topics are made available that the group can choose from to suit their particular needs and environment.  Elective topics include virtual teaming, risk management, creating team culture, and how to have productive meetings.

“High Performance University mirrors true university principles,” says Dr. Gail Funke, CParker Consulting’s project manager and former Dean of the Federal Executive Institute, “with its focus on classroom rigor and in-depth application between sessions, HPU is a multi-media workshop that includes assessments, simulations, and group coaching that allow teams to perform at a higher level with increased productivity, improved team dynamics and output.” Key contributors were Dr. Funke and Paul Baptist, M.Ed.

Founded in 2008 CParker Consulting helps clients prepare for and adapt to new organizational development challenges using a systematic, customized approach, providing facilitation, curriculum design, strategic planning, and workforce development for corporate, government, non-profit, and educational customers.