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20.08.2016Change Solutions

Key success factors for self-responsibility in product development teams

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“Self-responsibility and ownership for self-development is crucial for learning success; but rarely achieved.”

In 2001, Nick Petrie answered the question of what the future of leadership development would look like. He described four trends for the future of leadership development:

  1. More focus on vertical development. Horizontal development can be ‘transmitted’ (from an expert), but vertical development must be earned (for oneself).
  2. Transfer of greater developmental ownership to the individual. People develop fastest when they feel responsible for their own progress.
  3. Greater focus on collective rather than individual leadership. There is a transition occurring from the old paradigm, in which leadership resided in a person or role, to a new one, in which leadership is a collective process that is spread throughout networks of people.
  4. Much greater focus on innovation in leadership development methods.

At the same time, CLP started a continuous ‘Lessons Learned’ process at an American leading international medical technology company, that changed the way product development teams work.

Today, the company product development teams turn Petrie’s trends into actions and deliver new products on time, on budget and with high customer satisfaction, while the speed of innovation and product development is increased. This way to success is today standardized. Success is created with the help of an innovative instrument that can be employed by teams as required, without the help of an external facilitator or the supervision of a superior. The responsibility for teams’ success is shifted from the individual superior or project lead to the team itself.

This innovative instrument, the PULSE CHECK FOR PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT TEAMS, is an easy and fast to use questionnaire of only 15 questions. Based on the Lessons Learned results of three years of change management, research and trial and error, 15 questions cover five main areas that make teams more successful:

1–Customer centricity;

2–Immaterial results;

3–Interpersonal collaboration;

4–Personal competence; and

5–Material resources.

Each team member individually rates current product development elements in their team. Trends, gaps or outliers indicate in real time if teams are on track or if immediate action is needed.


Three years after the first use of PULSE CHECK, things have changed in the company. Now, many innovation projects run with PULSE CHECK and projects are on time and on budget. While the leadership teams act as sponsor and support, accountability for success is felt within the team.

Positive pressure for outstanding performance comes from within the team, creating an atmosphere of high energy, collaboration and trust. Once teams determine actions, their motivation for learning development is high and they start to ask for development opportunities and interventions.

PULSE CHECK shows high validity and reliability and can forecast product development success and danger.

Psychological research suggests that peoples’ motivation to grow and learn increases once they have a sense of ownership of their development. Many organizations still send their leaders to training for development rather than making teams and individuals self-responsible for learning, development and success.

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