The Flexible Deliberators

The OLCS team, "The Flexible Deliberators," swiftly identifies and precisely interprets new information. They spot the implications of trends or changing data quickly and consistently. This is essential in environments that demand staying ahead of fast-paced developments. Teams in consultancy and strategic planning often exhibit OLCS characteristics, as they need to incorporate diverse inputs and adapt to new information.

However, understanding a problem quickly does not mean an OLCS team will act quickly. Involving everyone in a decision builds ownership and commitment, but reaching unanimous agreement can take prolonged discussion. Once the decision is made, the team prefers to work out implementation as it goes. That flexibility can become chaotic, especially when other people need predictable timelines. Together, extensive analysis, a search for consensus, and loosely followed plans can leave the team feeling it is “spinning its wheels” instead of making progress.

Ordered

Communicators

Information is shared through defined processes and channels.

Logical

Processors

Information is evaluated on its own merits without regard to source.

Concordant

Deciders

Decision is driven by consensus among team members.

Spontaneous

Executors

Lightweight plans favor agility and adaptability.

A shared language

Words that typically describe OLCS teams.

Orderedorganizedrecordeddefinedstructured

Logicalobjectivereasoninglogicanalyze

Concordantalignmentcoalitionagreementdeliberation

Spontaneousexperimentfluidevolvedsurprised

Characteristics of OLCS teams:

OLCS teams employ a highly organized approach to documenting, sharing, and analyzing information. Data and analysis is robust, and forms the basis of team discussions.
The entire team works together to translate insights into action by applying broadly understood analytical frameworks. Debates are cordial and focus on the facts.
The OLCS team doesn’t invest much in planning, preferring to “collaborate as they go” through an implementation process. That can make their project timelines chaotic, and can make it hard to collaborate with others.

Where OLCS teams excel:

OLCS teams excel in information-rich environments, where they can organize, make sense of, and analyze data as a group to reliably come to powerful insights.
Their decisions tend to be well-informed and defensible. OLCS teams can be invaluable contributors in highly regulated or compliance-focused environments, as well as those where accuracy is paramount (and speed less so).
OLCS teams are resilient to changes in team composition and leadership. OLCS teams are able to grow quickly and continue to execute through periods of organizational transition with little disruption.

Potential blind spots for OLCS teams:

OLCS teams' reliance on logical and data-driven analysis can lead to over-analysis, especially when data is spotty or inconclusive. They can waste time gathering and scrutinizing data, delaying decision and action. Sometimes you need to just “make a call” based on intuition, and this is uncomfortable for OLCS teams.
The continuous quest for unanimous agreement, combined with their affinity for analysis, can lead to cycles of endless discussion without reaching a decisive conclusion. This can stall projects and frustrate team members, particularly in situations where prompt action is required.
Group involvement in plans that aren’t always followed through can create a perception of perpetual planning and “spinning wheels,” which can be demotivating.

Areas of growth for OLCS teams:

OLCS teams benefit from incorporating expedited decision-making protocols, like setting deadlines for decision points and designating certain members to make decisions in time-sensitive situations.
Recognizing when there’s an absence of data, and shifting towards more “gut feel”-based decision-making, is an important skill for OLCS teams to develop.
Watch out for groupthink. When everyone receives information through the same channels, uses shared analytical frameworks, and seeks consensus, the team can agree without challenging a shared assumption. For important decisions, appoint someone to play devil’s advocate: what could the group be overlooking, and what would make its conclusion wrong?

OLCS quick reference

Keep this overview handy for conversations about how your team works. It describes the team type, not anyone's personal results.

OLCS