GRPI

GRPI Pyramid

Robin, Plovnick, and Fry, Task-Oriented Project Development

Source: http://www.create-learning.com/docs/GRPI/GRPI-TeamDevelopment.pdf

What Is GRPI?

GRPI is used to ensure practitioners gauge the factors critical to team development in a structured way – and act on these factors throughout the project. Teams and organizations can be viewed through GRPI based on four fundamental dimensions:

• Goals: Are the mission and goals of the team clear and accepted by all members? Are they in tune with the team’s environment?
• Roles and responsibilities: Are the roles and responsibilities clearly described and understood? Do the defined roles fully support the team goals?
• Process and procedures: Are there processes and procedures operating in the group (such as problem-solving methods, communication procedures, decision-making processes, etc.) that are 1) understood and acceptable and 2) supportive to the group’s goals and roles?
• Interpersonal relationships: Are the relationships among team members healthy and supportive of good team work? Is there an appropriate level of trust, openness and acceptance in the group? The I of GRPI is a function of the G, R and P. In order to achieve the I, there are two important items to keep in mind: 1) effective communication and 2) conflict avoidance and resolution.

Source: http://www.isixsigma.com/implementation/teams/grabbing-hold-of-the-grpi-model/


The GRPI model was first introduced by Richard Beckhard (1972) and highlights the different
aspects of team cooperation by identify goals, clarifying roles, responsibilities and processes and
the interpersonal relationships of team members.
Source: http://www.systemic-excellence-group.com/sites/default/files/raue_tang_weiland_wenzlik_2013_the_grpi_model_an_approach_for_team_development.pdf

During his work as a organisational development and transformation consultant, Noel Tichy
analysed team conflicts based on the GRPI framework, underlining the cascading character (cp.
Pritchett, Tichy, & Cohen, 1998; Tichy, 2002). He observed a ratio of 80:20 per cent of conflicts
accumulating at each level:

• 80% of conflicts in teams are attributed to unclear goals.
• From the remaining 20%, 80% are assigned to unclear roles.
• From the remainder there is again 80% to be found in the field of unclear processes.
• Finally, only 1% of the conflicts in teams can be attributed to interpersonal relationships.
Ambiguity at one level has an impact on the ensuing levels and problems at a lower level are often
symptoms of conflicts at a higher level.

• If goals are not clear, uncertainties in the individual roles will arise.
• If roles are unclear, this will result in cumulative conflict within the processes.
• If processes are unclear, accumulated conflicts at higher levels will appear at people level.
Therefore, it is crucial to establish absolute clarity at each level and to put in place a foundation of
shared commitment by installing ownership of and commitment to those goals across the team
and by identifying and addressing any issues which restrict the team from reaching their goals.
Source: http://www.systemic-excellence-group.com/sites/default/files/raue_tang_weiland_wenzlik_2013_the_grpi_model_an_approach_for_team_development.pdf