We knew when the team formed that we needed to expand and modernize the calendar, as we were still relying on a spiral bound notebook which simply listed times down the side of a page and days of the week horizontally. Though adequate for the museum's initial needs, we had far outgrown its meager size and simplicity to accommodate the scheduling of our burgeoning meetings, committees, and need for private small group sessions. Not only were staff getting confused and frustrated trying to make sense of what was scribbled in the modest calendar, some of us began to assume rights to a conference room or boardroom space based on hierarchy or seniority. Poor communication, scheduling conflicts, and last minute changes eroded mutual respect and team spirit.

A cross-functional team was created to design an internal calendar for a large, growing art museum, produce an accurate, easy-to-use scheduling system, shape a desired culture within the museum and watch how it would impact relationships and overall communication.

A culture in an organization is the way people interact and how they accomplish tasks. A desired culture comes about when there is conscious choice about the way to treat one another as well as an awareness of the museum's organizational system. It begins by people defining the culture they currently see in place, and then describing a culture they would like to bring into being. Specificity and attentiveness evolve a transformation, and using the desired culture within a team is the best way of implementing it.

The Internal Calendar Team coalesced with enthusiasm, intent on improving a primary system in time for a summer blockbuster exhibition, and simultaneously looking forward to learning innovative ways to run a meeting. Two members volunteered to be coached in the roles of facilitator and administrator, thereby improving personally and professionally and adding to the breadth of expertise within the museum. Early on, it became clear that there were additional issues that needed to be addressed that we assumed we could handle easily enough in the context of the internal calendar. Adding security issues and equipment maintenance and availability made our task seem unwieldy at times. But once we reevaluated our primary focus and compartmentalized tasks, we fueled the ideas for a memorable presentation of the team's efforts.

During one of our regularly scheduled meetings, our facilitator came up with the idea of putting on a skit to communicate our solution. Later, she told us she was half kidding, but the idea was already in motion. We designed a skit to teach the museum staff how to use the new calendar as well as how to incorporate the desired culture. Even the directions for using the calendar set up a culture of mutual respect, open communication, and honoring the impact that each of our decisions has on other people. The idea was a hit, and from there the Gods and Goddesses of Mount Olympus presented "The Sour Grapes of Wrath."

The skit poked fun at how we all get caught up and lost in our individual mission, forgetting to notice the wake of disruption and insensitivity we leave behind. Portraying this drama through Greek characters, such as Dionysus, the God of Pleasure, Daphne, the Wood Nymph, and Zeus, The Supreme Ruler allowed the poignancy to come across without blame or injury to anyone individually. All the while a narrator was interpreting the finer points and a "Greek Extra" appeared on stage after the performance to field questions from the audience. No doubt was left that the introduction of the new internal calendar would long be remembered as a part of the museum's history.

The impact the team has had on the overall museum has been profound. First and foremost, the scheduling of rooms for meetings, events, privacy, etc. is running smoothly. On a broader scope, people are learning to resolve conflicts "in person," and many members of the staff are taking personal responsibility for better conflict management. There's been a heightened awareness and respect for other departments in the museum and how to work out details on projects without getting "territorial." The success of the project provides inspiration for staff who will be on future teams to access this level of cooperation on larger, more complex issues. There have been a few initial steps taken for people to express their voice more in meetings, recognizing how everyone-regardless of rank or title-is an important piece of the whole. In casting people for the skit, staff outside of the calendar team were enlisted, which served to break down preconceived barriers between people or departments. Some of these staffs were the greatest violators of the old scheduling system. There was a sense of working for a common goal without hierarchy getting in the way.

Members convened shortly after the completion of the task to identify successes and to look at what we learned about others and ourselves. Each person noted ways in which they had matured that not only added to their individual growth, but was a contribution to the museum as well. Things such as having tenacity for developing the details of a project, the importance of implementing ideas, seeing one's strengths and weaknesses as a team member, and widening one's ability to see another person's perspective were all valuable lessons each one took away from the team experience. As the greatest risk takers, the administrator and facilitator reaped the greatest benefit. They developed and honed listening skills and the ability to sift through the details of emotions and harvest the best of people's innovation. The facilitator increased her capacity to see herself as a leader. She also recognized how she generated enthusiasm for the project, and brought people through the ebbs of the team, back to their creative flow of ingenuity and innovation. They both found great pleasure in having worked together on such a high profile project. They realized the usable business skills they developed and the memories they would long cherish.

No team intent on learning and making a difference within an organization comes out of such an experience without some awareness of the things they could have done better. This team acknowledged the harder lessons right along with the accolades. First of all, the scheduling of our team meetings was time-consuming and often frustrating. Setting a standard time to meet every couple of weeks would've saved time and energy. Along with that, we admitted a need to prioritize the importance of the meetings against other responsibilities. This would include a commitment to get to meetings on time, be open about project work one could commit to, and recognize how everything we did individually impacted one another's investment in the team. We saw how we could have better balanced the time spent on process and implementation of the desired culture with task-specific action and completion. We had one or two instances of not including people in decisions that directly impacted them. Modeling the very culture we were endeavoring to realize was paramount to our success and credibility as a leading team.

Although this team of eight will probably not work together exclusively again, they and their colleagues can amplify the energy and momentum the team generated. The specific cultural elements demonstrated by the team signal a challenge to continue and add more color and texture to this work in progress.