DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE TEAMS Chapter Six

How Teams Differ From Groups Note: All teams are groups but not all groups are teams. There are four principle characteristics that distinguish small groups from teams: Cooperation Diversity of Skills Group Identity Time and Resources

LEVEL OF COOPERATION: THE WORKING TOGETHER IMPERATIVE Teams typically manifest a higher level of cooperation than standard groups. The essence of all teams is collaborative interdependence. When members work mostly for themselves, attempting to advance individual agendas, the essence of a team is missing.

DIVERSITY OF SKILLS: LOOKING FOR COMPLEMENTARITY Teams usually consist of members with more diverse skills than those found in standard groups. A team requires complementary, not identical, skills.

GROUP IDENTITY: OPERATING AS A UNIT Teams typically have a stronger group identity than standard groups. Team names are important and often the subject of intense debate when the team first forms.

TIME AND RESOURCES: COMMITMENT TO THE TEAM Teams, however, often require substantial resources and long-term time commitments. Team members may devote huge time allotments to perfecting skills to help the team succeed.

DEFINITION OF A TEAM A team is a small number of people with complementary skills who act as an interdependent unit, are equally committed to a common mission, and hold themselves accountable for team performance. Not all groups can become teams. Board of Directors, class discussion groups, task forces and standing committees are not usually teams.

TEAM MEMBERS Team members are the raw materials of any successful team. Assembling the optimum combination of individuals is the starting point for team building. Among the top predictors of a team’s effectiveness are: Qualities of individuals who make up the team Skills and competencies Attitudes and behaviors displayed

TEAM SLAYERS: MEMBERS’ BAD ATTITUDES For teams to be effective, attitude is at least as important as aptitude. Good attitudes do not guarantee a team’s success, but bad attitudes guarantee its failure. Egocentrism reveals the “me-first” attitude that promotes team friction and weakens team cohesiveness.

CYNICISM: CAN’T- DO ATTITUDE Teams are systems, so even a single member can demoralize an entire team. The attitude that most destroys teamwork and team effectiveness is cynicism. Cynics focus on the negative, predicting failure and looking for someone or something to criticize, sapping the energy from the team with their negativity. The attitude and the behavior associated with it are contagious.

TEAM MEMBER REMOVAL: PURGING THE ROTTEN EGG Removal should be a last resort after efforts to correct problem behavior have been undertaken. The principal candidates for expulsion from a team should be those who persistently display incompetent communication, especially if they show no interest in improving, and those with egocentric and cynical attitudes that disrupt team relationships.

TEAM BUILDERS: CHOOSING AND DEVELOPING TEAM MEMBERS NOTE: Who should become a team member depends on what each potential member has to offer the team. Experience and problem-solving abilities Cultural diversity offers different perspectives Communication training to develop competence

GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING MEMBERSHIP DIVERSITY There are several guidelines to managing membership diversity in teams: Accept diversity as an advantage for the team. Choose team members for their complementary skills and knowledge as well as their attitude. Choose a transcending goal to bridge differences. Be respectful of all team members and avoid cultural bias. Keep communication open.

BUILDING TEAMWORK Building teamwork is a complicated process that unfolds over time. Developing Team Goals: The Four C’s Clear Cooperative Challenging Committed

TEAM ACCOUNTABILITY What does team accountability mean? The team, rather than individual members, assumes responsibility for success and failure. Team failure is our failure. Team success is also a matter of collective responsibility, and team talk should reflect this.

STRUCTURING TEAM EMPOWERMENT: ENHANCING MEMBERS’ CAPABILITIES What is the definition of “Empowerment”? The concept of empowerment is the process of enhancing the capabilities and influence of individuals and groups. There are four dimensions of empowerment: potency, meaningfulness, autonomy, and impact.

TRADITIONAL HIERACHY ORGANIZATIONS Board President Vice Presidents Area Deans Middle Managers Program Directors Faculty Support Staff

IMPEDIMENTS TO TEAM EMPOWERMENT There are four primary impediments to team empowerment: Organizations can sabotage their own teams Not everyone embraces empowered teams No decision-making participation If rewards are distributed for individual effort, not team success

TYPICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF EMPOWERED TEAMS Teams set their own goals and rules. Team members often set their own work schedules. Teams usually design their own work space. Work space is divided relatively equally among members. Members devise and embrace rules for appropriate member behavior.

TYPICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF EMPOWERED TEAMS Teams as a whole are accountable for team performance. Teams determine their membership and remove members who are deemed ineffective or disruptive. Team members are trained to operate collaboratively and supportively. Decision making is typically democratic, and leadership is participative. Team members don’t ask for permission from the team leader to take risks or make changes, but negotiate with the team and strive for consensus.

FOSTER PARTICIPATIVE LEADERSHIP: NURTURING EMPOWERMENT Team leaders don’t act like bosses or supervisors if they hope to be effective. They are teachers and facilitators or skill builders. A situation such as military combat may require directive leadership, but the general leadership pattern for most teams should participative.

INSIST ON A COOPERATIVE CLIMATE: JERKS NEED NOT APPLY An effective team leader is a competent communicator capable of using supportive communication and avoiding defensive communication patterns with team members. Effective team leaders also suppress their egos to encourage a cooperative climate. Effective team leaders work with team members to develop supportive rules.

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