1. Build Successful Teams
Forming a team right is step one to successfully achieving team objectives.

2. Introduction
Organizations continually try to reap the benefits that come from working in teams. Some are extremely successful, many are not. There are several factors that contribute to the success or failure of a team that can be addressed during team formation. If not, the team is doomed from the start.
This Research Is Designed For:
This Research Will Help You:
HR leaders involved in the formation of teams.
Managers involved in the formation of teams.
Managers involved in the selection of teams.
Team leaders involved in the formation of teams.
Understand what is involved in the team formation process.
Know what to assess to help the team through the formation process.
Be aware of the pitfalls that often prevent teams from successfully getting through the formation process.
Leverage a set of best practices that will keep teams on the path to success.

3. Executive Summary Teams are more than just groups of co-workers.
Unlike groups, individuals in teams are concerned about the performance of team members because if one member falls behind, the entire team is behind.
In teams, all members have a sense of collective responsibility and therefore often take collective action.
Effective teams can lead to increased financial success for the business.
Within a year of effective team implementation, the average company can expect:
A $27,044 increase in sales per employee
A $3,814 increase in profits per employee
An $18,641 increase in market value per employee
To be successful, teams must implement key conditions during the formation phase.
Utilizing best team forming practices leads to greater overall team success.
These key actions will also allow the team to avoid common pitfalls that often prevent teams from reaching peak effectiveness.
Once formation is complete, have a team charter in place to keep the teams on track.
Having a quality team charter positively impacts team performance levels, not only during the team forming phase but also throughout the team’s lifecycle.
Each of the steps found within McLean and Company’s “build a successful team” process will provide input to develop your team charter.

4. Make the Case The differences between Groups and Teams
The benefits of forming teams right
Team formation pitfalls to avoid
Best practices in the forming phase of a team
Make the Case
Assess the Team Members
Establish Roles and Goals
Set the Ground Rules
Document a Team Charter

5. Before trying to form a team, be clear on what a team really is
Not every group is a team. In fact the majority of groups are NOT teams at all.
Group Characteristics
Group members achieve success or failure in relative isolation.
Individuals are not really concerned with what other members of the group are doing or not doing.
Group leaders will develop individual communication styles and relationships with individuals.
Group members don’t really see or care about how the group leaders interact with other members.
There is a lack of interconnectedness and shared responsibility among group members.
Team Characteristics
Each member is aware that collective performance drives success/failure.
Individuals are concerned about the performance of team members because if one member falls behind, the entire team is behind.
Team leaders will generally communicate with the team as a whole.
Teams have a sense of collective responsibility and therefore often take collective action.
Interdependency and shared fate creates a climate of support.
vs.
In the workplace, groups exist. Teams are built.
- Elaine Cowley, Executive Coach

6. Many high-profile organizations have seen significant benefits directly associated with the effective use of teams
Microsoft deployed technical recruiting teams and compared to traditional staffing organizations.
“Increased productivity by well over 50% and able to hire twice as many people. Basically blew every metric out of the water.”
All hiring metrics improved by over 50%.
Microsoft
Corning switched its Administrative Center over to teams and saved over $3 million in five years.
New plant in Virginia turned a projected $2.3 million loss into a $2 million dollar profit as a result of proper team implementation.
Teamwork not only cut costs but improved productivity.
Corning
In the development of a new product, AT&T used the team approach to try cutting time-to-market.
The proper use of teams enabled it to cut development time in half – from two years down to one year.
Also, overall costs were lowered and quality was improved.
AT&T
Within a year of effective team implementation, the average company can expect:
A $27,044 increase in sales per employee
A $3,814 increase in profits per employee
An $18,641 increase in market value per employee
If your company only has 100 employees, this means:
Sales: Up $2.7 million
Profits: Up $381 thousand
Market value: Up $1.86 million

7. Source: Highsmith,Richard (2012)
Form better teams to reap the benefits of more effective team productivity
When teams come together well, they produce many benefits for the organization.
Effective Team Forming leads to:
More creativity, generating more diversity of ideas and better results.
The opportunity to develop and acquire new skills through sharing and coaching.
Increased speed at which things can be achieved.
A sounding board for testing out ideas and thoughts.
A support network that can be drawn upon.
A more distributed workload, providing options when backup is needed.
Better decision-making due to multiple inputs and more discussions.
Research has shown that for every 1% improvement in the quality of team interactions, there’s a 2% increase in company revenue.
Organizations that improve team work can transition their culture and reap these benefits*:
7x greater revenue
9x higher stock prices
7x increase in net income
Benefits to show the business:
* Improvement over an 11 year period
Source: Highsmith,Richard (2012)

8. Here’s what is stopping them…
Despite the benefits, most organizations still aren’t positioning their teams for success
The trouble is that despite their popularity, teams often don’t achieve breakthrough results.
Too often teams sink to the level of the weakest performer and keep dropping. The fault often lies not with the team or its members, but with those who put together a group of individuals and failed to take the steps necessary to assess the resources, communicate objectives, and establish ground rules for the team.
Contrast that to an organized and disciplined team, one in which the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Such groups allow members to achieve results far beyond their individual abilities.
Successful teams do not result from spontaneous combustion. It takes a lot of hard work and skill to blend the different personalities, abilities, and agendas into a cohesive unit willing to work for a common goal.
Here’s what is stopping them…
Research by Shaw & Schneier shows that companies struggle with how to measure and reward team performance, two essential components of team success, and that few companies are actually satisfied with their methods.
The researchers also find that most companies lacked individual and team performance feedback mechanisms and individual and team goal-setting skills.
Source: Shaw and Schneier (1995); (Tippett & Peters, 1995).

9. The first step to having effective teams is forming them correctly
Tuckman’s “Orming” model is still the go-to framework for team dynamics; however, McLean & Company will provide you key actions for each phase.
Forming
Consists of exchanging information, setting of ground rules, learning roles and objectives. May include team member selection.
This solution set will focus on the Forming phase.
Forming
Storming
Norming
Performing
Team Dynamics
Storming
Consists of exchanging of ideas, confrontation of personalities, conflicts, and hopefully conflict resolution patterns.
Norming
Consists of the team coming together to make plans for the team to achieve the overall objectives and goals.
Performing
Consists of the team finding the best ways to function together as a unit and to do so in an efficient manner while avoiding inappropriate conflicts.
Future McLean & Company sets will address the three other phases of the model.

10. Use these best forming practices and increase your team’s success
Key actions during the team forming process will set the team up for greater chance of success.
Good teams follow best forming practices that include the following:
Take into account member expertise to ensure the right balance of team expertise.
Take into account the personalities of the members to create the right mix of member personalities.
Clearly communicate the goals of the team to the team members.
Assign the appropriate leadership for the team being formed.
Clearly outline the status of the team’s objectives when a new member arrives.
Determine the core skills necessary to achieve the team goals.
Organizations that use best forming practices increase overall team success by 30%
Overall Success
Use of Best Forming Practices
Source: McLean & Company; N = 276
The success of teams was calculated by taking the average agreement of the following questions:
Our teams have very few personality conflicts during a project lifecycle
Our team members are clear on what the overall goals and timelines are for the team
Each member has a clear role within the team
When conflicts do arise, our team leadership usually takes the appropriate action
As changes arise, they are clearly communicated to the team members

11. - Maxine Sesula, HR Manager, Cutting Edge Inc
Avoid team formation traps to provide a better chance at future success
Your teams will suffer if you fall into these common pitfalls.
Pitfalls
Results
Not identifying and communicating how the team goals connect to greater company objectives.
Failure to add any value to the company's performance or success.
Failing to determine the skills needed to complete the job.
Inadequate conceptual and technical knowledge to complete assigned duties and tasks.
Not taking into account team member personalities and personas.
Too many personal conflicts without resolution.
Filling a team with one homogenous personality type.
Not enough positive conflict, e.g. groupthink, conformity issues.
Not having the proper level of leadership in place.
Failure to cooperate and include staff suggestions on ways to improve work.
Negativity within one team can spill-over to other teams in the department and if left unchecked can negatively impact the entire organization.
- Maxine Sesula, HR Manager, Cutting Edge Inc

12. McLean & Company Helps HR Professionals To:
Empower management to apply HR best practices
Develop effective talent acquisition & retention strategies
Build a high performance culture
Maintain a progressive set of HR policies & procedures
Demonstrate the business impact of HR
Stay abreast of HR trends & technologies
Sign up for free trial membership to get practical
solutions for your HR challenges
"McLean & Company provides practical research, tools and advice covering the entire spectrum of HR & Leadership issues to ensure you experience measurable, positive results."
- Rob Garmaise, VP of Customer Experience
Toll Free:
hr.mcleanco.com