7
Keys to Building Great Teams
by Suzanne W.
Zoglio, Ph.D.
Fostering
teamwork is a top priority for many leaders. The benefits are clear: increased
productivity, improved customer service, more flexible systems, employee
empowerment. But is the vision clear? To effectively implement teams, leaders
need a clear picture of the seven elements high-performance teams have in
common.
1. COMMITMENT
Commitment to the purpose and values of an organization provides a clear sense
of direction. Team members understand how their work fits into corporate
objectives and they agree that their team's goals are achievable and aligned
with corporate mission and values. Commitment is the foundation for synergy in
groups. Individuals are willing to put aside personal needs for the benefit of
the work team or the company. When there is a meeting of the minds on the big
picture this shared purpose provides a backdrop against which all team decisions
can be viewed. Goals are developed with corporate priorities in mind. Team
ground rules are set with consideration for both company and individual values.
When conflict arises, the team uses alignment with purpose, values, and goals as
important criteria for acceptable solutions.
To enhance team commitment leaders might consider inviting each work team to
develop team mission, vision, and values statements that are in alignment with
those of the corporation but reflect the individuality of each team. These
statements should be visible and "walked" every day. Once a shared
purpose is agreed upon, each team can develop goals and measures, focus on
continuous improvement, and celebrate team success at important milestones. The
time spent up front getting all team members on the same track will greatly
reduce the number of derailments or emergency rerouting later.
2. CONTRIBUTION
The power of an effective team is in direct proportion to the skills members
possess and the initiative members expend. Work teams need people who have
strong technical and interpersonal skills and are willing to learn. Teams also
need self-leaders who take responsibility for getting things done. But if a few
team members shoulder most of the burden, the team runs the risk of member
burnout, or worse -- member turn-off.
To enhance balanced participation on a work team, leaders should consider three
factors that affect the level of individual contribution: inclusion, confidence,
and empowerment. The more individuals feel like part of a team, the more they
contribute; and, the more members contribute, the more they feel like part of
the team. To enhance feelings of inclusion, leaders need to keep work team
members informed, solicit their input, and support an atmosphere of
collegiality. If employees are not offering suggestions at meetings, invite them
to do so. If team members miss meetings, let them know they were missed. When
ideas -- even wild ideas -- are offered, show appreciation for the initiative.
Confidence in self and team affects the amount of energy a team member invests
in an endeavor. If it appears that the investment of hard work is likely to end
in success employees are more likely to contribute. If, on the other hand,
success seems unlikely, investment of energy will wane. To breed confidence on a
work team, leaders can highlight the talent, experience, and accomplishments
represented on the team, as well as keep past team successes visible. The
confidence of team members can be bolstered by providing feedback, coaching,
assessment and professional development opportunities.
Another way to balance contribution on a work
team is to enhance employee empowerment. When workers are involved in decisions,
given the right training, and respected for their experience, they feel enabled
and invest more. It is also important to have team members evaluate how well
they support the contribution of others.
3. COMMUNICATION
For a work group to reach its full potential, members must be able to say what
they think , ask for help, share new or unpopular ideas, and risk making
mistakes. This can only happen in an atmosphere where team members show concern,
trust one another, and focus on solutions, not problems. Communication --when it
is friendly, open, and positive --plays a vital role in creating such
cohesiveness.
Friendly communications are more likely when individuals know and respect one
another. Team members show caring by asking about each other's lives outside of
work, respecting individual differences, joking, and generally making all feel
welcome.
Open communication is equally important to a team's success. To assess work
performance, members must provide honest feedback, accept constructive
criticism, and address issues head-on. To do so requires a trust level supported
by direct, honest communication.
Positive communication impacts the energy of a work team. When members talk
about what they like, need, or want, it is quite different from wailing about
what annoys or frustrates them. The former energizes; the latter demoralizes.
To enhance team communication, leaders can provide skill training in listening,
responding, and the use of language as well as in meeting management, feedback
and consensus building.
4. COOPERATION
Most challenges in the workplace today require much more than good solo
performance. In increasingly complex organizations, success depends upon the
degree of interdependence recognized within the team. Leaders can facilitate
cooperation by highlighting the impact of individual members on team
productivity and clarifying valued team member behaviors. The following F.A.C.T.S.
model of effective team member behaviors (follow-through, accuracy,
timeliness, creativity, and spirit) may serve as a guide for helping teams
identify behaviors that support synergy within the work team.
Follow-through
One of the most common phrases heard in groups that work well together is
"You can count on it." Members trust that when a colleague agrees to
return a telephone call, read a report, talk to a customer, attend a meeting, or
change a behavior, the job will be done. There will be follow-through. Team
members are keenly aware that as part of a team, everything that they do --or
don't do---impacts someone else.
Accuracy
Another common phrase heard in effective work groups is "We do it right the
first time." Accuracy, clearly a reflection of personal pride, also
demonstrates a commitment to uphold the standards of the team, thus generating
team pride.
Creativity
Innovation flourishes on a team when individuals feel supported by colleagues.
Although taking the lead in a new order of things is risky business, such risk
is greatly reduced in a cooperative environment where members forgive mistakes,
respect individual differences, and shift their thinking from a point of view to
a viewing point.
Timeliness
When work team members are truly cooperating they respect the time of others by
turning team priorities into personal priorities, arriving for meetings on time,
sharing information promptly, clustering questions for people, communicating
succinctly, and asking "Is this a good time?" before initiating
interactions.
Spirit
Being on a work team is a bit like being part of a family. You can't have your
way all of the time, and - to add value - you must develop a generous spirit.
Leaders can help work teams by addressing these "rules" of team
spirit: value the individual; develop team trust; communicate openly; manage
differences; share successes; welcome new members.
5. CONFLICT
MANAGEMENT
It is inevitable that teams of bright, diverse thinkers will experience conflict
from time to time. The problem is not that differences exist, but in how they
are managed. If people believe that conflict never occurs in "good"
groups, they may sweep conflict under the rug. Of course, no rug is large enough
to cover misperception, ill feelings, old hurts, and misunderstandings for very
long. Soon the differences reappear. They take on the form of tension, hidden
agendas, and stubborn positions. On the other hand, if leaders help work teams
to manage conflict effectively, the team will be able to maintain trust and tap
the collective power of the team. Work teams manage conflict better when members
learn to shift their paradigms (mindsets) about conflict in general, about other
parties involved, and about their own ability to manage conflict. Three
techniques that help members shift obstructing paradigms are reframing, shifting
shoes, and affirmations.
Reframing is looking at the glass half-full, instead of half-empty. Instead of
thinking "If I address this issue, it'll slow down the meeting,"
consider this thought: "If we negotiate this difference, trust and
creativity will all increase."
Shifting Shoes is a technique used to practice empathy by mentally "walking
in the shoes" of another person. You answer questions such as "How
would I feel if I were that person being criticized in front of the group?"
"What would motivate me to say what that person just said?"
Affirmations are positive statements about something you want to be true. For
example, instead of saying to yourself right before a negotiating session,
" I know I'm going to blow up", force yourself to say, "I am
calm, comfortable, and prepared." If team members can learn to shift any
negative mental tapes to more positive ones, they will be able to shift
obstructing paradigms and manage conflict more effectively.
6. CHANGE MANAGEMENT
Tom Peters, in Thriving On Chaos, writes "The surviving companies will,
above all, be flexible responders that create market initiatives. This has to
happen through people." It is no longer a luxury to have work teams that
can perform effectively within a turbulent environment. It is a necessity. Teams
must not only respond to change, but actually initiate it. To assist teams in
the management of change, leaders should acknowledge any perceived danger in the
change and then help teams to see any inherent opportunities. They can provide
the security necessary for teams to take risks and the tools for them to
innovate; they can also reduce resistance to change by providing vision and
information, and by modeling a positive attitude themselves.
7. CONNECTIONS
A cohesive work team can only add value if it pays attention to the ongoing
development of three important connections: to the larger work organization, to
team members, and to other work teams.
When a work team is connected to the organization, members discuss team
performance in relationship to corporate priorities, customer feedback, and
quality measures. They consider team needs in light of what's good for the whole
organization and what will best serve joint objectives. Leaders can encourage
such connection by keeping communication lines open. Management priorities,
successes, and headaches should flow one way; team needs, successes, and
questions should flow in the other direction.
When a work team has developed strong connections among its own members, peer
support manifests itself in many ways. Colleagues volunteer to help without
being asked, cover for each other in a pinch, congratulate each other publicly,
share resources, offer suggestions for improvement, and find ways to celebrate
together. A few ideas for developing and maintaining such connections are: allow
time before and after meetings for brief socialization, schedule team lunches,
create occasional team projects outside of work, circulate member profiles, take
training together, and provide feedback to one another on development.
Teams that connect well with other work groups typically think of those groups
as "internal customers". They treat requests from these colleagues
with the same respect shown to external customers. They ask for feedback on how
they can better serve them. They engage in win/win negotiating to resolve
differences, and they share resources such as training materials, videos, books,
equipment, or even improvement ideas. To build stronger connections with other
groups, work teams might consider: scheduling monthly cross-departmental
meetings, inviting representatives to their own team meeting,
"lending" personnel during flu season, and combining efforts on a
corporate or community project. To compete effectively, leaders must
fashion a network of skilled employees who support each other in the achievement
of corporate goals and the delivery of seamless service.
