HIGH PERFORMING TEAMS Teamwork

Innovation in teams

Diversity and teams

Leadership in teams

EVIDENCE BASED MANAGEMENTPFEFFER AND SUTTON (2006)

“If doctors practiced medicine like many companies practice management, there would be more unnecessarily sick or dead patients and many more doctors in jail or suffering other penalties for malpractice”

Assume evidence based management will lead to a significant competitive advantage

EVIDENCE BASED MANAGEMENT

Basis for most management

Personal experienceObsolete knowledgeRecommendations from

others/specialistsFads/gurusDogmas/beliefsMindless copying of top

performers

TEAM CHARACTERISTICSSALAS ET AL., 2009 Two or more individuals Interact socially and adaptively Shared or common goals Meaningful task interdependence Hierarchical structure Distributed expertise and roles Embedded in an organization or environment

TEAMWORK DEFINITIONSALAS ET AL., 2009 Teamwork is a set of flexible behaviors,

cognitions, and attitudes that interact to achieve desired mutual goals and adaptation to the changing internal and external environments…consists of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are displayed in support of one’s teammates, objectives and mission.

TYPES OF TEAMS

Advice Production Project/development Action/negotiation

TEAMS Presumed benefits of self-directed teams

Increase motivation Accountability Shared rewards Social reinforcement

Empowerment/efficacy Voice Autonomy Responsibility Commitment

Utilization of skills Diversity/complementarity Cross-functional teams Flexibility

WHY TEAMS DON’T WORK

Social loafing/free riding Problems of group decision-making Satisficing Polarization Going with first good idea Groupthink Production blocking

THE ROMANCE OF TEAMSALLEN & HECHT (2004) Mismatch between modest evidence for team

effectiveness and enthusiasm for teams 30/55% of organizations use teams Social value of teams Together Everyone Achieves More

THE ROMANCE OF TEAMSIMPLICATIONS Organizational practice may not be justified Overapplication to inappropriate contexts Lack of organizational alignment with teams

Support systems Resources Training

Lack of cost/benefit analysis Force fitting individuals into teams

Not all individuals suited for teams Yet these individuals may be valuable for

organizations

WHY TEAMS DON’T WORK

Hackman (1998) Some teams successful Others not Largely due to manager/corporate mistakes

WHY TEAMS DON’T WORK: MANAGER MISTAKES Use teams for individual tasks Manage teams as individuals

Need to be a real team Failure of managers to give direction

Teams can supply the means Failure to provide appropriate

organizational/normative structure Failure to provide organizational

support Assume team members have needed

skills

WHEN TEAMS WORK

Appropriate team task Real team Clear, engaging direction Facilitative structure Supportive organizational practices Expert coaching

CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE TEAMS (SALAS)

Have clear roles & responsibilities Driven by compelling purpose – goal, vision Guided by team coach (leader) – promotes, develops, reinforces Have mutual trust – familiarity Develop team norms – clear, known & appropriate

CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE TEAMS (SALAS)

Hold shared understanding of task, mission & goals – hold shared mental models They self-correct – huddles, debriefs Set expectations – clear, understood Share unique information – efficient information protocols Surrounded by optimal organizational conditions – policies, procedures, signals

CORE COMPONENTS OF TEAMWORK

Team Leadership Adaptability Mutual performance monitoring Backup behavior Team orientation

CORE COORDINATING MECHANISMS

Shared mental models

Closed-loop communication

Mutual trust

Make core components possible

TEAM KSASSALAS ET AL. (2009)

Attitudes Team/collective orientation Team/collective efficacy Psychological safety Team learning orientation Team cohesion Mutual trust Team empowerment Team reward attitude Team goal

commitment/conscientiousness

TEAM KSASSALAS ET AL. (2009)

Behaviors Mutual performance monitoring Adaptability Backup/supportive behavior Implicit coordination strategies Shared/distributive leadership Mission analysis Problem detection Conflict resolution and management

TEAM KSASSALAS ET AL. (2009)

Behaviors Motivation of others Intrateam feedback Task related assertiveness Planning Coordination Team leadership Problem solving Closed-loop

communication/information exchange

TEAM KSASSALAS ET AL. (2009)

Cognitions Rules for matching a situation with an

appropriate action Accurate problem models Accurate shared mental models Team mission, objectives, norms,

resources Understanding multi-team system

couplings

EXPERT TEAMSSALAS ET AL. (2006)

Hold Shared Mental Models Members anticipate each other Can communicate without overt

means Interpret environmental cues in a

complementary or consistent way Can reach intuitive consensus on

problem definition, action, selection Concise communication/standardized

terminology

EXPERT TEAMSSALAS ET AL. (2006)

Optimize resources by learning and adapting

Self-correcting Compensate for each other Deliberate process of maintaining and

building expertise Adjust performance processes to

changes in task/environment Seek feedback within/outside team Discuss errors

EXPERT TEAMSSALAS ET AL. (2006)

Clear Roles and Responsibilities Manage expectations Understand each others’s roles and fit Clear but not rigid team member roles

EXPERT TEAMSSALAS ET AL. (2006)

Clear, Valued and Shared Vision

A clear and common purpose Guided by common values

EXPERT TEAMSSALAS ET AL. (2006)

Pre-Brief, Performance, Debrief Cycle Regular individual and team feedback Establish and revise team goals and plans Differentiate between low and high priorities Mechanisms for anticipating and reviewing

issues or problems of members Periodically diagnose team effectiveness Generate lessons from performance episodes Discuss performance strategies

EXPERT TEAMSSALAS ET AL. (2006)

Strong Team Leadership Good leadership skills; not just technical Team members believe leader cares

about them Leaders provide situation updates Leaders foster teamwork, coordination,

cooperation Leaders who self-correct first Leaders provide guidance for

improvement Leaders set team and individual priorities Share leadership functions as needed

EXPERT TEAMSSALAS ET AL. (2006)

Strong Sense of Collective, Trust, Teamness, Confidence

Manage conflict well Strong sense of team orientation Trust other team member intentions Believe in collective ability to succeed Develop collective efficacy Learning and development

atmosphere Safety for interpersonal risks

EXPERT TEAMSSALAS ET AL. (2006)

Manage and Optimize Team Performance Outcomes

Make fewer errors Communicate often enough Make better decisions Greater chance of mission success Adjust team processes to optimize

performance

EXPERT TEAMSSALAS ET AL. (2006)

Cooperate and Coordinate Identify teamwork and task work

requirements Right mix of competencies Integrate new team members Distribute work thoughtfully Workplace adjusted for optimal

communication and coordination Manage team interdependence in a timely

manner Ensure team members have information

needed Effectively manage conflict

TEAM TRAININGKOZLOWSKI & ILGEN (2006)

Team Training appears to be effective Individual team skills Teams skills Cross-training Guided team-self-correction training Adaptation-coordination training Team building/results mixed

EVIDENCE FOR TRAINING EFFECTIVENESS

Compared with current training, enhanced training resulted in (see Cannon-Bowers & Salas, 1998): 45% Improvement in Mission Performance 33% Improvement in Tactical Decision Making

Performance 25% Improvement in Communication Efficiency 10-34% Improvement in Team Coordination

In the aviation environment (Salas et al., 1999) 6-20% Improvement in Teamwork Behaviors

TEAM TRAINING WORKS WHEN…

Focused on teamwork knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) necessary for effective team functioning

Provides opportunities to practice these KSAs

Trainers give feedback to diagnose teams regarding their ability to use the KSAs

Tools are provided to improve transfer of team training

Debriefs Coaching

TEAM TRAININGGREGORY ET AL. (2013)

Prepare Climate Involve trainees in decision Provide organizational support Emphasize the value for the organization

TEAM TRAINING

Create Conditions for Teamwork Make sure that training will transfer

Deal with job relevant processes Make team training scenario realistic Pilot testing

TEAM TRAINING

Conduct teams needs analysis Organizational analysis

Facilitative and inhibitory factors Team task analysis

What are the team tasks? Person analysis

Who needs the training and what are their characteristics

TEAM TRAINING

Design a measurement plan Include appropriate content

Teaching taskwork before teamwork Cooperation Conflict Coordination Communication Coaching/leadership Cognition/shared understanding

TEAM TRAINING

Instructional strategy Provide information Demonstration Practice—role play, simulation Coordination training Cross training Self-correction training

TEAM TRAINING

Team development Feedback and debriefings

Evaluate team training Promote transfer of training Sustain conditions that foster teamwork

TEAM EFFECTIVENESS-REFLEXIVITY APPROACH (WEST, 2004)

Task reflexivity Focus on objectives Regular review and adjustment of team

processes Social reflexivity

Support, conflict resolution, social climate

TEAM EFFECTIVENESS-REFLEXIVITY APPROACH (WEST, 2004)

Disfunctional team Low social and task reflexivity Poor task performance Poor mental health Low team viability

TEAM EFFECTIVENESS-REFLEXIVITY APPROACH (WEST, 2004)

Cold efficiency team Low social and high task reflexivity High task effectiveness Average or poor mental health Short term viability

TEAM EFFECTIVENESS-REFLEXIVITY APPROACH (WEST, 2004)

Cosey team High social and low task reflexivity Poor task effectiveness Average mental health Short term viability

TEAM EFFECTIVENESS-REFLEXIVITY APPROACH (WEST, 2004)

Fully functioning team High social and high task reflexivity High task effectiveness Good mental health Long-term viability

TEAM DECISION MAKING

Effective meetingsClear agendaChance for all to shareEfficient process for decision makingMaintain a positive atmosphere

DECISION MAKING BARRIERS

Common information bias Conformity Polarization Personality differences (introversion) Differences in contribution levels Differences in communication skills Degree of openness to contrary opinions Status hierarchy effects

DECISION MAKING BARRIERS

Groupthink

Social loafing

Diffusion of responsibility

Production blocking

TOWARD BETTER DECISION MAKING

Stepladder technique (Rogelberg et al. ,1992)First all share ideas Then build on ideas and come to

collective decision Psychological safety Effective meeting structure

Controlled sharing, summarizing, breaks, focus on sub-topics

TOWARD BETTER DECISION MAKING

Constructive controversy (Tjosvold)Exploration of opposing opinionsOpen minded consideration and

understandingIntegration of ideasConcern with high quality solutionsTolerance of diversityCooperative team climateShared team goals

TOWARD BETTER DECISION MAKING

Effective presentation of minority perspectives

Clear presentation of viewsCompelling presentationPersistenceDelayed changes in related domainsStimulates creativity

VIRTUAL TEAMS

Geographically distributed

Rely on communication technology

Most findings similar for face to face and virtual teams

Importance of trust, cohesion, communication, leadership

VIRTUAL TEAMS

Advantages

Ease of tapping diverse skills independent of location

International teams

VIRTUAL TEAMS

DisadvantagesAccountabilityCohesion/connectednessLack of casual/informal contacts

Proximity important in science teams

May have more conflict

VIRTUAL TEAMS

Challenges (Webster & Staples, 2006)

More complex than f-t-f Restricted communication Invisibility May increase misunderstandings and wrong conclusions

VIRTUAL TEAMS

Critical factors for success

Shared understanding

Trust

Communication

VIRTUAL TEAMS

Best practices Not a lot of good research (Webster &

Staples, 2008) Good for exchange of information, not for

more complex tasks such as decision-making

Periodic face-to-face meetings Begin with ftf to build cohesion, trust,

transactive memory Then virtual, with periodic ftf to maintain

cohesion and for complex tasks Use rich media, mixed with lean

VIRTUAL TEAMS

Key factors in success

Effective use of information technology Periodic face-to-face meetings IT resources and training Virtual team training (Nemiro et al.,

2008) Effective supervision—transformational

or process facilitators

BUILDING EFFECTIVE TEAMS Intrinsically interesting tasks Individuals should feel an important part of

team Contributions are indispensable, unique and

evaluated against a standard Clear goals and built-in performance

feedback

ENHANCING TEAMWORKZAJAC AND SALAS (2013)

Overcome barriers to intra- and inter-team coordination

Manage team composition Organizational support, realistic goals, fair

evaluations Virtual teams are may require special

accomodation