Leading & Developing TeamsBUSA 220 – Wallace Spring 2012

Teams are NOT Groups

“Groups do not become teams simply because that is what someone calls them. The entire workforce at a large organization is never a team,” - regardless of how many times we here it at rah-rah speeches.

(Katzenbach and Smith, 1993).

A team is a small number

of people with

complementary skills who

are committed to a

common purpose,

performance goals, and

approach for which they

hold themselves mutually

accountable. (Katzenbach and Smith, 1993).

Teams are NOT Groups

1. Leadership becomes a shared activity

2. Accountability shifts from strictly individual to both individual and collective

3. The group develops its own purpose or mission

4. Problem solving becomes a way of life, not a part-time activity

5. Effectiveness is measured by the group’s collective outcomes and products

Team Evolution

As March Madness and the NCAA Tournaments kick off this week, what characteristics of a successful basketball team can be translated into work teams?

Team Characteristics

Source: http://www.msuspartans.com/

Source: Krietner/Kinicki, 2009

Effective Work Teams

Source: Krietner/Kinicki, 2009

Focuses Team to Problem-solving Situation

Organizes and Manages Team Performance

Promotes a Positive Team Environment

Facilitates and Manages Task Conflict

Appropriately Promotes Perspective

Teamwork Competencies

Source: Krietner/Kinicki, 2009

Consent vs ConsensusConsensus tends to focus on the individuals and their

personal wants, whereas consent is about the

decision or argument itself and what’s best for the

whole, while recognizing that the best way to get the

best decision is to listen to and integrate the

information and perspectives brought by the

individuals involved.

Source: Robertson, 2008

Weak strategies & poor business practices.

Hostile work environments (command & control cultures; competitive reward plans; management resistance).

Lack of commitment to teams. Failure to transfer knowledge. Vague or conflicting

assignments. Poor training & staffing. Lack of trust.

Leader Mistakes

Source: Krietner/Kinicki, 2009

Too much too soon Conflict (style or personality) Results emphasized over

process or dynamics. Giving up at obstacles Change resistance. Weak interpersonal skills Poor interpersonal chemistry Lack of trust

Expectation Failures

Source: Krietner/Kinicki, 2009

Trust: Reciprocal faith in others’ intentions and behavior

Cooperation not competition Within teams Among teams within

organizations

Cohesiveness a sense of “we-ness” building the strength of team members’ desires to remain a part of the team

Teamwork Requires

Trust = Cognitive Leap

Firsthand knowledgeof other person’sreliability and

integrity

Distrust Trust

Cognitive leap

Faith in the other person’s good intentions

Assumption that other person will behave as desired

What can you do to build trust?Source: Krietner/Kinicki, 2009

1. Constancy: “Stay the course.”

2. Congruity: “Walk the Talk.”

3. Reliability: “Available where and when needed.”

4. Integrity: “Honor promises and commitments.”

Trust Ingredients

Source: Bennis, 1989.

A sense of “we-ness” helps the group stick together

Socio-emotional cohesiveness Sense of togetherness

based on emotional satisfaction

Instrumental cohesiveness Sense of togetherness

based on mutual dependency needed to get the job done

Cohesiveness

Source: Krietner/Kinicki, 2009

Military units engaged

in coordinated efforts

involving life or death

situations would most

likely rely on

a. Socio-emotional

cohesiveness

b. Instrumental

cohesiveness

What do you think?

Source: Krietner/Kinicki, 2009

True (A) or False (B)1. Too much team cohesiveness

can be a problem.2. In general, success leads to

cohesion, rather than cohesion causing success

3. Smaller teams are more cohesive

4. External threats hurt team cohesiveness

5. Members of cohesive teams enjoy more satisfaction and less turnover

What do you think?

Virtual vs. Self-Managed Teams

Source: Krietner/Kinicki, 2009

Establish regular group interaction

Firm rules for communication Use visual forms of

communication where possible

Imitate the attributes of co-located teams

Give and receive regular feedback & assistance

Agree on technology standards

Leading Virtual Teams

Source: Krietner/Kinicki, 2009

Leading Virtual Teams Use 360-degree feedback to better

understand and evaluate team members Provide a virtual meeting room via

intranet, web site, or bulletin board Note which employees effectively use

e-mail to build team rapport Smooth the way for an employee’s next

assignment if membership on the team, or the team itself is not permanent

Be available to employees, but don’t wait for them to seek you out

Encourage informal, off-line conversations between team members

Source: Krietner/Kinicki, 2009

Joachim is the leader of a virtual team. Due to time zone differences, the team has difficulty finding times to meet but found a time for a conference call today. Aileen, a fellow team member, was supposed to make a presentation to the group but never dialed into the call. In order to preserve the relationships among team members, after the conference call Joachim should:

a. send an email to Aileen's boss regarding her absence from the call.

b. complain to team members about Aileen's behavior.

c. call Aileen directly to inquire about her absence from the call.

What do you think?

Source: Krietner/Kinicki, 2009

Source: Krietner/Kinicki, 2009

1. Participative leadership

2. Shared responsibility

3. Aligned on purpose

4. High communication

5. Future focused

6. Focused on task

7. Creative talents

8. Rapid response

High Performance Teams

The ability to learn what others have learned, to appreciate what others appreciate, to feel what others feel, and to add this to what the individual has acquired from other sources, and finally to form out of it a coherent unity…is what distinguishes the human mind from everything else. This kind of interchange and progressive integration makes it possible to expand beyond any known limits what people may know, feel, and control. It makes it possible beyond any known limits appreciative understanding between individuals, groups, and cultures.

Dr. Henry Weiman

All of us are capable of being more than we are. While creative interchange has four phases or components, they are not necessarily sequential.

1. Authentic interacting,

2. Appreciative understanding,

3. Creative integrating, and

4. Growing, learning, transforming, developing, expanding, and/or creating (any of these).

Henry Stack Sullivan

1. Encourages self-reinforcement

2. Encourages self-observation/evaluation

3. Encourages self-expectations

4. Encourages self-goal-setting

5. Encourages rehearsal6. Encourages self-

criticism

Self-Knowledge/Leadership