Download - OB - Teams
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