Better team building

Prof (Dr) Nitin Zaware(Director, Rajiv Gandhi Business School, Pune)

[email protected]

+91 9860121311

Better Teams Building…

Team

• "A team is a small number of people withcomplementary skills who are committed to acommon purpose, performance goals, andapproach for which they hold themselvesmutually accountable”.

2Prof (Dr) Nitin Zaware

i. Not clear on individual rolesii. The mission is not owned by the

groupiii. Wondering where we are goingiv. No trust yetv. High learningvi. No group history, unfamiliar with

membersvii. Norms of the team are not

establishedviii. People check one another out

ix. People are not committed to the team

x. Attendance generally goodxi. Roles and responsibilities are

articulatedxii. Agendas are displayedxiii. Problem solving does not work

well

xiv. People want to modify the team’s mission

xv. Trying new ideasxvi. Splinter groups form

Team Building: Forming


1. Provide structure to the team by assigning and

2. clarifying task/role3. Encourage participation4. Share all relevant information5. Encourage open, honest communication

among team members

Key Solutions


i. People set boundariesii. Anxiety aboundsiii. People push for position and poweriv. Competition is highv. Cliques drive the teamvi. Little team spiritvii. Lots of personal attacks

Team Building: Storming


1. Assist the team members to establish methods that support the communication of their different points of view.

2. Determine within the team how the team will make decisions

3. Encourage members to share their ideas about issues

4. Facilitate methods to resolve conflicts

Key Solutions


i. Success occursii. Team has all the resources for doing the jobiii. Appreciation and trust buildiv. Purpose is well definedv. Feedback is high, well received and

objectivevi. Leader reinforces team behaviourvii. Members beginning to reinforce team

behaviourviii.Conflict resolving effectively through group

proceduresix. Attendance and participation highx. Equal level of influencexi. Okay to risk confrontations


Team Building: Norming

1. Talk openly and honestly about team issues and the members’ concerns

2. Encourage feedback3. Assign tasks for consensus decision making

Key Solutions


i. Team members feel motivatedii. Individuals defer to team needsiii. Good planning and contingency needsiv. Ability to modify and evolve practices and proceduresv. High pride in the teamvi. We versus I orientationvii. High openness, support, empathy and trustviii. Superior team performanceix. Conflict and confrontation happen but the other’s

point of view consideredx. Roles rotated for leverage and development and there

is capacity for flexibilityxi. Innovation at its highest

Team Building: Performing


1. Jointly set goals that are challenging and accepted to all

2. members3. Continue to look for ways to promote the

team’s chances to excel4. Keep an ongoing assessment of the team5. Acknowledge each member’s contribution6. Develop members to their fullest potential

Key Tasks


Team ideal and reality over time


Belbin’s Team Roles :


Prof (Dr) Nitin Zaware 14

When Teams Work Best …..

…Research by Frank LaFasto and Carl Larson

When Teams Work Best:

When Teams Work BestBackground on the research600 teams and 6000 team members

were interviewed. Over 35,000 assessments were

completed. Both qualitative and quantitative data

was gathered.Types of teams interviewed were very

diverse.15Prof (Dr) Nitin Zaware


LaFasto & Larson Research uncovered 5 Key Dynamics:1. Attributes, Behavior, Skill of Team Members. 2. Strengths, Weaknesses and Dynamics of Team

Relationships. 3. Strengths, Weaknesses and Effectiveness of

Team Decision Making & Problem Solving.4. Attributes, behaviors and Skills of the Team

Leader.5. Impact and Influence of Organizational

Environment on team success.16Prof (Dr) Nitin Zaware

What makes a good Team Member?

1. Core Competency: experience, problem-solving ability, decision-making ability, interpersonal awareness and skill.

2. Personal Attributes: openness, supportiveness, action orientation, positive personal style.


Team Members


What makes positive Team Relationships?

1. Constructive for all team members.2. Productive: brings out the best thinking in

all team members. 3. Mutual Understanding: seeking to

understand others’ perspectives.4. Self Corrective. in 4,500 interviews, people

rated themselves far more favorably at relationships than they were rated by others

When Teams Work Best:Team Relationships


What makes effective Team Problem Solving & Decision Making?

FOCUS: “Effective teams are very clear about what they are doing at each phase of the problem solving and collaborative process.”

CLIMATE: Positive, inclusive, focus on the issue (not the person).

COMMUNICATION: Open communications – issues and sub-issues are identified, discussed, prioritized and acted on.

When Teams Work Best:Team Problem Solving & Decision Making


What makes a good Team Leader?

1. Focus: Focuses on the team purpose and goals.

2. Collaboration: Ensures a collaborative climate.

3. Confidence: Builds confidence in team members.

4. Technical Knowledge: Demonstrates technical ‘know-how’.

5. Priorities: Sets priorities effectively.6. Performance: Manages performance of

the team.

When Teams Work Best:Team Leader


What makes a positive Organisational Environment?

1. Management Practices that:Set direction.Align efforts.Deliver results.

2. Structure & Processes that ensure the best decisions are made, as quickly as possible, by the right people.

3. Systems that provide Useful information.Accurate data for decision making.

When Teams Work Best:Organizational Environment


What Are the Symptoms of Team Conflict?

Not completing work on-time or to quality goals

Not returning phone calls or e-mails

Not responding to requests for information

Verbal abuse Not attending

required meetings Absenteeism

Gossip Passive/aggressive

behaviour Hostility Complaining Finger pointing Filing grievances or

lawsuits Physical violence


What Causes Team Conflict? Poor or no

communication Lack of problem

solving skills or getting to “root cause”

Lack of clarity in purpose, goals, objectives, team and individual roles

Uncertainty about or lack of resources and sources for help and support

Lack of leadership and management

Team members bored, not challenged, not really interested

Lack of skills and abilities in team members

Personality conflicts Personal problems Turnover Poor time

management23Prof (Dr) Nitin Zaware

Define the problemGather dataAnalyse the dataChoose the best solutionImplement the solution and continue to refine

it

How to Address Team Conflict?


Einstein said you cannot solve a problem until you define it.

Defining a problem is frequently the hardest part of the solution, and most of us jump into solving the problem rather than defining the

problem.

Define the problem?

Tools for choosing the Solution Clearly articulate

thoughts and ideas Active listening Paraphrasing Clarify and question

effectively Give effective feedback Think and analyze in a

methodical and systematic way

Set clear, reasonable, achievable objectives

Identify risks and assumptions

Time management

Build contingencies to counter risks and assumptions

Stick to facts and issues, not personalities or personal issues

Take turns Develop the ability to

work effectively as a team member

Cross training Use of ‘rules of

engagement’ where helpful or necessary

Delegating and mentoring for senior employees

Conflict resolution


1. Attack the problem, not the person2. Focus on what can be done, not on what can't be

done3. Encourage different points of view and honest

dialogue4. Express feelings in a way that does not blame5. Accept ownership appropriately for all or part of

the problem6. Listen to understand the other person's point of

view before giving your own7. Show respect for the other person's point of view8. Solve the problem while building the relationship

Tools To Help the Team Deal withConflict Quickly and Effectively


o Tuckman, B. W. (1965). Developmental sequence in small groups. Psychological Bulletin

o Katzenbach, J. R., & Smith, D. K. (1993). The wisdom of teams: Creating the high performance organization. Boston: Harvard Business School

o In Meredith Belbin's 1981 book Management Teams, nine types of person in a team

o Effectively Managing team ConflictsBarbara Bulleit, BS/BA, MBA, PMP

References....


Coming together is a beginning

Keeping together is progress

Working together is Success …


Better team building

Business

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