Building and Managing Teams

The value of teamwork

• “Talent wins games, but teamwork wins championships.”– Michael Jordan

• Do you want a collection of brilliant minds or a brilliant collection of minds?– R. Meredith

The Advantages of Teams

Customer SatisfactionCustomer Satisfaction

Product and Service QualityProduct and Service Quality

Speed and Efficiencyin Product Development

Speed and Efficiencyin Product Development

Employee Job SatisfactionEmployee Job Satisfaction

Increases…Increases…

Better decision making and problem solving(multiple perspectives, alternate solutions,

increased commitment to decisions)

Better decision making and problem solving(multiple perspectives, alternate solutions,

increased commitment to decisions)

The Disadvantages of Teams

Initially High Employee TurnoverInitially High Employee Turnover

Social LoafingSocial Loafing

Legal Risk(National Labor Relations Act)

Legal Risk(National Labor Relations Act)

Employee Job SatisfactionEmployee Job Satisfaction

Disadvantages of group decision making(groupthink, inefficient meetings, domination by a

minority, lack of accountability)

Disadvantages of group decision making(groupthink, inefficient meetings, domination by a

minority, lack of accountability)

Types of Teams

TraditionalWork

Groups

TraditionalWork

Groups

EmployeeInvolvement

Teams

EmployeeInvolvement

Teams

Semi-autonomous

WorkGroups

Semi-autonomous

WorkGroups

Self-managing

Teams

Self-managing

Teams

Self-designing

Teams

Self-designing

Teams

Autonomy

Special Kinds of Teams

Cross-FunctionalTeams

Cross-FunctionalTeams

VirtualTeamsVirtualTeams

ProjectTeams

ProjectTeams

Stages of Team DevelopmentT

eam

Per

form

ance

Time

Forming

Storming

Norming

Performing

De-Norming

De-Storming

De-Forming

Major Tasks Facing a New Team

• Focusing on task, people, and relationship issues

• Establishing a positive climate for group work and build relationships among team members

• Working out methods for setting goals, solving problems, making decisions, ensuring follow-through, communication, and collaboration

Task Issues

• What kind of work needs to be done?

• How much authority does the group have?

• What is the degree of interdependence in the group?

• Is there an objective “right” answer to the group task or is it more subjective?

• Are team members’ interests aligned or competitive?

People Issues

• How many people should be on the team?

• Who is ideally suited to do the work?

• What technical, task-management, and interpersonal skills are needed?

• What types of diversity are needed for the team?

Relationships• How do we set the correct expectations for

team members (i.e., socialization)?• What roles and norms are important for

successful team work?• Is cohesion important?• How do we deal with conflict among members?• How is trust developed, threatened, and re-built

among team members?

Designing a New Team

• Step 1: Develop realistic priority levels for team work

• Step 2: Share expectations of group members

• Step 3: Clarify goals

• Step 4: Formulate operating guidelines

How do we assess and reward the performance of teams?

• Performance Criteria:

– Team Productivity Measures

– Team Satisfaction

– Organizational Gains

– Individual Development and Learning

Symptoms of Unproductive Teams

• Cautious or guarded communication

• Lack of disagreement• Failure to share

information• Over-reliance on

criticism• Lack of individual

feedback

• Unclear team goals• Unrealistic goals• Low commitment to

the team by members• Poorly run meetings• Conflict within team• Failure to utilize

member talents

More Symptoms of Unproductive Teams

• Performance evaluation is based on personal opinions not data

• Competition among team members

• Low confidence and trust in other members

• Decision-making dominated by one person

• Too much conformity• Tension and anxiety

within the team• Misunderstanding of

jobs and roles

Indicators of Team Productivity

• Clear goals that are understood by all

• Objective performance measures set

• Client standards are met

• Decision making process is clear to all

• Roles are understood and agreed upon by all

• Good organization of the team

• Ability to change goals and process if necessary

• Results of team performance is known by all

Indicators of Team Satisfaction

• Team members enjoy working together

• Feelings of resentment are minimal

• Trust levels are high

• Communication is open and direct

• Team members learn from each other

• Team members are well prepared for change

Indicators of Individual Development and Learning

• Team members learn new skills and competencies from working in the team

• Development needs of each member are understood and worked on during the course of team work

• Team member career success is enhanced due to team work

Indicators of Organizational Gains

• Team goals are consistent with organizational goals

• Team interacts well with other teams and departments in the organization

• Bottom line results: timeliness, quality, efficiency, customer satisfaction

Team Training

TrainingTrainingNeeds forNeeds for

TeamsTeams

TrainingTrainingNeeds forNeeds for

TeamsTeamsConflictConflictConflictConflict

Interpersonal SkillsInterpersonal SkillsInterpersonal SkillsInterpersonal Skills

Decision MakingDecision Makingand Problem Solvingand Problem Solving

Decision MakingDecision Makingand Problem Solvingand Problem Solving

Technical TrainingTechnical TrainingTechnical TrainingTechnical Training

Training for Team LeadersTraining for Team LeadersTraining for Team LeadersTraining for Team Leaders