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Fostering teamwork is a top priority for
many leaders. The benefits are clear: increased productivity, improved
customer service, more flexible systems, employee empowerment. But is
the vision clear? To effectively implement teams, leaders need a clear
picture of the seven elements high-performance teams have in common.
1. COMMITMENT
Commitment to the purpose and values of an organization
provides a clear sense of direction. Team members understand how their
work fits into corporate objectives and they agree that their team's goals
are achievable and aligned with corporate mission and values. Commitment
is the foundation for synergy in groups. Individuals are willing to put
aside personal needs for the benefit of the work team or the company.
When there is a meeting of the minds on the big picture this shared purpose
provides a backdrop against which all team decisions can be viewed. Goals
are developed with corporate priorities in mind. Team ground rules are
set with consideration for both company and individual values. When conflict
arises, the team uses
alignment with purpose, values, and goals as important criteria for acceptable
solutions.
 To
enhance team commitment leaders might consider inviting each work team
to develop team mission, vision, and values statements that are in alignment
with those of the corporation but reflect the individuality
of each team. These statements should be visible and "walked"
every day. Once a shared purpose is agreed upon, each team can develop
goals and measures, focus on continuous improvement, and celebrate team
success at important milestones. The time spent up front getting all team
members on the same track will greatly reduce the number of derailments
or emergency rerouting later.
2. CONTRIBUTION
 The
power of an effective team is in direct proportion to the skills members
possess and the initiative members expend. Work teams need people who
have strong technical and interpersonal skills and are willing to learn.
Teams also need self-leaders who take responsibility for getting things
done. But if a few team members shoulder most of the burden, the team
runs the risk of member burnout, or worse -- member turn-off.
To enhance balanced participation on a work team, leaders should consider
three factors that affect the level of individual contribution: inclusion,
confidence, and empowerment. The more individuals feel like part of a
team, the more they contribute; and, the more members contribute, the
more they feel like part of the team. To enhance feelings of inclusion,
leaders need to keep work team members informed, solicit their input,
and support an atmosphere of collegiality. If employees are not offering
suggestions at meetings, invite them to do so. If team members miss meetings,
let them know they were missed. When ideas -- even wild ideas -- are offered,
show appreciation for the initiative.
Confidence in self and team affects the amount of energy a team member
invests in an endeavor. If it appears that the investment of hard work
is likely to end in success employees are more likely to contribute. If,
on the other hand, success seems unlikely, investment of energy will wane.
To breed confidence on a work team, leaders can highlight the talent,
experience, and accomplishments represented on the team, as well as keep
past team successes visible. The confidence of team members can be bolstered
by providing feedback, coaching, assessment and professional development
opportunities.
Another way to balance
contribution on a work team is to enhance employee empowerment. When
workers are involved in decisions, given the right training, and respected
for their experience, they feel enabled and invest more. It is also
important to have team members evaluate how well they support the
contribution of others.
3.
COMMUNICATION
 For
a work group to reach its full potential, members must be able to say
what they think , ask for help, share new or unpopular ideas, and risk
making mistakes. This can only happen in an atmosphere where team members
show concern, trust one another, and focus on solutions, not problems.
Communication --when it is friendly, open, and positive --plays a vital
role in creating such cohesiveness.
Friendly communications are more likely when individuals know and respect
one another. Team members show caring by asking about each other's lives
outside of work, respecting individual differences, joking, and generally
making all feel welcome.
Open communication is equally important to a team's success. To assess
work performance, members must provide honest feedback, accept constructive
criticism, and address issues head-on. To do so requires a trust level
supported by direct, honest communication.
Positive communication impacts the energy of a work team. When members
talk about what they like, need, or want, it is quite different from wailing
about what annoys or frustrates them. The former energizes; the latter
demoralizes.
To enhance team communication, leaders can provide skill training in listening,
responding, and the use of language as well as in meeting management,
feedback and consensus building.
 4.
COOPERATION
Most
challenges in the workplace today require much more than good solo performance.
In increasingly complex organizations, success depends upon the degree
of interdependence recognized within the team. Leaders can facilitate
cooperation by highlighting the impact of individual members on team productivity
and clarifying valued team member behaviors.
The following F.A.C.T.S. model of effective team member behaviors
(follow-through, accuracy, timeliness, creativity, and spirit) may
serve as a guide for helping teams identify behaviors that support
synergy within the work team. |
Follow-through
One
of the most common phrases heard in groups that work well together is
"You can count on it." Members trust that when a colleague
agrees to return a telephone call, read a report, talk to a customer,
attend a meeting, or change a behavior, the job will be done. There
will be follow-through. Team members are keenly aware that as part of
a team, everything that they do --or don't do---impacts someone else.
Accuracy
Another common phrase heard in effective work groups
is "We do it right the first time." Accuracy, clearly a reflection
of personal pride, also demonstrates a commitment to uphold the standards
of the team, thus generating team pride.
Creativity
Innovation flourishes on a team when individuals feel
supported by colleagues. Although taking the lead in a new order of
things is risky business, such risk is greatly reduced in a cooperative
environment where members forgive mistakes, respect individual differences,
and shift their thinking from a point of view to a viewing point.
Timeliness
When work team members are truly cooperating they respect
the time of others by turning team priorities into personal priorities,
arriving for meetings on time, sharing information promptly, clustering
questions for people, communicating succinctly,
and asking "Is this a good time?" before initiating interactions.
Spirit
Being on a work team is a bit like being part of a family.
You can't have your way all of the time, and - to add value - you must
develop a generous spirit. Leaders can help work teams by addressing
these "rules" of team spirit: value the individual; develop
team trust; communicate openly; manage differences; share successes;
welcome new members.
5.
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
 It
is inevitable that teams of bright, diverse thinkers will experience conflict
from time to time. The problem is not that differences exist, but in how
they are managed. If people believe that conflict never occurs in "good"
groups, they may sweep conflict under the rug. Of course, no rug is large
enough to cover misperception, ill feelings, old hurts, and misunderstandings
for very long. Soon the differences reappear. They take on the form of
tension, hidden agendas, and stubborn positions. On the other hand, if
leaders help work teams to manage conflict effectively, the team will
be able to maintain trust and tap the collective power of the team. Work
teams manage conflict better when members learn to shift their paradigms
(mindsets) about conflict in general, about other parties involved, and
about their own ability to manage conflict. Three techniques that help
members shift obstructing paradigms are reframing, shifting shoes, and
affirmations.
Reframing is looking at the glass half-full, instead of half-empty. Instead
of thinking "If I address this issue, it'll slow down the meeting,"
consider this thought: "If we negotiate this difference, trust and
creativity will all increase."
Shifting Shoes is a technique used to practice empathy by mentally "walking
in the shoes" of another person. You answer questions such as "How
would I feel if I were that person being criticized in front of the group?"
"What would motivate me to say what that person just said?"
Affirmations are positive statements about something you want to be true.
For example, instead of saying to yourself right before a negotiating
session, " I know I'm going to blow up", force yourself to say,
"I am calm, comfortable, and prepared." If team members can
learn to shift any negative mental tapes to more positive ones, they will
be able to shift obstructing paradigms and manage conflict more effectively.
6. CHANGE MANAGEMENT
 Tom
Peters, in Thriving On Chaos, writes "The surviving companies will,
above all, be flexible responders that create market initiatives. This
has to happen through people." It is no longer a luxury to have work
teams that can perform effectively within a turbulent environment. It
is a necessity. Teams must not only respond to change, but actually initiate
it. To assist teams in the management of change, leaders should acknowledge
any perceived danger in the change and then help teams to see any inherent
opportunities. They can provide the security necessary for teams to take
risks and the tools for them to innovate; they can also reduce resistance
to change by providing vision and information, and by modeling a positive
attitude themselves.
7. CONNECTIONS
A cohesive work team can only add value if it pays attention
to the ongoing development of three important connections: to the larger
work organization, to team members, and to other work teams.
When a work team is connected to the organization, members discuss team
 performance
in relationship to corporate priorities, customer feedback, and quality
measures. They consider team needs in light of what's good for the whole
organization and what will best serve joint objectives. Leaders can encourage
such connection by keeping communication lines open. Management priorities,
successes, and headaches should flow one way; team needs, successes, and
questions should flow in the other direction.
When a work team has developed strong connections among its own members,
peer support manifests itself in many ways. Colleagues volunteer to help
without being asked, cover for each other in a pinch, congratulate each
other publicly, share resources, offer suggestions for improvement, and
find ways to celebrate together. A few ideas for developing and maintaining
such connections are: allow time before and after meetings for brief socialization,
schedule team lunches, create occasional team projects outside of work,
circulate member profiles, take training together, and provide feedback
to one another on development.
Teams that connect well with other work groups typically think of those
groups as "internal customers". They treat requests from these
colleagues with the same respect shown to external customers. They ask
for feedback on how they can better serve them. They engage in win/win
negotiating to resolve differences, and they share resources such as training
materials, videos, books, equipment, or even improvement ideas. To build
stronger connections with other groups, work teams might consider: scheduling
monthly cross-departmental meetings, inviting representatives to their
own team meeting, "lending" personnel during flu season, and
combining efforts on a corporate or community project.
To compete effectively, leaders must fashion a network of skilled employees
who support each other in the achievement of corporate goals and the delivery
of seamless service. **
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