Building Strong Teams

Building Strong Teams Prepared by Dr David Packer

Defining Teamwork
Joint action by a group of people, in which individual interests are subordinated to group unity and efficiency
Coordinated effort, as of an athletic team
Webster’s Dictionary

This means…
Joint action – teamWORK
Group of people – TEAMwork
Individual interests put aside
Group unity – commitment to a common purpose is essential
Group efficiency – unity in action, following a common plan

Biblical Perspective
Illustrations: Farm, House, Body
Danger of Pride: James 3:13-18
Servanthood: Mark 10:42-45, John 12:24-26
Respect to Leadership: Hebrews 13:17; 1 Thess 5:12
Examples: Timothy, Epaphroditus, Epapras

Why do teams fail?
Many reasons, too many to list them all
Personal agendas become more important than team effort
Insecurities and self-protected-ness create defensive posturing by team members
Lack of a compelling vision by team members that all can agree is more important than their own agendas
Failure to communicate
Many, many more reasons

“ The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” By Patrick Lencioni Lack of TRUST INVULNERABILITY

Absence of Trust
An unwillingness to be vulnerable within the group, fear of rejection by others.
“ Team members not willing to be open about mistakes and weaknesses make it impossible to build a foundation for trust.”

Five levels of Communication
Minimal – idioms, reports, little else
Reporter talk – saying what happened
Sharing Ideas – vulnerable step
Sharing Emotions – more vulnerable
Trust and Openness Established

Trusting Team Members
Admit to weaknesses and mistakes
Ask for help
Accept questions and input about their areas of responsibility
Give one another the benefit of the doubt
Take risks in offering feedback and assistance

Trusting team members …
Appreciate and tap into one another’s skills and experiences
Focus time and energy on important issues, not politics
Offer and accept apologies without hesitation
Look forward to meetings and other opportunities to work as a group

Describe…
Your family growing up
Your unique challenges of childhood
Your favorite hobbies
Your first job
Your worst job

“ The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” By Patrick Lencioni Lack of TRUST INVULNERABILITY Fear of CONFLICT Artificial Harmony

Fear of Conflict
Teams that lack trust in one another do not engage in healthy and robust discussion of ideas
Instead they avoid issues and speak with guarded comments

Issue Relationship 1 10 1 10 withdraw yield win resolve

Teams with Healthy Conflict
Have lively, interesting meetings
Extract and exploit the ideas of all team members
Solve real problems quickly
Minimize politics
Put critical topics on table for discussion

“ The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” By Patrick Lencioni Lack of TRUST INVULNERABILITY Fear of CONFLICT Artificial Harmony Lack of COMMITMENT Ambiguity

Lack of Commitment
The result of not being able to openly discuss ideas is that there is rarely true “buy-in” into purposes and plans by team members
Reasonable human beings do not need to always get their way, but they do want to be heard on certain issues.

Two Dangers to Avoid
Going with the consensus of the strong leaders instead of mining out disagreements
Waiting until the perfect moment for the perfect decision
“ A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.”
Healthy teams unite around the decision even if later it is proven to be wrong

Teams that commit
Create clarity around direction and priorities
Align the entire team around common objectives
Develop an ability to learn from mistakes
Take advantage of opportunities and move forward without hesitation
Change direction without hesitation or guilt

Establish a difference between…
Low-risk issues that find ready agreement
Medium-risk issues: agree to issue but delay action
High-risk issues: postpone for more discussion and study

“ The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” By Patrick Lencioni Lack of TRUST INVULNERABILITY Fear of CONFLICT Artificial Harmony Lack of COMMITMENT Ambiguity Avoidance of ACCOUNTABILITY Low Standards

Teams that hold one another accountable…
Encourage poor performers to improve
Identify potential problems quickly
Establish respect among team members who are held to the same high standards
Avoid excessive bureaucracy around performance management and corrective action

Ideas
Ambiguity is the enemy of accountability
Clearly publish exactly what the team needs to do to succeed
And what every member needs to do to succeed
Clearly publish a set of behavior standards

“ The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” By Patrick Lencioni Lack of TRUST INVULNERABILITY Fear of CONFLICT Artificial Harmony Lack of COMMITMENT Ambiguity Avoidance of ACCOUNTABILITY Low Standards Inattention to RESULTS Status and Ego

Dangers that compete with results
Limited idea of team status – very common among ministry groups: the idea that just being a team member of a certain ministry is all that is required
Individual Status – my personal advancement is more important than the team’s goals

Teams that focus on collective results
Retain achievement-oriented members
Minimize disruptive individualism
Enjoy success and suffer failure acutely
Benefit true team players
Avoid distractions

Vulnerability Genuine harmony Clarity High standards RESULTS ACCOUNTABILITY COMMITMENT CONFLICT TRUST

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Building Strong Teams

by dlplife on Jun 17, 2009

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