Better team building

Prof (Dr) Nitin Zaware
(Director, Rajiv Gandhi Business School, Pune)
nitinzaware@gmail.com
+91 9860121311

• "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”.
2Prof (Dr) Nitin Zaware

i. Not clear on individual
roles
ii. The mission is not owned
by the group
iii. Wondering where we are
going
iv. No trust yet
v. High learning
vi. No group history,
unfamiliar with members
vii. Norms of the team are not
established
viii. People check one another
out
ix. People are not committed
to the team
x. Attendance generally
good
xi. Roles and responsibilities
are articulated
xii. Agendas are displayed
xiii. Problem solving does not
work well
xiv. People want to modify the
team’s mission
xv. Trying new ideas
xvi. Splinter groups form

1. Provide structure to the team by assigning and
2. clarifying task/role
3. Encourage participation
4. Share all relevant information
5. Encourage open, honest communication among
team members

i. People set boundaries
ii. Anxiety abounds
iii. People push for position and power
iv. Competition is high
v. Cliques drive the team
vi. Little team spirit
vii. Lots of personal attacks

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

i. Success occurs
ii. Team has all the resources for doing the job
iii. Appreciation and trust build
iv. Purpose is well defined
v. Feedback is high, well received and objective
vi. Leader reinforces team behaviour
vii. Members beginning to reinforce team behaviour
viii. Conflict resolving effectively through group
procedures
ix. Attendance and participation high
x. Equal level of influence
xi. Okay to risk confrontations
Team Building: Norming

1. Talk openly and honestly about team issues and the
members’ concerns
2. Encourage feedback
3. Assign tasks for consensus decision making

i. Team members feel motivated
ii. Individuals defer to team needs
iii. Good planning and contingency needs
iv. Ability to modify and evolve practices and procedures
v. High pride in the team
vi. We versus I orientation
vii. High openness, support, empathy and trust
viii. Superior team performance
ix. Conflict and confrontation happen but the other’s
point of view considered
x. Roles rotated for leverage and development and there
is capacity for flexibility
xi. Innovation at its highest

1. Jointly set goals that are challenging and accepted to all
2. members
3. Continue to look for ways to promote the team’s
chances to excel
4. Keep an ongoing assessment of the team
5. Acknowledge each member’s contribution
6. Develop members to their fullest potential

Team ideal and reality over time

When Teams Work Best:
When Teams Work Best
Background on the research
600 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.

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.

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
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.
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.
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.
Organizational Environment

 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

 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 management

Define the problem
Gather data
Analyse the data
Choose the best solution
Implement the solution and continue to refine it

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.

 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 person
2. Focus on what can be done, not on what can't be
done
3. Encourage different points of view and honest
dialogue
4. Express feelings in a way that does not blame
5. Accept ownership appropriately for all or part of the
problem
6. Listen to understand the other person's point of view
before giving your own
7. Show respect for the other person's point of view
8. Solve the problem while building the relationship

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 Conflicts
Barbara Bulleit, BS/BA, MBA, PMP

Coming together is a
beginning
Keeping together is
progress
Working together is
Success …

Better team building

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