Downloaded 30 times
Uploaded byHRDQ-U
Team Effectiveness: What is it anyway?
The document discusses the Team Effectiveness Profile (TEP), a diagnostic tool designed to assess and improve team performance through feedback on five key areas: mission, vision, and goals; team roles; operating processes; interpersonal relationships; and interteam relationships. It highlights the importance of effective communication, energy in interactions, and a culture of care among team members to enhance team dynamics. Additionally, it emphasizes the need for ongoing assessments and interventions to address blockages in team effectiveness.
More Related Content
Similar to Team Effectiveness: What is it anyway?
Team Effectiveness: What is it anyway?
- 2.
- 3. 3 Today’s Agenda • Whatis a Team Effectiveness Profile (TEP)? • Benefits of TEP • An ideal team • Elements of CARE • Questions and Answers
- 4. 4 Did you know… •91% of respondents agreed with the statement, “Teams are central to organizational success.” • 87% of respondents agreed with the statement, “Our team collaborating with other teams is essential for success.” “There is virtually no environment in which teams—if done right—can’t have a measurable impact on the performance of an organization.” —Jon Katzenback, author of The Wisdom of Teams
- 5. 5 What is theTeamEffectiveness Profile (TEP) • A diagnostic instrument • Fifty items are presented for rating on a 5-point scale • Respondents express their opinions about how the group functions • An interactive debrief can lead to improved output and group member satisfaction
- 6. 6 History of theTEP •First used and published in 1980 • Raise and confront blockages to team performance • Contained 28 Likert-type scales relating to four general categories: o Planning and goal setting o Group member roles and relationships o Group operating processes o Interpersonal relationships • Rate on a five-point scale, ranging from unsatisfactory to excellent
- 7. 7 Team Building Group vs. Team •Team building - the careful working through of all blockages until a group becomes a team. • Team building - taking deliberate action to identify and remove barriers to effective teamwork and to replace them with behaviors that can lead to superlative performance
- 8. 8 TEP:Theory and Development Now measuresthe extent to which teams engage in five categories of team effectiveness: • Mission, vision and goals • Team roles • Operating processes • Interpersonal relationships • Interteam relationships
- 9. 9 1. Mission,Vision, andGoals • Healthy organizations have compelling visions of the future • The vision is clearly defined and well- communicated statements of purpose • Plans are developed collaboratively and work is managed against goals or objectives • When priorities are revised, the need for change is discussed and agreed to by the group
- 10. 10 2.Team Roles • Inhighly effective groups, work is organized to support the group’s function(s) • Roles, relationships, and accountabilities are clear to everyone • Members are technically qualified to perform their jobs or have immediate plans for acquiring needed knowledge and skills
- 11. 11 3. Operating Processes • Policiesand procedures used to manage the work of the group support both task and maintenance needs • Task needs refer to activities required to accomplish work objectives • Maintenance needs refer to the human needs for recognition, participation, appreciation, and general quality of group life • Operating processes: problem solving, decision making, conflict management, and meeting quality
- 12. 12 4. Interpersonal Relationships • Foreffective teamwork to occur, interpersonal relations must be of high quality • Each group member needs to be fully interactive with every other group member • A high level of trust is required if problems are to be solved and group work is to be satisfying
- 13. 13 5. Interteam Relationships • Inhighly effective groups foster healthy competition and support derived from a common goal • Win-lose situations need to be changed to win-win situations • Problems of intergroup relations arise as an organization’s work becomes more differentiated
- 14. 14 TestYour Knowledge Which isnot one of the 5 components of the TEP ? A. Team Roles B. Mission, Vision and Goals C. Interteam Relationships D. Administrative Processes
- 15. 15 TestYour Knowledge Which isnot one of the 5 components of the TEP ? A. Team Roles B. Mission, Vision and Goals C. Interteam Relationships D. Administrative Processes
- 16. 16 TEP: Uses and Applications • Mostappropriate for intact work groups - groups that have some history of working together • Used to prepare a newly-formed group for the kinds of issues that may block its success in the future • Practical uses include: • Measuring performance before and after team building initiatives • Analyzing group dynamics to help unblocking struggling teams • Orienting new teams to potential problems
- 17. 17 Team Intervention: CARE •The secret to achieving high performance is having team members who CARE • Care in the literal sense, as well in the sense of the acronym for the following traits: Communication Ability Results Esprit de corps
- 18.
- 19. 19 The IdealTeam • Evenbalance between talking and listening • Comments are short and to the point • Display energy through their gestures and tone of voice • Face each other when they talk • Connect with everyone on their team, not just with their team leader • Engage in ongoing conversations outside of formal meetings and/or channels of communication • Seek and bring back information from outside the team
- 20. Diversity Awareness: Fosteringa Climate of Inclusion, Sensitivity, and Respect in the Workplace The IdealTeam Member The ideal team member is a “charismatic connector.” This person: • Engages others in short, high-energy conversations. • Communicates with everyone on the team equally. • Helps make sure everyone is given a chance to contribute. • Listens as much as he or she talks (so being a raging extrovert isn’t necessary).
- 21. 21 1.Talk and ListenEqually Effective Listening Listening involves more than just hearing the person’s words; it actually takes concentration and attention. In order to be a great listener, you have to: • Listen for what is said—the actual words. • Listen for how it’s said—the tone of voice, body language, emotion. • Listen for what is not said. • Analyze the overall message.
- 22. 22 2. Display Energy Displayenergy by incorporating the tips below into your daily conversations: • Be passionate about what you’re doing and what you want to accomplish • Create a positive environment • Vary the pitch of your voice and/or increase the pace at which you talk • Use energetic body movement—this includes movement that is bold and convincing, but not rigid or tense • Use eye contact
- 23. 23 3. Connect withEvery Team Member • Uncover Assumptions • Gain Understanding • To Seek Input and Perspectives/Opinions • To Explore Evidence and Consequences
- 24. Diversity Awareness: Fosteringa Climate of Inclusion, Sensitivity, and Respect in the Workplace 4. Converse Informally High-performing teams engage in ongoing conversations outside of formal meetings and/or channels of communication. Benefits of Conversing Informally • Develop and strengthen personal relationships • Find common interests and connections, related to work and outside of work • Toss around ideas for dealing with problems at work What to Avoid When Conversing Informally • Gossip! Talking about others behind their backs is always counter-productive • Advocating extreme views
- 25. Diversity Awareness: Fosteringa Climate of Inclusion, Sensitivity, and Respect in the Workplace Which of the following is true of a high-performing team? TestYour Knowledge A. There is one strong leader who dominates the group. B. Team members mostly use electronic means to communicate in order to save time. C. Team members make a point to connect with every other team member. D. Team members focus exclusively on their own team.
- 26. Diversity Awareness: Fosteringa Climate of Inclusion, Sensitivity, and Respect in the Workplace TestYour Knowledge A. There is one strong leader who dominates the group. B. Team members mostly use electronic means to communicate in order to save time. C. Team members make a point to connect with every other team member. D. Team members focus exclusively on their own team. Which of the following is true of a high-performing team?
- 27.
- 28. 28 Goal: Create Synergy Definition ofsynergy: “The working together of two or more things to produce a result greater than the sum of their individual effects. Comes from the Greek word synergia meaning ‘working together.’”
- 29. 29 Goal: Create Synergy Tomaximize group ability: • Recognize where your own skills and experience are most needed and/or effective • Recognize what other team members can do better than you. • Ask: What are my strengths and experience. How can I use them to contribute to the team? • Know the work that the team must do. This will never be static, so review this periodically
- 30. 30 Putting the Pieces Together Assembling YourTeam with Synergy as the Goal • Keep your business needs and goals in mind • Consider what training is necessary for individuals and for the team • Play to the employees’ strengths more than focusing on making them improve their weaknesses • Pair up team members in complementary ways. For example, pair a stronger innovator with a strong implementer • Try to assign tasks and projects that appeal to individuals’ interests
- 31. 31 Putting the Pieces Together • Explorenew work so that you can uncover a hidden talent or develop a natural skill • Build a diverse team—one with different strengths and weaknesses • The breadth of skills and experience will promote more creative problem solving
- 32. Diversity Awareness: Fosteringa Climate of Inclusion, Sensitivity, and Respect in the Workplace Which of the following best describes what to consider when assembling your team? TestYour Knowledge A. Have team members with similar skills work together. B. Let people try new things and explore new work so that they may uncover a hidden talent or develop a natural skill. C. Make team members work on those activities they are most familiar with, whether or not they appeal to their personal interests. D. Work on improving team members’ weaknesses more than playing to their strengths.
- 33. Diversity Awareness: Fosteringa Climate of Inclusion, Sensitivity, and Respect in the Workplace Which of the following best describes what to consider when assembling your team? TestYour Knowledge A. Have team members with similar skills work together. B. Let people try new things and explore new work so that they may uncover a hidden talent or develop a natural skill. C. Make team members work on those activities they are most familiar with, whether or not they appeal to their personal interests. D. Work on improving team members’ weaknesses more than playing to their strengths.
- 34.
- 35. 35 Avoid Goal-Setting Mistakes • Thethird aspect of CARE is Results • If there’s too much emphasis on the goal itself or the goal is not clear, the actual result might suffer • Setting goals may actually reduce intrinsic motivation • To help ensure that your goals don’t derail your team’s success, avoid these goal-setting mistakes
- 36. 36 Avoid Goal-Setting Mistakes • Toomany Goals • Irrelevant/Meaningless • Unrealistic or Unachievable or Unachievable • Focus Too Much on the Process
- 37. 37 Tips for SuccessfulGoal-Setting • Focus goals on personal growth rather than financial gain • Focus attention on helping the best performers. Find out what resources they need • Provide average performers with coaching or mentoring to help them improve • Consider finding a better role fit for borderline performers
- 38. Diversity Awareness: Fosteringa Climate of Inclusion, Sensitivity, and Respect in the Workplace Which goal-setting mistake can cause a team to become cynical about achieving any goals? TestYour Knowledge A. Too many goals B. Too specific goals C. Unrealistic/unachievable goals D. Irrelevant/meaningless goals
- 39. Diversity Awareness: Fosteringa Climate of Inclusion, Sensitivity, and Respect in the Workplace TestYour Knowledge A. Too many goals B. Too specific goals C. Unrealistic/unachievable goals D. Irrelevant/meaningless goals Which goal-setting mistake can cause a team to become cynical about achieving any goals?
- 40.
- 41. 41 Elements of Espritde Corps Esprit de corps: “A sense of unity and of common interests and responsibilities, as developed among a group of persons closely associated in a task, cause, enterprise, etc. Ownership • Team members know what to do, but do not have to be told how to do it • The focus is on a contribution to the team, rather than personal gain Integrity • Team members trust one another • Team members are honest with one another • There is an environment where it is safe to disagree
- 42. 42 Elements of Esprit de CorpsPart 2 Connectedness • Team members keep their eyes and ears open to what is going on throughout the team—with every member of the team • Team members show concern for others Confidence • Team members are confident. That is reflected in cheerfulness, friendliness, and optimism—all qualities that draw others in • Confident team members take their work seriously, but don’t take themselves seriously
- 43. 43 Continuous Learning Mindset • Bringin new ideas and creativity • Teach and learn from one another • Stretch their skills and increase their cross- functional contributions
- 44. 44 TestYour Knowledge Which ofthe following is the best advice for developing effective team- building activities? A. Consider what challenges the team is facing and develop an activity that addresses them. B. Don’t be afraid of doing embarrassing activities because it’s all in good fun. C. Choose any activity that gets team members away from work; they will always appreciate the time off. D. Use team-building activities to turn around a team with low morale.
- 45. 45 TestYour Knowledge Which ofthe following is the best advice for developing effective team- building activities? A. Consider what challenges the team is facing and develop an activity that addresses them. B. Don’t be afraid of doing embarrassing activities because it’s all in good fun. C. Choose any activity that gets team members away from work; they will always appreciate the time off. D. Use team-building activities to turn around a team with low morale.
- 46. 46 How isTEP usefulto achieve CARE? • Assist groups in improving their output and work satisfaction • Issues that remain undisclosed can drain a group's energy and undermine its productive efforts • Developed to help groups systematically identify these issues • Assist individuals and groups in identifying blockages to their group’s performance
- 47. 47 Summary • Assess teamhealth using the Team Effectiveness Profile • Elements of CARE can be implemented to strengthen team effectiveness and performance • Conduct informal and formal assessments to monitor team effectiveness
- 48. 48 Train. Motivate. Succeed. HRDQleads the training industry with best-in-class soft-skills learning materials based on the Experiential Learning Model®. Our specialties: • Easy to facilitate workshops, with online or print self-assessments. • Active, up-out-of-your-seat adult learning games. • Reproducible workshops you can customize. • Expert customer service, to help guide your training needs. Need help learning a training program, or want one of our expert trainers to deliver it for you? We provide that too! Reach us at 800-633-4533 or www.hrdq.com. We look forward to being your soft-skills training resource.
Editor's Notes
- #2 Good Afternoon Everyone. Thank you for joining me today. We are going to talk about an important subject that, in some cases, can make the difference between success and failure. Today presentation is about team effectiveness, what is it any way? My name is Keera Godfrey and I will be your facilitator for today’s session. This will be an interactive session so I hope you have your afternoon coffee or tea and are ready to listen up, participate and let’s have a little fun learning together.
- #3 This is a pic of me. Keera Godfrey and I promise I look exactly this way today…at this very moment,…while I am in my home office on a cold Atlanta afternoon
- #4 Here is our agenda for today. We will talk about What is a Team Effectiveness Profile (TEP)? Benefits of TEP An ideal team Elements of CARE Questions and Answers
- #5 I am sure if I ask you today if you have on a team, lead a team, or create a team all of you would say Yes. If I asked you your believes about the value of teams to your success an organizations success, your response would vary. According to a survey conducted by the Center for Creative Leadership,i 91% of respondents agreed with the statement, “Teams are central to organizational success,” and 87% said, “Our team collaborating with other teams is essential for success.” “There is virtually no environment in which teams—if done right—can’t have a measurable impact on the performance of an organization.” Let’s begin with an introduction to the Team Effectiveness Profile
- #6 The Team Effectiveness Profile (TEP) is a diagnostic instrument designed to assist groups in improving their output and work satisfaction. Fifty items are presented for rating on a 5-point scale. By rating each of these items, the respondents express their opinions about how the group functions. When they share their perceptions with other members of the group, a useful diagnosis of group effectiveness may be developed. Various learning strategies to deal with the most significant issues affecting the group’s work can lead to improved output and group member satisfaction.
- #7 History of the TEP The original TEP was first used and published in 1980. Its purpose was to assist a group in raising and confronting blockages to its performance. The 1980 TEP contained 28 Likert-type scales relating to four general categories of group concern: planning and goal setting; group member roles and relationships; group operating processes; and interpersonal relationships. Group members were asked to rate individually each five-point scale, ranging from unsatisfactory to excellent.
- #8 The concept of a group working through blockages to its own performance has received attention from several authors. Francis and Young (1979), for example, viewed team building as the careful working through of all blockages until a group becomes a team. By grappling with specific hindrances to performance, a group can continue to learn new skills, share relevant information, build trust, and grow in maturity by taking interpersonal risks with each other and resolving previously undiscussable issues. Blake, Mouton, and Allen (1987) believe that "team building means taking deliberate action to identify and remove barriers to effective teamwork and to replace them with the kind of sound behaviors that can lead to superlative performance."
- #9 Today, several improvement have been made to the team effectiveness profile. Theory and Development TEP assists teams to identify potential blockages to performance by measuring the extent to which teams engage in five categories of team effectiveness: Mission, vision and goals Team roles Operating processes Interpersonal relationships Interteam relationships
- #10 Healthy organizations and their subsystems have compelling visions of the future and clearly defined and well-communicated statements of purpose. Plans are developed collaboratively and work is managed against goals or objectives. When priorities are revised, the need for change is discussed and agreed to by the group. Organizations with blockages in this general activity area often do not have a clear vision of their future, nor have they devoted the time or energy to developing a clear definition of their purpose or reason for being.
- #11 In highly effective groups, work is organized to support the group’s function(s). Roles, relationships, and accountabilities are clear to everyone. Members are technically qualified to perform their jobs or have immediate plans for acquiring needed knowledge and skills. An inappropriately structured group or one in which the members have unclear or confused perceptions about their roles and relationships can lose considerable energy in performing its tasks. Lack of role clarity results in poor quality work, missed responsibilities, and overlapping accountabilities that generate needless conflict.
- #12 Policies and procedures used to manage the work of the group support both task and maintenance needs. Task needs refer to activities required to accomplish work objectives. Maintenance needs refer to the human needs for recognition, participation, appreciation, and general quality of group life. Operating processes include such activities as problem solving, decision making, conflict management, and meeting quality. Groups that have effective operating processes have consciously examined each policy and procedure by which the group functions for efficiency and effectiveness. This analysis is undertaken from time to time to ensure that important processes have not become dysfunctional. Meeting format, for example, needs to be discussed periodically to confirm that this important vehicle is adequately serving the needs of all the group members to communicate with each other and solve problems. Groups with ineffective operating procedures may have unproductive or too few meetings.
- #13 For effective teamwork to occur, interpersonal relations must be of high quality. Each group member needs to be fully interactive with every other group member. A high level of trust is required if problems are to be solved and group work is to be satisfying. Ineffective groups often have poor interpersonal relationships. Members may be cautious in their disclosures and unwilling to take interpersonal risks. Constructive feedback may not be an operating norm. Until all of the interpersonal relationships are dealt with, it will be impossible for a group to function effectively and solve problems as an authentic team.
- #14 Beckhard (1969) observed that one of the most serious drains on organizational energy results when departments or divisions of the same organization compete inappropriately. Win-lose situations need to be changed to win-win situations. Groups sometimes need outside help in developing more productive and satisfying intergroup relationships. Problems of intergroup relations arise as an organization’s work becomes more differentiated. The more specialized various work groups become, the more difficult the problems of coordination become.
- #16 The answer is D. The correct answer is Operating Processes. Task needs refer to activities required to accomplish work objectives Maintenance needs refer to the human needs for recognition, participation, appreciation, and general quality of group life
- #17 The TEP is a self-administered learning instrument and is available in print and online versions. It yields an overall team effectiveness score as well as separate scores for each of the five categories of team effectiveness, indicating the general health of the group and blockages that may hinder team effectiveness. If administered through HRDQ's assessment portal there is the additional option of auto-generating a group aggregate report. Teams can create this manually if the print version is used. Uses and Applications The team effectiveness profile is most appropriate for intact work groups, groups that have some history of working together. It can also be used to prepare a newly-formed group for the kinds of issues that may block its success in the future. Uses include: Measuring performance before and after team building initiatives Unblocking struggling teams Orienting new teams to potential problems
- #18 I introduced the Team Effectiveness Profile which is team measurement tool. Now, I would like to talk to you about an team intervention program that can help remove blockages identified in the TEP. This is an introduction to the concept of CARE. Please contact your HRDQ representative to learn more about obtaining the full training program. Clearly, teams are a vital part of almost every organization, which are depending on them to use resources more effectively, solve problems more creatively, and provide greater productivity than individual employees working alone. The goal of every team is to perform at its highest level and the secret to achieving high performance is this—having team members who CARE. Care in the literal sense, as well in the sense of the acronym for the following traits: Communication, Ability, Results, and Esprit de corps. These four traits are the foundation of team excellence. You will find practical strategies for developing each trait throughout the remainder of the program.
- #20 Every team member talks and listens more or less equally, and comments are short and to the point. Team members display energy through their gestures and tone of voice, and face each other when they talk. Team members connect with everyone on their team, not just with their team leader. Team members engage in ongoing conversations outside of formal meetings and/or channels of communication. Team members seek and bring back information from outside the team.
- #21 The MIT Human Dynamics Lab calls the ideal team member a “charismatic connector,” and the general consensus is that the more of them a team has, the more successful it is. This person: Engages others in short, high-energy conversations. Communicates with everyone on the team equally. Helps make sure everyone is given a chance to contribute. Listens as much as he or she talks (so being a raging extrovert isn’t necessary). Thirty-five percent of the variation in a team’s performance results from the number of face-to-face exchanges that take place. In a high-performing team, these interactions are short. Approximately half of them take place with the entire team, and the other half are one-on-one.
- #22 Effective Listening On a high-performing team, members talk and listen in equal amounts. Listening involves more than just hearing the person’s words; it actually takes concentration and attention. In order to be a great listener, you have to: Listen for what is said—the actual words. Listen for how it’s said—the tone of voice, body language, emotion. Listen for what is not said. Is there a pink elephant in the room? Is there something else not being considered? Is there a sensitive or ethical (unethical) issue that isn’t being raised? Analyze the overall message. When you listen for what is said and how it’s said, you can interpret the message. Ask yourself, are the words and body language congruent? Does something not add up or make sense?
- #23 The second communication characteristic of a high-performing team is that team members display energy. There are simple things you can do to display energy when you speak. Even if you don’t have a natural energy for the work, it will be created simply from acting “as if” you have energy. Display energy by incorporating the tips below into your daily conversations: Be passionate about what you’re doing and what you want to accomplish. Create a positive environment. If some team members are always voicing negative thoughts and feelings, that makes it difficult for other team members to remain positive and energetic. To neutralize this, for every negative thought or feeling voiced, contribute a positive one or encourage others to do so. Vary the pitch of your voice and/or increase the pace at which you talk. Use energetic body movement—this includes movement that is bold and convincing, but not rigid or tense. Of course, there is a limit beyond which your movements will be a distraction. Use eye contact. Energy is conveyed through direct, but not unremitting, eye contact.
- #24 The third communication characteristic of a high-performing team is that each team member connects with every other team member. Strong team members connect with everyone on their team, not just with their team leader. The easiest way to connect is to ask questions. To Uncover Assumptions, Ask: “What are you assuming in this situation?” “You seem to be assuming... Is that correct?” “What if we assumed…?” “What is the basis for your assumption?” To Gain Understanding, Ask: “What do you mean when you say…?” “How does this relate to our problem/issue?” “What is your main point?” “Could you give me an example?” “Let me summarize what I heard you say…” To Seek Input and Perspectives/Opinions, Ask: “How do you feel about…?” “What do you think is the most important issue related to this situation?” “If it were up to you, how you would handle this?” “Do you agree that we’ve accurately identified the roblem/issue? If not, how would you define it?” To Explore Evidence and Consequences, Ask: “How can we find out…?” “To answer this question, what other questions must we answer first?” “If we do…,what else would happen as a result?” “What other alternatives are there? How can we identify them?” “What effect would…have?”
- #25 High-performing teams engage in ongoing conversations outside of formal meetings and/or channels of communication. Benefits of Conversing Informally Develop and strengthen personal relationships. Find common interests and connections, related to work and outside of work. Toss around ideas for dealing with problems at work. What to Avoid When Conversing Informally Gossip! Talking about others behind their backs is always counter-productive. Don’t say anything about someone that you wouldn’t say directly to him or her. Advocating extreme views. Often these are political or religious, but they could also be philosophical views of work or life that create separation rather than a connection.
- #29 The second aspect of CARE is Ability. The goal of ability is to create synergy in the team. Definition of synergy: “The working together of two or more things to produce a result greater than the sum of their individual effects. Comes from the Greek word synergia meaning ‘working together.’”iii How to Create Synergy Creating synergy means understanding that group ability is more important than individual talent. To maximize group ability: Know where your own skills and experience are most needed and/or effective and what other team members can do better than you. To better understand the skills and abilities of other team members, ask each team member to answer the questions: “What are my strengths and experience. How can I use them to contribute to the team?” Perhaps most importantly, know the work that the team must do. This will never be static, so review this periodically.
- #30 How to Create Synergy Creating synergy means understanding that group ability is more important than individual talent. To maximize group ability: Know where your own skills and experience are most needed and/or effective and what other team members can do better than you. To better understand the skills and abilities of other team members, ask each team member to answer the questions: “What are my strengths and experience. How can I use them to contribute to the team?” Perhaps most importantly, know the work that the team must do. This will never be static, so review this periodically.
- #31 Key Considerations When Assembling Your Team Keep your business needs and goals in mind as you assign team responsibilities to individual team members. For example, an individual may excel at more than one task. Decide which one would most enable the team and organization to meet its goals. Consider what training is necessary for individuals and for the team as a whole to provide the skills needed for the team to achieve its goals. Direct your effort toward putting employees in situations and tasks that play to the employees’ strengths more than focusing on making them improve their weaknesses. Pair up team members in complementary ways. For example, pair a stronger innovator with a strong implementer—a person with great ideas with a person who is great on following through. Try to assign tasks and projects that appeal to individuals’ interests. They will no doubt do a better job, not to mention be more satisfied if they are working on tasks and projects that they can get excited about.
- #32 Key Considerations When Assembling Your Team (continued) Let people try new things and explore new work so that you can uncover a hidden talent or develop a natural skill. Team members may surprise others with previously undiscovered talents. Once you have determined the strengths of team members, put them together to maximize productivity and results. You accomplish this by building a diverse team—one with different strengths and weaknesses; the breadth of skills and experience will promote more creative problem solving (though it may be accompanied by some additional conflict due to the diversity of perspectives and opinions).
- #36 The third aspect of CARE is Results. Many teams equate results with setting goals; however, if there’s too much emphasis on the goal itself or the goal is not clear, the actual result might suffer. Many managers believe that employees and teams need extrinsic motivation such as setting specific goals in order to persuade employees to work hard. However, a study by Maurice Schweitzer, professor at Wharton, showed that setting goals may actually reduce intrinsic motivation.iv To help ensure that your goals don’t derail your team’s success, avoid these goal-setting mistakes.
- #37 There Are too Many Goals This mistake can make it difficult for a team to prioritize its work. Team members may also see each goal as just something else to check off the list as opposed to something that in addition to being completed should be of high quality. Furthermore, it may be difficult to tie goal accomplishment to a reward and recognition system because there are so many different goals. The Goals Are Irrelevant/Meaningless This mistake can cause teams to become cynical about achieving any goals, or at the least, be suspicious that goals exist just to create extra work and make someone else look good. The Goals Are Unrealistic or Unachievable or Unachievable This mistake can cause teams to take extreme measures—sometimes even unethical—in order to achieve the goal. A example is Enron, the energy company that collapsed in 2002. It created goals based strictly on revenue generated, no matter whether the revenue was actually real and profitable. That contributed to the company’s failure, and the result was the disintegration of a multi-billion dollar company.vii The Goals Focus Too Much on the Process This mistake can cause teams to spend too much time on goal-setting and tracking and not enough focus on execution. One company created Gantt charts to track company goals. Maintaining the charts took up precious time needed to accomplish the goals. Although employees had spent a lot of time creating the charts, they ultimately quit using them, which was probably a good decision.
- #38 Determine What You Want to Achieve Conduct a visioning exercise: Tips for Successful Goal-Setting Focus goals on personal growth rather than financial gain. Focus attention on helping the best performers achieve even higher levels of performance. Find out what resources they need. Provide average performers with coaching or mentoring to help them improve. Often, pairing them with a high-level performer works well. Consider reviewing the roles of borderline performers to find a better fit that will allow them to reach high performance levels.
- #42 The last aspect of the high-performing team acronym, CARE, is Esprit de corps. Definition of esprit de corps: “A sense of unity and of common interests and responsibilities, as developed among a group of persons closely associated in a task, cause, enterprise, etc.ix In teams where you find esprit de corps you find ownership, integrity, connectedness, and confidence. Ownership Team members know what to do, but do not have to be told how to do it. The focus is on a contribution to the team, rather than personal gain. Integrity Team members trust one another. Team members are honest with one another. There is an environment where it is safe to disagree.
- #43 The last two elements of esprit de corps are connectedness and confidence. Connectedness Team members keep their eyes and ears open to what is going on throughout the team—with every member of the team. Team members show concern for others. When things go wrong, team members react by showing support for one another and not placing blame. Confidence Team members are confident. That is reflected in cheerfulness, friendliness, and optimism—all qualities that draw others in. Confident team members take their work seriously, but don’t take themselves seriously.
- #44 High-performing teams pursue contacts and connections outside their core group in order to bring in new ideas and creativity. Teams with esprit de corps are willing to teach and learn from one another. They want to stretch their skills and increase their cross-functional contributions. In other words, they have a desire to always improve. One of the best ways to do that is to bring ideas from outside the group and try them in new ways. Clay Christensen, author of The Innovator’s Dilemma, calls this “associational thinking”x—taking unrelated ideas and repurposing them in new ways. For example, Ben Silbermann, cofounder of the visual social network Pinterest, patterned the visual appeal of the website based on how he collected insects in his youth.
- #46 The correct answer is A. Team-building activities should always be relevant to issues the team is facing
- #47 The Team Effectiveness Profile (TEP) is a diagnostic instrument designed to assist groups in improving their output and work satisfaction. Under normal circumstances, issues that block a group's effectiveness may not be apparent. Issues that remain undisclosed can drain a group's energy and undermine its productive efforts. The TEP was developed to help groups systematically identify these issues.
- #49 Thank you, that was great! We do have some time for some questions, so attendees go ahead and send those my way now. While those come in, consider looking to HRDQ for your training needs. We published researched-based, experiential learning products that you can deliver in your organization. Check out our online or print self-assessments, our up-out-of-your-seat games, our reproducible workshops you can customize, and more either at our website or call our Customer Service Team. And if you need help learning a training program or want one of our expert trainers to deliver it for you, we also provide those services. We look forward to being your soft-skills training resource.