Teams
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This document discusses groups, teams, team building, and leadership. It defines groups as collections of individuals who impact each other, while teams have different skills working on a common goal. Teams are formed for mutual support and leveraging talents. Effective team building requires considering stages of forming, storming, norming and performing, as well as establishing norms, roles and expectations. Leadership differs from management in inspiring and developing people rather than directing tasks.
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Teams
- 1. Teams: Building, Managing, Leading Randy Ashby SNHU Adjunct OL 125
- 2. AGENDA • Groups and Teams: What are they? • Why do we have them? • Team Building – Team Development Model – Norms, Roles, and Expectations – Barriers to Effective Teams • Hierarchy of Management – Self Managed Teams – Traditionally Managed Teams – Self Directed Teams • Leading Teams – Management and Leadership • Final Thoughts
- 3. What are Groups and Teams? • Groups – According to your text, groups are “a collection of individuals who interact with each other such that one person’s actions have an impact on the others” (Baur & Erdogan, 2014) • Teams – “A group of people with different skills and different tasks, who work together on a common project, service, or goal with a meshing of functions and mutual support” (Author Unknown, 2015).
- 4. Why do we form Groups and Teams? • Groups and Teams are a natural evolution of the support that humans have sought out for ages. • Groups help to provide a sense of security, identity, and belonging • Teams look to leverage talents, pool resources, blend skills
- 5. Why do we form Groups and Teams? • “We join a group hoping to benefit from the interaction we have with other members and the belief system that defines the group…There is a symbiotic relationship between us and the group in which we and the group gain something of value” (Fisher, 2012) • “previous research suggests that by optimizing teams, organizations are able to use resources more effectively, improve decision and problem-solving abilities, produce quality products and services, and increase innovation and creativity” (Daspit, et al, 2013, p. 49)
- 6. Team Building • When teams begin to form they all seem to go through the same process – The Team Development Model from Tuckman and Jensen – Forming – Storming – Norming – Performing – Adjourning http://wheatoncollege.edu/sail/files/2011/12/groupDevelopment.jpg
- 7. Team Building • Norms – How a team operates, communicates, and interacts with each other and outsiders. • Roles – What people do within the team. This is not limited to what a person’s assigned tasks are but also what their total skill set brings to the group. • Expectations – How people act while part of the group which could include attire, communication, conduct, etc. Basically they are the standards that team members follow.
- 8. Barriers to Effective Teams • Interpersonal Conflict • Team Interdependence • Loafing • Lack of Direction • Group Think • Lack of Proper Resources • Organizational Processes
- 9. Hierarchy • Traditionally Managed Team – Centralized power lies with the manager or other supervisors. – Team members are focused on carrying out specific individual tasks as directed by management. – Decisions are made by management and passed down to the members to execute. – Work is focused around individual steps and actions
- 10. Hierarchy • Self-Managed Team – The team is given responsibility for a total product, process, or service rather than just one step – The team as a whole reports to a central figure but is otherwise responsible for their own operations in acting to reach directed goals – Coordinates own tasks that would typically fall to a traditional manager such as division of labor and scheduling – Allowed to develop ideas and follow through to completion
- 11. Hierarchy • Self-Directed Team – Does not have a traditional manager hierarchy to answer to – Able to establish their own parameters within the scope of the organization’s goals and vision – The team is empowered to independently act on their selected courses of action – The team as a whole is ultimately responsible for success or failure of the project(s) – Self directed teams differ from self managed teams because they are able to define their own goals while self managed teams are limited by the goals established outside of the team
- 12. Leadership • Despite many people using these interchangeably, management and leadership are different. – Managers – Directs, Executes, Controls, Immediate, Task, Formal, Evaluate, Plan, Assigned – Leaders – Inspire, Innovate, Trusts, Long-term, People, Informal, Develop, Vision Chosen
- 13. Leadership • Leadership is an art and not a science and must be earned • Leaders must stay engaged or they will lose the acceptance of their followers • Corporations in the United States have spent an estimated $14Billion (that’s right, with a B) per year on leadership development training (Derler, 2012) so obviously it is a big deal.
- 14. Final Thoughts • Teams are the backbone of modern organizations because of their ability to perform more with less. • There are many pitfalls that can influence a team’s success so members need to be aware of them. • Leaders are needed to be able to guide teams but those leaders must remember that it is only through their follower’s efforts that they will be successful.
- 15. Works Cited • Bauer, T.N. & Erdogan, B. (2014). Human Relations in the Organization. Asheville, N.C.: Soomo Publishing • Author Unknown. (2015). Team Definition. Retrieved from http://courses.washington.edu/ie337/team.pdf. • Curphy, G. (2012). Important Differences Between Groups and Teams. Retrieved from http://info.hoganassessments.com/blog/bid/166201/Important-Differences-Between-Groups-and-Teams • Fisher, E. (2012, June 24). Why Humans Join Groups. The Morning Sun. Retrieved from http://www.themorningsun.com/article/MS/20120624/OPINION03/120629848 • Daspit, J., Justice-Tillman, C., Boyd, N.G., & McKee, V. (2013). Cross-functional Team Effectiveness. Team Performance Management: An International Journal, 19(1/2), p. 34-56. • Heathfield, S.M. (2015). How and Why to Create Team Norms. Retrieved from http://humanresources.about.com/od/teambuilding/qt/norms.htm • Belbin, M. (1981). Management Teams: Why they Succeed or Fail. London: Heinemann • Derler, A. (2012). Boosted Spend on Leadership Development: The Facts and Figures. Retrieved from http://www.bersin.com/blog/post.aspx?id=ada5c94c-e396-4558-aa2c-0f6cc8022811.
Editor's Notes
- If you notice, there is a difference between the two in these definitions; however, many people try and use them interchangeably. Do you see what the difference is? The variation is small but very important with the purpose of a team being to meet a common goal. Additionally, Curphy (2012) notes that teams have five factors that groups do not which are: “Work toward a common set of goals; Work Jointly; Share common leadership; Hold joint accountability for performance; [and] see themselves as being a part of a team with common goals and shared fates.” I personally feel that the first point and the final point are the most important because a team not only works towards a common goal but they view their selves as part of a collective effort to reach that goal. This makes a big difference in terms of motivation and communication that we covered in previous weeks. Think about what we talked about and how those are different in a team setting.
- Humans have used groups and teams to improve their chances of success, survival, and belonging for thousands of years. The basic structure of the first hunters and gatherers was to allow a combined effort for basic needs. Eventually, people sought out other groups for shared security and mutual effort. As more technology was developed and shared people discovered different talents and ideas and they identified with others in different ways. Even the way that warfare was conducted, and why it was conducted, evolved. Groups of roving raiders with only their individual weapons turned into trained armies with archers, cavalry, infantry, and other specialized groups that were combined into a cohesive team looking to accomplish a shared goal on the battle field. While we still have armies, the team concept evolved into leisure activities (sports) and business. Businesses now look to do more with less and having teams composed of people with various functions and talents allows them to do this. How do you see groups and teams in your own life? How do you connect to them?
- These are a couple of brief, but very poignant, ideas about groups and teams. Think about the groups and teams that you are part of. How do you view your membership in them? Why are they important to you and your organization?
- Obviously, teams want to get to the Performing stage as fast as possible. However, many times it seems as if they become stuck the Storming (especially this phase) or Norming phases. Why do you think that is? The most common problem, in my opinion, is the resistance to assigned leaders as well as resistance to change. I’ve singled out these two elements because they both come down to a lack of trust in new leaders and new operations; at the end of the day people do not have a history of success with them and so they cannot have faith that there will be success for the team or for them individually. Think about what we discussed in the module on motivation. The basic motivators from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs transitions from physiological needs (food/water/air/shelter) to security, then belonging, then esteem, and then autonomy. Doesn’t this seem to tie in with the model above? People, of course, are not going to begin to perform until they feel that they can trust the others around them to pull their weight. They also need to have a connection, a sense of belonging, to the group to be comfortable in using all of their talents and effort. Can you see how this builds on our other topics of discussion? Do you have a different point of view?
- Teams that early on establish or develop norms, roles, and expectations have a higher chance of avoiding some of the pitfalls that face many team efforts. The good thing is that more of these elements can be added as deemed necessary by the team. Think about it, newer teams and organizations are going to have a lot less need for a lot of norms and expectations than a well established one. The additional importance of norms and expectations is well put by Heathfield’s (2015) point that “most team members won’t intentionally harm the project or the team’s success. But, the lack of an agreed upon framework for interaction creates the potential for misunderstanding and negative conflict.” Team roles also help to establish what people do and how they interact. These roles are not just a person’s job function such as engineer, sales, production, etc but also where they fit into the team dynamic. Belbin (1981) conducted a nine year study on teams and found that there are five factors that are present in effective teams: 1) Each person fills a functional role and a team role; 2) Depending on the collective goal and tasks a balance is needed among functional and team roles; 3) Team effectiveness is dependent on the ability of team members to recognize and adapt to the strengths within the team; 4) A member’s ability to fill a team role is limited by their personality and metal abilities; 5) A team’s resources can only be used efficiently when there is a balance in place (p. 132). The nine specific team roles will not be covered but, in short, they encompass people that are able to spark ideas, finish projects, manage resources and personnel, the people that do the grunt work, and those that can take ideas and act on them.
- These are just a few of the barriers that can have a negative impact on team performance. Loafing, in particular, is something that may not be overt but can have a major effect because people will feel that they do not have to put forth all of their effort because someone else will pick up the slack. Group think is bad as well because it does not allow people to see alternatives that may be better. The thing about barriers, though, is that they can be overcome with recognition and effort. If the team does not feel they have the proper direction or resources from their leaders, or organization, then they need to ask for them. If there is a communication problem causing conflict then you need to address it. If there is a process that is preventing the best course of action from being implemented then find a way to change the process or work within the constraints of it. Have you seen any of these barriers, or others, in action? What were the results? How did you deal with them?
- Advantages – People are able to focus on one thing and become good at that task or service. Decision making by the management means that there is minimal risk for the organization below that level in developing new ideas or processes. Disadvantages – People feel constrained and may resent being directed to do certain tasks. Members are not able to voice their ideas and have an outlet to grow.
- Advantages – Members take ownership of the project because they are responsible for it. Organizations save money by pooling resources and efforts. Lines of communication are increased throughout the organization because everyone becomes a point of contact. Members are motivated to perform at a high level. More ideas are generated. Disadvantages – Group think could hinder creativity. Interpersonal conflict could cause a power struggle within the team without a traditional manager in charge. Communication can become redundant. Those outside the team may be confused about how to interact with members. Loafers.
- Advantages – Decentralized effort that allows for a free flow of information. Cost savings due to resource use efficiency. Empowered team members means motivated team members. Motivated team members means an increase in ownership and commitment to the organization as well as innovation. Disadvantages – Much like the self managed team there is a risk for interpersonal conflict, loafing, and group think.
- Leaders and managers are needed in every team and organization so that they run properly. Some managers are considered by others as leaders but this is because they choose to follow them as such. Look at the words above and you will notice the dichotomy here; that is why it is important to understand the how you are using, and understanding, these words. I think the biggest part to understand boils down to the last words listed in each area; assigned and chosen. Managers are placed in a formal position or role and have responsibility given to them because of the nature of the job they are in. Leaders, on the other hand, are chosen by followers (not the organization) and earn their power by the trust of others. We will look at leadership styles and capacity during week 7 but leadership is important to understand when talking about teams.