Team Leadership and Team Design

MGT 300
Team Dynamics and Managerial
Analysis

Todays Objectives
Compare and contrast good team leadership
skills from not-so-good team leadership skills

Identify critical factors need to design an

effective team

Apply theories to a real case

Agenda
Did you all take the MBTI?
Geese and team leadership
Review of reading
Team Design
Application

What Can We Learn About

Leadership From Geese in Flight?
Geese in Flight From Winged Migration

Lesson #1 from Geese on

Leadership
(As each goose flaps its wings, it creates an "uplift" for
the bird following. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole
flock adds 71% more flying range than if each bird flew
alone.)

People who share a common direction and

sense of community can get where they are
going quicker and easier because they
are traveling on the thrust of one another.

Lesson #2 from Geese on

Leadership
(Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly
feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone, and
quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the
"lifting power" of the bird immediately in front.)

If we have as much sense as a goose, we

stay in formation with those headed
where we want to go. We are willing to
accept their help and give our help to
others.

Lesson #3 from Geese on

Leadership
(When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the
formation and another goose flies at the point position.)

It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks

and sharing leadership. Like geese,
people are interdependent on each others
skills, capabilities, and unique gifts,
talents, or resources.

Lesson #4 from Geese on

Leadership
(The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage
those up front to keep up their speed.)

We need to make sure our honking is

encouraging. In teams where there is
encouragement, the production is much
greater.

Lesson #5 from Geese on

Leadership
(When a goose gets sick or wounded or shot down, two
geese drop out of formation and follow their fellow
member down to help provide protection. They stay with
this member of the flock until he or she is either able to
fly again or dies. Then they launch out on their own, with
another formation, or catch up with their own flock.)

If we have as much sense as geese, we

will stand by each other in difficult times
as well as when we are strong

Two Types of Team Leadership

Roles
Task-Specialist Behavior
Evaluate how tasks will be
accomplished
Seek information to clarify
tasks
Summarize ideas and
facts related to problem
at hand
Energize others and
stimulate team into action

Socioemotional Behavior
Encourage contributions
by others
Reduce tension/help
resolve conflict
Show concern for
members needs/feelings
Maintain agreed-upon
norms and standards of
behavior
Identify problems with
team interactions

Sources: In Daft, R. L. The leadership experience (4th edition). Stamford, CT. Thompson Learning. Page 306
Based on Robert A. Baron, Behavior in Organizations, 2nd ed. (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1996); Don Hellriegel. John W. Slocum, Jr.,
and Richard W. Woodman, Organizational Behavior, 8th ed. (Cincinnati, OH; South-Western, 1998) p. 244 and Gary A. Yukl, Leadership
in Organizations, 4th ed (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1998). pp. 384-387

10

Small Group ExerciseLeadership

Behaviors Needed for Team
Success
Think of a leader you most admire and/or your best
team experience--what behaviors resulted in ?

A common direction and sense of community

Alignment in the same direction, all working toward the
same goal

Shared leadership
A culture that encourages rather than discourages
Commitment to everyone's success --if one person fails,
everyone fails

What behaviors would result in the opposite?

Linda Hills Model for Effective

Team Management

Linda Hills Model for Effective

Team Management

Source:
Hill, L. A. (1994). Managing your team. Harvard Business School Cases. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing

Managing/Interacting with the

Brain in Mind

Managing/Interacting with the

Brain in Mind

Source: Rock, D. (2009) Your Brain at Work, Collins, New York. David Rockfor classroom use only

New Science of Building Teams

New Science of Building Teams

Engagement
Energy

Exploration

High Performance
Source:
Pentland, A. (2012). The new science of building great teams. Harvard Business
Review, 90(4), 60-70

TEAM DESIGN

New Project

Youve been assigned a new project

You need to build a team to work together on
this project

Where do you start?

Its more important to have a well-designed

team than a team with a good leader.
Thompson, L. (2011). Making the team: A guide for managers (4th ed.). Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall

Three Things to Consider

Task
People
Processes

You need to answer questions about these

three things in order to design your team.

Internal Dynamics: Key Questions to Ask

When Building the Team
PHASE 1

PHASE 2

PHASE 3

Task Analysis

People

Processes and
Procedures

What work needs to be

performed?
Is the goal clearly defined
How much authority does the
team have to manage its own
work?
What is the focus of work the
team will do?
What are the roles and
responsibilities of the team?
What is the degree of
interdependence among team
members?
Does there exist only one
correct solution?
Are team members interests
aligned or competitive?
How big should the team be?
What is the time allotted to
accomplish the task?
Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Who is ideally suited to

do the work?
What technical, task
management, and
interpersonal skills are
required?
What motivates
individuals to join teams?
What types of diversity
are optimal in the team?

How much structure is the

group given?
What are the explicit
(spoken) norms of the
groups?
What are the implicit
(unspoken) norms of the
groups?
Which norms are
conducive for
performance?
What is the process by
which ineffective norms
can be revised?

4-1

Types of Work That Teams Do

Broad
Dominant
Objective Feature
Process Emphasis

Threats

Tactical

Clarity

Directive, highly focused tasks

Role clarity
Well-defined operational standards
Accuracy

Role ambiguity
Lack of training
Communication barriers

Problem
solving

Trust

Focus on issues
Separate people from problem
Consider facts, not opinions
Conduct thorough investigation
Suspend judgment

Failure to stick to facts

Fixate on solutions
Succumb to political

Creative

Autonomy Explore possibilities and alternatives

pressures
Confirmatory information search
Production blocking

Lumpy participation

Source: Adapted from Larson, C. E., & LaFasto, F. M. (1989). Teamwork: What must go right/what can go wrong. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

4-3

Levels of Interdependence
Pooled interdependence

Group Members

X
Product

Sequential interdependence

P1

P2

P3

Product

Reciprocal interdependence
P1

P2

P3

Source: Thompson, J. (1967). Organizations in action. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

4-4

Application To Case--Fitcraft
Small teams
Work on case
Report out