Team Building and Team Selection

Some tips to get people working well together

Teams and Teamwork

Teams refers to small groups of people working together toward some common purpose Teamwork refers to an environment in the larger organization that creates and sustains relationships of trust, support, respect interdependence, and collaboration.

Setting up a team
It is easy for a leader to set up a team. Creating and sustaining sustaining an environment of teamwork is more important and enormously more difficult indeed, a contrary environment will quickly ruin the most effective team.

Running a team
We trained hard but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams, we would be reorganised. I was to learn later in life we tend to meet any new situation be reorganising, and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralisation. - Petronius Arbiter, 65AD

Teams and Systems thinking

Teams are not new What is new is understanding that teams are systems and are part of a system.
Without an understanding of the systemic contexts within teams and surrounding teams, the potential of teams will never be realised and they will probably fail. Peter R Scholtes

Teamwork, Systems and Purpose

Purpose That which defines: Why the work is done Whether the work is worth doing How the work is done When will we know that the work is successful

Systems Activities and events leading to specific outcomes characterised by: Consistency Precision reliability

Successful work

Teamwork Human relationships between individuals and groups sharing a purpose. Human support and integrity at a: Personal level Group level Inter-group level Organisational level

The interdependencies
Without a purpose there is no system Without purpose there is no team only an aggregate of individuals with no reason to be together A team with a purpose but no method (system) will end up well intentioned, but unsuccessful an effective way to undermine teamwork

The team as part of the larger system

Also note that the team is but one system within larger systems (or team the department, the division, the company, the corporation, etc) Each team may have its purpose Common problem if the purposes of the teams are not aligned with each other and the purpose of the larger system, then collectively they will not maximise their achievement Purpose and vision can help align teams

Is purpose and vision enough?

Not often Common priorities and an integrated plan of action are needed There should be a plan
Activities linked together aiming to achieve something of importance to the organisation and its customers (adding value)

There should be a mix of styles or roles within the team

Teamwork
In the past many companies paid lip service to teamwork, leadership training, corporate culture, etc. Why?
Not obvious how they link to the bottom line Hard to do properly

Now, more companies recognise the need for good teamwork

Quality improvement programmes Self-directed teams Reengineering all depend on good teamworking to succeed

Teamwork (continued)
Teamwork is no longer a nice to have its a requirement Many believe that the ability to develop and lead good teams is the number one leadership skill required today. Downsizing, right-sizing, reorganising, reengineering can all lead to smaller teams needing to do the same amount of work

An effective team
An effective team is a group of people acting together in an atmosphere of trust and accountability who agree that the best way to achieve a common goal is to cooperate

Benefits of good teamwork

Better problem solving Greater productivity More effective use of resources And softer benefits: People enjoy working together, and teamworking fills a social need Working together helps people to grow as they learn from each other Working together toward a common goal provides a sense of purpose that is motivating and fulfilling

Success Factors
Some factors are common to successful teams:
Trust a willingness to allow each other to take risks Looking at the big picture looking beyond me and my wants Willingness to give and receive Staying involved even after ones tasks are completed Commitment to the teams objectives Accountability for actions and results Awareness of behavioural styles

Barriers to successful teamwork

Criticising others other people or departments, not understanding their objectives and problems Hoarding resources and/or information Us/them competition vs cooperation Restricting the flow of information No snowflake ever feels responsible for the avalanche Stanislaw Jerzy Lec

Some teamworking quotes

There is virtually no environment in which teams if done right cant have a measurable impact on the performance or an organisation. - Jon Katzenbach (McKinsey and Co. Inc), The Wisdom of Teams Two heads are better than one John Heywood I not only use all the brains I have, but all I can borrow Woodrow Wilson

Goose sense
Geese fly in a V formation when they migrate When the lead bird gets tired, it rotates to the back of the V By doing this, as each bird flaps its wings, it creates lift for the bird following This saves energy This increases the flying range of the flock by at least 70% over individual birds flying solo

Belbins team roles model

What is a team role? A team role as defined by Dr Meredith Belbin is: "A tendency to behave, contribute and interrelate with others in a particular way." Belbin team roles describe a pattern of behaviour that characterises one persons behaviour in relationship to another in facilitating the progress of a team. The value of Belbin team-role theory lies in enabling an individual or team to benefit from self-knowledge and adjust according to the demands being made by the external situation.

Belbins original concept

Meredith Belbin studied the behaviour of managers from all over the world. Managers given a battery of psychometric tests and put into teams of varying composition they were engaged in a complex management exercise. Their different core personality traits, intellectual styles and behaviours were assessed during the exercise. As time progressed different clusters of behaviour were identified as underlying the success of the teams. These successful clusters of behaviour were then given names.

Nine dominant team roles emerged

Three action-oriented roles:
Shaper Implementer Completer-Finisher

Three people-oriented roles

Co-ordinator Teamworker Resource Investigator

Three cerebral roles

Plant Monitor-Evaluator Specialist

Action-oriented roles
Belbin teamrole type
Shaper

Contributions
Challenging, dynamic, thrives on pressure. The drive and courage to overcome obstacles. Disciplined, reliable, conservative and efficient. Turns ideas into practical actions Painstaking, conscientious, anxious. Searches out errors and omissions. Delivers on time.

Allowable Weaknesses
Prone to provocation. Offends people's feelings. Somewhat inflexible. Slow to respond to new possibilities. Inclined to worry unduly. Reluctant to delegate.

Implementer

Completer-finisher

People-oriented roles
Belbin teamrole type
Co-ordinator

Contributions
Mature, confident, a good chairperson. Clarifies goals, promotes decisionmaking, delegates well. Co-operative, mild, perceptive and diplomatic. Listens, builds, averts friction. Extrovert, enthusiastic, communicative. Explores opportunities. Develops contacts.

Allowable Weaknesses
Can often be seen as manipulative. Off loads personal work.

Teamworker

Indecisive in crunch situations.

Resource Investigator

Over - optimistic. Loses interest once initial enthusiasm has passed.

Cerebral roles
Belbin teamrole type
Plant

Contributions
Creative, imaginative, unorthodox. Solves difficult problems. Sober, strategic and discerning. Sees all options. Judges accurately. Single-minded, selfstarting, dedicated. Provides knowledge and skills in rare supply.

Allowable Weaknesses
Ignores incidentals. Too pre-occupied to communicate effectively. Lacks drive and ability to inspire others.

Monitor-evaluator

Specialist

Contributes only on a narrow front. Dwells on technicalities.