team building and leadership notes module 2

7/28/2019 Team Building and Leadership Notes Module 2

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Team Performance Measurement

Team-Related Performance Measurement.

Measuring team-related performance can be approached in at least four ways. Two of those

approaches measure performance at the individual level and two measure performance at theteam level.

Individual Level: An Individual's Contribution to the Team.

Individual Behavior. Employees can be measured on how well they work with team

members. Examples of these types of measures could include the degree to which: the

employee participates in team meetings; the employee volunteers for team projects; the

employee communicates with members in a constructive and non-threatening manner;

other members find that the employee is pleasant to work with and fosters cooperation.

Individual Results. Employee work products that contribute to the final team product or servicecan be assessed and verified. Examples of these types of measures could include error rates, the

timeliness of the product, the number of suggestions made, or the accuracy of the data provided.

Team Level: Measuring the Team's Performance.

The Team's Processes. The team can be measured on its internal group dynamics. These types of

measures could address: how well the team works together as a group; the effectiveness of team

meetings; the ability of the team to reach consensus; and the team's problem-solving techniques.

The Team's Results. The team can be measured on its work results or products. These types of

measures could include: the number of cases completed; the use, acceptance, and

understandability of the team's final report; the number of customer requests for the team's

report; the subscription rate of the team's newsletter.

Rewarding Teamwork

In a team-oriented environment, employers must pair individual employee awards with collective

team recognition in order to effectively motivate teams.

Balancing individual and team recognition can be sticky though. Excessive focus on individualperformance can undermine teamwork and create a competitive environment. On the other hand,

only rewarding teams can cause your stars to become demoralized, especially if they feel like

they are carrying the team. The trick is to recognize both team and individual performance, while

encouraging a cooperative culture.


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Most organizations succeed in recognizing individual employee contributions but struggle with

rewarding combined team efforts.

Here are several suggestions for making team recognition work:

Follow good recognition rules. Whether you are recognizing an individual or teams, many of the

same rules apply. Recognize significant accomplishments in line with company goals and values.

Be specific and timely about what you are rewarding. Make sure that whatever the recognition or

award is whether its a team lunch or a write up in the company newsletter that it is

meaningful to the recipients.

Recognize team behaviorandaccomplishments. Its one thing to recognize a team for achieving

a particularly difficult goal. Its another to hold them up for the way in which they achieved that

goal. Whether you are giving the team an award, acknowledging their accomplishment on the

intranet or in a newsletter, or simply saying job well done in a meeting, talk about the specific

behaviors that enabled them to achieve what theyve done together.

Do team reviews. Teamwork can often fall apart at review time when people are most concerned

with their individual performance. Conduct a team review where you bring the team together to

talk about their progress. Ask questions, such as: how did we perform as a team? Did we meet

our goals? This may be done at the end of a project or at important milestones in a project. Take

this opportunity to recognize the team for the work it has done together.

Encourage employees to recognize peers. Recognition from superiors isnt the only form of

recognition that matters, or motivates. Knowing that your team thinks youre doing a good job isimportant to keeping people engaged. Encourage team members to recognize each other for a job

well done. Allow a few minutes at the beginning or end of team meetings for team member to

recognize their fellow team members who have gone above and beyond.

When a team tries to make decisions or solve problems in a creative way, these problems are

faced.

1. Production blocking: It is a procedural explanation. Production blocking is the socialinterference that occurs when one person is talking and then another cannot contribute (talk) at

the same time. The second speaker must wait until the first speaker finishes. The second speaker

then sometimes forgets what he or she was going to say. In addition, the conversation may move

to another topic and then what the second speaker was going to say becomes moot, or for anyother number of reasons, the second speaker may fail to contribute. This problem is called

production blocking. Such problems are common in braining storming sessions in team.

2. Evaluation Apprehension: The feeling that one might be negatively evaluated for coming upwith an idea that is seen as "too" crazy and unusual. Members feel the pressure and discomfort

that comes with saying something strange and unusual within a group, though their idea could be

very useful to the team performance.


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3. Social Loafing or Free Riding: Reduced social motivation that occurs when certain members

decide to let the others contribute and choose not to fully participate. This is sometimes a

conscious decision to avoid participation because others will do the work.4. Risky Shift or group polarization: Description

When people are in groups, they make decision about risk differently from when they are

alone. In the group, they are likely to make riskier decisions, as the shared risk makes theindividual risk less.

They also may not want to let their compatriots down, and hence be risk-averse (this is

sometimes called cautious shift). The overall tendency towards a shift in risk perception is alsosometimes called choice shift.

There are a number of reasons as to why this might happen. Theories have included:

Wallach, Kogan, and Bem (1964) proposed that greater risks are chosen due to a

diffusion of responsibility, where emotional bonds decrease anxieties and risk is

perceived as shared.

Collins and Guetzkow (1964) suggested that high risk-takers are more confident and

hence may persuade others to take greater risks.

Brown (1965) indicates that social status in groups is often associated with risk-taking,leading people to avoid a low risk position.

Bateson (1966) suggests that as people pay attention to a possible action, they become

more familiar and comfortable with it and hence perceive less risk.


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Selecting team members in an effective way:


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Is teamwork always necessary?Making the "Team versus No-Team" decision

Teams are not always necessary and can be counter-productive too. Teams are unnecessary when

tasks are simple and routine, do not require employees to coordinate their work, and do notrequire a variety of experiences or skills.

Teams are best approach when no single person has the right combination of knowledge,

expertise, and perspective to do the job; when individuals must work together with a hign degree

of interdependence; and when the goal represents a unique challenge.As manager, one can determine whether a team is the best solution by diagnosing the task at

hand. Harvard Business School Professor Jeffrey Polzer urges managers to consider three aspects

of the task in making this diagnosis: task complexity, task interdependencs, and task objectives.

1. Task complexity: His task complexity often leads itself to team based work. The task featuresassociated with high complexity include the need to process large volumes of information, high

uncertainty, many sub-tasks, each requiring specialized skills or knowledge and another featureis the absence of a standardized procedure for completing the task.

2. Task interdependence: Here the manager should consider the degree of interdependence

among the different components of the task. The greater the interdependence, the greater is the

likelihood that a team is the best solution. Polzer defines task interdependence as the extent towhich features of the work itself dictate that it can only be completed by the combined efforts of

multiple individuals working together. High interdependence among employees requires the

exceptional coordination and communication that characterize team-based efforts. Determine thedegree to which distinct components of a job need to be integrated. A high degree of integration

usually requires a team effort.3. Task objectives: Polzer has identified task objectives as the third critical dimension you mustanalyze before opting for a team or no-team approach. For a project-team effort to work, the task

must have one or more clear time-bound objectives. President John F. Kennedy's challenge to

NASA- to put a man on the moon and bring him home safely within ten years - fit thisdescription. If objectives can be articulated in this way, a team effort may be the best approach.


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Measures for facilitating team learningTeam leaders (and members) can encourage and facilate the use of team learning. Two

procedures that are appear useful for facilitating team learning are

1. After-activity Reviews2. Dialouge Sessions

After-Activity Reviews

Learning from experience is more likely when a systematic analysis i made after an importantactivity is finished to discover the reasons for success or failure. The after-activity review (also

called an after-action review or postmortem) is a proedure for collectively analysing the

processes and resulting outcomes of a team activity. Members of the a team meet to examine

what was done well in the activity and what can be improved the next time a similar activity isconducted. They review their initial plans and objectives for the activity, the procedures used to

carry out the activity, problems or obstacles encountered in doing the activity, key decisions that

were made, adn the outcomes. Then the group plans how to use what they learned to improve

performance in the future.Guidelines for conducting an After-Activity Review

1. Near the beginning, make a self-critique that acknowledges shortcomings.2. Encourage feedback from others and model nondefensive acceptance of it.

3. Ask members to identify effective and ineffective aspects of team performance.

4. Encourage members to examine how group processes affected team performance5. Keep the discussion focused on behaviours rather than on individuals

6. If necessary, provide your own assessment of team performance.

7. Recognize improvements in team performance.

8. Ask members for suggestions on how to improve team performance.9. Propose improvements not already included in the teams suggestions.

Dialouge SessionsDialogue session forms a structure and rhythm for all learning activities. It is a social tool that

transforms individual's knowledge into team knowledge. An important prerequisite for team

learning is for members to understand each other. Members who understand each other'sperceptions and role expectations are able to coordinate their actions more easily. Mutual

understanding is also important for implicit assumptions about task issues. Problem solving is

more difficult when team members have different assumptions about the cause of the problem,

and these assumptions are not openly examined and evaluated. The discussion is likely tobecome a debate about competing proposals, with little consideration of implicit assumptions.

TEAM ATTITUDE

Signs of positive team attitude

Honesty and trust. Theyre honest and tell others what they know or dont know. They dont fake

it.

Open communication offered regularly, before others have to ask.


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Listening with care and sensitivity, and responding to needs and questions.

Anticipating others needs and offering to meet those needs.

Offering promises of what they can and will do not what they cant and wont do.

Keeping promises, doing what they say they will do.

Consistent follow-up and follow through with each other.

Support of one another instead of placing blame.

Knowledge sharing as opposed to keeping information as an advantage for personal gain.

Working together to solve a problem, not working against each other for their own self gain.

Accepting the differences in people and knowing that differences bring strength through unique

perspectives.

Showing respect and value for every person and his or her contributions.

Empathy for one another, combined with fair, compassionate and honest thoughtfulness.

Trust built through reliability and dependability.

Being nice to each other.

Creating Positive Attitude for Teamwork

The attitudes of a team shows how it contributes to the overall success of the business.

To have positive team attitude we need to create a climate that encourages teamwork and

sets the environment for positive team attitude.

A clear sense of direction with defined goals is imperative. The work needs to be

challenging and meaningful, and perceived by team members with a real sense of

purpose.

Team members should feel there is an opportunity for achievement and that all resources

needed to succeed will be available.

There is recognition at all levels from all levels for work that is done well.


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Creativity and open communication are encouraged, and there is an atmosphere of trust,

not punishment.

Most important, make a clear expectation of teamwork as a company value.

Team MeetingSelecting Participants The decision about who is to attend depends on what you want to accomplish inthe meeting.

If possible, call each person to tell them about the meeting, it's overall purpose

and why their attendance is important.

Send out a copy of the proposed agenda along with the meeting notice.Developing Agendas Develop the agenda together with key participants in the meeting. Think of whatoverall outcome you want from the meeting and what activities need to occur toreach that outcome. The agenda should be organized so that these activities areconducted during the meeting.

Design the agenda so that participants get involved early by having something forthem to do right away and so they come on time.

Next to each major topic, include the type of action needed, the type of outputexpected (decision, vote, action assigned to someone), and time estimates foraddressing each topicOpening Meetings Always start on time; this respects those who showed up on time and reminds late-comers that the scheduling is serious.

Welcome attendees and thank them for their time.

Review the agenda at the beginning of each meeting, giving participants a chanceto understand all proposed major topics, change them and accept them.

Note that a meeting recorder if used will take minutes and provide them back toeach participant shortly after the meeting.

Clarify members role(s) in the meeting.Time Management One of the most difficult facilitation tasks is time management.

You might ask attendees to help you keep track of the time.


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5. Set and seize upon a few immediate performance tasks and goals6. Challenge the group regularly with fresh facts and information7. Spend a lots of time together8. Exploit the power of positive feedback, recognition and reward

Team Effectiveness Model

Teams Task and SizeTask characteristics

Better when tasks are clear, easy to implement

Share common inputs, processes, or outcomes

Task interdependenceTeam size

Smaller teams are better

But large enough to accomplish task

Better if the number is odd.

Team is effective if we can create reciprocal interdependence in the tasks of theteam.


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Team Composition1. Motivation

To perform task

To work cooperatively the team2. Competencies

Collectively possess skills and knowledge to perform the task

Individual competencies to work effectively with each other3. Homogeneous or heterogeneous, depending on task requirements

Homogeneous vs. Heterogeneous Teams

Team NormsInformal rules and expectations team establishes to regulate member behaviorsNorms develop through:

Explicit statements

Critical events in teams history

Initial team experiences

Beliefs/values members bring to the teamChanging Team Norms

Introduce norms when forming teams

Select members with preferred norms

Discuss counter-productive norms

Reward behaviors representing desired norms

Disband teams with dysfunctional normsTeam RolesRole -- set of behaviors people are expected to perform by holding certain positions

Formally assigned or informally acquired based on personalitypreferences

Belbins Team Role Model Nine team roles -- all needed for optimal team performance

People choose preferred role based on their personality

Some roles should be strongest at certain times

An effective team has members that cover nine key roles in managing theteam and how it carries out its work


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Based on Belbin's model of nine team roles, managers or organisationsbuilding working teams would be advised to ensure that each of the roles canbe performed by a team member.

Some roles are compatible and can be more easily fulfilled by the sameperson; some are less compatible and are likely to be done well by peoplewith different behavioural clusters. This means that a team need not be asmany as nine people, but perhaps should be at least three or four.

Overall Belbin roles Description

Doing /acting

ImplementerWell-organized and predictable. Takes basic ideas andmakes them work in practice. Can be slow.

ShaperLots of energy and action, challenging others to moveforwards. Can be insensitive.

Completer/Finisher

Reliably sees things through to the end, ironing out the

wrinkles and ensuring everything works well. Can worrytoo much and not trust others.

Thinking/problem-solving

PlantSolves difficult problems with original and creative ideas.Can be poor communicator and may ignore the details.

Monitor/EvaluatorSees the big picture. Thinks carefully and accurately aboutthings. May lack energy or ability to inspire others.

SpecialistHas expert knowledge/skills in key areas and will solvemany problems here. Can be disinterested in all otherareas.

People /feelings

Coordinator Respected leader who helps everyone focus on their task.Can be seen as excessively controlling.

Team workerCares for individuals and the team. Good listener andworks to resolve social problems. Can have problemsmaking difficult decisions.

Resource/investigator

Explores new ideas and possibilities with energy and withothers. Good networker. Can be too optimistic and loseenergy after the initial flush.

Usage of Belbin Team Roles. Application Ensuring that each needed role in a team or project is actually performed by

somebody. Clustering certain activities in one team member in a logical way. If the team members are allowed to perform the activities they like most,

they will be more motivated which normally increase the team performance Well balanced teams are less risk-bearing and typically require less

management attention.

Influences on Team Cohesiveness


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Members of cohesive teams:

Want to remain members

Willing to share information

Strong interpersonal bonds

Resolve conflict effectively

Better interpersonal relationships

Cohesiveness and Performance

The Trouble With TeamsIndividuals better/faster on some tasksProcess losses - cost of developing and maintaining teamsCompanies dont support best work environment for team dynamicsSocial loafing

How to Minimize Social LoafingMake individual performance more visible

Form smaller teams

Specialize tasks

Measure individual performanceIncrease employee motivation

Increase job enrichment

Select motivated employees

Virtual Teams


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A Virtual Team - also known as a Geographically Dispersed Team (GDT) - is agroup of individuals who work across time, space, and organizationalboundaries with links strengthened by webs of communication technology.

They have complementary skills and are committed to a common purpose,have interdependent performance goals, and share an approach to work forwhich they hold themselves mutually accountable.

Geographically dispersed teams allow organizations to hire and retain thebest people regardless of location. Members of virtual teams communicateelectronically, so they may never meet face to face. However, most teamswill meet at some point in time.

A virtual team does not always mean teleworker. Teleworkers are defined asindividuals who work from home. Many virtual teams in today's organizationsconsist of employees both working at home and small groups in the office butin different geographic locations.

Why virtual teams? Best employees may be located anywhere in the world. Workers demand personal flexibility. Workers demand increasing technological sophistication. A flexible organization is more competitive and responsive to the

marketplace. Workers tend to be more productive; i.e., they spend less time on commuting

and travel The increasing globalization of trade and corporate activity. The global workday is 24 vs. 8 hours. The emergence of environments which require inter-organizational

cooperation as well as competition. Changes in workers' expectations of organizational participation. A continued shift from production to service/knowledge work environments. Increasing horizontal organization structures characterized by structurally

and geographically distributed human resources.

Benefits of virtual teams: Some members of virtual teams do not need to come in to the workplace,

therefore the company will not need to offer those workers office or parkingspace.

Reduces traveling expenses for employees. It allows more people to be included in the labor pool. It decreases both air pollution and congestion because there is less

commuting. It allows workers in organizations to be more flexible. By working in virtual teams, physical handicaps are not a concern.

Allows for people in different parts of the world to come together to work on aproject. Creates alliances and mergers between organizations. Extends the market to different geographical locations. Reduces costs for an organization.

Problems with virtual teams: Misunderstanding in communications is the leading complaint among

members of virtual teams.


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This problem is magnified when working with teams across culturalborders because of nuances in the English language

Working on a project over the virtual workspace causes lack of projectvisibility.

Difficulty contacting other members. (i.e. email, instant messaging, etc.) Differences in time zones. It can be difficult for team members to fully comprehend the meaning of text-

based messages. Building trust may be challenging because mechanisms different from those

used in face-to-face teams are required to build trust Members fail to take 'ownership' of project

Tips to ease communication problems for team members: Allow the team members to get to know each other by arranging occasional

face to face meetings. This can also be accomplished using webcams andvideo conferencing which may or may not necessitate that all team membersuse the same hardware and/or software applications.

Allow team members to get an idea of where the overall project is going. Thisway each member will know how they fit into the project.

Create a code of conduct. This will avoid delays and will make sure thatrequests are answered in a timely fashion.

Do not allow team members to disappear. Have a calendar for each teammember so that everyone's schedule is available to view.

Develop trust among the team. Store charts, diagrams, etc. on the internet so that the whole team can see

them. Create a 'face book' which includes information about background, interests

and helps team members get to know each other better. Individuals choosethe information to share. Connections and trust are built throughrelationships

Basic types of virtual teams Networked Teams consist of individuals who collaborate to achieve a

common goal or purpose; membership is frequently diffuse and fluid. Parallel Teams work in the short term to develop recommendations for an

improvement in a process or system; the team has a distinct membership. Project or Product-Development Teams conduct projects for users or

customers for a defined period of time. Tasks are usually non-routine, and theresults are specific and measurable; the team has decision making authority.

Work or Production Teams perform regular and ongoing work usually in onefunction; the team has clearly defined membership.

Service Teams support customers or the internal organization in typically aservice/technical support role around the clock.

Management Teams work collaboratively on a daily basis within a functionaldivision of a corporation. Action Teams offer immediate responses activated in (typically) emergency

situations.Aiding Software for Virtual Teams

Virtual teams are often spread all over the globe, ranging from differentoffices to different cultures; so how is it that they can remain on track withobjectives and come together to achieve goals to contribute to theorganization? The answer is that they use collaborative technology--in


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particular they use software that allows virtual teams to be as efficient assame-location teams.

Software that aids virtual team functioning can be separated into two maincategories--software that provides ease of communication and software thatprovides task and document organization.

Software that improves the ease of communication often includes features

such as presence awareness, instant messaging, and web conferencing.These tools allow team member to be accessible to their teams 24 hours aday. Members can have real time conversations and do not have to followlengthy correspondence as dispersed teams have had to in the past, whichleads to greater efficiency.

Software applications that organize team tasks and documents also improvetheir teams' efficiency. These programs consist of a central location where allmembers can access important documents to the team, track progress made,assign tasks, and even provide calendars with key dates and timelines tokeep all members current.

There are many software programs for virtual teams, such as Lotus softwareby IBM, NetMeeting by Microsoft, Facilitate.com by Facilitate.com, Thinktank

by GroupSystems, and many more. Software of this type is a fast-developingarea, so organizations should look often for software programs that suit thesize and functionality of their teams.

Team Collaboration:

Collaboration: is working together to achieve a goal. It is a recursive process wheretwo or more people or organizations work together to realize shared goals, (this ismore than the intersection of common goals seen in co-operative ventures, but adeep, collective, determination to reach an identical objective) for example, anintriguing endeavorthat is creative in natureby sharing knowledge, learning andbuilding consensus

Five essential characteristics of collaboration: Face-to-Face Interaction Positive Interdependence Interpersonal Skills Monitoring and Processing of Group Functioning Individual Accountability

Ways for Building Collaboration:Face-to-Face Interaction

Regular opportunities to meet Must be convenient for all members

Appropriate group size Literature suggests membership of 5 7 is best

Effective communication systems Decide how communication will occur between meetings (phone, e-

mail, minutes, notebook, etc.)Positive Interdependence

Identify team goals and purpose


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Use distributed leadership functions Rotate roles, share tasks and resources Roles: facilitator, recorder, time keeper

Develop a common understanding of the groups scope of work and authority e.g., ask: What kind of decision-making power does this group have?

Identify common rewards and opportunities

Interpersonal Skills Develop group norms indicating desired behaviors/types of

communication Examples: arrive on time, respect diverse points of view, no judging

during creative problem-solving Develop communication and conflict resolution skills

All group members need to practice their best communication andcollaboration skills

Learning to deal with conflict is keyMonitoring and Processing of Group Functioning

Develop time and methods for regular processing Regular processing is key to the growth of the group Best to conduct processing at the end of each meeting or on some

other regular basis (e.g., once a month) Its also good to take a deeper look one or two times per year

Individual Accountability Use agendas

Review agendas at the start of meetings; add items and identify timeto be spent on each item

Use minutes indicating action items and to do lists Minutes need to identify decisions that were made, and tasks to be

completed by individual group members Identify strategies for building a sense of responsibility

Rotate roles, share tasks, praise group and individualaccomplishments, etc.

Collaborative Decision-Making Identify and Use Specific Decision-Making Processes:

Consensus-based decision-making is most common in collaborativegroups

Sometimes consensus means deciding that I can live with that Democratic decision-making (i.e., voting) may be used when

consensus cannot be reached, as long as the group agrees to thisapproach ahead of time

Team Attitude

Signs of positive team attitude

Honesty and trust. Theyre honest and tell others what they know or dont

know. They dont fake it.

Open communication offered regularly, before others have to ask.

Listening with care and sensitivity, and responding to needs and questions.


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team building and leadership notes module 2

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