Team Building

[tconnor]

Management Tips #178
Team Building

The latest buzzword in American companies today is "Team building"
I have read dozens of articles, a few books and attended seminars on this critical subject. I have even given a number of presentations on teamwork and managing teams.

My question remains, why is this issue of teamwork getting so much action now. Is it because this is a revolutionary new concept that has been just discovered in America?

Is it because American management has tried every other approach to competing both domestically and internationally and this is just another strategy to win in the marketplace?

Is it because the American work-force has pushed this process to the top of managements' pile of things to do? Or is it because it is an idea whose time has come in American business?

Well it depends on who you ask. Ask management and they are responsible for this innovative philosophical shift in working smart. Ask employees and they will tell you that they are tired of the top down autocratic management style and it is long past due. Ask the business gurus' and they say it is an idea whose time has come.

Who is right? And does it really matter how we got here? The answer to the first question is, I don't know. The answer to the second question is, it certainly does.

As I see it, there are three vital aspects of this team process to consider if we are to effectively shift gears this late in the game.

First, what is the role or function of the individual in any team.

Second, what is the role or function of the team.

Third, what is the process that will be used to merge these two together to achieve success for the individual, the team and the organization.

In order to keep this article to a manageable length I am going to limit my discussion to sales teams and management teams. Much of this information can just as easily be applied in the family unit, the classroom as well as the athletic field.

A few basic premises before I delve into these questions in more detail.

1. Any group of two or more people constitutes a team.
2. Every team has unique qualities that contribute to its success or failure.
3. Every team has both internal and external issues and pressures that impact on its functioning.
4. Every team must effectively manage diversity in its members.
5. Conflict will be a natural by-product of any team dynamics.
6. How these conflicts are managed will determine the ultimate success of the team.
7. There are fundamental laws that govern a teams performance and outcomes just as there are laws that determine individual success.
8. Every team will go through stages of development and decline or renewal while it is an active entity.

Now, back to our questions on why this team building issue is so popular today, who is responsible for bringing it about and why does it matter.
Why does it matter who is responsible for getting us to our current stage when it comes to this team philosophy.

Athletes who participate in "team" sports have known for years the necessity of teamwork. When they lost track of this important quality and a single member of the group became the focal point the overall results suffered. If not in the short term, then certainly in the long term.

One of the coaches primary functions is to continue to reinforce this team spirit and atmosphere among its members. It is important that each member strive toward his/her full potential without damaging the spirit of the "whole".

If team building is thought of as a top down process by employees and management takes the credit for its creation and nurturing, eventually it will be replaced by another more or less effective fad or process. I do not mean to imply that team building is a fad, only that it will be perceived as just another tactic of management to improve individual performance and organization profits, if it does not become etched in the fiber of the business.

If team building is seen as a concoction of management gurus and philosophers it will have a short life due in part to their lack of first hand experience with both the process and function of how teams work.

If it is perceived as an inspiration of employees they will take ownership in its necessity, process and success.

There are a number of ingredients that are a part of the functioning of both an individual and a team. I would like to discuss briefly what I believe is the most critical.

Individuals have a self image and self concept that contributes a great deal to their performance, self worth and success. This self concept and self image become the most critical elements of the persons psyche, often determining their further developing attitudes about life, themselves, their roles and their future.

A team is made up of individuals with individual self concepts and self images. The team therefore becomes a composite of the accumulated self issues of the team members.

What does this mean in terms of team performance and outcomes.

Every individual performs consistent with their self image. If a salesperson feels they are a $100,000 a month producer that's where their monthly sales will range, anywhere from $85,000 to $115,000 a month. Usually no better or worse than their average. This average is a composite of their self-worth, self- image and self-concept. There is no way an individual can achieve consistent greater results than they think they are capable of. Yes, there will be spurts and slumps here and there but generally their results will fall within this range.

The same holds true for any team. There is a "team" self image, self concept and self worth. Their results and approach to opportunities and problems will be consistent with these "team" self fulfilling attitudes.

Achieving consistent better results with the individual salesperson requires an inside change in thinking not changes in territories, prices, products, quotas, and so on. And yet most managers are frustrated with the lack of improvement in sales results when their focus is on these outside in issues.

Achieving better results with the team requires the same strategies. The "team" must feel worthwhile, they must feel good about themselves as a team, their mission and role.

The job of the team leader and/or manager depending on who holds that position, is to build the self concept and self image of the team. No easy task when you consider that the team may be made up of multiple "self images", some positive and some negative.

So what can you do to manage this diversity.

1. Accurately assess the qualities of each team member in advance.
2. Ask yourself, is the teams objective too big for this individuals self-concept.
3. Ask yourself, does this individual function well in a group environment.
4. Accurately describe the role, objectives, challenges and opportunities to the team.
5. Insist on full ownership in the outcome by each member. Make it a "no-exit" team.
6. Foster an environment of trust and respect before you attempt to tackle a difficult objective.
7. Accept personality, perception, attitude and philosophy differences.
8. Keep the "team" focus uppermost. No individual stars.
9. Create a safe environment that is free of judgment and criticism.
10. Eliminate hidden agendas.
11. Encourage self-disclosure
12. Accept conflict as normal in any team process.