Groups and Groups Dynamics

Definition of a groupA group exist in an organisation if its

members: are motivated to joinPerceive the group as a unified unit of

interacting peopleContribute in various amounts to the group

processes Reach agreement and have disagreement

through various forms of interactions

Definition of a group a group is two or more people who

interact with each other, share common beliefs and view themselves as being members of a group

At minimum , to be considered a group, at least who people must deal with one another on a continuing basis

Before they interact with each other, they are likely to share common beliefs that impel them to band together

Over time, other shared values may emerge and be solidified

As a consequence of continuing interaction and awareness of shared beliefs, the individuals will see themselves as belonging to a distinct entity – the group

Formal vs. informal groups Formal groups – found in organisations

where people are frequently assigned to work in groups. Are task oriented.eg. A committee, a department

Therefore every organisation member must belong to at least one organizational group – i.e. every employee must have at least one formal role

Some organisation members may have more than one formal role (groups) - be member of a several committees and still belong to a department

Such multiple members can serve as a “linking pins” within the organisation who can enhance integration by sharing information across groups and passing directives to lower levels

Informal groups

Arise from social interactions among organizational members

Formed for political friendship or common interest

Membership in such groups is voluntary and more heavily based on interpersonal attractions

Sometimes the activities and goals of an informal group are attractive to prospective members – for example a group which plays cards games during lunch time

Note that not all informal groups have a specific set of activities, often they are simply composed of coworkers who share common concern – rumours, gossips etc

Informal groups are not inherently good or bad for an organisation

When informal groups goals are congruent with the organisation - such as when both seek to maximize customer satisfaction and produce a high quality products – then all is well and good

However, an informal group may oppose the organizational goals as when employees decide to restrict daily output, the informal groups are often sources of resistance to organizational change

Group dynamicsAre the interactions and forces among group members in social situations

Focuses on dynamics of member of both formal or informal groups

Describes how groups are organised and conducted in terms of: group leadership, members participation cooperation in the group

Why individuals form/join groups (reasons) 1. Physical and psychological distance/proximity

– people who are sitting or working in one area, or office are likely to form a group

Generally people who are physically close to one another develop closer relationship than those that are farther apart

The placement of office doors (psychological distance) does not encourage eye contact as people work and reduces need for . Therefore office layout can encourage or discourage group formation

Managers can consciously structure work setting, depending on whether the goals is to crate comradeship ship and groups spirit or to reduce informal contacts

2. Sharing common activities – this leads to more interactions and hence form groups in order to accomplish the common goals more easily

Security and protection Group membership can give an individual a

sense of security and a real degree of protection Being one member of a larger organisation can

generate a feeling of insecurity and anxiety, but belong to a small group can reduce such fears by providing a sense of unity with others

During times of stress, such as when the organisation is changing direction or leadership, belonging to a stable and supportive work unit can reduce individual anxiety

By virtue of sheer numbers, group afford a degree of protection than can individual might not otherwise enjoy

This is the principle behind union movement which attempts to give members are sense of protection through highly organised collective strength

AffiliationAn individual need for affiliation and

emotional support can be directly satisfied by membership in a group[

Acceptance by others is an important social need

Feeling accepted by others at work can help enhance once feeling of self worth

Esteem and Identity

Groups also provide an opportunity for an individual to feel important

They can give a person status and provide opportunities for praise and recognition

Many workers achievements may not be appreciated or understood by people unfamiliar with the nature of job. But by joining groups that does understand the job (either within the organisation or professional associations), people tend to gain opportunities to receive recognition and esteem for their accomplishment

Membership in a group also helps people to define who they are in the social scheme of things. Seeing oneself as a salesperson , an economist, or a teamster helps foster a feeling of identification with a larger purpose

Through membership in a work group, a persons gains formal tile and a sense of purpose

Task accomplishmentA primary reason that groups are created is to

facilitate task accomplishmentA group can often accomplish more through

joint effort than can an equal number of individuals working separate

Many goals are attainable only thro groups cooperative effort

By sharing ideals, pooling resources, providing feedback to members, a group can be an effective mechanism for attaining otherwise difficult goals

Similarity Do “opposites attract” or “ birds of a feather

flock together” Do people who are dissimilar in terms of sex,

race, income, age, religion and the like find each others company more satistifying than people who are highly similar on these dimension.

Although much of the research on this topic points to the potential of both processes, attraction among similar people appears to be more somewhat common

People with similar attitudes , values towards commonly relevant object and goals, needs and abilities .e.g. religion, politics, Lifestyle, work , authority etc are likely to form groups

If they no longer share common values/attitudes, then the relationship is dissolved

4. Because of the expected reward – cost outcome of interaction

rewards must be greater than the cost of an outcome in order for attraction or affiliation to take places

Rewards will gratify needs while cost will incur anxiety, frustration, embarrassment, fatigue

5. Economic reason - economic ( group incentive plans)

Impact of group on performance The mere presence of othersResearch has focused on the effect of the mere

presence of others on an individual performance. Results of such studies indicate that having others nearby tends to facilitate performance on relatively simple and well rehearsed tasks.

However, for fairly complex tasks, the presence of others can have a detrimental effect

The positive effect of others being present is called social facilitation effect, while the detrimental effect is termed as social inhibition effect

For example if you are asked to perform in front of an audience, and your assigned task is relatively easy, you do it relatively well, but if the task is something you have never done before or a little difficult you notice you do it poorly

The reason for the effects is twofold:When we expect others to evaluate us, we feel

apprehensive (regardless of whether we are actually being judged)

The presence of others can increase arousal because of greater self-evaluation of performance. Such self evaluation can aid performance of a simple task, but impair performance of a difficult task.

The implication of this line of research are that for a task that are simple and repetitive, the presence of coworkers can have a positive effect, where for complex and novel task, working in isolation is preferred

sizeGroup size has a detectable effects on group

performance,In large groups, potential impact and

contribution of each individual are somewhat diminished, but the total resources of the group are increased

Administering a large group also creates unique problems for managers

Most organisations settle of groups of five to seven to handle most problems-solving task and for span of control

Several conclusions have been made about group size

First, members appear to become more tolerant of authorities and directive leadership as group size increase. Apparently, group members recognise and concede the administrative difficulties that can arise in a large work unit. In addition, as unit size increases, it become more difficult for handful of subordinates to be influential, and members may feel inhibited about participating in group activities

Secondly, lager groups are more likely to have formalized rules and set procedures for dealing with problems.

Despite the grater formality, larger groups require more time to reach decisions than smaller groups. Additionally, subgroups are not committed to the full groups formal goals and prefer instead to pursue the more selfish interest of a few members [

Thirdly, in a review of research on group size, research suggests that job satisfaction is lower in larger groups. This properly occurs because people receive less personal attention and fewer opportunities to participate. It is also likely that employees in smaller work units feel that their presence is more crucial to the group and therefore incline to e more involved

For blue collar workers, absenteeism and turnover increases with larger work groups

Cohesion and communication decrease with greased group size, making it less attractive and lessening the workers desire to attend

Fourthly, as group size increase, productivity reaches a point of diminishing returns, because of the rising difficulties of coordination and members involvement – hence the group of 5 – 7 in units

CompositionHow well a group perform a task depends in a large

part on the task relevant resources of its membersThe diversity versus redundancy of its traits and

abilities, then is an important factor in explaining groups performance

Groups composed of highly similar individuals who hold common beliefs and have the same abilities are more likely to view a task form a single perspective

Such solidarity can be productive, but may also mean that members will lack a critical ingredient for unraveling a certain kind of problem

One of the groups greatest assets in comparison to individuals acting alone is the likelihood of achieving higher-quality solutions

We can therefore reasonably expect that diversified groups tend to do better on many problem-solving task than do homogeneous group of highly similar individuals

Diverse abilities and experiences of the members of a heterogeneous group offer an advantage for generating innovative solution, provided the skills and experiences are relevant to the task

Thus merely adding more people to a problem solving group to broaden the pool of skills and experiences will not guarantee a better job

Attention must be the relevance of the members attributes within the group

Additionally, the more competent members of a work group must also be the most influential members

Roles Every member of a group has a different set

of activities to performThe set of expected behaviour relating to an

individual position within a group is called a role

A persons formal role in a group may be defined in a job description or in a manual

Factors which determine group performance/effectiveness - Group cohesiveness LeadershipTask interdependent ( how closely group

members work together)Outcome interdependent ( whether and how

group performance is rewardedPotency ( members belief that groups can be

effective)

Group cohesiveness and leadership – based on the study by SchadlerGroup cohesiveness has a highly significant

effect on performanceCohesiveness is the extent to which members

are attracted to a group and desire to remain in it

It is described as the sum of all forces acting on individuals to remain in the group

Cohesiveness pertains to how group members “stick together”

Factors that induce and sustain group cohesiveness Similarity of attitudes and goals when group members have similar attitudes,

they find each others company pleasurable. So, too, individuals members will be attracted to

a group whose goals and ambitions are similar to their own

ThreatsThe presence of external threats can help to

increase group cohesiveness in that sharing a mutual fate can lead to greater awareness of interdependence

Competition from sources outside the group can also enhance cohesiveness, whereas competition among groups will tend to decrease cohesiveness

Unit sizeSmaller groups tend to be more cohesive than

larger groups because smaller groups offer greater opportunities to interact with all members

Since diversity and therefore dissimilarity of attitudes and values tend to increase with group size, larger groups are likely to be less cohesive

In a addition, in larger units, the need for more rigid work rules and procedures reduce the informal nature of relations and communication among group members

Reward systemCohesiveness can be increased by offering

reward on a group rather than an individualGroup incentives encourage like bonuses

based on team performance encourage perception of a common fate and enhance cooperation

Reward schemes that encourage competition among group members tend to diminish group cohesiveness

Work unit assignmentThe deliberate composition of work unit based on

interpersonal attraction, similarity of values and common goals can facilitate cohesiveness

The work team that are formed on the basis of personal preferences have high level of job satisfaction than did the randomly assigned work wok units

IsolationGenerally, groups that are isolated form others are more

likely t be more cohesiveGroups in isolation come to view themselves as unique and

different Isolation also helps to foster group members sense of

common fate and need for defense against outside threats

Highly cohesive group that is given a positive leadership will have the highest productivity ad vise versa

Factors that increase/decrease cohesivenessAgreement/disagreement on group goalsFrequency of interactionsSize of the groupPersonal attractiveness vs. unpleasant

experiencesIntergroup competition vs. intragroup competitionDominance by one or more members

The effect of cohesivenessSatisfaction Members of a highly cohesive groups are

generally much more satisfied than members of a less cohesive group

This is expected because by the very definition of group cohesion it is implied that a strong attractiveness among group members exist

CommunicationCommunication among group members is

significantly greater in highly cohesive groups than in less cohesive groups

This is because members of a cohesive group are likely to share common values and goals and find their own company satisfying, they are inclined to greater communicativeness

This communication in turn tend to foster greater personal revelation and depth of understanding which cement positive social relation

HostilityHostile and aggressive acts are more

frequent in highly cohesive groups, but such hostility is usually directed toward people who are not members of the group . Cohesion apparently creates a sense of superiority among group members which can result in hostility towards and rejection of outsiders

Productivity Some research has found cohesive groups to be

very productive, which others have found that highly cohesive groups are not as productive as less cohesive groups

Still other researchers have reported no relationship between productivity and group cohesion

It appear that a primary determinant of the effect of cohesion on productivity is whether the group goals are congruent with those of the organisation

If the goals of the cohesive group goals includes performance, then high performance can be reasonably expected.

Conversely, if a highly cohesive group values reduced productivity , then a relatively low level of productivity can be expected

In short, , cohesive groups are more likely to attain their goals than are less cohesive groups

What is a Team?Two or more people who satisfy the following

conditions to form a team.

1. Have a common purpose, objectives, vision, values and philosophy

2. Working together to achieve clearly defined goals, objectives and targets.

3. Highly communicating-understanding each other

4. Have different backgrounds, skills and abilities5. One of them is accepted or designated as the

leader.

Where there is synergy there is a team (five conditions stated above fulfilled).

Groups can be:Effective CohesiveFragmentedImmature

Group Vs. TeamsGroup Group Team Team

Has short term perspective Has short term perspective Has both short and long term Has both short and long term perspectiveperspective

Not necessarily Not necessarily institutionalized institutionalized

Institutionalized Institutionalized

Roles and authority not Roles and authority not always clearly defined always clearly defined

Roles and authorities are Roles and authorities are clearly defined clearly defined

Rules and systems of Rules and systems of operation and not clearly operation and not clearly defined defined

Rules and systems of Rules and systems of operation defined and operation defined and adhered toadhered to

Groups Teams

A group exists as a unit A group exists as a unit but people are but people are independent of each independent of each otherother

People act as a cohesive People act as a cohesive and interdependent forceand interdependent force

Members frequently Members frequently work at cross purposework at cross purpose

Personal and team goals Personal and team goals are achieved through are achieved through mutual mutual

Group Group Team Team

members are self-members are self-centered and low centered and low on commitmenton commitment

members love members love their work and are their work and are highly committedhighly committed

there is little there is little involvement of involvement of members in members in planningplanning

members are members are highly involved in highly involved in planningplanning

Group Group Team Team

Contributions and Contributions and suggestions are suggestions are discourageddiscouraged

Contributions and Contributions and suggestions are suggestions are encouragedencouraged

there is lack of there is lack of trusttrust

there is high level there is high level of Trustof Trust

Group Group Team Team

there is blocked there is blocked communicationcommunication

there is open there is open communicationcommunication

members are members are CautiousCautious

Members are Members are CreativeCreative

Group Group Team Team

there is low level there is low level of training and of training and self-developmentself-development

Training and self-Training and self-development is development is encouragedencouraged

there is low there is low participation in participation in decision-makingdecision-making

there is High level there is High level of participation in of participation in decision-makingdecision-making

Acid test for team work

Increased results or maintained best performance

Better ideas processed and implemented

Less time to complete projects or tasks

More fun and motivation

Profile of a Winning TeamMembership: Members are known to each other

Goals: Aims and objectives are clear to all

Interdependence: Members recognise the need to work together and support each otherCollaboration: Members hold and support each other

Collaboration: hold and support each other

Identification: Members think in terms of “We The Team” and not “I”.

Conflict Resolution: Members confront issues/problems and resolve them positively – growing out of the experience.

Cont’dEnabling Environment: Open, free,

and supportive organizational environment

Leadership: Shared, Rotational

Decision Making: Consensual, open ended discussions and problem-solving

meetings.

Members’ Role: Clear and Balanced

Rewards: On basis of Results, team based but also recognises individual contribution

Team Behaviour: Cooperative

Stages in Team DevelopmentFormingStormingNormingPerformingAdjourning

FormingThis is the initial stage and is marked by:

Members testing each others reaction to determine which actions are acceptable and unacceptable

Members depend on each other for cues about what is expected in the way of contribution and personal conduct

Uncertainty and confusionGroup members are not sure about the group in

terms of the purpose, structures, tasks and leadership

groups get preoccupied with getting and an identity and understanding purpose, functions

StormingThis is the stage characters by:

intragroup conflict and confrontation – there may be considerable hostility disagreement and conflicts as members wrestle with how power and status will be divided

Members may resist the formation of a group structure and ignore the desire of the group leader

Members are trying to clarifying issues and resolve conflict resolution

NormingThe members in this stage begin to cooperate and collaborate

A feeling of cohesiveness developsThey have a “we” feeling Members attraction to the team is strengthened,

and job satisfaction grow as the level of cohesiveness increases

Cooperation and a sense of shared responsibility are primary teams at this stage

Developing and promoting team spiritHave group identity and comradeship Setting rules and regulations

PerformingThis is the stage where the group is fully

functional and devoted to effectivenessThe group has established a flexible network

of relationship that aids task accomplishmentInternal hostility is at a low point as the

group directs its energies towards successful performance of valued tasks

Accomplishing the tasks agreed upon at the norming stage

Engagement in the task as per objectives

Adjourning stageThis represents the end of the group, which

ongoing, permanent groups will never reachThis stage is reach by project teams or task

oriented team with specific objects and once the objectives have been accomplished, the group is disbanded

Resistance to changeAlthough it is less well document, social

scientist generally believe that highly cohesive groups are more resistant to change than are less cohesive groups

Changes that disrupt the status quo threaten a groups networks and social support and are, therefore likely to be resisted

Attempt at job design that ignore the existing social relations among employees runs a greater risk of failing

The five dysfunctions of a team1. Absence of trust2. Fear of conflict 3. Lack of commitment 4. Avoidance of accountability 5. Inattention to results

DYSFUNCTION I: ABSENCE OF TRUST. Trust lies at the heart of a functioning ,

cohesive team. Without it, teamwork is all but impossible

When team members are truly comfortable being exposed to one another they begin to act without concern for protecting themselves.

As a result, they can focus their energy and attention completely on the job at hand, rather that on being strategically disingenuous or political with one another.

Teams that lack trust waste excessive amounts of time and energy managing their behaviours and interactions within the group.

They tend to dread team meetings, and are reluctant to take risks in asking for or offering assistance to others.

As a result morale on distrusting teams is usually low, and unwanted turnover is high.

Members of teams with an absence of trust…Conceal their weaknesses and mistakes

from one another Hesitate to ask for help or provide

constructive feedbackHesitate to offer help outside their own

areas of responsibilityJump to conclusions about the intentions

and aptitude of others without attempting to clarify them.

Members of teams with an absence of trust…Fail to recognize and tap into one another’s’ skills and experiences

Waste time and energy managing their behaviours for effect

Hold grudgesDread team meetings and find reasons to avoid spending time together

Members of trusting teams…

Admit weaknesses and mistakesAsk for helpAccept questions and input about their areas

of responsibilityGive one another the benefit of the doubt

before arriving at a negative conclusionTake risks in offering feedback and

assistance

Members of trusting teams…

Appreciate and tap into one another’s skills and experiences

Focus time and energy on important issues, not politics

Offer and accept apologies without hesitationLook forward to meetings and other

opportunities to work as a group

Suggestions for Overcoming Dysfunction I

Knowing Each Others Personal History. E.g. number of siblings, hometown, unique challenges of childhood, favourite hobbies, first job and worst job.

Team Effectiveness ExerciseIdentify the single most important

contribution that each of their peers makes to the team as well as the one area that they must really improve upon or eliminate for the good of the team. All members report their responses, focusing on one person at a time, usually beginning with the team leader.

Personality and Behavioral Preference Profiles

These help break down barriers by allowing people to better understand and empathize with one another

360-Degree FeedbackExperiential Team Exercises

The Role Of A Leader In Building Trust

To demonstrate vulnerability first. This requires that a leader risk losing face in front of the team, so that subordinates will take the same risk themselves.

Create an environment that does not punish vulnerability. Even well intentioned teams can subtly discourage trust by chastising one another for admissions of weaknesses or failure.

Displays of vulnerability on the part of a team leader must be genuine; they cannot be stage managed. One of the best ways to lose the trust of a team is to feign vulnerability in order to manipulate the emotions of others

DYSFUNCTION 2: FEAR OF CONFLICTBy building trust, a team makes conflict

possible because team members do not hesitate to engage in passionate and sometimes emotional debate, knowing that they will not be punished for saying something that might otherwise be interpreted as destructive or critical.

teams that engage in productive conflict know that the only purpose is to produce the best possible solution in shortest period of time

they emerge from heated debates with no residual feelings or collateral damage, but with an eagerness and readiness to take on the next important issue.

When team members do not openly debate and disagree about important ideas, they often turn back to back-channel personal attacks, which are far nastier and more harmful than any heated argument over issues.

Suggestions for Overcoming Dysfunction 2 By acknowledging that conflict is productive,

and that many teams have a tendency to avoid it.

Teams that fear conflict…Have boring meetings Create environments where back-channel

politics and personal attacks thriveIgnore controversial topics that are

critical to team success Fail to tap all the opinions and

perspectives of team membersWaste time and energy with posturing and

interpersonal risk management

Teams that engage in conflict..Have lively, interesting meetingsExtract and exploit the ideas of all team

membersSolve real problems quicklyMinimize politics Put critical topics on the take for discussion

Methods of making conflict more productive

Mining - occasionally assume the role of a “miner of conflict”-someone who extracts buried disagreements within the team and sheds the light of day on them.

Real Time Permission - recognize when the people engaged in conflict are becoming uncomfortable with level of discord, and then interrupt to remind them that what they are doing is necessary

The Role of the Leader in Promoting Healthy Conflict demonstrate restraint when their people

engage in conflict, and allow resolution to occur naturally, as messy as it can sometimes be.

Personally model appropriate conflict behaviour - a team leader will encourage this dysfunction to thrive.

DYSFUNCTION 3: LACK OF COMMITMENT

By engaging in productive conflict and tapping into team members’ perspectives and opinions , a team can confidently commit and buy in to a decision knowing that they have benefited from everyone’s ideas.

Commitment is a function of two things:ClarityBuy –in

The two greatest causes of the lack of commitment are the desire for consensus and the need for certainty

A team that fails to commit…Creates ambiguity among the team about

direction and prioritiesWatches windows of opportunity close due

to excessive analysis and unnecessary delayBreeds lack of confidence and fear of failureRevisits discussions and decisions again and

againEncourages second-guessing among team

members

A team that commits…

Creates clarity around direction and priorities

Aligns the entire team around common objectives

Develops an ability to learn from mistakesTakes advantage of opportunities before

competitions doesMoves forward without hesitationChanges direction without hesitation or guilt

Suggestions for Overcoming Dysfunction 3 Cascading messaging -At the end of a

staff meeting or off-site, a team should explicitly review the key decisions made during the meeting, and agree on what needs to be communicated to employees or other constituencies about those decisions.

From members of the team learn that they are not all on the same page about what has been agreed upon and that they need to clarify specific outcomes before putting them into action.

Moreover, they become clear on which of the decisions should remain confidential, and which must be communicated quickly and comprehensively.

Finally, by leaving meetings clearly aligned with one another, leaders send a powerful and welcomed message to employees who have grown accustomed to receiving inconsistent and even contradictory statements from managers who attended the same meeting.

Deadlines - One of the best tools for ensuring commitment is the use of clear deadlines for when decisions will be made, and honouring those dates with discipline and rigidity

Committing to deadlines for intermediate decisions and milestones is just as important as final deadlines, because it ensures that misalignment among team members is identified and addressed before the costs are too great.

Contingency and Worst-Case Scenario Analysis - A team that struggles with commitment can begin overcoming this tendency by briefly discussing contingency plans up front or, better yet, clarifying the worst-case scenario for a decision they are struggling to make.

Purpose is to reduce their fears by helping them realize that the costs of an incorrect decision are survivable, and far less damaging than they had imagined

The Role of the Leader

More than any other member of the team, the leader must be comfortable with the prospect of making a decision that ultimately turns out to be wrong.

The leader must be constantly pushing the group for closure around issues , as well as adherence to schedules that the team has set.

Do not place too high a premium on certainty or consensus.

DYSFUNCTION 4: AVOIDANCE OF ACCOUNTABILITY

This involves willingness of team members to call their peers on performance or behaviours that might hurt the team.

Members of great teams improve their relationships by holding one another accountable, thus demanding that they respect each other and have high expectations for one another’s performance

The most effective and efficient means of maintaining high standards of performance on a team is peer pressure

A team that avoids accountability…Creates resentment among team members

who have different standards of performanceEncourages mediocrityMisses deadlines ad key deliverablesPlaces an undue burden on the team leader

as the sole source of discipline

A team that holds one another accountable…

Ensures that poor performers feel pressure to improve

Identifies potential problems quickly by questioning one another’s approaches without hesitation

Establishes respect among team members who are held to the same high standards

Avoids excessive bureaucracy around performance management and corrective action

Ways to make team members to hold one another accountable Publication of Goals and Standards -

clarify publicly exactly what the team needs to achieve, who needs to deliver what, and how everyone must behave in order to succeed. Remember the enemy of accountability is ambiguity

Simple and Regular Progress Reviews A little structure goes a long way toward helping people take action that they might not otherwise be inclined to do

Team Rewards By shifting rewards away from individual performance to team achievement, the team can create a culture of accountability

The Role of a LeaderCreate a culture of accountability by

encouraging and allowing the team to serve as the first and primary accountability mechanism.

He/she must be willing to serve as the ultimate arbitrator of discipline when the team itself fails. This should be a rare occurrence. Nevertheless, it must be clear

DYSFUNCTION: INATTENTION TO RESULTS

The tendency of members to care about something other than the collective goals of the group

An absence of accountability is an invitation of team members to shift their attention to areas other than collective results.

Watch out for teams which are focused on team status and/or individual status instead of results

team status - merely being part of the group is enough to keep them satisfied

Individual status - to focus on enhancing their own positions or career prospects at the expense of their team

A team that is not focused on results….Stagnates/fails to grow Rarely defeats competitorsLoses achievement-oriented employeesEncourage team members to focus on their

own careers and individual goalsIs easily distracted

A team that focuses on collective results…Retains achievement –oriented employeesMinimizes individualistic behaviourEnjoys success and suffers acute failure

acutelyBenefits from individuals who subjugate

their own goals/interests for the good of the team

Avoids distractions

How to focus on collective resultsPublic declaration of results -Teams that

wiling to commit publicly to specify results are more likely to work with a passionate, even desperate desire to achieve those results

Results-Based Rewards - An effective way to ensure that team members focus their attention on results is to tie their rewards, especially compensation, to the achievement of specific outcomes.

The Role of the LeaderThe leader must set the tone for a focus

on results. If team members sense that the leader values anything other that results, they will take that as permission to do the same for themselves.

Team leader must be selfless and objective, and reserve rewards and recognition for those who make real contributions to the achievement of group goals.

10 commandments of a good team memberAlways remember the teams’ objectivesAct according to agreements of the teamCommunicate actively with other membersTrust other team membersBe ready to compromiseStick to agreed procedures/rules/regulationsRemember that you bring something unique

to the team

Commandments con’t…Participate actively Seek for opportunities to learn and develop

yourselfRemember that as an individual, you add to

the synergy of the team – others need you!!

Nine Team RolesRole Summary Positive Qualities Allowable

weaknessesPlant Individualistic

Serious mindedGenius, intellect Up in the clouds and

tend to disrespect protocol

Resource Investigator

ExtrovertEnthusiastic

Capacity for networking and accessing information

Looses interest easily and uncritical

Co-ordinator Calm and Controlled Welcome all contributors without prejudice

Not that intelligent and creative

Shaper Outgoing and Dynamic

Has drive and challenges ineffectiveness

Prone to provocation and impatience

Monitor Evaluator

Sober and Unemotional

Sober and unemotional Can be uninspired or uninspiring

Team worker Socially oriented People centred and promotes team spirit

Indecisive in moments of crisis

Team roles continued:

Role Summary Positive qualities

Allowable weaknesses

Implementer Conservative and dutiful

Hard working and self discipline

Lack of flexibility and slow to respond to new ideas

Completer Painstaking and orderly

Perfectionism Inclined to worry unduly and reluctant to delegate

Specialist Single minded and dedicated

Provides scares skills Contributes on a narrow front and tend not to see the bigger picture.

challengeThe challenge for the leader is in finding

the right mix of people and in developing the right balance of individual team skills.

Most people have one or two strong role preferences and others they are comfortable with.