Teambuilding Workshop

ULS Leadership ProgramKaren Calhoun5 March 2013

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Outcomes – Paths to Personal Mastery

Learning Outcome Units

Understanding teams

Why use teams?Types of teamsHow teamwork developsTeam sizeRoles people play in teamsExercise

Leading teams

Team kickoffsDealing with five team dysfunctionsTrust and trustworthinessExercise

Working with teams

Establishing normsGetting people to participateCreative thinkingExercise - Rewarding teams

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Agenda Topic Time

Arrival 10:25-10:35 am

Understanding teams 10:35-11:45 am

Box lunches 11:45 am-12:15 pm

Leading teams 12:15-1:15pm

Short break 1:15-1:25 pm

Working with teams 1:25-2:25 pm

Close and get on shuttle

2:25-2:30 pm

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UNDERSTANDING TEAMS

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Why Use Teams?

□They get things done

□They tear down organizational walls

□They strengthen organizations by encouraging communications, action, and collaboration

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Photo: Mission Control celebratesApollo 13 splashdownRights: public domain

Some benefits and costs of teams

Benefits□ Better solutions from

cross-functional expertise

□ Educate and increase understanding

□ Build consensus and help to manage transitions

□ Encourage stakeholder involvement and networking

Costs or challenges□ Overhead of

coordination and integration

□ Team members who are “free riders” (loafing)

□ Possible middle management resistance

□ How to evaluate?6

What is a team?

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“A team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, set of performance goals, and approachfor which they hold themselves mutually accountable”—Katzenbach and Smith

Handout: Katzenbach, Jon R., and Douglas K. Smith. 1993. “The Discipline of Teams.” Harvard Business Review 71: 111-120.

Calling a group a team does not make them a team

Work groups□ Individuals responsible

for own results□ Individual work

products□ Often report to a

single manager□ Often ongoing, formal

part of hierarchy

Teams□ Responsible for own

and team’s results□ Collective work

products□ Usually facilitated by a

team leader□ Sometimes temporary

(project-based)

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“The essence of a team is common commitment”—Katzenbach and Smith

How teams develop

Requirements□ Distinct identity□ Shared values□ Definite intention□ Understood roles□ Clear, shared norms□ Defined processes,

e.g. for planning and solving problems

Key questions□ Who are we?□ What do we stand for?□ Where are we going?□ Who will do what?□ How work together?□ How will we allocate

resources, manage conflict, adapt?

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Stages of Team Development

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Tuckman Model of Group Development

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1 Forming

2 Storming3 Norming

Performing

Adjourning Tuckman, Bruce W. 1965. Developmental Sequence in Small Groups.Psychological Bulletin 63 (6)

Step Ladder Process

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(and sometimes we mighthave to stop and rebuild)

Setting up teams for learning and performance

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Figure adapted from Hebenstreit, Karl. 2008. “IPT Bldg. III -- Implementing IPTs -- An Action View.” http://wiki.nasa.gov/cm/wiki/?id=2726

Optimal Team Size

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1 5 10 20

Team Size (number of people)

OptimumTeam Size

Adapted from Hebenstreit, Karl. 2008. “IPT Bldg. II -- Understanding IPTs -- A Systems View.” http://wiki.nasa.gov/cm/wiki/?id=2725#gen19

Team Size ConsiderationsA useful source in addition to this chart:

Hoegl, Martin. 2005. “Smaller Teams–Better Teamwork: How to Keep Project Teams Small.” Business Horizons 48 (3): 209–214.

15Chart: McBurnie, Anton, and 3Circle Partners. Belbin North America. 2013. “Fast Team Fundamentals: When It Comes To Teams – Size Matters!” http://www.3circlepartners.com/news/team-size-matters/

Roles People Play in Teams (Belbin)

1. Chair – coordinator: clarifies tasks, coordinates efforts, optimizes team member talents

2. Shaper – motivated to get results; shapes and guides team efforts

3. Plant – source of creativity and imagination; problem solver; “idea person”

4. Monitor–evaluator - objective analyst, critic, interpreter of ideas and contributions

5. Company worker - turns decisions and strategies into tasks that people can accomplish

6. Resource investigator – has many outside contacts; can obtain ideas or information

7. Team worker – promotes unity and harmony; holds team together; maintains consensus

8. Completer-finisher – worries about detail, deadlines and what could go wrong

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Exercise – Evaluating Team Character

□Working by yourself:□ Consider the ULS teams of which you are a member and

choose one to evaluate□ Analyze the character of your team using the “Team

Character Inventory” handout

□Working at your tables:□ Compare and discuss your personal findings□ Select one factor from each Inventory category (Safety

and Trust, Group, Goals, Vision) that you feel is key to the success of teams in the ULS

□ Of those four, select one to report out to the group□ Report your choice and explain why you chose it

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Subject of a post-workshop conversation?

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TWO FLY-BY SLIDES BEFORE LUNCH

Observing Group Roles (see handout)

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Type of Role Examples

Task Roles InitiatingInformation Seeking or GivingClarifyingSummarizingConsensus Testing

Maintenance Roles EncouragingHarmonizingExpressing Group FeelingsGate KeepingCompromising/NegotiatingNorms Setting or Testing

Hindering Roles DominatingWithdrawingAvoiding, degradingSide conversations, multitasking

More on people and teams – for strategizing at another time

To team or not to team□ Integrators – like relating

to people from other departments – want to be on team

□ Receptors – respect others but don’t desire personal relationships – good contacts but not good team members

□ Isolates – specialists who want to work alone – better as consultants than team members

Difficult behaviors□ Arguer – tries to cross others up,

quibbles, challenges□ Attacker – personally attacks

others, creates destructive conflicts□ Know-it-all – won’t listen and

resents being told; imposes opinions on others

□ Gossip – introduces overheard info and hearsay

□ Busybody – multitasks during meeting, ducks in and out

□ Mouse – won’t speak up□ Repeater – ax to grind□ Wanderer – long winded, often off

track

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LUNCH

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11:45 – 12:15

Photo by: Blanche, WilPersistent URL: arcweb.archives.gov/arc/action/ExternalIdSearch?id=549911Repository: National Archives at College ParkRights: Unrestricted

LEADING TEAMS

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Team Kick-offs

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Kickoff

Figure adapted from Hebenstreit, Karl. 2008. “IPT Bldg. III -- Implementing IPTs -- An Action View.” http://wiki.nasa.gov/cm/wiki/?id=2726

□ Is a team approach best?□ Mission, tasks,

deliverables (charter)□ Resources, constraints,

timeline□ Level of team authority□ Membership□ Team leader 24

□ Introductions□ Big Picture□ Vision and mission

(empowering)□ Expectations□ Tasks/deliverables□ Timeline□ Communications

requirements□ Dependencies □ Some kick-offs start

with a social event□ Some kick-offs are

offsite

TEAM KICK-OFF

MANAGEMENT ACTIONS

Apollo 13 Kick-off Meeting?

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WATCH THE CLIP AND IDENTIFY:

Senior Management ActionsTeam Actions--Situational assessment --First meeting--Scenarios for success--Assign people

Some ideas for kick-off meetings – warming people up, orienting them

□ A lot depends on context, but maybe …□ Food□ Walk around / field trip□ Pre-readings to discuss□ Guest speaker□ Brainstorming exercise (with post-its)—maybe

goals or stakeholders or …□ Self-audit with group exercise of some kind□ Lightning round (to get everyone to say

something)□ …

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Dealing with Team Dysfunction

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From:Lencioni, Patrick. 2005. “Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team.” Audio-Tech Business Book Summaries 14 (5).

Who do you trust?

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Gallup. 2012. “Honesty/Ethics in Professions.” December 3. http://www.gallup.com/poll/1654/honesty-ethics-professions.aspx#1

Please tell me how you wouldrate the honesty and ethicalstandards of people in thesedifferent fields—very high, high, average, low or verylow?

Trust, Leadership, Credibility, Influence and Reputation

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Trust and Trustworthiness

□Trust:□Strengthens

relationships□Sustains positive

change□Increases

effectiveness

□Trustworthiness:□Your own and

others’ confidence in your character and competence

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CHARACTER + COMPETENCE = TRUSTWORTHINESS

Character and Competence

□Character:□True to your

feelings, values, commitments

□Expressing yourself with courage and consideration

□Abundance mentality

□Competence:□Practical knowledge

and skills (incl. communication)

□Able to plan, organize, forecast, solve problems, innovate…

□Able to work cooperatively with others

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Trust is Fragile – Handle with Care

Deposits□ Clear expectations□ Kindness, courtesy□ Making/keeping

promises□ Loyalty to the absent□ Apologies□ Accepting responsibility□ Listening openly □ Giving credit

Withdrawals□ Unclear expectations□ Unkindness, rudeness□ Breaking promises,

underdelivering□ Disloyalty, duplicity□ Arrogance□ Blaming others□ Being defensive□ Taking credit

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Exercise – Trustworthiness Survey

1. Working by yourself, complete the “Trustworthiness Survey” handout and circle one or two items where you gave yourself a lower score

2. Then on the back, complete the following “personal workout” by jotting down for yourself:a. What specific “deposits” will you make, when, to work on your

trust challenges? b. Make a quick inventory of the promises/commitments you have

made to others. Ask yourself how you are doing on fulfilling them. If not as well as you want, jot down ideas of what you can do in future to avoid undelivered promises

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WORKING WITH TEAMSLast hour!

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Establishing Group Norms (Not!)

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An early team conversation

□ Pay particular attention to first meetings□ What leaders do is more important than what they

say□ Talk/brainstorm about “how we will work together”

to meet team purpose and goals. Possibly: Starting and ending on time – Coming prepared – Having agendas - Attendance, paying attention, multitasking during meetings - Contributions (everyone does real work) – Results orientation (everyone gets assignments and does them) – Making the team a priority - Discussion (no sacred cows) – If you don’t understand, ask – Don’t hesitate to disagree - Participate, don’t dominate – Don’t talk over someone else – Actively listen – Evidence-based analysis - Offering constructive criticism – No finger pointing - Have some fun!

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Getting people to participate

□ Pay particular attention to first meetings

□ Be patient□ Gradual acceptance of

group norms will help, as people feel safer

□ Early, interactive training session will help

□ Use interactive approaches that make it easy for all to contribute

□ Encourage creative thinking and use brainstorming techniques

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Building Your Team Interaction Tool Kit (more handouts)

□Brainstorming, brain-writing□Force field analysis – Explore factors

that support or hinder a change□Criteria analysis – generate criteria,

then use them to evaluate alternatives□Stakeholder analysis – Identifying

those affected by an upcoming change □So many more …

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Creative Thinking

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“Remember: every right idea is eventually the wrong idea. Innovation means not only generating new ideas, but escaping from obsolete ones as well.”—Roger Van Oech

Barriers to Creative ThinkingKiller phrases:“You can’t be serious”“It just won’t work here”“That sounds complicated”“We need more background”“Who thought of that?”“Let’s think about that later.”

Roadblocks:Self-imposed barriersFear of appearing foolishConformityClosed mindednessNo sense of humorEvaluating too quickly

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Photo by Neil Howard. CC-BY-NChttp://www.flickr.com/photos/neilsingapore/497645303/

"It is easier to tone down a wild idea than to think up a new one."- Alex

Osborn

□Osborn’s four rules for brainstorming:1.Defer judgment – withhold criticism – no

positive or negative judging during ideation

2.Free-wheel – be aware of barriers and consciously suspend them

3.Quantity, then quality – four tons of ore for one ounce of gold

4.Hitchhike – piggyback – during ideation, suspend the notion of idea ownership

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Team recognition: Celebrating success

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Photo: US Air Force. CC-BY-NChttp://www.flickr.com/photos/usairforce/6927743582/

Recognizing and Celebrating Teams

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Examples –Recognition for:

Leading subteams“Extra mile” effortsSpeaking upHitting targetsDashboardsSharePoint updatesOrchestrating eventsEtc., etc.

Last exercise: Trying out brainstorming at your tables

□In what ways might team success be recognized and rewarded?*

*Do not consider direct monetary compensation

1. Follow Osborn’s four rules for brainstorming (slide 41)

2. Group prizes for: □The most ideas□The wildest idea□The funniest idea

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In what ways might team success be recognized and rewarded?*

In what ways might team success be recognized and rewarded?*

Outcomes – Paths to Personal Mastery

Learning Outcome Units

Understanding teams

Why use teams?Types of teamsHow teamwork developsTeam sizeRoles people play in teamsExercise

Leading teams

Team kickoffsDealing with five team dysfunctionsTrust and trustworthinessExercise

Working with teams

Establishing normsGetting people to participateCreative thinkingExercise - Rewarding teams

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Other References

□ Belbin, R. Meredith. 1981. Management teams: why they succeed or fail. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

□ Osborn, Alex Faickney. 1953. Applied Imagination: Principles and Procedures of Creative Thinking. Scribner.

□ Von Oech, Roger. 1990. A Whack on the Side of the Head. New York: Warner Books.

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