The 20 Minute Course in Teamworking

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Fastlane

The 20 minute course in... teamwork

Many of us know our team could do with a bit of a boost yet we cringe at the

thought of paintballing trips and bootcamps but teamwork neednt descend into

David Brent-esque navel gazing

Occupational psychologists often liken teams to orchestras. But when it comes

to marketing, thats a bad analogy: A good marketing team is more like a jazz

band where the leader offers direction but also allows some freedom and

creativity, says marketing author Robert Craven.

If it never occurred to you to wonder just what makes your marketing team tick,

youre missing an opportunity to hone a secret weapon, Craven explains.

Marketers tend to stick two fingers up at processes and systems. But if a

marketing campaign is to work really well, it needs a lot of thought about the

mechanics of teamwork, he says.

Why now?

Never has the issue of teamworking been more timely. Until recently, marketing

roles were fairly well defined. But higher customer expectations, more complex

markets and channels and increased pressure from competition all call for a

combination of skills, experiences and judgments that no single marketer can

deliver.

Marketers are increasingly expected to work outside their immediate teams

across departments and even organisations, in project teams, virtual teams and

cross-functional teams.

But teams are not just something that appear on a structure chart. Teamworkinghas been found to improve productivity and customer focus, to speed up the

spread of ideas, increase employee motivation and even help to develop multi-

skilling and employee flexibility.

Fuzzy thinking

All too often teams fail to live up to the old adage the whole is greater than the

sum of its parts. So why is this? Julia Payne, CEO of the Leadership

Development consultancys Centre for High Performance Development, believes

a big part of the problem is that proper research into what makes teams

successful is thin on the ground. This has resulted in the science of teams

becoming fuzzy, she says.

Her own research has found that there are several requirements for setting the

right context and climate for your team. Crucially, the teams work must be

interdependent and everyone must be united by a common and specific purpose.

In other words, a group isnt inevitably a team.

The team must also feel free from externally imposed control and receive

support for being open and honest with their thoughts, feelings and perspectives.

Team members must be ready to state any hidden agendas openly and be able

to talk about ideas that conflict with the status quo, she adds.

Among other requirements are ensuring mutual respect among team members both as individuals and for the contribution each makes to the team and valuing

members strengths while respecting their weaknesses.

The size of the team has got to be right, too. Payne believes five or six is optimal

most commentators believe between five and eight is ideal. Craven, however,

"Marketers tendto stick twofingers up at

processes andsystems, but if acampaign is towork really wellthen it needsteamwork"

Dos and donts

Do ensure equality.

Team members should

20 minute course in... teamwork - The Marketer magazine http://www.themarketer.co.uk/articles/professional-development/fast-la...

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says that if absolutely necessary, teams within the marketing sector can stretch

to 10 or 11 staff. Its at that point that it can start getting unwieldy, he says. At

Virgin, for example, every time a team gets to 20, they chop it in two.

Critically, teams need to be large enough to incorporate the appropriate range of

expertise and to represent the interested parties, but not so large that peoples

participation, and hence their interest and motivation, is limited.

Picking your side

If you find yourself thinking, but Ive got extroverts and introverts and specialists

and generalists all working together how will they ever get on? fear not. The

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) says every team

should have a variety of personal styles among members and that should include

a range of the necessary technical and specialist skills.

The best known theorist on team roles is Dr Meredith Belbin. He lists nine roles

plant (creative); resource investigator (exploratory); co-ordinator (decision-

maker); shaper (dynamic); monitor-evaluator (strategic); teamworker

(co-operative); implementer (disciplined); completer (conscientious); and

specialist (provides knowledge and skill in rare supply).

Belbins work has been criticised on the grounds that individuals rarely fit neatly

into these categories, says the CIPD. Most fit into more than one, and

arguably the best team workers will adapt their behaviour to f ill different roles as

circumstances require. But knowing roughly which profile fits you can help you

to understand your own and others strengths and weaknesses.

Jo Kerr, account director at marketing agency Avvio, agrees. Doing a Belbin

analysis can help massively with self awareness and that definitely helps to

strengthen a team, she says. But I never use it to try to get all nine categories

in one team. In marketing, for instance, everyone tends to be a resource

investigator.

There are now plenty of psychometric tests to choose from if you want to learn

more about the roles people play in your team. But it may be simpler to look at

peoples behaviours in previous teams and consider appraisal records. The

bottom line is that team selection is not an exact science and instinct counts for a

good deal. Whatever your method, you want to end up with a good mix of skills

and types. And remember dont make anyone indispensable, advises Jon

Preston, marketing and business development director at law firm Martineau

Johnson.

Like minds

Marketing is about touching emotions, so if you have someone in your team who

doesnt believe in your project, it will all come tumbling down, says Kerr. Youdont necessarily need like-minded people, but you do need people who all feel

driven towards the same result.

Marketing differs from other areas of work in that the leader doesnt need to

come up with all the ideas or make the ultimate decisions, she says. Rather,

they need to inspire and bring out the best in the team.

Team leaders have their own personal styles some are more directive, others

more democratic. Whatever your style, you should remember three things: listen

to team members, question them to understand their points of view and be

responsive to feedback. As such, youll be acting as a coach to get the best out

of team members and to encourage learning and creativity.

Try not to rely on traditional appraisal systems as the only form of motivation

because these can give insufficient weight to individuals contributions to a team.

Conversely, its important to remember that not everyone in a team will be

have equal status in the

team, regardless of the

level of status in the

organisation. A failure to

acknowledge this is one

of the main reasons that

teams fail to reach their

potential.

Do breed a culture ofempowerment. Team

members must be

empowered so they can

implement the decisions

they make. Linked to this

is their belief that they

can make things happen

and effect change.

Do make the teams

objectives clear. The

goal of the team must bespecific and should

require an individual and

clearly outlined

contribution from

everyone in the team.

Don't close ranks.

Teams suffer when they

make it difficult for

newcomers to get in.

Don't be too inward-

looking. If you spend too

long looking inwards, you

will fail to see whats

happening in the outside

world where you are

ultimately expected to

deliver your results.

Don't stifle individual

styles. A range of

personal styles will

enhance any teams

output.


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motivated by the same thing, says Paul Spittle, a marketer at Astra Zeneca.

Its worth actually asking people what support they want to help drive them

forward.

Robin Lodge, director at the People Development Team, which runs a certificate

course in team leading, advises the occasional use of quirky motivational

methods. We use the six-thinking hat strategy, as identified by psychologist

Edward de Bono. Everyone wears green hats to think creatively, then yellow

hats symbolising optimism to think about the benefits of an idea or project. Then

we might get everyone to wear black hats to think about the potentialdownsides. It helps keep up team spirit and gets the best out of everyone.

Megan Butler, a strategist at Rise Communications agency, adds, Try offering

team members new challenges, giving them more responsibility and dont ever

let them lose sight of how valuable their contribution is to the overall marketing

strategy. On a couple of occasions, weve considered team pay systems.

Getting up to scratch

Chris Howe, chief executive of ChangeMaker International, suggests creating a

set of measures that can be simply managed and that reflect the overall purpose

of the team. For example, innovation, or the number of new ideas the teamcreates; relationships within the team and with others; learning and development;

and financial performance.

Dont make measurement a management thing or people will just comply to

prove that all is well. Put it in the hands of the team, Howe says. Measurement

is absolutely vital. A team that doesnt measure and celebrate its success will

over time start to think that it is not being successful and then it becomes a

self-fulfilling prophecy.

Its often difficult to find the time to review progress before the teams work is

completed. But, says Ian Fleming, author of The Teamworking Pocketbook, if

you want to be successful, its vital to make time to examine the finer detail, like

co-operation, communication, meetings, conflict, skills and talents. Are the real

issues being tackled or avoided and what lessons can be learned? Try to take

time out to reflect it will pay dividends in the long run, he says.

Virtual teams

There is little doubt that working as a team is much easier if youre all in the

same place. Marketers are often physically separated by departments, regions

and even countries. The potential dangers, says Fleming, are people feeling

isolated, no team spirit, poor communication, lack of trust and failure to deliver

on time.

Virtual and cross-departmental teams present different challenges: Dont simply

transfer what you know about teams to this new way of working. says Fleming.

Be aware that success will depend even more than usual on inspirationalleadership, blending skills, encouraging participation and accountability.

Dont fall into the trap of getting obsessed with technology, he adds. Your

contact with each other may be remote, but always remember you are dealing

with human beings. You each have feelings, needs, hopes and aspirations that

you want to meet.

The greater the distance, the more you have to work at communicating, stresses

Megan Butler, who regularly works with nine agency partners. We find that

face-to-face discussions where possible count for a lot. But they have to be well

managed we used to find that every agency brought two or three people along

and it became a nonsense. Now we ask for one person per agency, whichbrings a greater sense of responsibility and more clarity to the discussion.

Dont underestimate the value of a thank you, adds Fleming. In virtual or cross-

departmental teams, its easy to feel your efforts are ignored.

Tips from the top

Archie Mundegar,

managing director and

trainer at You Unlimited,offers teambuilding ideas

Place yourself. Take a

fresh perspective on how

your behaviour affects

your team.

Reality check.

Find out what others

think instead of simply

letting them knowhow you see it.

Communicate. Think

about how you can

minimise

misunderstanding.

Define roles. Make sure

all team players are sure

of their exact roles and

try to avoid overlaps of

authority.

Expect. Clearly state

your expectations for the

teams performance.

Spend time.

One-on-one time is

fundamental to a team

members feeling of

inclusion and motivation.

Socialise. Getting

together more than the

standard annual

Christmas party will

translate into a happier

workplace.

Show appreciation.

Reward your team, even

if its just a few words of

praise.

SWOT. Find time to sit

down with your team andassess your strengths,

weaknesses,

opportunities and

threats.


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Finally, he says, enjoy it. Virtual team working is here to stay.

Are you ready to work as a team?

You think you need a team when:

(a) A new challenge has arisen. Lets pull together a team seems the logical

answer;

(b) There is uncertainty about the task in hand;

(c) The project would benefit from a range of skills and styles in an environment

where people work closely together.

When you put together a team, you:

(a) Are so used to working with a level of healthy competition that team

members cant seem to co-operate;

(b) Encourage things like brainstorming sessions, where everyone pitches in;

(c) Go through a series of well-thought through stages forming (the team);

storming (passing through a stage of conflict); norming (consolidating);

performing (speaks for itself); and mourning (when the team disbands).

You find it difficult:

(a) To organise people. You prefer managing individuals to leading groups;

(b) To promote unity. You arent very good at picking up the vibes in a group

situation;

(c) Not to worry about schedules, deadlines and what might go wrong.

When it comes to performance, you:

(a) Dont always recognise if its good you have come to expect it to be good;

(b) Dont spend time getting people to recognise their strengths and

weaknesses;

(c) Think carefully about addressing team and individual performance issues.

If you answer:

Mostly (a) It doesnt sound as if you even need a team. But if the occasion ever

arises when you do, work on creating the right culture and on your leadership

techniques before you expect a team to get you the results you want.

Mostly (b) It sounds as if you could need a team, but its still not entirely clear

why. You could do with learning a bit more about creating team cohesion and

ensuring everyone has the chance to contribute their full potential.

Mostly (c) Youre ready. You know what you want your team to achieve and the

best and quickest way to get them to do it. If you get anxious about schedules,

deadlines and potential downsides, dont worry it means you ensure nothing isoverlooked and jobs are delivered on time.

Kate Hilpern writes on coaching and management for Coaching at Work

Be successful. Think

about the characteristics

of your teams success

and how these can be

maximised.


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Documents

The 20 Minute Course in Teamworking