Team Intervention

Intervention

To intervene is to enter into an ongoing system of relationships, to come between or among persons, groups, or objects for the purpose of helping them.

Distinction between Groups and Teams

• A work group is

- a number of persons

- usually reporting to a common superior

- having some face-to-face interaction

- persons have some degree of interdependence in carrying out tasks for the purpose of achieving organizational goals

• A team is

- a form of group

- has some characteristics in greater degree than ordinary groups

- and a higher degree of interdependency and interaction

Different Types of Teams

• Cross-Functional Teams: comprised of individuals with functional home base- eg. Manufacturing, design, eng etc.- but they meet regularly to solve ongoing challenges requiring input from a number of functional areas

• Effective Teams: are relaxed, comfortable and informal

• High-Performance Teams: have strong personal commitment to each other- commitment to other’s growth and success

Effective Team

An effective team has certain characteristics that allow the

team members to function more efficiently and productively.

An effective team develops ways to share leadership roles

and ways to share accountability for their work products,

shifting the emphasis from the individual to several individuals

within the team. A team also develops a specific team purpose

and concrete work products that the members produce

together.

Components of effective team

There are four essential components to an effective team:

1. Positive Corporate Culture

2. Give Recognition

A. Outstanding performance

B. Continued performance

C. Improved performance

3. Positive Feedback

4. Provide New Opportunities

Team Intervention

The purpose of this team is to help Employees / Members of the team that are struggling in some way. This usually refers to performance but can include emotional/behavioral/social concerns.

In a study of 569 managers, they reported that they limited their efforts or input in over 56% of the teams in which they participated. The major causes for giving up were cited as:

• Presence of someone with expertise (73%)--I wasn't needed

• Presentation of compelling argument (62%)--I didn't have other information for an argument

• Lack of confidence in ability to contribute (61%)--I wasn't prepared or there were other "high power" people.

• Unimportant or meaningless decision (52%)--why waste my time?

• Pressures to conform to team decision (46%) --groupthink at its best!

• Dysfunctional decision making climate (39%)--you want me to risk what?!

When Team Members Give Up

This Intervention can be used effectively to:

Engage and align individuals, or cross-teams, to collaborate effectively

Bring in high energy and charge up the team to achieve stretched goals

Set up a high performance climate in the organisation

Team-Building Interventions

The four main areas:

Diagnosis

Task Accomplishments

Team relationships

Team and organization processes

THE FORMAL GROUP DIAGNOSTIC MEETING

Its purpose is to conduct a general critique of the performance of the group and to uncover and identify problems on which they will work on

THE FORMAL GROUP TEAM-BUILDING MEETING

It has the goal of improving the team’s effectiveness through better management of task demands, relationship demands and group processes.

PROCESS CONSULTATION INTERVENTIONS

• Process consultation model is similar to team-based interventions

• It places greater emphasis on diagnosing and understanding process events

Steps in Team Intervention

Step 1 - Identify At-Risk Population

Step 2 - Initial Intervention Team Meeting

Step 3 - Interventions Begin

Step 4 - Second Intervention Team Meeting

Step 5 - Request for Further Testing

Step 1 - Identify At-Risk Population:

• It must be determined which members are “at-risk”. The lowest 10% in each level will be the target group.

• Identify them by considering Previous year’s review or with various assessment technique.

Step 2 - Initial Intervention Team Meeting:

- Review data with all personnel in attendance

- Brainstorm interventions (interventions must be research-validated). Other interventions may have been agreed upon during the initial Intervention Team meeting.

Airtel Enterprise

Team interventions usually focus on the following:

• Clarify Direction: often facilitate teams, to clarify their visions and goals, and their understanding of the business environment, market and competitor forces within their operation.

• Inspiring Performance: This involves clarifying individual and team roles, their interdependencies and communication between them.

• Building Relationships and Trust: use techniques such as sharing information, giving and receiving feedback, as well as practical behavior frameworks such as MBTI, Enneagram, DISC Transactional Analysis and Learning Styles, to help colleagues understand each other better.

• Conflict Management: help clarify the rules of engagement and, if necessary, use conflict management techniques to help protagonists stand back and take a fresh look at how they are behaving and working together, and explore options for change.

• Relating to the External World: identify the key external stakeholders of the team, how communication occurs between them and individual team members, and facilitate changes which simplify and enhance effectiveness.