Successful teams require homework
TEAMS that are cohesive, productive, and efficient (and whose members enjoy doing their work and working together) do not happen by accident.
Successful teams are cohesive because team members work co-operatively, sharing common goals as well as the resources to achieve them.
They are productive, not because team members never disagree, but because they have worked out ways to resolve conflicts when they occur.
They are efficient because tasks are assigned in a way that takes into account each member’s skills and interests, rather than letting the team be dominated by the most verbal, aggressive, or most popular personalities.
Leaders of teams should be seen as facilitators.
The definition of facilitate is “to make easy” or “ease a process”.
What a facilitator does is plan, guide and manage a group event to ensure the group’s objectives are met effectively, with clear thinking, good participation and full buy-in from everyone involved.
To facilitate a team’s success, leaders must first understand the group’s desired outcome, and the background and context of the team. Their responsibility is then to: ý Design and plan the group process, and select the tools that best help the group progress.
ý Guide and control the group process to ensure that: There is effective participation; Team members achieve a mutual understanding;
Their contributions are considered and included in the ideas, solutions or decisions that emerge;
Team members take shared responsibility for the outcome.
ý Ensure that outcomes, actions, and questions are properly recorded and actioned, and appropriately dealt with afterwards.
Psychologist Bruce Tuckman first came up with the memorable phrase “forming, storming, norming, and performing” in his 1965 article, Developmental Sequence in Small Groups.
He used it to describe the path that most teams follow on their way to high performance. Later, he added a fifth stage, “adjourning” (sometimes known as “mourning”).
Here are examples of leadership activities at each stage of Tuckman’s model:
ý Forming – Direct the team, and establish clear objectives, both for the team as a whole and individuals.
ý Storming – Establish processes and structures.
ý Build trust and good relationships between members.
ý Resolve conflicts swiftly if they occur.
Provide support, especially to those team members who are less secure.
ý Remain positive and firm in the face of challenges to your leadership, or to the team’s goal.
ý Explain the “forming, storming, norming, and performing” idea, so members understand why problems are occurring, and can see that things will get better in the future.
ý Coach team members in assertiveness and conflict resolution skills, where this is necessary.
ý Norming – Help team members take responsibility for progress towards the goal (a good time to arrange a team-building event).
ý Performing – Delegate tasks as far as you can. Once the team is achieving well, you should aim to have as light a touch as possible.
You will now be able to start focusing on other goals and areas of work.
ý Adjourning – Take the time to celebrate the team’s achievements – you may work with some of your people again, and this will be much easier if people view past experiences positively.