Building effective teams (and repairing broken ones) Paul C. Godfrey Marriott School Winter 2011

Why are teams important Teams leverage the skills and talents of members Teams can be more creative than individuals Teams can be far more productive than individuals Youll work in/on teams throughout your career Good teams will advance your career Bad teams will hinder your career Teams are a crucible for leadership development

The iceberg The "tip of the iceberg" expression Icebergs float because the density of ice (around 900 kg per cubic meter) is lower than that of seawater (around 1025 kg per cubic meter) The ratio of these densities tells us that 7/8 of the iceberg's mass must be below water. Usually icebergs are 20% to 30% longer under the water than above and not quite as deep as they are long at the waterline. ( 1 Mile 1.3 Miles long under water Almost 1 Mile deep!!

What everyone sees is team performance, the tip of the iceberg What drives performance is the 7/8 th below the surface

A poorly performing team: Surface results Inattention to results: Poor work

Inattention to results means everyones personal needs (ego, grade, career) drive effort, not the teams goals

Avoidance of Accountability A poorly performing team: one layer down Inattention to results: Poor work

Avoidance of accountability means that no one is willing to call out poor performance

Lack of Commitment Avoidance of Accountability A poorly performing team: deeper still Inattention to results: Poor work

Lack of commitment means no one has REALLY bought into the goals of the team, although they may be quite good at faking it

Lack of Commitment Fear of Conflict Avoidance of Accountability A poorly performing team: toward the bottom Inattention to results: Poor work

Fear of conflict means that the team never engages in unfiltered and passionate debate of ideas.

Lack of Commitment Absence of Trust Fear of Conflict Avoidance of Accountability A poorly performing team: bedrock Inattention to results: Poor work Material for this graphic taken from Lencioni, P The five dysfunctions of a team, Jossey Bass

Lack of trust means that team members dont feel comfortable expressing their mistakes, weaknesses, concerns, and needs. In short, people are unwilling to be vulnerable or who they really are

So, how do we build a good team (or repair a broken one)?

1. Create trust (un)fortunately, trust can only be built over time, one interaction at a time Trust means a willingness to be vulnerable Trust comes through shared activities and shared values Trustworthiness begets trust Acknowledging mistakes and weaknesses is huge

2. Engage in real conflict Conflict Contention Cognitive conflict is good –About ideas, plans, interpretations Affective conflict is bad –About people, feelings, values The hockey team as a metaphor Remember: without trust conflict is negative and wont get the results you want

3. Gain commitment Commitment follows, not precedes, strong dialogue, debate, and discussion Commitment does not always mean agreement Commitment creates responsibility Concrete plans/actions generate concrete commitments Commitment precedes real effort and work

4. Create accountability Accountability means getting work done Accountability is very, very specific A yes/no question, no wiggle room Accountability is NOT judgment Accountability uncovers problems in ability

5. Enjoy positive results The teams deliverable outputs are adequate, if not outstanding Team members learn through the experience People grow in leadership and character Relationships strengthen People have fun