Teams Thomas P. Holland, Ph.D., Professor Institute for Nonprofit Organizations

Types of Teams or Groups Most work in nonprofit organizations takes place in teams, so knowing how to develop and supervise them is crucial May be short or long term, depending on the results sought Problem-solving teams address a specific, current problem, with goal of recommending solutions Project teams take responsibility for accomplishing an important task for organization and achieving designated goals and objectives.

Characteristics of strong teams Understanding, relevance and commitment to shared goals Open communication of ideas and feelings Active participation and distribution of leadership Flexible use of decision-making procedures Encouragement and constructive management of conflicts Equality of power and influence High group cohesion Strong problem-solving strategies Interpersonal effectiveness Positive interdependence

Stages of Team Development Forming: members get acquainted with one another and with project goals and objectives Storming: members voice differences, jockey for position in group Norming: members begin sharing common commitments to purposes of group and steps to achieve its goals. Group moves to clarity about roles, structure, and processes of work. Performing: The team is carrying out its work; members actively engaged and drawing on one another’s skills to accomplish goals.

Designing Effective Teams Set clear goals and expected results to be produced by team Identify expectations for team processes. Determine time frames for beginning and ending Determine the membership of the group, making sure the needed skills are included, plus one person with skills in facilitating and meeting management Identify the structure of the group Specify process expectation Identify any needs for training or materials

Designing Effective Teams II Identify costs and resources for team Plan and conduct the first meeting, including charge to group, goals, timeframe, why members selected Plan team-building activities to encourage trust and positive working relationships among team members Support team meeting and processes, as requested by team leader Monitor team performance and provide feedback as needed

Interventions at the Team level Team building: activities to increase work group cohesiveness, reduce biases, build trust Job enrichment: changing mix of job responsibilities so members have greater responsibilities Quality of work life: improving work conditions and employee participation in decisions that affect them and org. Quality circles: using small work groups to identify ways to improve performance and effectiveness Goal setting: helping work groups establish shared goals and steps for improvement System mapping: clarifying inputs, transformations, outputs, and feedback loops to improve efficiency Conflict management: reducing destructive conflict between members of a work group through healthier communications

Make success a team effort Be sure everyone knows what is expected of her/him and how that links to group goals Articulate how each individual’s talents contribute to success of the whole team Identify means for problem-solving and accountability as a team (what will we do when problems and barriers show up?) Specify methods for reporting and communicating progress (how will we know it’s done?) Monitor, evaluate, and report on results Find ways to reward and celebrate successes

Team Building Activities Hold brief retreat where members get to know one another, interests, hobbies, ambitions Let’s imagine all the things that could go wrong about this project and see if we can think of some ways we might solve or avoid them. What are some characteristics or descriptions we would like to see in this group? Design a problem that requires everyone to solve –Ropes course – What would you take onto lifeboat? – How many ways could one use this brush? – I’m think of something I’ve done (or about myself) that I’ll bet nobody knows – Find others in books and web sites on organizational development

Applications Exercise Describe a team or work group experience you have had. What happened, how did it work out, what worked well and not well, what lessons do you draw from experience? Re-visit that experience and describe how it could have been handled more productively. Who should do what, when, how, why? What steps could you take to become more productive as a team member in the future?