Improvement Leaders Collaboratives Residential Module Effective teams

Effective teams Goals Roles Processes Relationships

Getting the basics right Clear & understood GOALS “What the team must achieve.” Clear & understood GOALS “What the team must achieve.” Clear and simple expression of the reasons for the existence of the team Clear & defined ROLES “Who does what in the team.” Clear & defined ROLES “Who does what in the team.” Unambiguous statement of which teams or people are accountable for which outcomes Effective internal working PROCESSES “How the team works.” Effective internal working PROCESSES “How the team works.” Agreed ways for team members to communicate, reach decisions and take action Sound internal RELATIONSHIPS “How team members interact.” Sound internal RELATIONSHIPS “How team members interact.” Ground rules for building strong professional relationships that support good work

Goals  Do team members agree on their core mission?  Are work goals decided by the team?  Is there clarity of goals and agreement on priorities?  Is progress toward goals and objectives regularly reviewed by the team?  Are goals measurable and specific?  Do team members know when goals have been accomplished?

Roles  Do team members know where they fit in and how their personal efforts contribute to the success of the team?  Are authority and control well defined?  Are work boundaries and responsibilities clear?  Is team leadership and structure defined by the work to be done by the team?

Processes  Are ground rules and procedural guidelines clearly defined for the team?  Does the team have performance standards and expectations that are well defined and agreed upon?  Is the way in which both individual and team effort rewarded understood by all?  Do team members regularly and thoroughly examine processes, procedures and norms?  Is giving and receiving constructive feedback a team norm?

Relationships  Do team members willingly confront and resolve conflict?  Are working relationships positive, open and cooperative?  Does the team have a clear set of values that govern interactions?  Do team members share and discuss feelings, attitudes, and emotions as they work closely together to achieve tasks?  Is there trust, support, and respect for each other?

Characteristics of a team Functioning wellPoorly functioning Goals Members are involved in setting objectives Objectives are agreed and understood by all Members do not participate in setting goals Goals are unclear and not communicated Roles Roles are clearly defined and do not overlap Members have clarity on their assignments Roles are supported and understood by all Responsibilities are poorly defined No clear leader is identified Members are engaged in power plays for authority and control Members refuse to accept their interdependence Processes Decisions are made by consensus Members listen well All members are kept informed The meetings feel ‘useful’ to all Decisions are always a crisis situation or one to one or changed outside of meetings Meetings are unproductive with issues unresolved Actions are taken without planning Relationships Team spirit exists Members support each other Conflict is openly discussed Members are defensive Relationships are competitive Covert conflict exists between members