Group Dynamics and Teamwork February 28, 2012 MGMT 4000, Class 6 Harvard University

A good definition….. A small group of people….. with complementary skills…. who are committed to a common purpose, goals, and approach…. for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.  From Katzenbach and Smith “Wisdom of Teams” What are the differences between a working group and a team?

Stages of a Team Harvard University Forming Storming NormingPerforming Adjourning Tuckman Model

Stages of a Team FormingStormingNormingPerformingAdjourning  Excitement  Anxiety  Testing  Team Identity  Resistance to different approaches  Sharp attitude changes  Competitiveness and defensiveness  Tension and disunity  Increased satisfaction  Developing trust and respect  Giving feedback to others  Sharing responsibilities  Making decisions  High level of interaction  Increased performance  Members are comfortable with each other  Confident and optimistic  Often overlooked  Wide range of emotions are experienced  Work levels shift  Transition must be acknowledged and managed Harvard University

Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni Results Accountability Commitment Conflict Trust Harvard University

Clarity - Communication - Rigor Modeling Decision- Making Developing Talent Achieving Results

Partner Discussion Think about the best team you’ve ever been on (work, school, sport, volunteer, etc)  What were the characteristics that made it great? Think about the worst team you’ve ever been on  What made it ineffective?

Team Effectiveness Defined  The team’s output (at least) meets the standards of quality, quantity, etc. of the clients  The team is operating in ways that make it better as a performing unit over time  On balance, the team contributes to (more than it undermines) the learning and well- being of individual members

“Condition 0” A Real Team  Bounded  Stable  Interdependent for a common purpose

Four Essential Conditions for Team Effectiveness 1. Clear, engaging direction 2. Enabling team structure 3. Supportive organizational context 4. Available, expert, coaching

1. Clear, Engaging Direction Ends specified? yesno yes no Means specified? Chaos and wasted effort Wasted human resources De- motivation Engaged, goal-directed work

2. Enabling Team Structure  Appropriate team composition  A motivating team task  Core norms of conduct

3. Supportive Organizational Context  Rewards for excellent team performance  An information system that provides to the team the data it needs to plan its work  Available training and education, including in teamwork skills  Basic material resources

4. Available, Expert Coaching  Motivational coaching, aimed at enhancing team-level effort  Educational coaching, aimed at helping the team learn from its work  Consultative coaching, aimed at helping the team plan, evaluate, and execute its work strategy

Direction Structure Context -----> Process Consequential Clear Challenging Effort Strategy Talent Motivating team task Core norms Composition Rewards Information system Education system

Team Deliverable  15 minute presentation  5 minute Q & A  Team Evaluation Harvard University

Team Discussion  Discuss and determine: How you will communicate? How you will make decisions? How will you hold one another accountable? How will you evaluate team member contribution/team performance? Name for your team?  Report Outs Harvard University

References  Katzenbach, Jon and Douglas Smith, The Wisdom of Teams, HarperBusiness,  Lencioni, Patrick, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Jossey-Bass.  mingstormingnormingperforming.htm Harvard University