How Teams Differ From GroupsNote: All teams are groups but not all groups

are teams. There are four principle characteristics that distinguish small groups from teams:

1.Cooperation2.Diversity of Skills3.Group Identity4.Time and Resources

LEVEL OF COOPERATION: THE WORKING TOGETHER IMPERATIVE

Teams typically manifest a higher level of cooperation than standard groups.

The essence of all teams is collaborative interdependence.

When members work mostly for themselves, attempting to advance individual agendas, the essence of a team is missing.

DIVERSITY OF SKILLS: LOOKING FOR COMPLEMENTARITY

Teams usually consist of members with more diverse skills than those found in standard groups.

A team requires complementary, not identical, skills.

GROUP IDENTITY: OPERATING AS A UNIT

Teams typically have a stronger group identity than standard groups.

Team names are important and often the subject of intense debate when the team first forms.

TIME AND RESOURCES: COMMITMENT TO THE TEAM

Teams, however, often require substantial resources and long-term time commitments.

Team members may devote huge time allotments to perfecting skills to help the team succeed.

DEFINITION OF A TEAM

A team is a small number of people with complementary skills who act as an interdependent unit, are equally committed to a common mission, and hold themselves accountable for team performance.

Not all groups can become teams. Board of Directors, class discussion groups, task forces and standing committees are not usually teams.

TEAM MEMBERSTeam members are the raw materials of

any successful team.Assembling the optimum combination of

individuals is the starting point for team building.

Among the top predictors of a team’s effectiveness are:

1. Qualities of individuals who make up the team2. Skills and competencies3. Attitudes and behaviors displayed

TEAM SLAYERS: MEMBERS’ BAD ATTITUDES

For teams to be effective, attitude is at least as important as aptitude.

Good attitudes do not guarantee a team’s success, but bad attitudes guarantee its failure.

Egocentrism reveals the “me-first” attitude that promotes team friction and weakens team cohesiveness.

CYNICISM: CAN’T- DO ATTITUDE

Teams are systems, so even a single member can demoralize an entire team.

The attitude that most destroys teamwork and team effectiveness is cynicism.

Cynics focus on the negative, predicting failure and looking for someone or something to criticize, sapping the energy from the team with their negativity.

The attitude and the behavior associated with it are contagious.

TEAM MEMBER REMOVAL: PURGING THE ROTTEN EGG

Removal should be a last resort after efforts to correct problem behavior have been undertaken.

The principal candidates for expulsion from a team should be those who persistently display incompetent communication, especially if they show no interest in improving, and those with egocentric and cynical attitudes that disrupt team relationships.

TEAM BUILDERS: CHOOSINGAND DEVELOPING TEAM MEMBERSNOTE: Who should become a team member

depends on what each potential member has to offer the team.

Experience and problem-solving abilities

Cultural diversity offers different perspectives

Communication training to develop competence

GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING MEMBERSHIP DIVERSITYThere are several guidelines to managing

membership diversity in teams:

1.Accept diversity as an advantage for the team.2.Choose team members for their complementary

skills and knowledge as well as their attitude.3.Choose a transcending goal to bridge

differences.4.Be respectful of all team members and avoid

cultural bias.5.Keep communication open.

BUILDING TEAMWORKBuilding teamwork is a complicated process

that unfolds over time.

Developing Team Goals: The Four C’s

1.Clear2.Cooperative3.Challenging4.Committed

TEAM ACCOUNTABILITYWhat does team accountability mean?

The team, rather than individual members, assumes responsibility for success and failure.

Team failure is our failure.

Team success is also a matter of collective responsibility, and team talk should reflect this.

STRUCTURING TEAM EMPOWERMENT:ENHANCING MEMBERS’ CAPABILITIESWhat is the definition of “Empowerment”?

The concept of empowerment is the process of enhancing the capabilities and influence of individuals and groups.

There are four dimensions of empowerment: potency, meaningfulness, autonomy, and impact.

TRADITIONAL HIERACHY ORGANIZATIONS

IMPEDIMENTS TO TEAM EMPOWERMENTThere are four primary impediments to team

empowerment:

1.Organizations can sabotage their own teams2.Not everyone embraces empowered teams3.No decision-making participation4.If rewards are distributed for individual

effort, not team success

TYPICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF EMPOWERED TEAMS

1.Teams set their own goals and rules.2.Team members often set their own work

schedules.3.Teams usually design their own work space.4.Work space is divided relatively equally

among members.5.Members devise and embrace rules for

appropriate member behavior.

TYPICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF EMPOWERED TEAMS6. Teams as a whole are accountable for team

performance.7. Teams determine their membership and remove

members who are deemed ineffective or disruptive.

8. Team members are trained to operate collaboratively and supportively.

9. Decision making is typically democratic, and leadership is participative.

10.Team members don’t ask for permission from the team leader to take risks or make changes, but negotiate with the team and strive for consensus.

FOSTER PARTICIPATIVE LEADERSHIP:NURTURING EMPOWERMENT

Team leaders don’t act like bosses or supervisors if they hope to be effective. They are teachers and facilitators or skill builders.

A situation such as military combat may require directive leadership, but the general leadership pattern for most teams should participative.

INSIST ON A COOPERATIVE CLIMATE: JERKS NEED NOT APPLY

An effective team leader is a competent communicator capable of using supportive communication and avoiding defensive communication patterns with team members.

Effective team leaders also suppress their egos to encourage a cooperative climate.

Effective team leaders work with team members to develop supportive rules.

“The War Room”VIDEO CASE STUDY

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“Gung Ho”VIDEO CASE STUDY

“Gung Ho”VIDEO CASE STUDY