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4.2. HOW TO CREATE LEADERS

4.2.1. Leadership Defined

Basically, leadership is getting people to follow you. The moral and ethical

considerations of leading are beyond the scope of this article, but their importance

cannot be overstated. Unfortunately, much leadership is designed around a

control/authority model. Many leaders, even the brightest, figure out what has to

happen with things in the company, tell people what is needed for the desired

results and then expect things to happen-a gross simplification of the process. You

would be surprised how many leaders lead this way. In light of the psychological

reality that people only do what they want to do, the current approach means that

people follow and work only as hard as is necessary to avoid the consequences of

disobedience. However, leadership can be a whole lot more than charting out a

business strategy that others happen to follow.

The most skilled leaders ask themselves, "What can I say or do to get my

followers to cause them to do what I need them to do?" The best leaders cause

maximum follower ship. The art of causing follower ship is founded on a few

deceptively simple principles. One of the most important of these is that people do

what their minds and emotions tell them to do, not necessarily what the leader says

to do. A second principle is that the follower provides the motivation. No leader can

motivate others. They can only cause followers to motivate themselves. While this

may seem like semantics, it is a subtle but profound shift in understanding true

leadership. In short, the accomplished leader becomes adept at reading and feeding

their followers' needs in a way that optimizes the organization's success.

Since leading is basically a psychological process and skill, leaders who learn

and practice the latest in leadership technology will be much more effective.

- - 160

And leadership skills, like management skills, can be learned and improved.

However, learning the subtle technology of leadership requires dissatisfaction with

the status quo, a belief that one's leadership could be better. Learning leadership

means facing the inevitable discomfort of hearing negative feedback, the discipline

of trying new approaches and the awkwardness of new behaviors. Yet, the rewards

far outweigh the costs. Releasing the energy and motivation of your followers opens

new opportunities and inevitably results in bottom line improvements. I've

consistently seen productivity improve over 30 percent where an organization's

leaders focused on improving their leadership and its impact on the human system.

Managing Leadership

If leadership can be taught (and it can), it can also be managed. The most

progressive and successful companies are managing leaders and leadership

systematically as a strategic weapon. Of course, what constitutes good leadership is

context - and company s sensitive. However, there are certain principles and

models that will help you develop a robust leadership system. At Farr Associates,

we develop leadership systems for clients at five levels: the individual, small group

relationships, teams, company-wide and intra-company. Different leadership

technology is called for at each level. Some companies will not necessarily have to

manage leadership at all levels to get a significant impact in their bottom-line. I

encourage you to go out and investigate what make the best sense for your

organization.

The best leaders will also manage their own leadership by incorporating the

three basic types of leadership-directional, implementation and interpersonal-into

their thinking process. Directional leadership is strategic leadership. It is all about

determining where the organization should go. Implementation leadership involves

determining how the organization will make it to wherever it is headed.

- - 161

Interpersonal leadership involves the process of getting human resources behind

organizational goals and objectives. You should integrate these three types of

leadership successfully and holistically in a way that best serves followers and the

organization.

Three Leadership Rules to Remember

Rule 1: You must have or develop the skill, and take the time to find out what

is in the follower's mind concerning his situation and how he perceives you.

In particular, you must know what he perceives as negative. Since sensible

followers are reluctant to say negative things to anyone who has power over their

work lives, mapping out negative perceptions takes a good deal of leader skill. A

leader can break down any reluctance to give feedback by supporting the efforts of

followers to work in a way that satisfies both themselves and their company. A

good leader knows and consistently uses some of the many techniques for learning

follower's needs and assessing how they experience their environment. Leaders

need to create and manage a system of feedback loops that keep them in permanent

touch with follower mindset so they lead professionally with maximum impact.

Rule 2: To be a powerful leader, you must present your "leaderself" to others,

rather than your natural self. Good leaders do not always do what comes as a

natural expression of their personalities. Instead, they come from a leaderself that is

designed and created to do exactly the leadership behavior called for by the

situation. They fit the leader role rather than make the role fit them. It is amazing

how much poor leadership occurs because leaders do what comes naturally from

their personalities rather than what is needed to be effective.

Rule 3: To create an effective leaderself, you must operate from self-

awareness rather than from an automatic mind. For many leaders, this is

unbelievably difficult, because they are unaware of much of what they do and of the

perceptions they create in others. They act on automatic, focusing attention on what

- - 162

they want to cause in their business, with little or no thought on what they want the

follower to cause them selves to do. They lead with too much focus on what they

want done, rather than from an awareness of followers' mindset. Often, the

personality traits that make for effective managers can make them terrible leaders,

especially once their role expands beyond leadership based on their personal

charisma and implementation skills.

Principles of Leadership

To help you be, know, and do, (2) follow these eleven principles of leadership

(later sections will expand on gaining an insight into these principles and providing

tools to perform them):

Know yourself and seek self-improvement. In order to know

yourself, you have to understand your be, know, and do, attributes. Seeking self-

improvement means continually strengthening your attributes. This can be

accomplished through reading, self-study, classes, etc.

Be technically proficient. As a leader, you must know your job and

have a solid familiarity with your employees' jobs.

Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions. Search

for ways to guide your organization to new heights. And when things go wrong,

they will sooner or later, do not blame others. Analyze the situation, take corrective

action, and move on to the next challenge.

Make sound and timely decisions. Use good problem solving, decision

making, and planning tools.

Set the example. Be a good role model for your employees. They must not

only hear what they are expected to do, but also see.

Know your people and look out for their well-being. Know human nature

and the importance of sincerely caring for your workers.

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Keep your people informed. Know how to communicate with your people,

seniors, and other key people within the organization.

Develop a sense of responsibility in your people. Develop good character

traits within your people that will help them carry out their professional

responsibilities.

Ensure that tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished.

Communication is the key to this responsibility.

Train your people as a team. Although many so called leaders call their

organization, department, section, etc. a team; they are not really teams...they are

just a group of people doing their jobs.

Use the full capabilities of your organization. By developing a team spirit,

you will be able to employ your organization, department, section, etc. to its fullest

capabilities

Factors of leadership

The four major factors of leadership are the:

Follower - Different people require different styles of leadership. For

example, a new hire requires more supervision than an experienced employee. A

person with a poor attitude requires a different approach than one with a high

degree of motivation. You must know your people! The fundamental starting point

is having a good understanding of human nature: needs, emotions, and motivation.

You must know your employees' be, known, and do attributes.

Leader - You must have a honest understanding of who you are, what you

know, and what you can do. Also, note that it is the followers, not the leader who

determines if a leader is successful. If a follower does not trust or lacks confidence

in her leader, then she will be uninspired. To be successful you have to convince

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your followers, not yourself or your superiors, that you are worthy of being

followed.

Communication - You lead through two-way communication. Much of it is

nonverbal. For instance, when you "set the example," that communicates to your

people that you would not ask them to perform anything that you would not be

willing to do. What and how you communicate either builds or harms the

relationship between you and your employees.

Situation - All situations are different. What you do in one leadership

situation will not always work in another situation. You must use your judgment to

decide the best course of action and the leadership style needed for each situation.

For example, you may need to confront a employee for inappropriate behavior, but

if the confrontation is too late or too early, too harsh or too weak, then the results

may prove ineffective.

Attributes:

If you are a leader that can be trusted, then the people around you will learn

to respect you. To be a good leader, there are things that you must be, know, and do.

These fall under the Leadership Framework:

BE a professional. Examples: Be loyal to the organization, perform selfless

service, and take personal responsibility.

BE a professional who possess good character traits. Examples: Honesty,

competence, candor, commitment, integrity, courage, straightforward, imagination

KNOW the four factors of leadership - follower, leader, communication, and

situation.

KNOW yourself. Examples: strengths and weakness of your character,

knowledge, and skills.

KNOW human nature. Examples: Human needs and emotions, and how

people respond to stress.

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KNOW your job. Examples: be proficient and be able to train others in their

tasks.

KNOW your organization. Examples: where to go for help, its climate and

culture, who the unofficial leaders are

DO provide direction. Examples: goal setting, problem solving, decision

making, planning

DO implement. Examples: communicating, coordinating, supervising,

evaluating.

DO motivate. Examples: develop moral and esprit in the organization, train,

coach, counsel.

Leadership Practices

James Kouzes and Barry Posner (1987, 1988) have identified specific

attitudes and behaviors that outstanding leaders have in common. Exemplary

leaders share the following five behavioral practices and ten commitments:

1. Exemplary leaders challenge the process. They are pioneers; they seek

out new opportunities and are willing to change the status quo. They innovate,

experiment, and explore ways to improve their organizations. Such leaders view

mistakes as learning experiences and are prepared to meet any challenges that

confront them. Challenging the process requires two leader commitments: (a) to

search for opportunities and (b) to experiment and take risks.

2. Exemplary leaders inspire a shared vision. They look toward and beyond

the horizon. They envision the future with a positive and hopeful outlook.

Exemplary leaders are expressive; their genuine natures and communication skills

attract followers. They show others how mutual interests can be met through

commitment to a common purpose. Inspiring a shared vision requires leaders to

commit to (a) envisioning the future and to (b) enlisting the support of others.

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3. Exemplary leaders enable others to act. They instill followers with spirit-

nurturing relationships based on mutual trust. Exemplary leaders stress

collaborative goals. They actively involve others in planning and permit others to

make their own decisions. These leaders make sure that their followers feel strong

and capable. Enabling others to act requires two leader commitments: (a) to

fostering collaboration and (b) strengthening others.

4. Exemplary leaders model the way. They are clear about their values and

beliefs. Exemplary leaders keep people and projects on course by consistently

behaving according to these values and by modeling the behaviors that they expect

from others. They plan thoroughly and divide projects into achievable steps, thus

creating opportunities for small wins. Through their focus on key priorities, such

leaders make it easier for others to achieve goals. To model the way requires leaders

to commit to (a) setting an example and (b) planning small wins.

5. Exemplary leaders encourage the heart. They encourage people to persist

in their efforts by recognizing accomplishments and contributions to the

organization's vision. They let others know that their efforts are appreciated and

they express pride in their team's accomplishments. Exemplary leaders find ways to

celebrate achievements. They nurture team spirit, which enables people to sustain

continued efforts. Encouraging the heart requires leaders to be committed to: (a)

recognizing contributions and (b) celebrating accomplishments.

Leader skils

Listen

Speaking out and taking stand is one thing, but keeping an open ear is

essential. Don't assume what students want. Go out and ask all types of students for

feedback, not just friends or fellow organization members.

- - 167

Enthusiastic

If you are passionate about the job issues, the enthusiasm will radiate to the

rest of the community. A positive attitude and optimism will also go a long way to

make the task both fun and effective.

Action

Goals are important, but providing a comprehensive plan of action that

explains how to reach those goals is even more so. Parking, campus housing and the

lack of school spirit and the popular issues, but they are mentioned year after year

during the campaigns. Be creative and take risks in order to find new ways of

accomplishing those goals.

Dependability

Students should be able to trust a leader to operate ethically and with their

best interests at heart. Fulfilling campaign promises and goals in vital in

maintaining student loyalty and confidence.

Educated

You should have a good understanding of the dynamics of student

government, how the university operates and as much about different student

organizations as possible. A leader should also lead by example in the classroom. If

you are too busy with student government and neglected your studies, how can you

be a representative of the students, who are here to work toward a degree?

Results

The motivation to hold office should not be for an impressive resume or to

satisfy the urge for attention - it should be about getting something positive done.

There are true leaders, and then there are people who grab a leadership position as a

stepping stone in their career.

- - 168

4.2.2. Orienting New Members

Developing and conducting an organizational recruitment campaign is very

important. Yet, as we all know, retaining these new members is another matter

entirely. All too frequently groups skip any form of orientation and place their new

recruits directly on committees or organizational projects. Although involvement is

crucial to the longevity of the group, understanding the organization's goals,

objectives, structures, norms and taboos is equally as important. By taking the time

to orient new members to the privileges and responsibilities of membership you

create a more educated membership - people who can and will make significant

contributions to the organization.

A Successful Organization Orientation Program Should Include:

The rights and responsibilities of members

Organizational governance, operating policies and procedures

Organizational history, traditions and programs

Assimilation of new members into the organization

An overview of campus services, activities and programs for student

organizations

Information about any support groups or affiliations the group may

have

The purpose of any new member orientation program is to acquaint your

recruits to the organization and to each other. Knowing the ins and outs of the group

is only one part of being in an organization. It is important to note that people join

groups for many reasons: they want to get involved, learn new skills, make friends

and have a good time. For this reason it is important to structure time for the

members to get to know each other and to develop personal relationships and

commitments.

- - 169

Inform

This section of the orientation process should cover the organization's

history, purpose and structure. If there are written records, give everyone a copy. Be

sure to include organizational charts, officer job descriptions, and a membership

list. Have the new members included on this list.

Motivate

Get your members, returning and newly recruited, excited about the group.

Provide time for them to meet each other to share ideas and expectations. Below is

a good exercise designed to accomplish that goal.

Have the group break into groups of experienced and new members to

discuss the following:

a) Experienced Members

If you had last year to do over again how would you do it differently?

What advice would you offer to the new members?

What accomplishment(s) are you most proud of?

b) New Members

What would you like this organization to mean to you one year from

now?

What would you like to ask the experienced members of the

organization?

What goals would you like to accomplish this year?

What problems do you anticipate and how would you solve them?

Spend at least fifteen minutes in your group discussing these questions. When

time is up gather together as one group and report what you discussed. It is usually

most effective to have the experienced members report first, followed by the new

members.

- - 170

It is also very important to find out what the new members' interests are

and what skills they bring to the group. Using this information, try to give them

tasks which will successfully use their talents and give them a reason to be

committed. Whenever possible, recognize members' accomplishments both publicly

and privately.

By including the above suggestions in your new member orientation program

you will discover that you have built group cohesion. By following these tips you

will ensure:

Members know the organization and are able to articulate its purpose.

Members understand their rights and responsibilities to self and

organization.

Members have leadership and discipline.

An article in the November 2003 issue of Association Management,

published by the American Society of Association Executives, identifies 10

communication tips that make for effective leadership, especially in hard times.

Think before speaking. In tough times people will not only hold onto

every word a leader says, but they will also expend energy to sort out precisely

what leaders are not saying. Leaders need to tailor the message so that a clear

picture of the issues is presented to the audience in a meaningful and controlled

way.

Stay focused by combining the short- and long-term pictures.

Leaders need to be effective at sorting through the real issues. By pointing out past

challenges and using specific examples to underscore their message, leaders remind

others that they will pull through this time as well as in the past.

Handle emotions effectively. Leaders need to be fluid. Leaders cannot

leave or display how angry or frustrated they are. If they do, they become part of

the problem.

- - 171

Be hopeful, instill hope, and do something. Leaders need to link their

messages to the broader mission or vision of the organization. Leaders need to

present a clear plan of how they can achieve desired end results. Leaders need to

offer a positive approach for dealing with bad news.

Recognize that quality gossip is good. When bad news needs to be

delivered, people appreciate an informal heads-up in advance of a more formal

gathering. This provides an opportunity for people to talk among themselves and to

console each other and maybe even come up with some effective tactics.

Be transparent when answering questions. Use simple language,

address issues upfront and be willing to admit unfamiliarity or ignorance of certain

questions.

Point out successes in a timely manner. Leaders need to not only

announce any successes, but link the success to the goal or vision of the

organization.

Follow through on commitments. One essential way to build and

foster trust is to follow through on commitments, particularly as they relate to the

vision and mission of the organization.

Listen well. Listen for more than whats being said; pay attention to

whats not being said and try to spot unspoken expectations that are not clearly

communicated verbally or in writing. Its about picking up on what people are

thinking, how they are acting and what they are not necessarily verbalizing.

Avoid surprises. Keep everyone informed and up to date on issues and

address questions before they become problems.

The most important issue in being a success leader is being a person that

others want to follow. Every action you take during your career in an organization

helps determine whether people will one day want to follow you.

- - 172

4.2.3. Team Organization

Over the years, Perry has seen the symptoms of poor team organization.

Some projects have too many leaders, leaving only a few people to do the work and

making coordination difficult. Other projects have too many layers of management,

impeding effective communication; team members become frustrated, waiting for

all the leaders to reach agreement or gain approvals. To augment frustration levels,

tasks frequently are unclear, lacking definitions of roles and responsibilities. Good

organization makes sense; yet project managers often give too little attention to

organizing their group.

Frequently, teams are an assembly of people and nothing more. Some project

managers fear alienating people by setting up a project organization. Others lack an

appreciation for its contribution to project success. Still others have a preference for

an unofficial organizational structure.

Through the function of organization, Perry can realize many advantages. His

team can operate more efficiently, since responsibilities and reporting relationships

will be clearly defined. It can operate more effectively, because each person will

know what is expected of him or her. The team has higher morale, because roles

and reporting relationships will be clear which in turn reduces the opportunities for

conflict.

Ten Prerequisites for Effective Organization

Perry must satisfy some preliminary requirements to build a formal

organization, especially one that handles medium to large projects like his:

1. He must know the project goals. This knowledge will help to determine

how to best arrange his resources.

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2. He must know all the players. This knowledge will help him to determine

who will support him directly and who will provide ad hoc support.

3. He must understand the political climate. Although the team may be

temporary, the project may be around for a long time.

4. He must receive preliminary concurrence on the project organization from

all the major players

5. He must determine the appropriate span of control. This means

determining how many people he can effectively manage before establishing an

additional layer of management (e.g., appointing team leaders).

6. He must publish the organization chart as early as possible. This action

will clarify roles early and reduce the opportunity for conflict. It will also make

assigning responsibilities easier.

7. He must consider how much autonomy to grant people on the project. This

will depend on how much control he wants to maintain. If he wants tight control, he

will limit the autonomy he grants to project participants.

8. He must consider issues of authority, responsibility, and accountability.

How much authority will he have and how much can he grant? How much

responsibility can he relinquish and still be accountable for the results?

9. He must consider how to group the functions of the project team. Should

he mix them or segregate them? If the latter, how will he encourage information

sharing, communication, and teaming?

10. He must identify the line and staff functions. The goal of the project will

help determine the positions. Line functions contribute directly to the results; these

are typically people on the core team. Staff functions do not contribute directly to

the results and ordinarily they are not part of the core team.

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Types of Organizational Structure

There are two basic types of organizational structures for a project: task force

and matrix. The task force structure is shown in Exhibit 1.

The task force is a group of people assembled to complete a specific goal.

The team is completely focused on that goal and, consequently, devotes its entire

energies to its accomplishment. By its very nature, task forces are temporary; the

team is disassembled once the goal is accomplished. It also usually operates

autonomously, with its own budget and authority.

Exhibit 4.1. Task force structure.

The task force has the advantage of giving visibility to a project. It isolates

team members from organizational myopia and frees them from daily

- - 175

administration. It enables creativity and experimentation within the confines of the

goal and scope of the project.

Despite these advantages, Perry does not like the task force structure, at least

for the Smythe Project. Since a task force would last for only a fixed duration,

theres a danger that few people would have loyalty to the project and stay the

course. As the project experiences difficulties, some people might depart early,

leaving it vulnerable to schedule slippages and lapses in quality.

As the project grows, too, it can become too independent, stealing people

from other projects. Other organizations and projects are robbed of badly needed

expertise. As a project ends, the task force may experience severe morale problems,

as people scramble for new jobs before completing their responsibilities.

It is not uncommon for a project to experience lapses in quality as a result.

Keeping these shortcomings in mind, Perry agrees with his boss that a matrix

structure is best for the Smythe Project. A matrix structure obtains resources from

functional organizations and also shares those people with other projects. For

command and control purposes, people report to their functional managers but

support one or more project managers. A generic matrix structure is shown in

Exhibit 4.1 and the one for the Smythe wedding is shown in Exhibit 4.2.

The matrix structure offers several advantages. It allows for sharing people

with heavy expertise among several projects. People dont need to look for a new

job as the project concludes. The project manager can acquire people with the right

skills at the right time, thereby reducing the need to keep people on when they are

not needed; this helps keep the cost lower. The matrix structure also gives senior

management flexibility in changing the scope or stopping the project owing to

different market conditions.

- - 176

Perry realizes, though, that a matrix structure presents challenges. It makes

planning difficult, especially if projects are sharing resources. Often, he must

negotiate with functional and other managers to obtain peoples help.

Exhibit 4.2. Matrix structure.

A matrix structure can wreak havoc on morale, too. Team members on

multiple projects may be forced to determine which project to give attention to.

Sometimes the competition is so keen that individuals become pawns in a power

struggle among functional and project managers. That struggle can last a long time,

adding to team angst. Finally, the matrix structure often violates the unity-of-

command principle (a single superior to who subordinates report).

To tackle these challenges, Perry recognizes the stress a matrix structure

places on team members. He will coordinate closely with functional and other

project managers to facilitate availability and try to integrate his project with other

projects. He will encourage greater communication, information sharing, and

bonding.

Finally, he will stress flexibility; change is a way of life in the matrix

environment, since priorities and resource availabilities constantly change.

- - 177

Virtual Teams

Recent advances in information systems have brought unparalleled changes

to business, not just technically but also in managing projects. These changes

include e-mail, the Internet, groupware, and client-server technology. Technologies

such as these have enabled team members to work autonomously at remote

locations during all time periods (e.g., mornings, evenings). But a project team may

never meet face-to-face with some people and will only interact electronically. That

is the nature of virtual teams.

There are many advantages to a virtual team. It reduces the need for

expensive facilities. Team members feel greater freedom, working with less

supervision. A side benefit is a flatter organization chart, too.

While sounding like a dream come true, reality may provide a different

picture. Virtual teams can pose tough challenges. The first is how to provide

support for these virtual team members. There are issues concerning hardware and

software, plus administrative matters such as accessibility to the project library and

ways of collecting information nonelectronically.

Second is how to overcome the purported loneliness that affects some virtual

team members. Many work alone, in remote geographical locations. Their

opportunities for social interaction and camaraderie are limited.

Third is the challenge of coordinating the activities of team members. With

members geographically dispersed and in different time zones, coordination can be

a nightmare. Since oversight is difficult, project managers cannot closely monitor

work. Similarly, communication usually involves more than e-mail. There must be

a way to discuss major project activities.

Some ways to handle these challenges include:

Conducting frequent face-to-face meetings and holding social gatherings

- - 178

Developing objective ways to measure performance and completion criteria

Empowering people to assume responsibility and accountability for results

Establishing time commitments for team members to respond to each other

Providing a standard suite of hardware and software tools

SWAT Teams

Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams are a growing presence in

project management. These are small groups of individuals who are experts not just

in project management but also in other subjects. In the sense that their objective is

to move quickly to complete their mission and pull out, these groups are like the

police SWAT teams from which they get their name. Specifically, a project SWAT

team must quickly set up the appropriate project management and technical

disciplines at the beginning of a project. Once the disciplines have been established,

the team relinquishes control to a project manager and his group, who are

responsible for completing the project.

SWAT team work is intense. By the time its work is completed, it will have

developed and implemented a complete project plan, from estimates to schedules.

Although hard skills (e.g., expertise with software and hardware) are

important, soft skills are important, too.

For example, SWAT team members must solicit buy-in for their work.

Active listening, facilitation, communication, and teaming skills are extremely

important. Also important is the ability to keep calm under pressure and a

willingness to share equipment, expertise, or information.

To use SWAT teams effectively:

- - 179

1. Obtain support for the work of a SWAT team by follow-on

teleconferencing sessions; otherwise, the teams effort will be wasted.

2. Be aware that working on a SWAT team can cause burnout. Morale and

energy levels can plummet.

3. Provide constant training for SWAT team members. They must keep

abreast of technologies in order to provide state-of-the-art expertise. Cross-training

can help, but only so far.

4. Select people for the SWAT team who can handle ambiguity. Members

must be willing to tackle projects when goals and deliverables are ill defined.

Self-Directed Work Teams

In recent years, a different approach to building teams has emerged, called a

Self-Directed Work Team (SDWT). SDWTs are teams that have considerable

autonomy while building a product or delivering a service. It is a group of

professionals sharing responsibility for results.

These teams are cross-functional, meaning that people with different

disciplines and backgrounds work together to achieve a common goal. The team

decides everything, from setting priorities to allocating resources. Other actions

include selecting people, evaluating performance, and improving processes. The

key characteristic is the autonomy to make decisions without supervisory approval.

Several trends are pushing toward the SDWT concept because these teams:

Create flatter organizations

Empower employees

Encourage greater teaming

Encourage people to have a more general background

Enlarge spans of control

- - 180

SDWTs are excellent candidates for applying project management ideas.

Since the entire team is responsible for the results, all members must help lead,

define, plan, organize, control, and close the project. The tools and techniques of

project management enable teams to do that.

Team Building

A team is more than just a group of people doing work. It is an assembly of

individuals with diverse backgrounds who interact for a specific purpose. The idea

is to capture and direct the synergy generated by the group to efficiently and

effectively achieve a goal. Throughout the years, Perry has witnessed many signs of

ineffective teams.

Characteristics of Poor Teams

No processes for gaining consensus or resolving conflicts. Team squabbles

and overt and covert discussions are ongoing occurrences, making cooperation

difficult, even impossible.

Team members who lack commitment to the goal. No one has an emotional

attachment to the goal.

No camaraderie or esprit de corps. The players do not feel that they are part

of a team. Instead, everyone acts in his or her own interests.

Lack of openness and trust. Everyone is guarded, protective of his or her

own interests. Openness and truthfulness are perceived as yielding to someone,

giving a competitive advantage, or exposing vulnerabilities.

Vague role definitions. The reporting structures and responsibilities are

unclear, causing conflicts. Territorial disputes and power struggles occur often.

- - 181

No commonality or cohesiveness. The team is an unorganized grouping of

people. No one feels a sense of community or brotherhood. No common ground

exists other than to meet periodically to work. This results in lost synergy.

Conformity and mind protection. Insecurity permeates people for fear of

being different or ostracized. People do not speak or share information unless it

reinforces behavior or thoughts.

Low tolerance for diversity. The pressure to conform is so intense that

anyone different in thinking or work style is ostracized or not taken seriously.

Whistle-blowers and creative types, for instance, may be viewed with suspicion.

Under such circumstances no opportunity is available to capitalize on peoples

strengths and address their weaknesses.

Insufficient resources. Whether its people, equipment, supplies, facilities,

time, or money, insufficient resources make teams ineffective. The situation can

also lead to squabbling, dissention, even revolts. If resources are not distributed in

an objective, meaningful manner, then differences can magnify into severe

conflicts. Members of the team can quickly become polarized.

Lack of management support. If team members perceivewhether

justifiably or notthat management is not supportive of the project, then

motivation can plummet. People will feel that the work is not valuable, at least to

the organization.

Listless team members. The goals are vague or nonexistent. Even if the

goals are defined, no one, including the project manager, seems to focus on them.

Instead, everyone is aimless.

Discontinuity between individual expectations and group expectations.

There is a misalignment between the two, with the latter not valuing the former. A

symbiotic relationship between the two just does not exist.

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An ineffective team is conflict ridden, filled with distrust, unfocused, and

reeking of negative competition.

These conditions manifest themselves in high turnover and absenteeism,

considerable frustration levels, poor communication, no esprit de corps, and

intolerance.

Perry wants, of course, a project team with desirable characteristics:

Characteristics of Effective Teams

Acceptance of new ideas and objective evaluation of them

Sustained common norms, values, and beliefs without excessive conformity

Synergy through mutual support

Loyalty and commitment to the project

Focus on end results

A trusting, open attitude

Ability to gain consensus and resolve conflicts

High morale and esprit de corps

Information and resources sharing

Perry knows all too well that a team with these characteristics is difficult to

achieve. Yet he also knows that such characteristics will not arise unless he takes

action. There are seven actions that he takes to engender such characteristics:

1. He sets the example. He not only espouses certain values and beliefs but

also exercises them. He wants people to be trustful and open, so he is trustful and

open. He expects people to be committed, so he is committed. In other words, he

walks the talk.

2. He encourages communicationoral, written, and electronic. He knows

that communication is more than writing memos, standing in front of a team, or

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setting up a Web site. It requires sharing information in an open and trusting

manner, holding frequent meetings (status reviews and staff), publishing a project

manual, defining acronyms and jargon, employing technology as a communications

tool, and encouraging task interdependence.

3. He has the team focus on results. They direct all their energies toward

achieving the vision. Whether he or the team makes a decision, it is made in the

context of achieving the vision. Perry constantly communicates the vision and

establishes change control and problem-solving processes.

4. He engenders high morale and esprit de corps by developing and

maintaining the energy that comes from teaming. He knows, however, that he must

continually nurture that energy to keep it flowing. So he empowers team members,

encourages consensus building and win-win solutions, increases task

interdependence, matches the right person with the right task, and teams people

with complementary work styles.

5. He builds commitment to the vision and the project. Throughout the

project cycle, team commitment can rise or fall. Ideally, Perry wants to achieve the

former. Ways to do that include matching peoples interests with tasks, encouraging

participative decision making, empowering people, seeking input and feedback,

assigning people with responsibility for completing deliverables, and keeping the

project in the forefront of everyones mind.

6. He lays the groundwork for synergy. A team is more than the sum of its

members. But synergy requires cooperation. Ways to obtain cooperation include

providing cross-training so that people understand each others roles and

responsibilities, clearly defining roles and responsibilities, determining each team

members strengths and weaknesses and making assignments that capitalize on the

former, and having groups within the team be accountable for a complete work unit

(e.g., subproduct or deliverable).

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7. He encourages greater diversity in thinking, work style, and behavior.

Always mindful of the danger of groupthink, Perry encourages different thoughts

and perspectives. He is especially aware of the multicultural environment of the

Smythe Project. The project culminates in Italy and, therefore, requires working

with people from another country. The Smythe family also has many friends around

the world who will attend the wedding. To ensure receptivity to diversity, Perry

uses cross-training and job rotation to broaden peoples understanding of each

other, encourages experimentation and brainstorming to develop new ideas and

keep an open mind, seeks task interdependence to encourage communication, and

nurtures a continuous learning environment.

Team Diversity

With globalization of the economy in general and the Smythe Project in

particular, Perry recognizes that the challenge of leading a diversified team has

never been greater. The team members have a variety of backgrounds, including

race, ethnicity, and religion. Leading a team in such an environment requires

heightened sensitivity to different values, beliefs, norms, and lifestyles.

Perry understands that people vary in their concept of time, ways of doing

business, styles of management and leadership, and views of how the world

functions. He also understands that differences exist in the meaning of words

(semantics), interpretation of expressions (body language), perception of priorities,

and definition of team building. Needless to say, all this diversity adds complexity

to the planning, coordination, and control of the project. He knows, however, that

he can deal with diversity in several ways.

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1. He sets the example by embracing diversity. Through research,

background reviews, interviews, and the like, Perry learns about the diverse

backgrounds of the people and encourages everyone to do the same.

2. He is patient when dealing with people of a different background. He

remains conscious of different values and beliefs, for example, and accounts for

them when leading the project.

3. He overcomes the temptation to stereotype. That is, he avoids generalizing

about people based on one characteristic. He also tackles stereotyping by team

members. An effective approach is to have people with different backgrounds work

together. He can also have the team, with himself, attend diversity training to

understand and respect differences.

4. He has empathy for other peoples experiences. The word is empathy, not

sympathy, since the latter connotes patronization and condescension. He attempts to

appreciate, for example, the difficulties in reconciling different perceptions of time.

5. He encourages feedback. He is especially mindful to obtain feedback from

people whose cultural background is dramatically different from his own or from

the rest of the team. This lessens the tendency for the team to split into subgroups.

What Is Your Team-Building Style?

Decide-X, a Bellevue, Washington, company, provides a scientific toolalso

called Decide-Xto measure how much information a person needs before

reaching a decision.

According to Decide-X, people deal with team-building situations in ways

that reflect their needs and desires, as well as their preferences in dealing with

direction, change, details, and other characteristics of a work situation. There are

four primary styles:

Reactive Stimulators thrive on action and the immediate. They prefer

situations or projects that are fast-moving and have lots of pressure.

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Logical Processors thrive on logical detail while maintaining focus. They

prefer situations and projects with organizational structure.

Hypothetical Analyzers like to solve problems using decomposition to

unravel complexity. They prefer situations and projects that provide a relatively

slow pace to perform analysis.

Relational Innovators deal in ideas from a big-picture perspective and find

relationships or patterns. They prefer situations and projects that involve blue-

skying and move at a pace that allows them to do that.

From a project management perspective, the Decide-X tool is very useful.

Different combinations of styles on a project team can influence the level of detail

that goes into making a decision and how quickly it is done. For example, if you put

a Reactive Stimulator and a Relational Innovator on a task, the questions will arise:

(1) Will decisions be made quickly with little attention to detail (as may be

needed), or will they be made much more slowly, to allow for exploration of detail?

(2) Will the Reactive Stimulator and Relational Innovator cooperate, or

will they conflict?

Decide-X differs from other approaches, which focus only on the individual,

because it looks at the interactions of people.

4.2. HOW TO CREATE LEADERSPrinciples of LeadershipFactors of leadership