YOU'VE CHOSEN YOUR TEAM

HOW DO YOU MAKE IT WORK?

August 1997

BERLING ASSOCIATES
C 1997 R. Michael O'Bannon and Berling Associates

A LOOK AT CORE ASSETS

Company Everywhere

Capabilities and skills of people are core assets of the organization More effort is expended on people than on other core assets Finding the "right" people is costly Once people are on board, they begin to learn about the job and the environment People join teams, formal or informal Now you need to make it work

Core Assets Capabilities Skills Facility Systems Capital

BERLING ASSOCIATES
C 1997 R. Michael O'Bannon and Berling Associates

A ROSE IS NOT A ROSE

A Group Is Not A Team

Committee -- a group of people who take minutes to waste hours.

Team -- a group of people who are committed to the attainment of a common objective, who work well together and enjoy doing so, and who produce high quality results.

Teams do not just happen. They are developed through a deliberate, planned process.
Source: James P. Lewis

BERLING ASSOCIATES
C 1997 R. Michael O'Bannon and Berling Associates

EXPECTATIONS FOR TEAM OUTCOMES

A Survey Of 51 Major Companies That Utilize Teams Found These Benefits

More effective use of resources Better problem solving Better quality products and services Creativity and innovation Higher quality decisions

To get these results it takes work.

BERLING ASSOCIATES
C 1997 R. Michael O'Bannon and Berling Associates

BUILDING BLOCKS OF TEAM BUILDING

Describe the Benefits and Rewards -- Let group members know how they will benefit from their participation in the team. Identify both individual and group rewards.

Communicate the Team Purpose -- Let participants know explicitly what the purpose of the team is and its significance. Communicate expected results and how these results will make a difference. Define Teamwork -- Develop a shared definition of what a team really is. Discuss what types of teamwork members want and expect.
BERLING ASSOCIATES

Discuss the Process -- Collect ideas for the group about how to create teamwork. Indentify the initial strengths of the group and potential barriers to effective teamwork.
C 1997 R. Michael O'Bannon and Berling Associates

KEYS TO LEADING A TEAM

Continually refocus the team on its purpose. Teams can drift from their fundamental charge; the leader must keep them on task.
Encourage frequent team self-assessment. The more the team critiques its own process, the more finely-tuned that process becomes. Encourage questions and differences of perspective. The best decisions come from comparing and contrasting different views of a problem. Watch for opportunities to promote participation and involvement. Make everyone feel a part by giving everyone a role. Don't hog the limelight; spread credit among team members. Reward and celebrate successes -- even the minor ones. Know the members of your team; find out their needs, their strengths, and their weaknesses.

BERLING ASSOCIATES
C 1997 R. Michael O'Bannon and Berling Associates

FACTORS IN TEAM DEVELOPMENT

Goals What is the current purpose, mission, goal, objective and action plan? The leader keeps the team on track and monitors how relevant the team activity is to the current goals.

Roles What work needs to be done and who is the best choice to carryout each function or the team? The leader makes sure that roles are identified and filled. The leader maintains a process by which the team holds members accountable for filling their roles.

TEAM

Procedures How will the work of the team get done? What processes and methods should be chosen? The team leader remembers to assess how will processes work and moves the team to refine or replace them when necessary.

Relationships How are team members expected to interact and relate? The leader provides a climate in which constructive working relationships can evolve. The leader helps "debug" problems and destructive conflicts before they damage the team.
BERLING ASSOCIATES
C 1997 R. Michael O'Bannon and Berling Associates

STAGES OF TEAM DEVELOPMENT

Norming -Members of the group begin to learn from each other and establish guidelines for working together. These "rules" may vary widely from team to team, but in a well-formed team they meet the needs and styles of the members. Leadership is shared among participants more evenly and mutual trust develops.

Storming -As participants Forming -become more familiar The participants lack a with each other, clear understanding of different viewpoints their purpose, the and disagreements group's capabilities surface. Alliances and and of each other. conflicts occur; the Because they often do leader may be not know each other, challenged. While members tend to be some groups suppress polite or to withhold this stage, effective thoughts or reactions. teams need to work They often look to the through it to learn how leader for direction and to deal with differences structure. and to achieve their highest quality results.

Performing -The team puts the full force of its resources into getting results. Goals, roles, procedures, and relationships support the team process. All is not perfect, but success is maintained by rapid identification of problems and barriers as they occur. Regular and honest team assessment is used to keep the team on course and to avoid complacency.

TEAM

BERLING ASSOCIATES
C 1997 R. Michael O'Bannon and Berling Associates

HELPING WITH TEAM DEVELOPMENT

Give The Organizational Message That Teamwork Is Good Publicly acknowledge effective teams and their applications Address teamworking skills on performance appraisals and in developmental feedback

Reward Effective Team Players Give desirable assignments to those who have shown teamwork ability Consider team skills in determining promotions Reward all the members of particularly productive teams

Demonstrate And Teach Team Behavior Be a model of good teamwork in the top executive suite Provide training in team skills for group participants Teach employees how to lead and facilitate teams

BERLING ASSOCIATES
C 1997 R. Michael O'Bannon and Berling Associates

SUMMARY

Not all groups become teams. Some groups function poorly throughout their lifespan, never reaching the climate, camaraderie and productivity of a team. Generating a team is a planned process that take time, energy, knowledge and insight. Leaders and team members who understand the factors involved can increase the chances of success by making sure that the important factors are dealt with openly and regularly. Groups who take the time to build their working relationships and who actively monitor their own group processes will become the most productive and effective teams.

Michael O'Bannon, Ph.D.

BERLING ASSOCIATES
C 1997 R. Michael O'Bannon and Berling Associates

CONTACT INFORMATION

Rob Berling Berling Associates

550 Pharr Road

Suite 212 Atlanta, GA 30305

Tel. 404.365.9836 Fax. 404.365.9837 Email: rberling@bellsouth.net www.ba.flatbridge.com

BERLING ASSOCIATES
C 1997 R. Michael O'Bannon and Berling Associates