Team Deve lopment a s OD In tervent ion

D e f i n i t i o n

According to Warren Bennis, OD is a complex strategy intended to change the beliefs,

attitudes, values, and structure of organizations so that they can better adapt to new

technologies, markets, and challenges.

Organization development is a "contractual relationship between a change agent and a

sponsoring organization entered into for the purpose of using applied behavioral science

in a systems context to improve organizational performance and the capacity of the

organization to improve itself “.

M e a n i n g

O D interventions are sets of structured activities in which selected organizational

units (target groups or individuals) engage in a task or a sequence of tasks with the

goals of organizational improvement and individual development. Interventions

constitute the action force of organization development. OD intervention addresses a

wide range of specific problems and opportunities. The OD" practitioner, brings four sets

of attributes to the organizational setting: a set of values; a set of assumptions about

people, organizations, and interpersonal relationships; a set of goals for the

practitioner and the organization and its members; and a set of structured activities

that are the means for achieving the values, assumption and goals. These are what we

mean by the word intervention.

These different kinds of interventions provide a range of ways for the OD practitioner to intervene or get

involved in the client system. They also explain the underlying dynamics of interventions.

Interventions do different things; they cause different things to happen. Intervention's major result

may be increasing interaction and communication between parties. Other major result may be increasing

feedback, or increasing accountability. These differential results are often exactly what are needed to

produce change in the particular situation. For example, a situation requiring increased

accountability will benefit more from an intervention that directly increases accountability than

an intervention that increases interaction and communication. The following list shows some of the results

one can expect from OD interventions.

1. Feedback.

Refers to learning new data about oneself, others, group processes, or organizational

dynamics data that one did not "previously take active account of and that reflects an

objective picture of the real world. Being aware of this new information may lead to

change if the feedback is not too threatening.

2. Awareness of Changing, Socio-cultural Norms or Dysfunctional Current

Norms.

People modify their behavior, attitudes, and values when they become aware of changes

in the norms influencing their behavior. This awareness has change potential, because the

individual will adjust his or her behavior to adjust in the new environment. This causal

mechanism probably operates in team building, intergroup team-building activities,

culture analysis, Grid OD, and socio-technical systems programs.

3. Increased Interaction and Communication.

Increasing interaction and communication between individuals and groups causes

changes in attitudes and behavior. Increased communication allows one to check one's

perceptions and see if they are socially validated and shared.

4. Confrontation.

This term refers to examining differences in beliefs, feelings, attitudes, values, or norms

to remove obstacles to effective interaction. Confrontation is a process that seeks to

discern real differences that are "getting in the way," to uncover those issues, and to work

on them in a constructive way. Confrontation underlies conflict resolution interventions

such as intergroup team building, third-party peacemaking, and role negotiation.

4. Education.

Education activities upgrade (a) knowledge and concepts, (b) beliefs and attitudes, and

(c) skills. In organization development education activities increase these three

components in several content areas: task achievement, social relationships,

organizational dynamics and processes, and processes for managing change.

5. Increased Accountability.

Activities that clarify people’s responsibilities and that which monitor performance related to

those responsibilities increase accountability. Both features must be present for accountability to

enhance performance.

Classifying Organisation development Interventions.

The inventory of OD interventions is quite extensive. This can be classified into two

categories:

(1) The Objectives of interventions

(2) The targets of the interventions.

Becoming familiar with how intervention relate to one another is useful for planning the

overall OD strategy.

The following are the major activities of OD intervention.

1. Diagnostic Activities.

Fact-finding activities designed to ascertain the state of the system, the status of

problem, the "way things are." Available methods range from projective devices such as

"build a Collage_-that represents your place in this organization" to the more traditional

data collection methods of interviews, questionnaires, surveys, meetings, and examining

organizational records.

2. Team-Building Activities.

These activities designed to enhance the effective operation of system teams. These

activities focus on task issues, such as the way things are done, the skills and resources

needed to accomplish tasks, the quality of relationship among the team members or

between members and "the leader, and how well the team gets its job done.

3. Inter- group Activities.

This activity is designed to improve the effectiveness of interdependent groups, groups

that must work together to produce a common output. They focus on joint activities and

the output of the groups considered as a single system rather than as two subsystems.

4. Survey Feedback Activities.

Activities that rely on questionnaire surveys to generate information that is then used to

identify problems opportunities, Groups analyze the data regarding their performance and

design action plans to correct problems.

5. Education and training Activities.

Activities designed to improve individual’s skills, abilities, and knowledge. The

activities may be directed toward technical skills required for performing tasks or may be

directed toward improving interpersonal competence. The activities may be directed

toward leadership issues, responsibilities and functions of group members, decision

making, problem solving goal setting and planning etc.

6. Grid Organization Development Activities .

Activities developed by Robert Blake and Jane Mouton, which constitute a six-phase

change model involving the total organization. Internal resources are developed to

conduct most of the programs, which may take from three to five years to complete. The

model starts with upgrading individual manager’s skills and leadership abilities, moves to

team improvement activities, then to inter-group relations activities

7. Strategic Management Activities.

Activities that help key policy makers to reflect systematically on the organization's

basic mission and goals and environmental demands, threats, and opportunities, and to

engage in long range action planning of both a reactive and proactive nature. These

activities direct attention in two important directions: outside the organization to a

consideration of the environment, and away from the present to the future.

8. Organisational Transformation Activities.

Are activities that involve large scales system changes: activities designed to

fundamentally change the nature of the organization. Almost everything about the

organization is changed—structure, management philosophy, reward systems, the design

of work, mission, values, and culture

BROAD TEAM-BUILDING INTERVENTIONS

The most important single group of interventions in OD is team-building activities, the

goals of which are the improvement and increased effectiveness of various teams

within the organization. Some interventions focus on the intact work team composed of

a boss and subordinates, which we call the formal group. Other interventions focus on

special teams such as startup teams, newly constituted teams due to mergers, organization

structure changes, or plant startups; task forces; cross-functional project teams; and

committees.

Team-building interventions are typically directed toward four main areas: diagnosis,

task accomplishments, team relationships, and team and organization processes.

The Major actors are the consultant, who is not a member of the group (the third party)

the group leader, and the group members.

Varieties of Team-Building Intervention

A. Diagnostic Meetings.

B. Team Building Focused on.

Formal Groups .Task accomplished, including

(Intact work Team) problem solving, decision making,

goal setting etc.

. Building and maintaining

interpersonal relationship

. Role analysis technique

Team- Building .Understanding and managing

Activities group process and culture

.Role negotiation technique

Special Group.

A. Diagnostic Group

B. Team Building focused on:

.Task Accomplishment

. Interpersonal relationship

.Task allocation decision making

. Role analysis technique

. Role negotiation.

Large or Formal Group Diagnostic Meeting :

The purpose of the formal or large group diagnostic meeting is to conduct a general

critique of the performance of the group, that is, to take account of "where the

organization is going" and “ how the organization is performing," and to uncover and

identify problems so that they may be worked on. The leader and the consultant discuss

the idea first, and if a genuine need for a diagnostic meeting exists, the idea is put to the

group for their reactions. The leader may structure his or her testing for the group's

reaction in the form of the following questions: What are our strengths? What problems

do we have that we should work on? How are we doing in regard to our assigned tasks?

How are our relationships with each other? What opportunities should we be taking

advantage of?

After some thinking about their own performance the group decides to conduct the

formal group of diagnostic meeting, the group assembles for a half-day or a day meeting.

There are several ways of getting the diagnostic data known to the public:

A total-group discussion involves everyone making individual contributions to the

total assemblage.

Sub-grouping involves breaking down into smaller groups where a more intensive

discussion takes place, then the subgroups report back to the total group. (This method is

particularly effective because people have more "air time" and feel a higher degree of

safety in the anonymity of a subgroup report.)

A pairing of two individual interviews each other or simply discuss their ideas

with each other; each pair then reports back to the total group.

After the data are shared throughout the group, the next steps consist of discussing the

issues, grouping the issues in terms of themes and getting a preliminary look at the next

action steps. The next action steps may call for a team-building meeting which may

assign different persons to task groups to work on the problems, or may include a number

of other strategies that involve moving from the diagnostic data to corrective action

taking. The formal group diagnostic meeting permits a group to critique itself and to

identify its strengths and problem areas, and it allows everyone to participate in

generating the necessary data. The data then form the basis for planning future actions. A

key secret to the success of a short diagnostic meeting is the realization by all participants

that the meeting is for the purpose of identifying problems, not solving problems.

Diagnostic meetings for newly constituted groups, say, task forces or new teams resulting

from mergers or acquisitions, arc similar in form and function to the group diagnostic

meeting. These meetings may have to be held more frequently to stay ahead of the

problems. Furthermore, linking diagnostic meetings with problem-solving sessions or

team-building sessions may be indicated for newly constituted teams.

PROCESS CONSULTATION INTERVENTIONS

The process consultation model is similar to team-building interventions except that

process consultation places greater emphasis on diagnosing-and understanding process

events. Furthermore, the consultant's role is more nondirective and questioning as he or

she gets the groups to solve their own problems.

Process consultation (PC) represents an approach or a method for intervening in an ongoing

system. The reason of this approach is that a skilled third party (consultant) works with

individuals and groups to help them learn about human and social processes and learn to

solve problems that stem from process events. This approach has been around a long

time; many practitioners operate from this stance.

Process consultation consists of many different interventions; it is not any single thing the

consultant does. The paramount goal of PC is stated by Schein as follows:

The job of the process consultant is to help the organization solve its own problems by -

making it aware of organizational processes the consequences of these processes, and the

mechanisms by which they can be changed. The process consultant helps the orga-

nization to learn from self-diagnosis and self-intervention. The ultimate concern of the

process consultant is the organization's capacity to do for it what he has done for it.

Where the standard consultant is more concerned about passing on his knowledge, the

process consultant is concerned about passing on his skills and values.

A GESTALT APPROACH TO TEAM BUILDING

A form of team building that focuses more on the individual than the group is the Gestalt

approach to OD. The major advocate of this orientation is Stanley M. Herman, a

management and OD consultant.

The approach rests on a form of psychotherapy developed by Frederick S. "Fritz" Perls

called Gestalt therapy. Gestalt therapy is based on the belief that persons function as

whole, total organisms. And each person possesses positive and negative characteristics

that must be "owned up to" and permitted expression. People get into trouble when they

get fragmented, when they do not accept their total selves, and when they are trying to

live up to the demands of others rather than being themselves. Robert Harman lists the

goals of Gestalt therapy as awareness, integration, maturation, authenticity, self-

regulation, and behavior change. Basically, one must come to terms with oneself, must

accept responsibility for one's actions, must experience and live in the "here and now,"

and must stop blocking off awareness, authenticity, and the like by dysfunctional

behaviors.

Stanley Herman applies a Gestalt orientation to organization development, especially in

working with leader-subordinate relations and team building. The primary thrust is to

make the individual stronger, more authentic, and more in touch with the individual's own

feelings; building a better team may result, but it is not the primary desired outcome.

For the best result people must be able to express their feelings fully, both positive and

negative. One must "get in touch" with "where they are" on issues, relations with others,

and relations with selves. They must learn to "stay with" transactions with others and

work them through to resolution rather than suppressing negative feelings or cutting off

the transactions prematurely. They must learn to accept the polarities within themselves

—weakness-strength, autocratic-democratic urges, and so forth.

The Gestalt OD practitioner fosters the expression of positive and negative feelings,

encourages people to stay with transactions, structures exercises that cause individuals to

become more aware of what they want from others, and pushes toward greater

authenticity for everyone. The Gestalt OD practitioner often works within a group setting,

but the focus is usually on individuals.

Thus its necessary to remember that the Gestalt orientation to team building should not

be used except by practitioners trained in this method.

Summary

OD intervention is an activity which helps the organisation in building team spirit among

the employees of the organisation. It is a systematic approach to the organizations

improvement that implies the behavioral sciences theory and research which helps to

increase individual and organisational well-being and effectiveness. It helps the

employees to work in teams easily and also achieve the organisational goals.

Thus the depth of OD intervention is the degree or intensity of change that the intervention

is designed to stimulate.

Interpersonal, group, inter- group, and organisational relations all serve as targets of OD

intervention.

CREATING EFFECTIVE TEAMS

Teams differ in form and structure. Teamwork is preferable over individual work.

Creating “effective” teams in situations in which individuals can do the job better is

equivalent to solving the wrong problem perfectly. The key components making up

effective teams can be subsumed into four general categories. The first category is work

design. The second relates to the team’s composition. Third are the resources and

other contextual influences that make teams effective. Finally, process variables reflect

those things that go on in team that influences effectiveness.

WORK DESIGN

Effective teams need to work together and take collective responsibility to complete

significant tasks. They must be more than a “team-in name-only”. The work design

category includes variables like

Freedom and autonomy

The opportunity to use different skills and talents

The ability to complete a whole and identifiable task or product

Working on a task or project that has a substantial impact on others.

The evidence indicates that these characteristics enhance member motivation and

increase team effectiveness. These work-design characteristics motivate because they

increase members’ sense of responsibility and ownership over the work and because they

make the work more interesting to perform.

COMPOSITION

This category includes variables that relate to how teams should be staffed.

Abilities of members

To perform effectively, a team requires three different types of skills

First, it needs people with technical expertise.

Second, it needs people with the problem solving and decision-making skills to be

able to identify problems, generate alternatives, evaluate those alternatives and make

competent choices.

Finally teams need people with good listening, feedback, conflict resolution and other

interpersonal skills.

Personality

Personality has a significant influence on individual employee behaviour. This can also

be extended to team behaviour. Teams that rate higher in mean levels of extroversion,

agreeableness, conscientiousness and emotional stability tend to receive higher

management ratings for team performance. For example while a higher mean level of

conscientiousness on a team is desirable, mixing both conscientious and not-so-

conscientious members tends to lower performance. This may be because, in such teams,

members who are highly conscientious not only must perform their own tasks but also

must perform or re-do the tasks of low conscientious members.

Allocating roles and diversity

Teams have different needs, and people should be selected for a team to ensure that there

is diversity and that all various roles are filled.

Selected people play these roles based on their skills and preferences.

Managers need to understand the individual strengths that each person can bring to a

team

Select members with their strengths in mind, and allocate work assignments that fit

with member’s preferred styles.

By matching individual preferences with team role demands, managers increase the

likelihood that team members will work well together.

Size of Teams

The president of AOL Technologies says the secret to a great team is “Think small.

Ideally, your team should have seven to nine people”. His advice is supported by

evidence. The most effective teams have fewer than 10 members. If team members are

added coordination problems can geometrically increase. When teams have excess

members, cohesiveness and mutual accountability declines, social loafing increases, and

more and more people do less talking relative to others. So in designing effective teams,

managers should try to keep them under 10.

Member Flexibility

Teams made up of flexible individuals have members who can complete with each others

tasks. This is an obvious plus to a team because it greatly improves its adaptability and

makes it less reliant on any single member.

Member Preference

Not every employee is a team player. If given option, many employees will select

themselves out of team participation. When people who would prefer to work alone are

required to team up, there is a direct threat to the team’s morale and to the individual

member satisfaction. This means that when selecting team members, individual

preferences should be considered as well as abilities, personalities and skills.

CONTEXT

The four contextual factors that appear to be most significantly related to team

performance are the presence of adequate resources, effective leadership, a climate of

trust, and performance evaluation and reward system that reflects team contributions.

Adequate Resources

Work teams rely on resources outside the group to sustain it. And scarcity of resources

directly reduces the ability of the team to perform its job effectively. Teams must receive

the necessary support from management and larger organization if they are going to

succeed in achieving their goals.

Leadership and Structure

Team members must agree on who is to do what and ensure that all members contribute

equally in sharing the workload. In addition, the team needs to determine how schedules

will be set, what skills need to be developed, how the group will resolve conflicts, and

how the group will make and modify decisions.

Climate of Trust

Members of effective teams trust each other. And they also exhibit trust in their

leaders. Interpersonal trust among team members facilitates cooperation

Reduces the need to monitor each others’ behaviour

Bonds members around the belief that others on the team won’t take advantage of

them.

Team members, for instance are more likely to take risks and expose vulnerability

when they believe they can trust others on their team.

Performance Evaluation and Reward Systems

Individual performance evaluations

Fixed hourly wages, individual incentives, and the like are not consistent with the

development of high-performance teams.

In addition to evaluating and rewarding employees for their individual contributions

Management should consider group-based appraisals, profit sharing, gain sharing,

small-group incentives, and other system modifications that will reinforce team effort

and commitment.

PROCESS

The final category related to team effectiveness is process variables. They include

member commitment to a common purpose, establishment of specific team goals, team

efficacy, a managed level of conflict, and minimizing social loafing.

A Common Purpose

Effective teams have a common and meaningful purpose that provides direction,

momentum, and commitment for members. This purpose is a vision. It’s broader than

specific goals.

Specific Goals

Successful teams translate their common purpose into specific, measurable, and realistic

performance goals. Goals lead individuals to higher performance, goals also energize

teams. These specific goals facilitate clear communication. They also help team maintain

their focus on getting results.

Team Efficacy

Effective teams have confidence in themselves. They believe they can succeed. This is

known as team efficacy. Success breeds success. Teams that have been successful raise

their beliefs about future success, which in turn, motivates them to work harder.

Conflict Levels

Conflict on a team isn’t necessarily bad. Teams that are completely void of conflict are

likely to become apathetic and stagnant. So conflict can actually improve team

effectiveness. But not all type of conflict. Relationship conflicts-those based on

interpersonal incompatibilities, tension and animosity toward others- are almost always

dysfunctional. However on teams performing non routine activities, disagreements

among members about task content (called task conflict) is not detrimental. In fact it is

often beneficial because it lessens the likelihood of groupthink.

Social Loafing

Individuals can hide inside a group. They can engage in social loafing and coast on the

group’s effort because their individual contribution can’t be identified. Effective teams

undermine this tendency by holding themselves accountable at both the individual and

team level. Successful teams make members individually and jointly accountable for the

team’s purpose, goals, and approach. They are clear on what they are individually

responsible for and what they are jointly responsible for.

Work DesignAutonomySkill varietyTask identityTask significance

CompositionAbilityPersonalityRoles and DiversitySizeFlexibilityPreference for teamwork

ContextAdequate resourcesLeadershipClimate of trustPerformance and evaluation

ProcessCommon purposeSpecific goalsTeam efficacyConflictSocial Loafing

Team Effectiveness

HOW TO BUILD EFFECTIVE TEAMS

Teams must be real

People have to know who is on the team and who is not. It’s the leader’s job to make

that clear.

Teams need a compelling direction

Members need to know, and agree on what they’re supposed to be doing together.

Unless a leader articulates a clear direction, there is a real risk that different members

will pursue different agendas.

Teams need enabling structures

Teams that have poorly designed tasks, the wrong number or mix of members, or

fuzzy and unenforced norms of conduct invariably get into trouble.

Teams need a supportive organization

The organization context- including the reward system, the human resource systems,

and the information systems- must facilitate teamwork.

Teams need expert coaching

Most executive coaches focus on individual performance, which does not

significantly improve teamwork. Teams need coaching as a group in team processes-

especially at the beginning, midpoint and end of a team project.

CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE TEAM

Keeping the task and team in mind we can label eight areas of high effective team.

Participative leadership:

Envisioning and organizing leadership

Based on expertise

Shared

Team members accept and relinquish leadership

Creates interdependency

Shared purpose

Clear vision

Self-Directing

Aligned goals

Members understand their roles and fit

Task focused:

The task guides the team and individuals

Job satisfaction

Challenge

Shared Responsibility:

Members personally responsible for the team and each other

Accountable

Loyal

Shared success

Innovative:

Tap into each other’s creativity and talents

Diversity is value

Synergistic

Problem Solving:

Opportunity, challenge

Decision making

Communicative:

Open, honest

Inspire

Proactively share information

Humor

Responsive:

Client/Customer focus

Interactive

Mobilize quickly

Change direction

Turning Individuals into Team Players

Generally many people are not inherently team players. They are loners or

people who want to be recognized for their individual achievements. Historically

there are many organizations that have given importance to individual

performance by creating competitive environment in which only strong can

survive. If such organisation adopt teams it is really difficult for them to manage the

loners. The countries defer in terms of how they rate on individualism and

collectivism. Team fit well for those countries that score well on collectivism.

The Challenge

The biggest challenge faced by leaders while building work teams is

individual resistance. Today in most of the organization an employee’s success is

defined in terms of his performance in the team. In order to perform well as team

members individuals must be able to communicate openly and honestly, to

confront differences and resolve the conflicts and sub limit the personal goals for

the good of the team. This is difficult or sometimes may be an impossible task for

those employees who are concerned about their individual goals rather than the

organizational goals. The two important challenges faced while turning individuals

into team players is when;

1. The national culture is highly individualistic.

2. The teams are being introduced into an established organization that has

historically valued individual achievements. For ex: Ford, Motorola and other

large US based companies which had a practice of hiring and rewarding

corporate stars and which created competitive climate that encouraged

individual achievement and recognition. Employees in these types of firms

find it difficult to adjust to the sudden shift to importance of team work.

On the contrary the challenge for the management is less demanding when

teams are introduced, where employees have strong collectivist values. In

countries like Japan or Mexico or in new organizations that use teams as their initial

form for structuring work.

Shaping Team Players:

There are three primary options which are available for the mangers for

trying to turn individuals into team players

1. Selection

Some people already possess the interpersonal skills to be effective team

players. Whenever an organization hires the team members, in addition to the

technical skills required to fill the job, care should be taken to ensure that

candidates can fulfill their team roles as well as technical requirements. Many

candidates who apply for the job usually lack team skills, especially if they are

socialized around individual contribution. When mangers come across such

candidate they have three options

Can we train the candidates to be team players

Can the candidate be transferred to another unit within the

organization where team work is not necessary

Not to hire such candidates

2. Training:

Many corporate are of the opinion that importance of individual

accomplishments can be trained to become team players. The trainers will conduct

various exercises where by the individuals can experience the satisfaction

that team work provides. They usually offer workshops to help employees

improve their problem solving, communication, negotiation, conflict management

and coaching skills. Employees tend to learn the stages of group development. For

ex: Trainer focus on how team goes through various stages before it finally gels.

Employees are also reminded of the importance of patience because teams

take longer to make decision than if employees were acting alone.

3. Rewards:

Reward system needs to be reworked to encourage cooperative efforts

rather than competitive ones. Some of the companies today have bonus and

incentive plans based on team performance rather than individual performance.

Promotions, pay rises and other forms of recognition should be given to individuals

for how effective they are as a collaborative team member. This doesn’t mean

individual contributions are ignored; rather they are balanced with selfless

contribution to the team. Monetary as well as Non-Monetary rewards do well to

motivate team members to work better and shed their inhibitions as

individuals. Behaviors such as helping team members, training new colleagues,

sharing new information with all team mates without any bias should be rewarded.

It’s exciting and satisfying to be an integral part of a successful team. The

opportunity to engage in personal development and to help team mates grow can be

very satisfying and rewarding experience for employees.

Stages of Team Development:-

The following are the stages involved in the process of team Building:

Approach-Avoidance: In the first stage of team development one has to

bring a group of individuals with little knowledge of each other into a team. In this

stage members want to be part of the team; but they also have some

reluctance, they fear that they may not be accepted.

The only task this team can perform at this stage is; orientation to each

other and to the mission of the team.

Power-Control: The second stage of team development is one of the most

uncomfortable for any team. It is the stage where members no longer question the

value of the team. Instead, they see the team’s value and now they want other

members to recognize their own personal strengths.

The only task this team can perform at this stage is organisation of

conflicting struggles around the team goals.

Intimacy: The third stage feels really good. This is one of the most

comfortable stages of team development, but it can also be one of the most

dangerous. Here, the team members no longer disagree; but support each

other in everything. In the intimacy stage you hear a lot of statements like, “That’s

a great idea.” Or “We really like what you are saying.”

The only task this team can perform is Data Flow or open sharing without

evaluation.

Differentiation: The fourth stage is when the group members recognize each

other’s strengths and weaknesses. Here, each person is willing to listen to one

another with renewed respect. The ability to share strengths and weaknesses

leads the group to its most important task.

The task this group can perform is Problem Solving. Members are finally

at the highly performing stage where they can address problems in a different way:

through the eyes of the team, rather than through the eyes of individuals. Problem

solving becomes fun. A new synergy forms that enables the team to tackle more

challenges and reach high levels of performance.

Closure: The final stage of team development is when team members have

completed their task, and they are ready to evaluate their work.

Therefore, the task for this stage consists of Evaluation on two fronts:

1. Evaluating the team's success: How did we do as a team? How did

others respond to our work? Would we be willing to work together again?

2. Evaluating individual success: The type of questions people asked

during Approach-Avoidance. For example: Did the group accept me? Did I

feel comfortable in the group? How was my input received?

As a team leader these stages help you diagnosis your teams growth.

Good team leaders with a strong knowledge of team development can observe

their teams and coach their movement from one stage to the next.

TEAM CONTENT AND PROCESS

Team content contains of sharing information, listening and responding, giving others

benefit of doubt, providing support and recognizing and respecting others’ interest and

achievements. A team must have the following aspects

Team Vision

The Vision is about picturing where the team needs to be in the future: Is it increasing

production, improving performance, increased customer satisfaction targets? These are

just some examples. Once the Vision is understood and agreed, objectives to achieve

these can be produced. A vision is a mental image of a possible and desirable future state

for the team that is better than what now exists. 

Team Mission

A mission is the task at hand…what the team does…its purpose for existing.

The best teams have members who share a common understanding of the mission and

have great clarity of how their mission supports those of the larger organization

Objectives

Applying the SMART Principle to the team's objectives is a good test of whether they

can be improved: Objectives must be;

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Realistic

Timely

Task Accomplishment

Team task roles are those roles that members assume, either consciously or

unconsciously, that move the team forward in accomplishing its tasks and mission. These

roles are of vital importance in good team functioning.

Members with complementary skills

Complementary skills ensure that one has the right skill mix for the intended purpose.

When team members are adept at this blend of skills, they can handle any situation. So,

encourage exchange of different, but inter-related, skills and information. This synergy

could result in building an innovative and self-reliant team.

Creating Team Synergy

Team synergy includes;

Understand the stages of team effectiveness

Pinpoint the team's current level of development

Recognize and eliminate blockages to maximum performance

Define criteria for meaningful mission, vision, and goal statements

Identify team member communication styles

Capitalize on team members' communication similarities and differences

Reinforce team decision making skills

Determine ways to strengthen relationships with other groups and teams

E.g. Creating Team Synergy is flexible! Ideal for teams at all levels; the workshop can be

presented in one full day, two half-day sessions, or combined with other training sessions

to create an expanded learning experience.

Team Process

Team process includes five steps and these steps enable the organization to perform in a

fruitful manner. These steps are;

1. Team development process

2. Team management process

3. Team decision process

4. Team building process

5. Team communication process

1. Team development process

It is the first step in team process. The aim of the team development process is to develop

the individuals of the organization.

Team development process includes

a) Developing individual

b) Developing yourself

c) Coaching

d) Mentoring

e) Evaluation

2. Team management process

Managing a high performing team can be quite a job. A high performance team is constantly in the limelight, and so the team rather than the manager becomes an entity in itself. Although every manager works towards making his team the most sought after, after a point in time, managing such a team calls for special skills and abilities on the part of the manager. Being the `movers and shakers' in the organization, it can be difficult to retain employees of this team. But holding on to them can prove beneficial. Let's take a look at how a manager can get maximum output from a high performing team, and also get some advantage for the organization as a whole.

Steps involved in team management process are;

2. 1. Planning

2.2. Organizing

2. 3. Staffing

2. 4. Directing

2. 5. Controlling

Planning

It involves determining what appropriate objectives for the business are and how those

objectives are going to be accomplished. This is one of the most commonly skipped steps

in running a small business, yet it is also the one thing that can you on track and keep you

there. Make space for this in your work.

Organizing

It structures the resources and activities of the business so that the objectives are

accomplished. There are a wide variety of organizational models available. What a

difference having the right one can make.

Directing

It is really leadership - motivating the employees to achieve the business objectives.

Leadership is often considered an art, but there are a lot of tools that can help you be

better at it.

Staffing

Choose the right people for the right position.

Controlling

It is the process of evaluation and correction that is needed to make certain that the

business stay on track towards its goals. Planning and controlling are closely linked since

planning sets the goals and standards for performance. Controlling essentially checks to

make certain the plan is being followed. It also provides feedback so that the plan can be

revised, if needed.

3. Team decision Process

Team decision process is one the most important steps in team process. It includes

several steps such as;

1. Define the problem

2. Determine the requirements that the solution to the problem must meet

3. Establish goals that solving the problem should accomplish

4. Identify alternatives that will solve the problem

5. Develop valuation criteria based on the goals

6. Select a decision making tool

7. apply the tool to select a preferred alternative

8. Check the answer to make sure it solves the problem

4. Team Building 

Team building roles are those carried out by members, either consciously or

unconsciously, that tend to build the team's interpersonal relationships, cohesiveness, and

spirit. They are vitally needed roles that play a large part in maintaining team

performance over the long term. 

5. Team communication

Are teams members clear about the priority of their tasks? Is there an established method

for the teams to give feedback and receive honest performance feedback? Does the

organization provide important business information regularly? Do the teams understand

the complete context for their existence? Do team members communicate clearly

and honestly with each other?

Communication is very much important for an organization because it enables

1. listen for understanding

2. give positive feedback

3. criticize constructively

5.1. Team Cohesiveness

To build cohesiveness in a team is an essential element of working effectively. It contains

several steps like,

First, make a good control yourself, because in order to be an excellent team leader, it

needs you to be the best in the team in all aspects, and it is necessary to set up an example

yourself, which may influence your team members. Also, be open-minded, and your team

members may be moved by your sincerity and honesty.

Second, it is necessary for you to build a training programme for your team. Let all the

members of your team know the culture of your company, and learn the working skills.

In this way, you can let them know your special skills, also, they can show their skills,

too. You should know that if you want a knife sharp; grind it in a right way. What’s

more, the rich culture of the company and skill training offers a way to keep the good

team members in your company.

Third, it is important to develop a good and strict style of work in your team, and each

member should understand that they come into the company to work, not to play as at

home.

Fourth, apply humane management, and be strict with any work of your team, but the

relationship between the team leader and the members should be harmonious. The team

leader should think in the position of the members, and think about how to coordinate the

work among members to let them in good mood, and how to establish good relationships

between and among members of this team.

5.2. Team Norms

Norms are the rules that the team agrees to follow as it conducts its work. Norms may be

written or may evolve as unwritten understandings over time. Most newly organizing

teams find it effective to start out with an initial set of norms with the understanding that

these will need to be reviewed and modified frequently. Some teams decide to review

norms at the beginning or end of each meeting. The establishment and adherence to team

norms helps build team discipline, trust between team members, and supports a safe

environment.

CONTEMPORORY ISSUES IN MANAGING TEAMS

Team work leads to quality on the production floor. The teams that stay

together longer tend to be better in production. To accomplish their goals, team members

must be able to work together effectively. This includes working collaboratively,

communicating clearly and managing differences. Effective teams should know how to

create the right climate to enable open and honest discussion of any issues they might

face. They should also understand and use constructive communication techniques to

engage these issues. In managing teams in an organisation the manager has to face a lot

of problem in the team. Some of the current issues that the manager should look on while

managing the team are:

Quality management

Managing work force diversity

Reinvigorating Mature Teams

QUALITY MANAGEMENT

One of the central characteristics of quality management is the use of teams. The

essence of quality management process improvement and employee involvement is the

linchpin of process improvement. In other words, quality management requires

management to give employees the encouragement to share ideas and act on what they

suggest. Teams provide the natural vehicle for employees to share ideas and to implement

improvements. As stated by Gil Mosard, a QM specialist at Boeing: “When your

measurement system tells you your process is out of control, you need teamwork for

structured problem solving. Not everyone needs to know where their process stands so

they can judge if it is improving.”

The necessity of quality management is because the business was so complex; to

make an impact on it a team approach is necessary. Quality management can be

implemented by designing the quality problem solving teams; the five goals are: The

teams should

(1) be properly trained in the skills their members will need

(2) be allocated enough time to work on problems be small enough to be efficient and

effective

(3) they plan to address

(4) be given the authority to resolve the problems and implement corrective action

and

(5) Each has a designated “champion” job it is to help the team get around roadblocks

that arise.

(These goals were identified by the management of Ford Motors Co.)

Another way of implementing quality management is by making cross functional

task forces made up of people from different levels within the company are used to

deal with quality problems that cut across departmental lines. The various task forces

each have a unique area of problem solving responsibility. For example, one handles

in-plant products, another deal with items that arise outside the production facility

and still another focuses its attention especially on supplier problems.

This technique will improve vertical and horizontal communication with in the

company and will substantially reduce both the number of units that don’t meet

company specifications and the number of service problem in the field (this was been

implemented by Amana Refrigeration Inc.)

MANAGING WORKFORCE DIVERSITY

Managing diversity on teams is a balancing act. Diversity typically provides fresh

perspectives on issues but it makes it more difficult to unify the team and reach

agreements. Heterogeneous teams bring multiple perspectives to the discussion, thus

increasing the likelihood that the team will identify creative or unique solutions.

In addition, the lack of a common perspective usually means diverse teams spend

more time discussing issues, which decreases the chances that a weak alternative will be

chosen. But the positive contribution that diversity makes to decision making teams

undoubtedly declines overtime. Also diverse groups have more difficulty working

together and solving problems, but this dissipates with time. Expect the value-added

component of diverse teams to decrease as members become more familiar with each

other and the team becomes more cohesive. Members of cohesive teams have greater

satisfaction, lower absenteeism and lower attrition from the group. Yet cohesiveness is

likely to be lower on diverse teams.

So here is a potential negative of diversity: it is detrimental to group cohesiveness.

But the relationship between cohesiveness and group productivity was moderated by

performance-related norms. If the norms of the team are supportive of diversity, then a

team can maximize the value of heterogeneity while, at the same time, can achieve the

benefits of high cohesiveness.

1. DIVERSITY DIMENSIONS

Diversity is an important term that is most commonly heard nowadays in the

global companies. To make it successful it should be managed properly. Some of the

dimensions of diversity are:

LEGALDEMOGRAPHIC

CULTURAL ECONOMIC

DIVERSITY

LEGAL: This dimension of diversity is to avoid the discrimination that arises in

the organisation in laws, rules and regulations. The employees should have equal

rights and EEO laws. Legally the risk of penalties can be minimized. In an

organisation there is a chance of disobedience from the employees, hence the

legal support is needed for compliances from the employee side and also these

compliances can be monitored easily by the management. Policies should be

formulated for the development and welfare of the employees without any

discrimination.

DEMOGRAPHIC: The diversified workforce has employees from multiple

generations and different nationalities. In the current scenario we can also see

women entering in the labour market. One of the major demographic faced by the

global companies is the ageing of population and the increase in the birth rate.

CULTURAL: The cultural problem is another major dimension that needs to be

managed while implementing diversity in the organisations. There will be

difference in ethnics, races, language and religion among the members of a team.

The culture and the attitude of people from different generations also changes.

ECONOMIC: The globalization had brought organisation to expatriate to

different nations. Hence the culture from different zone of the world started

mixing and mingling together. As a result of globalization the mergers and

acquisitions in the economy also has increased. The product or service providers

and customers also differ in each part of the world.

2. STRATEGIC AND TACTICAL ASPECTS

Create a climate or culture or environment that value diversity and grievance

process. Recognize and enforce the best practice on workforce diversity and diversity

metrics. Find solutions to attract right people and demonstrate commitment to

diversity. Organisations should make a way in opening a new market and should

appoint diversity officer, mentoring and networking.

3. TRAININIG

Historic and legal context should be mentioned in the training sessions held for

the diversified teams. The focus should be on individual, group, organisation and

external environment. Training on communication skills, change management,

conflict management and cross cultural training should be given for all the employees

in the organisation.

CASE 1: GLOBAL DIVERSITY WINNING PLAYS IN IBM

IBM believes in workforce diversity. The business of workforce diversity is

constantly evolving and comes up with new and different challenges, especially as

business become more global. IBM solves the issues arising through diversity by

innovations and actions and they call it “Winning Plays”. This helps IBM to execute

globally and complete locally.

They introduced a strategy which includes 74 child-care centre relationships

around the globe.

They created eight executive task forces in 1995 which include Asian, Black,

Hispanic, Native American, and Gay/Lesbian, people with disabilities, men and

women. All are equal in the eyes of IBM.

EXAMPLE: Chevron’s Diversity Vision & Value

Vision Chevron is recognized globally as a leader in diversity by its

employees, customers, shareholders, industry peers, communities and the governments in the countries where we operate.

The diversity of the populations we serve is mirrored at all levels of our workforce.

We gain competitive advantage by respecting and understanding the unique talents and characteristics of each individual, and leveraging skills, ideas and experiences.

Chevron Way Value We learn from and respect the cultures in which we work. We

value and demonstrate respect for the uniqueness of individuals and the varied perspectives and talents they provide. We have an inclusive work environment and actively embrace a diversity of people, ideas, talents and experiences.

They started investment in supplier diversity program from $370 million in 1995

to $1.3 billion in 2003 in the United States and $263 million outside the United

States.

IBM also helps to address the Digital Divide through programs such as our

signature initiatives including reinventing education, Native American, Black

Family, and La Familia Technology Weeks, to offer Exploring Interests in

Technology and Engineering (EXITE campus) for middle-school girls.

Incorporates the eight consistencies in advertising and marketing campaigns.

Diversity is a reality and a must all the organisations. Companies should use

diversity to create a competitive advantage. Diversity needs a change in the mindsets of

the employees. “Diversity is a process that creates greater wealth through increased

creativity and productivity.” Effective and efficient communication is the key of

managing diversity. Creating a diverse workforce takes TIME…

REINVIGORATING MATURE TEAMS

In a global business workforce diversity is an essential concept. The

advantages of implementing workforce diversity in teams are:

It plays a positive role in shaping the debate about global sourcing, and

responds to the growth of multicultural/ethnic minority issues which

becomes a dominant factor in the labor market.

The employees become confident; they maintain a path of innovation

and leadership. This also helps to increase the employee’s willingness

to solve new challenges. EX: IBM Canada has set up a washing facility

for Muslim Employees to clean their feet before their prayer and in

IBM Brazil in the EXITE camp they have a 16 year old girl who does

bakery business.

It becomes a key factor in helping to define the leadership in today’s

marketplace.

It helps in effectively reaching the customers and markets.

Just because a team is performing well at a given point in time is no assurance

that it will continue to do so. Effective teams can become stagnant. Initial enthusiasm can

give a way to apathy time can diminish the positive value from diverse perspectives as

cohesiveness increases. Teams don’t automatically stay at performing stage of five stage

development model. Familiarity breeds apathy. Success can lead to competency. And

maturity brings less openness to novel ideas and innovation.

Mature teams are particularly prone to suffer from group think. Members begin to

believe they can read everyone’s mind so they assume they know what everyone is

thinking. As a result team members become reluctant to express their thoughts and less

likely to challenge each other.

Another source of problems for mature teams is that their early success are often

due to having taken on easy tasks. Its normal for new teams to begin by taking easy

problems that they can handle most easily. But as time passes, the easy problems become

solved and the team has to begin to confront more difficult issues. At this point the team

has typically developed enriched processes and routines, and members are reluctant to

change the “perfect” systems they have already worked out. The results can often be

disastrous. Internal team processes no longer are less likely to have obvious solutions.

And the team performance can drop dramatically.

Some of the ways to reinvigorate mature teams are:

1) Prepare members to deal with the problem of maturity: Remind team

members that they are not unique-all successful teams have to confront maturity

issues. They shouldn’t feel let down or lose. Their confidence in the team concept

when the initial euphoria subsides and conflicts surface.

2) Offer Refresher Training: When teams get into ruts, it may help to provide them

with refresher training in communication, conflict resolutions, team processes and

similar skills. This can help members regain confidence and trust in one another.

3) Offer Advanced Training: The skills that worked with easy problems may be

insufficient for more difficult ones. So mature teams can often benefit from

advanced training to help members develop stronger problem-solving,

interpersonal and technical skills.

4) Encourage teams to treat their development as a constant learning

experience: Like quality management, teams should approach their own

development as part of a search for continuous improvement. Teams should look

for ways to improve, to confront member’s fears and frustrations and to use

conflict as a learning opportunity.

SOME OTHER ISSUES WHILE MANAGING TEAM

The constant overburdens and exhaustion not only diminishes efficiency,

but also causes the organisation to lose out on economies of scale, suppliers,

customers, orders and profit.

The staffing challenge: “The ultimate aim of HRM is to ensure that at all

times the business is correctly staffed but the right number of people with the

skills relevant to the business needs; i.e., neither over staffed nor under staffed in

total or in respect of any one discipline or work grade.” HR managers cannot

increase or decrease staff size based on more whims or assumptions. A systematic

approach is needed to calculate staffing requirements and match the staff pool to

the needs of the organisation.

Optimize staffing by analyzing the organizational chart, structure and

goals.

When it comes to staffing, there is no one size fits all. Ask employees how

they feel about the work load. Is it sufficiently challenged or over worked?

Managers should detect whether employees are dissatisfied or ideal away due to

lack of work.

Conduct a quantitative and qualitative head count of the existing

workforce number, gender, age, skills, experience, capabilities, efficiency and

future potential. Take into account the company size, mission, objective, values,

cultural functions, services, offence, employee work degree of automation, etc.

Supplement the data with the quality of output, level of performance,

degree of errors.

Ratios of employees to managers, customers, products, orders, inventory

level, gross revenue, etc.

Columnist Jim Witschger- “Ten Employees to every one manager

and hundred employees to every one HR executive as acceptable ratios for

effective staff management.”

WHY TEAMS FAIL

People, process and project make up successful product and product brings you

profit and then effectiveness is achieved.

1) Lack of clear unified objectives and the mission of the team ( why it is being

formed and what it is expected to accomplish) and lack of clear idea about what to

do.

2) If the interaction or communication is inappropriate

3) Lack of authority and the necessity to wait for approval hinder successful

team operation.

4) In the absence of role clarity-confusion arises

5) Mismatch of skills of the team members with that of the teams mission hinder

team progress: Identify the skills the prospective members would need (the

functional, technical, experimental and other back ground skills are necessary in a

particular ratio.

6) Improper placement

7) Team members must be encouraged to know each other well to avoid

misunderstanding, miscommunication and mistakes,

8) An opportunity for continued individual development and control on should be

provided to each team member. The team leader must allow the individuals

innovative strengths to flourish and develop.

9) When individual goal subdued general goal

10) Lack of coordination/lack of motivation, morale, and leadership skills.

‘In order to deliver the types of services that our customers expect

from us, we need the right staff size, the right people and the right skills

etc.’ - General Motors Chef Watson