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BUILDING EFFECTIVE TEAMSNONPROFIT LEARNING CENTER
Susan L. Newton
September, 2015
SESSION FOCUS Define those behaviors that help/hinder team performance Discuss what makes developing teams in nonprofits more
challenging than in the business sector Explore the role of trust in building a team…and how to help
it along Explore why some teams are extraordinary and some are
simply ordinary Learn from geese how to be better team leaders/members
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CONSIDER…
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When does it make sense to use teams to get things done?
What’s the case against working as a team?
What are the challenges of working on a team in the non-profit/your organizational culture?
THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ON TEAM PARTICIPATION
Most people, if honest would prefer not to work on a team. Team life is difficult because it presents the often insoluble
conflicts and challenges of rivalry, authority, and leadership. The key distinctions:
A “real team” has a collective task that demands a high level of interdependency among its members—something that can only be accomplished together.
A “real team” has clear boundaries. It is clear at least to its members who is on the team and who is not.
A “real team” is relatively stable over time.
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Task
TeamIndividual
FITTING THE PIECES TOGETHER
The desired results that drive action and that
are measured to determine “success.”
The group of people who are
interdependent, who work for mutual benefit,
and who are jointly accountable for
achieving/accomplishing the task.
The people who must
make contributions to both the
team and the task.
Environment: the system of organizational structures, policies,procedures, culture and history that sets the context for performance.
DEGREES OF INTERDEPENDENCE
Which best describes your work team and why?
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Golf Team Members function independently of each other, working to achieve as high an individual score as possible, so that when individual scores are combined into team scores, their team wins.
Baseball Team Members are relatively independent of one another and, although all members are required to be on the field together, they virtually never interact all at the same time.
Football Team Members are divided into sub-teams, e.g., offense, defense, etc. When the subteam is on the field, every player is involved in every play, but each has a set of specialized skills required by his or her individual position. The teamwork is centered in the subteam, not the total team.
Basketball Team
All members play on the team as a whole. Every player is involved in all aspects of the game, offense and defense, and all must pass, run, guard, and shoot. When a substitute comes in, all must play with the new person. True teamwork is like a basketball team where division of effort is meshed into a single coordinated result – where the whole is more than, and different from, the sum of the individual parts.
The Forming Stage introduces members to one another, clarifies the task at hand, and sets ground rules for operating.
The result is a task plan and team ground rules. They serve as the foundation for all other team development.
In the Storming stage, the team learns to deal with conflict as healthy constructive confrontations that get the best solutions to problems quickly.
Teams that do not learn to deal with conflict have problems as they attempt to develop further.
In the Norming stage, the team is playing by its own ground rules and task plan. The team is dealing with conflict positively, and can talk about how they are doing and make adjustments as needed. They are becoming more efficient at working together as a team.
In the Performing stage, synergy exists, and the team makes getting the results look easy. But, it has come from hard work - fine tuning their team processes to get results efficiently.
Many teams never get to the performing stage.
HOW TEAMS DEVELOP (TUCKMAN MODEL)
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WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN TEAMS Content is the subject matter or the task upon which the
team is working. In interactions, the focus of people is on the content.
Process is concerned with what is happening between and to team members while the team is working. Group process deals with such issues as morale, influence, participation, struggles, etc.
In most interactions, very little attention is paid to process, even when it is the major cause of dysfunctional
or ineffective behavior.
Every team will go through every stage of development. Each stage is different and builds on the previous stage. Each stage helps to prepare for the next stage. Each stage helps to prepare for the Performing Stage. Skipping any stage negatively affects performance. With every new challenge or people change the process begins
again. Teams cycle through the stages over and over depending on
team make up. Changes in leadership or members require returning to
Forming. Teams have a finite life. They often form for a specific purpose
and must disband once their “mission” is complete. Consequently, there is often a fifth and final stage, Adjourning.
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HOW GROUPS MOVE FROM STAGE TO STAGE
SO WHERE IS YOUR “TEAM”…1. Think about your board or staff ‘team’. What stage are
they at and what tells you so?
2. If you could change two key behaviors that would help close the gap between where you are and where you need your team to be, which two behaviors would you want to see changed?
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GROUND RULES (TEAM NORMS) All teams have norms – the rules or guidelines that guide the
behavior of team members. There are two types of norms. Procedural norms describe the
methods by which the team operates, i.e., “We have an agenda for every meeting.” Behavioral norms focus on how each team member is expected to act, i.e., “Listen carefully without interrupting others.”
Norms tell team members how they are expected to behave on the team – what is okay and what is unacceptable.
Norms allow team members to manage themselves. Since everyone knows what is acceptable, everyone is empowered to ensure their teammates operate according to the norms.
Norms help members to gain a common sense of direction and help to reinforce a team culture. 11
COMMON AREAS OF GROUND RULES/NORMS
Structure and schedule for meetings Acceptable behavior when meeting Methods for communication Timeliness of response to each other Availability of folks when not in sessions Method for dealing with conflict/frustrations
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DISCUSS What could be acceptable behaviors/ground rules for
your team(s)?
What might be unacceptable behaviors?
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SOURCES OF UNDERCURRENTS ON TEAMS
Differences between what an individual wants and what the team wantsThe struggle to balance content and process issues and make forward progress Personal identity with the team Relationships between team members Identity with the larger organization
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TRUST BUILDS SYSTEMICALLY
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Individual
Team or Unit
Organization
RATIONAL AND EMOTIONAL TRUST Rational or competence based ‐
trust involves making cognitive judgments about someone's ability to deliver, and likelihood of delivering, what they say they will.
It is generally based on past performance or known reputation and is the kind of trust that requires verified evidence.
Emotional trust is based on the feelings invoked within oneself in response to the words and deeds of another party.
Emotional trust is promoted by factors such as openness of communications, willingness to share information and apparent caring.
The concept of benevolence, which provides assurance of genuine concern for the other party's well being, has been ‐shown to be strongly associated with emotional trust.
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WHY TRUST MATTERS IN ORGANIZATIONS It is a vital link between simple commitments and the power of
trust Most basic level for the organization or relationship to be
productive Trust flows up, down, across; none are grey; commitments are kept The act of “breaking” reduces trust A team cannot achieve maximum performance without the
presence of trust Trust has a reciprocal quality – if you trust others, they are more
likely to trust you Trust is emotionally provocative (both positive and negative) Trust as a value is communicated in the abstract and built and
broken behaviorally You can lose it inadvertently – misunderstandings in grey areas
become fertile ground for misinterpretations, bad feelings17
CHALLENGES TO BUILDING TRUST – PICK YOUR ‘3’A person who is trustworthy:
1. Follows through on commitments
2. Maintains confidences
3. Says what s/he has to say during discussions and not afterwards
4. Directly addresses individuals with whom there is conflict rather than telling others
5. Maintains commitment to decisions agreed to
6. Accepts others without judgment or question
7. Performs agreed to items with quality and timeliness
8. Seeks and considers opposing viewpoints
9. Behaves consistently and predictably over time
10. Shares information freely
11. Shows respect for others’ viewpoints during disagreements
12. Demonstrates sensitivity and tact
13. Works to solve problems rather than to assign blame
14. Encourages differences of opinion
15. Values input from others regardless of position
16. Admits mistakes and lack of knowledge
17. Approaches conflict collaboratively
18. Requests help when needed and takes interpersonal risks when appropriate
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REPAIRING TRUST – IS IT POSSIBLE?
Stop and reflect “Let’s talk and get clearer about what happened” “Let me understand your side”“Wait, we need to confront this now”“We may need help”“Let’s improve X to address the situation”“I want to acknowledge what I’ve done to cause this”“Let me apologize for my role”
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A FULLY FUNCTIONING TEAM Trusts one another Engages in unfiltered conflict around ideas Commits to decisions and plans of action Holds one another accountable for delivering against
plans Focuses on achievement of collective results Supports each other with encouragement, sharing
responsibilities and looking out for each other (Think Geese)
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