8/3/2019 Team Best

1/9

1

When Teams Work BestA book researched and written

by Frank LaFasto and Carl Larson

A review by Focus Performance Systems, Inc.

8/3/2019 Team Best

2/9

2

When Teams Work Best

Background on the research

600 teams and 6000 team members were

interviewed.

Over 35,000 assessments were completed.

Both qualitative and quantitative data was gathered.

Types of teams interviewed were very diverse.

Book published by Sage Publications.

8/3/2019 Team Best

3/9

3

When Teams Work Best

Research uncovered 5 Key Dynamics:

Attributes, Behavior, Skill ofTeam Members.

Strengths, Weaknesses and Dynamics ofTeam

Relationships.

Strengths, Weaknesses and Effectiveness ofTeam

Decision Making & Problem Solving.

Attributes, behaviors and Skills of the Team Leader.

Impact and Influence ofOrganizational

Environment on team success.

8/3/2019 Team Best

4/9

4

What makes a good Team Member?

1. Core Competency: experience, problem-solving

ability, decision-making ability, interpersonalawareness and skill.

2. Personal Attributes: openness, supportiveness,

action orientation, positive personal style.

When Teams Work Best:Team Members

These are behaviorial styles

DiSC styles.

8/3/2019 Team Best

5/9

5

What makes positive Team Relationships?

1. Constructive for all team members.

2. Productive: brings out the best thinking in all teammembers.

3. Mutual Understanding: seeking to understandothers perspectives.

4. Self Corrective.

When Teams Work Best:Team Relationships

Survey Results: in 4,500 interviews, people ratedthemselves far more favorably at relationships thanthey were rated by others!

8/3/2019 Team Best

6/9

6

What makes effective Team Problem Solving & DecisionMaking?

FOCUS: Effective teams are very clear about what they

are doing at each phase of the problem solving andcollaborative process.

CLIMATE: Positive, inclusive, focus on the issue (notthe person).

COMMUNICATION: Open communications issuesand sub-issues are identified, discussed, prioritized andacted on.

When Teams Work Best:Team Problem Solving & Decision Making

8/3/2019 Team Best

7/9

7

What makes a good Team Leader?

1. Focus: Focuses on the team purpose and goals.

2. Collaboration: Ensures a collaborative climate.

3. Confidence: Builds confidence in team members.

4. Technical Knowledge: Demonstrates technicalknow-how.

5. Priorities: Sets priorities effectively.

6. Performance: Manages performance of the team.

When Teams Work Best:Team Leader

8/3/2019 Team Best

8/9

8

What makes a positive Organizational Environment?

1. Management Practices that:

Set direction.Align efforts.

Deliver results.

2. Structure & Processes that ensure the best

decisions are made, as quickly as possible, by theright people.

3. Systems that provide:Useful information.

Accurate data for decision making.

When Teams Work Best:Organizational Environment

8/3/2019 Team Best

9/9

9

Effective teams depend on: Individual factors, abilities and attitudes.

Group processes for managing both tasks and relationships.

Organizational support and commitment to provide critical structure andsystems.

Improvement in any single team dimension willyield positive results: Focus on the high priority areas first.

Use the Team Assessment, Problem Solving Scorecard or other

diagnostic tools to get started.

FOCUS Tools can help! (www.FocusTools.com) Provide proven tools and techniques to improve team effectiveness in

every key dimension of success.

When Teams Work Best:Conclusions.