The First Time Manager's Guide to Team Building

THE FIRST-TIME MANAGER’S GUIDE TO TEAM BUILDING

AUTHOR: Gary S. TopchikPUBLISHER: AMACOM DATE OF PUBLICATION: 2007140 pages

The First-Time Manager’s Guide To Team Building by Gary S. Topchik

FEATURES OF THE BOOK

The First-Time Manager’s Guide to Team Building is primarily a guide for first-time managers, although it does use some real-world examples in order to demonstrate the challenges managers face and how to build the high-performing teams. Part five of the book includes several team building exercises that can help managers foster trust and interdependence among their teams.


THE BIG IDEA

In The First-Time Manager’s Guide to Team Building, Gary S. Topchik emphasizes the value of strong teams. The following key concepts emphasize the important role that managers play in forming successful teams:

Managers must succeed as team builders in order for their teams to succeed. In order to build teams, a manager must have the confidence, the drive, and the aptitude to use both primary and leadership skills.

A successful team environment leads to more meaningful and gratifying work.

Teams tend to make better decisions than individuals..


INTRODUCTION

In The First-Time Manager’s Guide to Team Building, Gary S. Topchik explains how to build a powerful team that can focus successfully on the desired end results. Topchik dissects the meaning of team, outlines four different types of teams, and guides first-time managers through the process of developing the best team possible. In addition, he defines ten steps of team building, explains how to build team spirit, and provides several helpful management tactics when faced with rocky conditions. The First-Time Manager’s Guide to Team Building presents a practical approach that first-time managers can follow to develop a strong and effective team.


PART ONE: THE TEAM

A team is a group of individuals that rely on one another and who, through effective communication and decision-making, work together toward the same goals. Teams often develop a system for approaching goals. Team spirit describes the eagerness and ability one exhibits when working as part of a team. While there is no standard team size, thriving workplace teams typically consist of between five and ten members. The right number of team members can be determined by considering how many individuals are needed to accomplish the work while still maintaining a small enough group to effectively cultivate communication.


PART ONE: THE TEAM

The Four Team ModelsDepending on the team’s experience level, there are four different models of teams that can exist in the workplace. The first model is the work group. The work group is a successful group model when the manager is the most knowledgeable team member of the group. Communication and decisions are sent down from the top. There is a small amount of work-related communication needed among a work group.


PART ONE: THE TEAM

The work group model typically takes shape when team members are new and not prepared yet to make decisions on their own. While this model works in organizations that prefer that managers make all of the important decisions, Topchik argues that worker morale could benefit if the organization allowed more autonomy among teams as they develop independence.

The second model is the developing team. In the developing team, there is more work-related communication necessary among members of the team. In a developing team, group members also give input on decisions, although managers ultimately make the decisions.


PART ONE: THE TEAM

The third model is the participative team. In a participative team, group members are partners to managers in making decisions. Group members’ input is equivalent to their manager’s input. This means that team members and the manager are communicating much more frequently. Team members have a bigger incentive to create the best product or service because they have a sense of ownership. A participative team is a highly motivated team.


PART ONE: THE TEAM

The fourth and last model is the autonomous team. An autonomous team functions mostly on its own. While the manager may give guidance or set limits, the manager is no longer needed to oversee daily performance. Autonomous team members are highly skilled and motivated.

Team members are mutually dependent on one another’s input and are constantly communicating. Team members make decisions without the manager’s input. Not every team can achieve this level of interdependence and efficiency. An autonomous team requires strong technical and team skills as well as the ability to share leadership among group members.


PART TWO: TRAVELING THE ROAD FROM TEAM MEMBER TO MANAGER/LEADER OF TEAMS

The ultimate goal of first-time managers is to help develop high-performing teams made up of members who want to be there. This can be achieved through the mastery of two sets of skills: primary and leadership. Primary skills include the following:

•Planning

•Organizing

•Developing

•Monitoring

•Evaluating



When following the ten steps of team building, managers should know that each step is important and no step can be skipped.

1. Getting upper management support. The support of upper management can make all the difference in a manager’s attempts at team building. Upper management needs to know and agree with what team model is being used to help develop the team and why that team model best serves the company. Without upper management’s support, the team will not have access to the resources necessary to help foster its growth.



2. Defining the purpose of the team. The manager must understand why the team is being formed and what it needs to accomplish before meeting with team members. Team members rely on the manager to understand the purpose of the team and to communicate his vision.

3. Identifying time frames. The manager will decide when certain goals in the project should be reached, including the project due date for project teams.



4. Selecting the team members. The team leader will determine which skills are most needed in the team and select members accordingly. Special care should be taken to ensure that weaker members are given the opportunity to learn and grow. Allowing team members to volunteer ensures that a group of committed individuals are working on the project.



5. Introducing team members. If this is a new team, members can introduce themselves and discuss their expectations for the team. If this is an existing team, the team members should communicate any concerns or successes that they feel are important.

6. Sharing the overall purpose. The manager should discuss why the team has come together, its main objective, and how the group’s goal aligns with the company’s overall objectives. Make sure everyone understands what the team is meant to do.



7. Selecting a team name. If possible, allow team members to name the team. The name should echo the team’s goal or work and help establish the team’s responsibilities.

8. Creating the team mission statement and goals. A mission statement identifies why the team has been formed. It clarifies the team’s goals in one or two sentences; it does not need to explain how the team should accomplish its goals.



9. Identifying core team issues. Discussing core team issues is the manager’s first opportunity to demonstrate his ability to assist in team discussion; therefore, the manager must prepare thoroughly for step nine. Issues such as the role of interdependence in the team, resources available to the team, and concerns or questions about the team should be discussed during this time. 10. Establishing team norms. Allow team members to determine how they should behave during team meetings and communicate with one another. Team members are more likely to follow flexible norms that they establish together, rather than norms that are imposed on them.


PART THREE: DEVELOPING A TEAM SPIRIT

The author identifies five types of task roles:

The initiator helps the team get started with new projects or goalsThe closer helps the team finalize decisions as well as reminds the team of looming closing datesThe clarifier helps resolve misunderstandings about the current responsibilities and tasks of team membersThe view searcher helps facilitate discussion of current or new work as well as attends to any concerns or new ideasThe subject-matter expert helps the team by offering useful information that other team members do not know


PART THREE: DEVELOPING A TEAM SPIRIT

Process roles encourage team morale and productivity; there are four types of process roles:

The communicator encourages everyone to contribute in group discussions and maintains team normsThe process observer observes how the team is interacting and makes suggestions on how to better function as a teamThe motivator/supporter encourages team members to look at the broader context and reminds them of positive accomplishments during rough patchesThe public relater tells other employees outside the group how well the team is doing


PART FOUR: MANAGING CHALLENGING TEAM SITUATIONS

While teams on the participative and autonomous team levels are capable of holding one another accountable, work and developing teams need a manager that will hold both individual team members and the team accountable for correctly completing tasks. If a team or team members are not performing up to expected standards, the manager must explain that the each individual is responsible for doing what is expected of them. This ultimately breeds respect and loyalty. Similarly, if a team develops an unproductive team culture or personality, it can be destructive to their success. The manager must remember that unproductive team cultures are often the result of the team manager or organization.


PART FOUR: MANAGING CHALLENGING TEAM SITUATIONS

Going from Conflict to CollaborationConflict does not necessarily have to be negative. For example, conflict over the best way to improve a product should be welcome. Of course destructive conflict exists in teams as well. The source of negative conflict needs to be identified and eradicated as soon as possible. Knowing which method of resolving conflict depends simply on the type of conflict and team members involved.


CONCLUSION

First-time managers experience a heightening in power and influence and are faced with a choice of harnessing positional power or personal power. Managing with positional power means that a leader closely supervises his team and makes all of the decisions on his own. While this management style can achieve results, the results are most likely short lived, and effective and self-sufficient teams rarely develop under the fist of positional power.


CONCLUSION

Managers earn personal power over time from team members, and they can use it to encourage team members to do what they are supposed to do to the best of their abilities. When managed with personal power, team members do their work because they want to do it, not because they must. Personal power is achieved through graciousness and a supportive, team-oriented environment. Managers who achieve this can always develop a high-performing and successful team.


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The First Time Manager's Guide to Team Building