Module 4 –
Building and developing effective teams
How do we build effective teams?
There two important elements in building effective teams. 1. Task 2. Social factors
1. Task a task that can be done better by a team rather than an individual
2. Equally social and emotional needs of those who take part in the task in the team is
important.
How do we measure the team effectiveness ?
1. Performance how well the team achieves its tasks and meets the needs of
management, customers and other stakeholders.
[Link] viability how well the team meets the needs and expectations of its
members, and the likelihood that the team will continue to work
effectively together.
To summarise the literature, there appear to be certain characteristics
that are required for a team to be effective
Working on a task that requires teamwork
Clear purpose and objectives
Appropriate autonomy
Clear, stable membership
Appropriate size: as teams get larger, problems arise with
communication and coordination. Research suggests that the most
effective size is more than four but less than 15.
Appropriate people with the right skills and knowledge
Effective allocation of roles and responsibilities
Effective processes and group norms
Sense of cohesion i.e. compatibility of members, mutual cooperation
and helping behaviours
Regular feedback on performance
Effective management of conflict
Supportive organisational culture i.e. leaders, HR policies, rewards
etc.
TWO MODELS TO BUILD EFFECTIVE TEAMS:
1. TUCKMAN MODEL
2. BELBIN
Tuckman model:
Psychologist Bruce Tuckman developed his group development model in 1965 to
explain how healthy teams cohere over time. Tuckman's model identifies the four
stages through which groups progress: forming, storming, norming, and
performing,
Forming:
In the beginning, when a new team forms, individuals will be unsure of the
team's purpose, how they fit in, and whether they'll work well with one
another. They may be anxious, curious, or excited to get going. However
they feel, they'll be looking to the team leader for direction.
This may take some time, as people get to know their new colleagues and
one another's ways of working.
Storming:
In the storming stage, people start to push against the established
boundaries. Conflict or friction can also arise between team members as
their true characters – and their preferred ways of working – surface and
clash with other people's.
At this stage team members may challenge your authority or management
style, or even the team's mission. Left unchecked, this can lead to face-to-
face confrontations or simmering online tensions.
If roles and responsibilities aren't yet clear, individuals might begin to feel
overwhelmed by their workload or frustrated at a lack of progress.
Norming:
In the norming stage, consensus develops around who the leader or leaders are,
and individual member's roles. Interpersonal differences begin to be resolved, and a
sense of cohesion and unity emerges. Team performance increases during
this stage as members learn to cooperate and begin to focus on team goals.
Gradually, the team moves into the norming stage. People start to resolve
their differences, appreciate one another's strengths, and respect your
authority as a leader.
Now that they know one another better, your team members will feel more
comfortable asking for help and offering constructive feedback. They'll
share a stronger commitment to the team's goals, and they should make
good progress toward it.
Performing:
Now your team is in flow and performing to its full potential. With hard work
and structured processes, the team is likely to achieve its goals efficiently.
Judith Stein, from MIT's HR department, says of this stage, "Roles on the
team may have become more fluid, with members taking on various roles
and responsibilities as needed. Differences among members are
appreciated and used to enhance the team's performance
Belbins Model-
What is the difference between Belbin and Tuckman?
Tuckman studied teams from formation to completion of a task and identified crucial
stages in a team's life cycle. Belbin's observations of teams uncovered nine Team
Roles, which describe ways of contributing and interrelating in a team
Why Belbin’s model important?
Belbin suggests that, by understanding your role within a particular team, you can
develop your strengths and manage your weaknesses as a team member, and so
improve how you contribute to the team. Team leaders and team development
practitioners often use the Belbin model to help create more balanced teams
The 9 BELBIN® Team Roles
Shaper (SH)
Implementer (IMP)
Complete-Finisher (CF)
Coordinator (CO)
Team Worker (TW)
Resource Investigator (RI)
Plant (PL)
Monitor-Evaluator (ME)
The Belbin Team Role Self-Perception Inventory (BTRSPI) was designed to
measure behavioural characteristics which individuals display when working in
teams. Belbin Team Role Theory was devised as a result of the studies conducted
by Meredith Belbin in the 1970s.
Downsides of a team-
Teams are not always good. Sometimes teams don’t
work well.
What are the barriers to an effective team-work?
1. Lack of effort- Social loafing
Is the name given by psychologists to the tendency of individuals to
exert less effort when working as part of a team than as an
individual.
People loaf when it is difficult to evaluate the personal contribution;
the task is perceived as unimportant, simple or boring;
the task is complex;
the group lacks cohesion;
an individual expects other group members to be better
contributors; and
the national culture is more individualistic and less collectivist.
2. Free riding
This expression refers to individuals who obtain the benefits of team
membership without bearing a proportionate share of the effort required
to obtain these benefits
Teams in 21st Century-
Amy Edmondson,from Harward Business School, offers strategy of
teaming or teamwork on the fly.
According to Edmondson, teaming requires two key components:
1. effective project management to plan and execute in a complex and
changing environment; and
2. effective leadership to foster collaboration and handle emerging
conflicts.
7 practices that supports teaming:
1. Scoping Scope out the challenge to be addressed (recognising that
this will need to be reviewed as the project evolves), determine
what expertise is required, bring together collaborators and outline
their roles and responsibilities.
2. Structuring Creating a scaffold or structure to aid effective
collaboration, such as creating a shared intranet site, a chat room,
shared office space etc.
3. Sorting Combine efforts by prioritising tasks and working out which
tasks can be done by an individual, which require a pooling of
resources, and which are sequential i.e. there is an interdependence
between the work of individuals or sub-groups.
4. Emphasising purpose Articulating what needs to be done and why
and creating a common understanding that drives behaviour.
5. Building psychological safety As people do not know each other
well, they may perceive that sharing ideas and speaking up could be
dangerous for them. Leaders can overcome this by role-modelling
good behaviours, such as asking questions, admitting if they do not
know something and sharing awareness of their own shortcomings.
6. Embracing failure Recognise that failures provide invaluable
information for future successes.
7. Putting conflict to work Leaders need to encourage people to reflect
on their own values and biases, to explain how they have reached
their views, and listen to how others have reached their differing
views, thus providing new insights that may help solve the
challenge.