building effective teams

Supervisory Training Series: Supervising GroupsKevin R.Thomas, Manager,Training & Development · Office of Human Resources · [email protected] · 413-597-3542

[email protected]

Kevin Thomas, Training & Development ManagerOffice of Human Resources

Supervisory Training SeriesDeveloping Effective Teams


Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development

Lencioni’s 5 Dysfunctions of a Team

Peer Coaching Exercise


1.Forming2.Storming3.Norming4.Performing

Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development


What the group does What the leader should do

• Artificial harmony• Social bonding • Establish hierarchies• Motivated by desire to belong• Blind optimism and

excitement• Look to leader for answers

• Help people get to know each other

• Validate positive feelings• Establish the scope of the

work• Define roles• Be more directive

Forming


StormingWhat the group does What the leader should do

• Jockeying for position• Turf wars• Critiquing leader’s decisions• Labeling/attacking each other• May occur beneath the surface

• Channel conflict into meaningful discussion about differences

• Tolerate criticism; show openness to upward feedback

• Create targets for aggression outside of the team

• Reframe conflict between members as differences in priorities or style


NormingWhat the group does What the leader should do

• Develop a functional “playbook” for getting the work done

• Clarify roles and handoffs• Provide neutral feedback• Leader is respected

• Decrease amount of power and authority exerted

• Allow group more autonomy• Provide positive feedback for

good troubleshooting• Develop team members

through coaching


PerformingWhat the group does What the leader should do

• Sets a high bar and meets it• Focuses on achieving strategic

goals

• Delegate more work• Develop team members

through coaching• Celebrate team achievements


1.Absence of Trust2.Fear of Conflict3.Lack of Commitment4. Inattention to Results

Lencioni’s 5 Dysfunctions of a Team


The FIVE DYSFUNCTIONS of a TEAMby PATRICK LENCIONI

Prashant Rajopadhye

Zahid Maqsood

Jean Pierre Clement

Miguel Edwards



Absence of Trust



Members of teams with an absence of trust…-Conceal their weakness and mistakes from one another

-Hesitate to ask for help or provide constructive feedback

-Hesitate to offer help outside their own area of responsibility

-Fail to recognize and tap into one another’s skills and experience

-Hold grudges

-Dread meetings and find reasons to avoid spending time together



Overcoming absence of trust• Personal Histories Exercise

• Team Effectiveness Exercise

• Personality and Behavioral Presence Profile

• 360- Degree Feedback

• Leader role



Members of trusting teams….-Admit weaknesses and mistakes-Ask for help-Take risk in offering feedback and assistance-Appreciate and tap into one another’s skills and experiences-Focus time and energy on important issues, not politics-Offer and accept apologies without hesitation-Look forward to meetings and other opportunities to work as a group



Fear of Conflict

Absence of Trust



Teams that fear conflict ...• Have boring meetings

• Create environments where back-channel politics and personal attacks thrive

• Ignore controversial topics that are critical to team success

• Fail to tap into all the opinions and perspective of team members

• Waste time and energy with posturing and interpersonal risk management



Teams that engage in conflict ...• Have lively, interesting meetings

• Extract and exploit the ideas of all team members

• Solve real problems quickly

• Minimize politics

• Put critical topics on the table for discussion



Overcoming Fear of Conflict…• Acknowledge that conflict is productive, and that many teams have a tendency to avoid it.

• Mining Team Members must occasionally assume the role of a “miner of conflict” -- someone who extracts buried disagreements within the team and sheds the light of day on them.

• Feedback Permission Team members need to coach one another not to retreat from healthy debate. Remind them what they are doing is necessary.

• Other Tools Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI)



Lack of Commitment

Fear of Conflict

Absence of Trust



A Team that lacks commitment…

•Create ambiguity on direction and priorities

•Misses opportunity by too much analysis and delay

•Breeds lack of confidence and fear of failure

•Discusses and reviews decision again and again

•Encourage second guessing among team members



Teams that are committed…• Have clear directions and priorities

• Are aligned around objectives

•Develop an ability to learn from mistakes

•Seize opportunities before the competition

•Moves forward without hesitation

•Changes direction without hesitation or guilt



Overcoming Lack of Commitment…• Cascading messaging: reformulate action plan, communicate quickly and comprehensively, and align the meetings with each other

•Set and honor deadlines, including interim milestones.

•Contingency and worst case scenario analysis: remove the fear from mistakes

•Low-risk exposure therapy: practice quick decision making with limited analysis



Avoidance of Accountability

Lack of Commitment

Fear of Conflict

Absence of Trust



A Team that avoids accountability…•Creates resentment and different performance standards

•Encourage mediocrity

•Misses deadlines and deliverables

•Push all the burden of discipline to the leader



Teams that are committed…• Ensure that poor performers feel pressure to improve

• Identify quickly problem by questioning one’s approach without hesitation

•Establish respect among the team who are held to the same standard

•Avoid excessive bureaucracy around performance management and corrective action



Overcoming Avoidance of Accountability…• Publication of goals and standards: no one can ignore them and we know who is responsible for what

• Progress review simple and regular: team member should comment on their peer performance against objectives and standards

• Reward team instead of individuals

• Do not relegate accountability to consensus approach: shared team responsibility with individual responsibility



Avoidance of Accountability

Lack of Commitment

Fear of Conflict

Absence of Trust

Inattention to Results



A Team that lacks attention to results…•Stagnates

• Frustrates achievement-oriented employees

• Encourages team members to focus on their own careers and individual goals

• Is easily distracted

• May become complacent or lack a sense of urgency about change and improvement



Teams that pay attention to results …

• Retain achievement-oriented employees

•Minimize individualistic behavior

•Enjoys success and suffers failure acutely

•Benefits from individuals who subjugate their own goals/interests for the good of the team

•Avoids distractions



Overcoming Inattention to Results…• Make results clear

• Tie rewards & recognition to achieving specific outcomes

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