What’s Needed Most:Expanding the
Definition of Expertise
Maria Simpson, Ph.D.Building Workplace Relationships
Source
•PM BOK Guide, 2000•Chapter 9: Project Human Resource Management• 9.1: Organizational Planning• 9.1.3: Organizational theory
• 9.2: Staff Acquisition• 9.2.2: Staffing pool description
• 9.3: Team Development• developing individuals and group competencies (team
building, dealing with conflict)
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Definitions of Expertise
• “a specialized knowledge or skill”• American Heritage Dictionary
•Quantitative (objective)• Education, experience, past projects
•Qualitative (subjective)• Personality traits: dependable? Easy to get along with?
Do the work?• Communication traits: clear, make thoughtful
contributions; disagree appropriately?What's Needed Most Maria Simpson, Ph.D. 3
Agenda
• Four stages of team development•Org planning and theory
•Parker’s roles in teams• Staff acquisition
•Which roles are most needed at each stage• Team development
•Dealing with too much of a good thing
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Team Development
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4 Stages of Team Development
• Stages 1-2: Relationship-based• Storming: Sorting out relationships•Norming: Planning, establishing norms for working together
• Stages 3-4: Task-based• Conforming: Applying the norms and starting the real work• Performing: Working together efficiently and effectively,
including resolving disagreements
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Expertise Needed
§Stages 1 and 2: Relationship-based§ communications§ conflict resolution§ relationship building§ consensus building
§Stages 3 and 4: Task-Based§ technical expertise§ communications § ability to disagree productively§ process managers
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Patterns of Change
• Stages of team development are fluid and not necessarily linear• Necessary competencies change during the process
•When membership changes, teams go back to Stages 1 and 2 to re-establish relationships and norms.
•When goals or tasks change, teams go back to Stage 2 to clarify goals and adjust norms so the work can be refocused.
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Conflict During Change
§ Interpersonal differences§ values differences§ communications/conflict styles§ personality differences
§Structural imbalance§ inappropriate systems or policies§ imbalance of roles, power, and/or authority (Schrich, The
Little Book of Strategic Peacemaking)§Find the right expertise for each stage to resolve the
conflict
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Roles in Teams
Each role is associated with an expertise needed at each stage of development to maintain functional balanceTeam Players and Teamwork, Glenn M. Parker, Jossey-Bass, 1996.
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Functional Balance: Roles in Teams
Proj.Mgr.
Contribu-tor
Collabora-tor
Communi-cator
Challenger
Task oriented, focused on info, sets high performance standards
Goal oriented, big-picture person, open to new ideas
From Team Players and Teamwork, Parker
Questions goals and methods, willing to disagree, candid and open
Process-oriented, effective listener and facilitator, builds consensus, resolves conflict
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Project Manager’s Role: Create Balance
• Recognize stage of team development
• Recognize specific expertise of each team member
•Match expertise with stage of team development
• Select team members for the skills needed at stage
•Demonstrate respect for all roles
•Make it OK to step up with this expertise at any stage
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Effective Contributors: Dependable. Task-oriented, provides technical information, pushes the team to high standards
Behaviors• Freely share data and info• Accepts responsibility for
actions as a team member• Provides technical training and
mentoring• Has clear priorities• Completes all work
Descriptors• Organized• Efficient• Logical• Systematic• Relevant• Clear
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Effective Collaborators: Big-picture person. Goal-directed, sees the vision or mission as paramount, willing to work outside personal role
Behaviors• Helps establish goals and revisit
them• Encourages setting goals and
plans• Pitches in to help others • Open to new ideas• Shares credit with others
Descriptors• Cooperative• Flexible• Confident• Forward-looking• Generous• Open• Imaginative• Visionary
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Effective Communicators: Positive people person. Process-oriented, good listener and facilitator, creates relaxed climate
Behaviors• Helps to resolve team conflict or
other process problems• Builds consensus• Listens attentively• Creates urgency and enthusiasm
about the work• Helps to build relationships• Provides relevant and useful
feedback• Not defensive
Descriptors• Supportive• Encouraging• Relaxed • Tactful• Helpful• Friendly• Considerate• Spontaneous
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Effective Challenger: Candid and open. Questions goals, methods, ethics, willing to disagree
Behaviors• Candidly shares views• Willing to disagree openly• Pushes to high ethical standards• Seeks explanations• Challenges the team to take risks• Willing to report infractions• Supports team consensus when
overruled
Descriptors• Candid• Ethical• Questioning• Honest• Outspoken• Principled• Adventurous• Brave
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What’s Needed When
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Stages and Roles
Stages 1/2: Storming, Norming
Relationship-Based
• Communicator• Helps to resolve conflict• Builds relationships• Creates enthusiasm for the work
• Collaborator• Helps establish and revisit goals
and plans• Open to new ideas• Helps others
Stages 3/4: Conforming, Performing
Task-Based
• Contributor• Shares data and technical
expertise• Pushes for high standards
• Challenger• Pushes team to take reasonable
risks• Asks “why” and ”how”• Provides candid feedback
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Calling on the Skills You Need
• Match stages of development and strengths of each role• Make appropriate task assignments• Call on people with the skill needed at that time• Encourage team members to contribute those skills and reward them
for expertise
• Manage meetings• Stay focused on agenda• Help the team set ground rules (norms) for discussing disagreements
• Build trust (listen, share credit)• Mentor/model/train for appropriate behavior and strengths
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The Downsides: Dealing with Too Much of a Good Thing
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In-Effective Contributors: too focused on task; forget people
Behaviors• Overwhelm with data• Push for unreasonable
performance standards• Lose sight of the big picture• Lack patience with others• Focus too hard on
“objectivity”/lose track of people
Descriptors• Data-bound• Short-sighted• Perfectionist• Uncreative• Impatient
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In-Effective Collaborators: unrealistic goals, want to do everything
Behaviors• Fails to revisit mission and goals• Lack of attention to basic tasks• Emphasis on goals to the
exclusion of other considerations• Sees people who disagree as
“obstructionists”• Try to do too much and interfere
with other’s work• Think too broadly
Descriptors• Insensitive• Over-committed• Over-involved• Too global• Over ambitious• Unrealistic
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In-Effective Communicators: forget the goal, waste time
Behaviors• Sees team process as an end in itself• Fails to challenge others and risk
conflict• Fails to see need to complete tasks• Over-use of humor to manage
relationships• Sees communications skills as the
only valued skill set• Puts positive relationships over
more important goals
Descriptors• Aimless• Foolish• Placating• Impractical• Manipulative• Time-waster
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In-Effective Challenger: style overwhelms content and intent; discourages others; undermines reaching the goal
Behaviors• Not knowing when to stop
challenging• Becomes self-righteous and
inflexible• Pushes team to unreasonable
risks• Uses “honesty” as an attack• Ignores or demeans other
perspectives
Descriptors• Rigid• Arrogant• Self-righteous• Contentious• Nit-picking • Dismissive• Hurtful
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Dealing with the Downsides• Balance perspectives/discussions
• What would you do if most team members take on the same role? If a role is missing?
• Manage difficult behaviors• Recognize the positive intent behind the negative behavior• Reward the positive intent• Suggest alternate behaviors for the future; coach
• Brinkman and Kirschner, Dealing With People You Can’t Stand)
• Mentor, coach, train• Raise difficult issues appropriately (also applies to team)
• Begin with a neutral observation• eliminate the pronoun “you”• state an observation or information you want to “check out”
• Ask for that person’s perspective• Correct information• Provide clarity about expectations
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Maria Simpson, [email protected]
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Maria Simpson, Ph.D. has been an organizational conflict consultant and executive coach for over 20 years using skills she honed as a mediator for the LA County Superior Court. Among the organizations she has worked with are Bank of America, Toyota Financial Services, Center Theater Group, and Easter Seals Southern California, as well as city agencies, arts organizations, and universities. Since 2003 she has written a weekly column called “Two Minute Training” and published a collection called Leading Unstoppable Teams! She serves on several boards of directors including Empathia Pacific and Kids Managing Conflict, the SCMA Education Foundation, where she was board chair 2013-17. She has also taught in the graduate program on Negotiation, Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding at CSU Dominguez Hills and in the MAOM program at Antioch University Santa Barbara. She has received the SCMA President’s Award twice for her contributions to mediation and the Conversity Award for Leadership in Education from the Asian Pacific American Dispute Resolution Center. To read her articles, go to the Two Minute Training Library at www.mariasimpson.net.