Dr Uwe NapierskyBusiness Psychologist + Team Coaching ExpertWork & Organisation Departmentu.napiersky@aston.ac.uk

Managing Team Dynamics

Overview

Background and Team Research Focus

Team Dynamics

Science of ‘Real teams’, Size, etc.

Lead/Manage team dynamics in times of disruptions

Four Perspectives for creating positive dynamics

Q+A

Background as team ‘plumber' and team specialist

Plumbing takes place inside a messy interdependent system …example of Team

communication mapping

Team Intervention

to intervene is to enter into an ongoing system of relationships, to come between or among persons, groups, or objects for the purpose of helping them. This usually refers to performance but can include emotional/behavioural/social concern.

Regarding Team Interventions or working as a team coach: “Mostly I am called when things are really stuck and smelly”

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Team Dynamics: the what…

Team dynamics are the unconscious, psychological forces that influence the direction

of a team's behaviour and performance. ...

Team dynamics are created by the nature of the team's work, the personalities within the team, their working relationships with other

people, and the environment in which the team works.

Team Dynamics: the what …

Team dynamicsare like

undercurrents in the sea, which can carry boats in a

different direction to the one they intend

to sail.

Team Dynamics: positive or negative for team effectiveness or team equilibrium

Team dynamics can be good – e.g., when they improve overall team performance and/or get the best

out of individual team members.

They can also be bad– e.g.; when they

cause unproductive conflict, demotivation, and prevent the team

from achieving its goals’

Science of Real (work) Teams + Size => Distinguish !

Impact on results/effectiveness, behaviour, mindset, process gains or losses etc.

Dynamics in groups or teams

•Dynamics in work teams

•Dynamics in Real teams or Pseudo teams

Dynamics in small or large Real Teams

People have very different things in mind when they talk about teams.

DEFINING GROUPS AND TEAMS: Most commonly used interchangeably to refer to the same thing. Focus here is on work teams embedded in organisations, in big or small organisations. “a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable”

regards the team as a dynamic “system”.

Real Teams characteristics: – interdependence – Shared objectives – reflexivity

Aston team research: Hospitals with higher proportions of real team membership (and, in turn, lower proportions of pseudo team membership) are associated with lower levels of staff absenteeism and lower levels of patient mortality.

Team Size: Bezos (Amazon) believes that no matter how large your company gets, individual teams shouldn’t be larger than what two pizzas can feed.

Manage team dynamics in times of disruptions

In the following I share results of 5 interviews of successful team leader pooled with 4 dynamic intervention dimensions.

Before I share the results: some interesting statements…

“Suddenly teams and team leaders are forced into the 21st century ….working remotely and to have to trust their team members…

Team Dynamics are a “fluid thing”. You can’t manage it. “Bulls*… ” You don’t have control, you only can facilitate it.

It is like the concept of managing time…it’s not a 19th century process …it’s a fun run

General priority: Safety and well-fare of the team and its members goes before profitability – even with the risk of free riders

Lead/Manage team dynamics in times of disruptions

Psychological Team Safety

Know your Team Diversity & Inclusion Agile Team Learning + Fast Feedback

Build New Team Anchor

Perspectives for creating positive team dynamics

Psychological Safety:

Build / Extend trustInterview Examples

Potential Undercurrent

dynamicYour Examples

Def.: “a shared belief that the

team is safe for interpersonal

risk taking”

Generate a psychologically

safe team space: E. g.

encourage team members to

share any expectations,

anxieties, and requests they

have at the start of a team

meeting engagement

Encourage openness and

honesty – be authentic and

human as a leader (in a very

transactional b. environment)

Do lot of information

sharing… on customer

issues and e.g. Job safety…

Increase social competence

in Communication – right

balance between task related

stuff and empathy …

Collective Climate –

increased motivation vs

feeling as a ‘lonesome team

prisoner ’.

Perceived risk of being

wrong in front of peers may

cause member performance

on tasks that require

experimentation and

unpractised behaviour

fight-or-flight responses often

hijack higher brain functions

– esp. in crises or danger –

be in control and not a

hostage of negative emotions

Hero?

Villain?

Psychological Team Safety – build/extend trust

Know your team Interview ExamplesPotential Undercurrent

dynamicYour Examples

Regards the team as a

dynamic “system”.

Explore team’s needs

independent of the needs of

any single member.

This shifts the attention and

the work of the team to the

team itself.

Do team check ups: about

e.g. clarity about how team is

performing – HPT, the

current needs etc.

Formal and informal checks

Have the fingers on the

pulse….Many check

ins…’how you are doing?’

As a team what is essential

now? How is the team

moral? (questions to team)

‘we all are going through the

unknown’ – check

commitment and stamina to

go though a marathon

What team decision are now

important? Priority setting

….observe emotional roller-

coaster and paralyses of

people…

Lencioni's ‘5 dysfunctions

explores the fundamental

causes of organizational

politics and team failure.

Trust, conflict, accountability,

commitment, results

Team performance – HTP or

mediocre?

Motivation (discouraged,

frustrated, are there

emotional outliers in the

group)

In Group – Out Group

behaviour …

Hero?

Villain?

Know your team – do pulse checks, don’t be in the dark

Diversity & Inclusion Interview ExamplesPotential Undercurrent

DynamicYour Examples

Def.: “In simple terms,

diversity is the mix and

inclusion is getting the mix to

work well together”

Research – positive effects

on age, decision making –

mixed results on

performance, intercultural

teams need more

‘maintenance’ to be effective

…

Inspect what system of

values is, and make it as

explicit as possible – e.g.

safety first, job security

Friday – pub quiz – virtually

What’s app for social

interaction

Microsoft teams for work/task

related issues…

See open questions asked

from know your team –

leading teams by asking

critical questions…

Those in the team who feel

not included - > emotional

turmoil, confusion etc - > lots

of dysfunctional derailment

Diversity conflicts – based on

biases, stereo types,

different assumptions …

Readiness and capabilities in

inclusiveness of team leader

and members will play out

undercurrent dynamic

Hero?

Villain?

Diversity & Inclusion – enhance inclusive thinking and action

Agile Team Learning Interview ExamplesPotential Undercurrent

DynamicYour Examples

‘Shifting the learning strategy focus from efficiency to agility will allow organizations to adjust swiftly in an uncertain future.’

Is your team learning strategy focused on efficiency or agility?

Many new Virtual teams are not used in this way of working/not well oiled/ new way of working experiences…explore the learning of it…

Reflective comments –‘navigating through this uncertainty let me observe mixed reactions…’

As a team leader – I am extend my social/emotional IQ (meant was competence)

team members – extent autonomy and levels of accountability – higher commitment ? (or fear?)

Caveat- don’t confuse people – team learning has not being the norm -> create positive learning dynamics in baby steps

Action without Reflection is day dreaming – Uwe Reflection is important element of team learning…reflexivity and innovation can go hand in hand

Fast feedback – research about behavior driven dynamic – fast feedback was leading to better team performance + customer satisfaction

Hero?

Villain?

Agile Team Learning: keep learning drive + fast feedback

Lead / Manage team dynamics in times of disruptions

Psychological Safety: Build / Extend trust

Know your Team: Do pulse checks, don’t be

in the dark

Diversity & Inclusion: enhance inclusive

thinking and action

Agile Learning + Fast Feedback: keep learning drive

Build new Team Anchors

Q & A

•Images & Cliparts– http://pictogram2.com/– Microsoft Office 365– 1 = © Farrow Creative Ltd., UK– 2: © Michael Hamer

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