Above and BeyondNASA 2010

Project Management Challenge Conference

The Power of Teams!Dr. Jerry Mulenburg

NASA Ames Research Center (Retired)

Used with Permission

2/19/2010 2

Insights into “sound practices” for Project Teams

Research findingsPersonal experiencesCurrent thinking

Something About Teams

2/19/2010 3

How Do Teams?• Overcome Challenges?• Achieve desirable results?• Overcome significant obstacles?

By working together - toward the project goal through a

“Social Contract “

2/19/2010 4

Do we Really Need Teams?

Forming a team is unnecessary and undesirable if the work can be assigned to

individual contributors in discrete tasks, and then combined into a whole

2/19/2010 5

Do we Really Need Teams?

When work needs to be organized in such a way that the people doing it have to collaborate with

each other, working as a team, is necessary.

Project work is just such work. So, we need project teams!

Teamwork: Cooperative, coordinated work by a team in the interest of a common cause

2/19/2010 6

What is a Project Team?

A small unit of [multidisciplinary] people, working [collaboratively] toward a specific purpose, for a defined period of time.

Wikipedia

All teams are built on the foundation of trust and understanding.

Project Management Institute

2/19/2010 7

Groups versus Teams

Group:a collection of people, considered together as being related in some way

Team:a number of persons associated in some joint action

2/19/2010 8

What Makes Teams Different?

Project Teams, by the very act of bringing together representatives of specialized subunits, become a

microcosm of the larger Organizational Dynamics Hill & Somerest, 1988

What happens in organizations, happens in projects

2/19/2010 9

What Makes Project Teams Powerful?

The People!

2/19/2010 10

What Supports The Conclusion that People are the Power of Teams?

Who does the work on a project? Who solves the problems on a project?

Who makes the decisions on a project? Who creates the innovations on a project?

Who is responsible for the outcome of a project?

2/19/2010 11

What Causes Problems on Projects?

People! The Dilemma: People make the team powerful, but also

create the most problems

“People Do Not Always Act Rationally!“ (As we want, or expect them to)

2/19/2010 12

The Development of a Team

Necessary, & InevitableDevelopment Stages for a Team to Grow

Forming – Orientation: individuals, focused on themselves Storming – Organization: ideas competing for attentionNorming – Cohesion: agreeing on rules, values, behavior, methodsPerforming – Synergy: motivated to function as a “unit” Adjourning, or Mourning – Deconstructing the relationships

Bruce Tuckman, 1965

2/19/2010 13

The Social Contract A Social Contract is a mutual agreement among people to surrender some individual freedom for the well being of the group.

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Anticipatory anxiety: Fear of an undesirable outcome, making it even more likely t occur

2/19/2010 14

The Social Contract is About:

ConflictDynamicsEmotionStatusInclusionControl

2/19/2010 15

The Social ContractIs All About Relationships!

It’s not just what you are willing to giveto be part of the team, it’s also what you are

willing to give up to be a member

2/19/2010 16

What People Want & Need

To feel valued, appreciated, for themselves and for their work

All teams are built on the foundation of trust and understanding. This foundation allows a strong commitment to shared goals.

Brian King

2/19/2010 17

Social Conflict

Social conflict is “relational.”- a problem does not exist until two or more persons need to work together.

Dysfunction lies not in one person or the other, but in their relationship, often based on an individual need for Inclusion, Control, or Affection.

(FIRO, Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation, Hill & Somers, 1988 )

2/19/2010 18

Dysfunction: When Teams Don’t Work

Dysfunction is generally defined as a failure to function in an expected or complete manner.

Dysfunction occurs in Project Management when an individual or group does not, or cannot, performits role properly, resulting in abnormal relations.

Jerry MulenburgThe 77 Deadly Sins of Project Management

2/19/2010 19

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

1. Absence of Trust, 2. Fear of Conflict, 3. Lack of Commitment, 4. Avoidance of Accountability5. Inattention to Results.

Patrick Lencioni

2/19/2010 20

What is Involved in Being Effective?

How do you motivate each person on a team to cooperate and collaborate as an interdependent part of a group?

Through understanding their ways of seeing the world and operating in it

If we do not know anything about an individual, we are less likely to trust and work with him or her effectively.

2/19/2010 21

“…much seemingly chance variationin human behavior, in fact is not due chance; it is the logical result of afew basic, observable preferences.”

Isabel Briggs Meyers A Guide to the Development and use of the Meyers Briggs Type Indicator

Personality

2/19/2010 22

How do different personalities make teams powerful?

Extraversion......................IntroversionSensing..............................iNtuitionThinking............................FeelingJudging..............................Perceiving

Personality

2/19/2010 23

Meyers Briggs Personality Type (MBTI)

Extraversion - Introversion (how we energize ourselves) Sensing - iNtuition (how we gather information)Thinking - Feeling (how we make decisions) Judging - Perceiving (how we bring closure)

Personality

2/19/2010 24

NASA Project Manager - Research Findings

Extraversion XXXXXX XX IntroversionSensing XX XXXXXX iNtuitionThinking XXXXXXX X FeelingJudging XXXXXX XX Perceiving

Extraversion XXXXXXXX XXXXX IntroversionSensing XXX XXXXXXXXXX iNtuitionThinking XXXXXXXXXXXX X FeelingJudging XXXXXXXXX XXXX Perceiving

0 3030

NASA Women Project Managers (ENTJs)

NASA Men Project Managers (ENTJs)

2/19/2010 25

Temperament tem·per·a·ment,“ the combination of mental, physical, and emotional traits of a person; a natural predisposition”

How do different temperaments make teams powerful?

“Our brain has temperament for hardware (inborn), and character for software (experience in the environment).Temperament is …our inclination - our pre-dispositionCharacter is …our habits - our disposition.”

David Keirsey: Please Understand Me

2/19/2010 26

Temperament

(Using two middle letters of the MBTI typology)

SJs - Guardians - Most Traditional >38% Of the population

SPs - Artisans - Most Adventurous >38% of the population

NFs - Idealists - Naturally Empathetic >12% of the population

NTs - Rationals - Most Independent <12% of the population

Four Types of Temperament

David Keirsey: Please Understand Me

2/19/2010 27

Ego Resilience- A Measure of Ego Brittleness(a measure of Ego “toughness”)

“…ego resilience can be considereda surrogate of Emotional Intelligence.”

Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence

2/19/2010 28

Emotional Intelligence NeedsPersonal Competences

Self-AwarenessKnowing our internal states, preferences, resources, and intuitions

Self-RegulationManaging our internal states, impulses, and resources

MotivationEmotional tendencies that guide or facilitate reaching goals

Social CompetencesEmpathy

Awareness of other’s feelings, needs, concernsSocial Skills

Adeptness at inducing desirable responses in others

2/19/2010 29

Emotional Intelligence Benefits

Group Trust Participation Better decisionsEmotional Identity Cooperation Creative solutions Intelligence Efficacy Collaboration Higher productivity

Steven Wolff, HBR Mar 01

Team Effectiveness Occurs Through the Group:- Self evaluation - Feedback- Making time for, and acknowledging and expressing emotion - Being optimistic - Anticipating and taking initiative on problems- Focusing on solutions and success

2/19/2010 30

So, How do We Go “Above and Beyond”

for Teams?

Recognizing how important, and how difficult it can be,

how can we capture the power of teams?

2/19/2010 31

What Can We do to Help Teamsbe More Effective?

How do you motivate each person to cooperateand collaborate as part of a group?

2/19/2010 32

Seven Deadly Sins of Teams

1. Ineffective leadership2. Inadequate resources 3. Flawed procurement implementation4. Broken context5. Power struggles6. Unsuited temperaments7. Flawed organizational structure

Pellerin, 2009

2/19/2010 33

The Social Context of Teams

We define teams as groups of people who interact sufficiently that their behaviors affect others’ behaviors. These collective behavioral norms define the team social context that shapes the experience of people in the team environment, whether temporarily or over long durations.

...experience with workplace teams shows that behaviors of the hierarchal leaders are the most influential on other team members’ behaviors

Pellerin, 2009

2/19/2010 34

Social Context : What Members of a Team Need

1) To feel valued, appreciated 2) To feel a sense of belonging 3) To have a hopeful, realistic future to look

forward to; and 4) To know what others expect of them and have the resources to succeed.

Pellerin, 2009

2/19/2010 35

Social Context: Innate Critical Soft Skills

CULTIVATING(NF)

VISIONING( NT)

(SF)INCLUDING

(ST)DIRECTING

Visioning – Idea BuildersReality based optimism, commitmentCultivating – People BuildersMutual respect, people feel valuedDirecting – System BuildersClear organization accountabilityIncluding – Team BuildersPeople feel included, trustworthy

Pellerin, 2009

2/19/2010 36

It’s not about having any one of these characteristics, it’s having the right balance of them for the correct leadership, depending on the project’s needs

Pellerin, 2009

Recognizing the Critical Soft Skills

2/19/2010 37

Green 1. Show authentic appreciation2. Address shared interests3. Appropriately include others4. Keep your agreements5. Express reality-based enthusiasm6. Be 100% committed7. Avoid blaming or complaining8. Clarify role accountability & authority

Pellerin, 2009

Yellow

Blue

Orange

Recognizing the Critical Soft Skills

2/19/2010 38

Creating the Team You Want Through Emphasizing the Soft Skills

1. Express AuthenticAppreciation

2. AddressSharedInterests

5. ExpressReality-Based Optimism

6. Be100%Committed

3. AppropriatelyIncludeOthers

4. Keep allYourAgreements

7. AvoidBlaming &Complaining

8. Clarify Roles,Accountability,& Authority

Green Cultivating Dimension Blue Visioning Dimension

Yellow Including Dimension Orange Directing Dimension

Pellerin, 2009

2/19/2010 39

Building Effective NASA TeamsWhat Works

Learn how to authentically appreciate and share with everyoneAppropriately include others and keep your agreements to themFocus on reality-based optimism and be 100% committedClarify roles, accountability & authority

Take responsibility for not blaming or complaining

2/19/2010 40

Building Effective NASA Teams