Teams and Team Building

Shawn Clark

Assistant Professor of IST Solutions

The Pennsylvania State University

August 24, 2000

Group Exercise

Objective: Build the tallest self-supporting structure you can with 25 straws

Rules:• Select a group observer• 20 minutes to plan the how you are going to construct

your structure• No assembly of parts during planning period (except

using two practice straws)• Can lay out pieces, but no trial assembly• Construction period lasts for 90 seconds

Group Exercise Follow-up Questions

• Did any group members bring special skills to the exercise?

• What are group members doing that seems to benefit group performance?

• What are group members doing that seems to hinder group performance?

• What kinds of roles emerged during the exercise?

• What could your group have done differently to improve its performance?

Presentation Objectives

• Highlight the importance of social information processing

• Define what a team is• Describe different types of teams• Relate my experiences working in and with teams• Define why teams are important• Describe the different types of team dysfunction• Identify the characteristics of an effective team

Mann Gulch Disaster

• Why do teams fail?• How can teams be made more resilient /

successful?

Mann Gulch Disaster: Lessons Learned (continued)

• The stakes are high– Work is increasingly done in small temporary outfits (e.g., teams) in

which the stakes are high and foul-ups can have serious consequences

• Assumptions have consequences – The crew expects a 10:00 fire but grows uneasy when the fire doesn’t

behave like one

• People are often unclear about who is in charge• Creativity and risk taking usually don’t well under pressure

– The foreman lights a fire right in the middle of the only escape route

• Each individual faces the dilemma of being his or her own boss and following the team leader

Mann Gulch Disaster: Lessons Learned (continued)

• Sticking with the team helps keep the fear under control– Sallee and Ramsey stuck together

– A partner makes sense making easier

– A partner enlarges the pool of accessible data

• People rarely trust leaders they don’t know– Leaders can have their greatest impact on a team before

people get into tight situations

Information processing is as much a social process as it is a technical one

Social information processing involves:• Scanning for information• Gathering information• Storing information• Communicating information• Making decisions with (or without) information

What is a team?

Definition:• Cohesive group• Have a common purpose• Members hold themselves mutually accountable• Members define a common working approach

Life in organizations includes a rich landscape of teams and team involvement

• Task force

• Project teams

• Executive boards

• Steering committees

• Quality review teams

• Employee improvement teams

Project team 1

Project team 2

Project team 3

Work Team

My experiences working in teams

• The team member nexus (living in team matrix)• Different types and sizes of teams• Functional / dysfunctional teams• Projects of various lengths• Very high stakes

$2300 / day Million dollar client contracts

• Team products and deliverables New / improved organization structure, system, process Meeting notes Final reports Functional system Satisfied client / customer Viable recommendations Project plan

Why are teams important?

• Greater sum of total knowledge and information

• Greater number of approaches to problem solving

• Motivating• Mechanism for retaining knowledge and

wisdom• Use to develop commitment and a sense of

ownership

Team problems are costly

• Cost money• Delays and missed deadlines• Customer dissatisfaction• Deliver wrong product / service / system• Careers ruined• Emotionally toxic• People die

Team pitfalls and dysfunctions

• Social loafing / free-rider effect• Groupthink – agreement-at-any-cost

mentality• Self-appointed mind guards / individual

domination• Perceived inequity• Climate of distrust• Poor communication• Winning the argument

Characteristics of an effective team

• Shared vision and goals• Appropriate skills and abilities• Climate of trust and openness• Team organization• Tools and techniques• Team leadership

Elements of an effective vision

• Is unique and/or creative• Fosters shared understanding• Fosters buy-in of proposed vision• Articulates clear, attainable future state• Is broken down into specific goals and

objectives

Brainstorming Exercise

• Imagine that you work for a company that manufactures wire coat hangers. The company is about to close because most people use plastic hangers

• Your manager comes to you in desperate need of help. She must figure out how to use a supply of wire coat hangers that fills the warehouse

• The company is part of a conglomerate, and has unlimited resources and facilities to deal with problems

• During the next two minutes, your task is to list as many ideas you can for using wire coat hangers. Write your answers down on a piece of paper

A recent study produced these results

AGE PERCENT CREATIVE

4 - 5 98%

10 30%

15 12%

On the coat hanger exercise, 5 year olds generated an average of 50 responses!

Many factors limit creativity

• Habit• Fear of being wrong• Lack of self-confidence• Lack of interest• Judging ideas before writing them down

The “classical grouping” technique is useful in categorizing and organizing brainstormed ideas

What prevents the current ___________ process from achieving performance objectives?

?? ?

? ?

Example:

First, ideas are quickly brainstormed onto cards

Print clearlyUse the horizontal formatKeep it brief (7 words or less)Use at least one verbWrite only one thought per cardGenerate as many as possible

In the second step, each card is read to the team and posted on the wall in “thematic” groups

1 2 3

Statement

4

StatementStatement

Statement

Statement Statement

Statement

Statement

Statement

Statement

Statement

Team assignment: Create a team name, share contact information, and develop a team code of conduct

Example of a team code of conduct:• We will use the word “we” instead of “I”• We will be prepared for all team assignments• Everyone will participate in team discussions and

activities• We will respect each other’s views and ideas• Punctuality is a must (anyone who is late to a

meeting owes $1)• Each team member will notify a fellow team

member when unable to attend a meeting or when expecting to arrive late

Team name and code of conduct are due next class period