the team handbook 3rd edition

2003 Oriel Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. 1-1

Using Teams to Meet Todays Challenges

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for new ways to quickly and efficiently meet market pressure anddemands that include the need for speed, the need to respond to vasttechnological changes, and the trend toward globalization.

I. The Power of TeamsTo succeed, organizations must rely on the knowledge, skills,experience, and perspectives of a wide range of people to solvemultifaceted problems, make good decisions, and deliver effectivesolutions. This is where dynamic, productive teams can make thedifference. Teams create environments in which members can keepup with change, learn more about the organization, and developcollaborative skills. Teams outperform individuals when

The task is complex.

Creativity is needed.

The path forward is unclear.

More efficient use of resources is required.

Fast learning is necessary.

High commitment is desirable.

Cooperation is essential to implementation.

Members have a stake in the outcome.

The task or process involved is cross-functional.

No individual has sufficient knowledge to solve the problem.

Chapter 1Using Teams to MeetTodays Challenges

What You Will Find Here:I. The Power of Teams (p. 1-1)

II. Types of Teams (p. 1-3)

III. What Teams Need (p. 1-5)

IV. Teams and Change (p. 1-7)

V. Implementing Change (p. 1-9)

T oday we work in an environment in which turbulence seems thenorm and change is the only constant. Organizations are looking

Using Teams to MeetTodays Challenges

I. The Power of Teams

Worksheets with this symbol may be downloadedfrom Oriels website @ www.teamhandbook.com.

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2003 Oriel Incorporated. All Rights Reserved.1-2

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Effective teams are fast and flexible enough to respond to thechallenges of the times. Teams today take many forms: managementteams, ongoing work teams, improvement teams, and self-directedwork teams, to name a few. Teams can accomplish a variety ofpurposes, including the ability to

Reduce lead times

Decrease cycle time

Cut service errors

Manage processes

Perform daily work

Increase the rate of transactions

Develop new products and services

Operate organizational units

Redesign systems

Understand customer needs

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What is a Team?People use the word team to refer todifferent kinds of groups. So, what is ateam anyway? Is it a group of peopledeciding where to go for lunch? Thestaff of a department? A group of man-agers who meet together regularly?How can we tell?

A team is a group of people workingtogether to achieve a common pur-pose for which they hold themselvesmutually accountable.

Some of the key elements are

The members have a shared workproduct

Tasks are interdependent; thework could not be accomplishedby people working independ-ently

There is shared responsibility foroutput and results

There is a commitment to acommon approach to workingtogether

Members collectively manage theirrelationships across organizationalboundaries




II. Types of TeamsOrganizations have several different types of teams that serve theirinterests.

Project TeamsProject teams are temporary, have a special focus, and often have bothcore and affiliated members. Core members participate throughout theproject and often have complementary skills needed for the workoutput. Affiliated, or resource, members may only be critical for somephases of the project and may move in and out of the team as workprogresses. Improvement teams, problem-solving teams, and productdevelopment teams are examples of project teams.

Ongoing or Functional Work TeamsOngoing, or functional, work teams are permanent, or at least long-standing.

A natural work team involves all the people in a given workarea who share responsibility for completing a whole piece ofwork. These Team Members sometimes cross-train to learn eachothers jobs.

A self-directed work team is a natural work team that alsoshares many management responsibilities such as schedulingwork, managing budgets, evaluating performance, and hiringnew Team Members.

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II. Types of Teams

Types of TeamsOrganizations can have several differenttypes of teams to serve their interests.



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A process management team focuses on sharing responsi-bility for monitoring and controlling a work process such asnew product development. Members may be full-time or part-time. Sometimes members rotate on and off the team on ayearly basis.

A management team is only a team if its members representinterdependent functions or processes and must coordinatetheir efforts and priorities in order for the overall system tooperate efficiently and effectively. Even when they are inter-dependent they may lack a team approach. Too often man-agement groups are inappropriately called teams when, in fact,they have no interdependent work, integrated goals, sharedresponsibilities, or common ways of working toward results.

Virtual TeamsVirtual teams use technology-supported communications morefrequently than face-to-face interactions to accomplish their tasks; andthey cross boundaries such as time zones, geography, and organiza-tional units. Both project teams and ongoing teams can be virtual.Three actions are key to the success of any team, but are especiallycritical for virtual teams: 1) developing shared goals and methods toaccomplish outcomes, 2) developing methods and skills to commu-nicate and make decisions across systems and organizations, and 3)developing leadership that balances getting input and makingdecisions so work moves ahead. Virtual teams also need to spendtime together to build good working relationships, so periodic face-to-face meetings are helpful.

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Virtual teams use technology-supportedcommunications to accomplish theirtasks.




III. What Teams NeedTeams can achieve complex goals swiftly and efficiently and oftenwith fewer resources. However, teams are not the solution to everyproblem, nor should they be created as ends in themselvesthatwastes resources. Below are some must-haves for productive teams.

Clearly Defined Purposes and Goals Teams need to understand what they are trying to accomplish

and why. Team purposes and goals must be clearly linked tolarger organizational missions, goals, and strategies. Purpose isa vital ingredient of a successful team. It gives the teamdirection and offers each member a sense of value andcommitment. (For more information on developing a teamcharter, see p. 2-12.)

Teams must understand their connection to other teams, depart-ments, customers, and to the overall organizational strategy.

Teams need a detailed understanding of how work willproceed and how the team will accomplish its tasks.

Teams need measures to evaluate their work. Without measures,how will they know if changes or solutions lead to improvement?

Teams need to develop a common set of values and ethics as thefoundation of trust, which empowers them to take risks toimprove performance.

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Improve Service Delivery

Improve Efficiency

Maximize Useof TechnicalExpertise

OrganizationsPriority

Align job descriptionswith service delivery processto maximize use of technical expertise

Organizational Tree DiagramStrategy Tactic/Team Purpose

Establish process management system for service delivery process

Reduce cycle time of Process B

Reduce cycle time ofProcess J

TimelineN D J F

Team/IndividualResponsible

Team A

Team A

Team B

Team C

Linking the Team andthe OrganizationIt is important to know how a teamspurpose links to the organizations keystrategies.

Checking the Link between the TeamsPurpose and theOrganizations PrioritiesIf you use a tree diagram, like the oneabove, to check the relationshipbetween a teams purpose and theorganizations key goals or priorities,the following questions are helpful:

Ask of any goal or strategy (movingleft to right), What will it take tosuccessfully accomplish this pri-ority? Each priority should havethe necessary and sufficient sub-activities. Some of these activitiesmight be the focus of a teamswork.

Ask of any activity (moving rightto left), What is the purpose ofthis activity and how is it linkedto some larger objective?

III. What Teams Need



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Clearly Defined Boundaries Team goals must be focused. Working on a problem that is too

broad (such as, improve productivity) or that is outside theteams area of authority or control (a production team revisingHR policies) sets up the team for frustration and potentialfailure.

Teams need to understand any limits on time, money, and decision-making authority.

Teams must know how and when to communicate within the organization.

Access to People in the Know Teams need members with the knowledge and skills to

accomplish their tasks.

Teams need access to people with diverse talents and points ofview including skills in planning, collecting and analyzing data,solving problems, making decisions, running effective meetings,communicating, documenting, and managing conflict. Someorganizations have team Coaches who provide the skills andexpertise that Team Members lack.

Access to Resources Teams need access to available data and technology.

Teams need fast responses to requests for approval or helpfrom another department or area.

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IV. Teams and ChangeMost teamwork involves change, and change is seldom easy. It isunlikely that anyone will successfully change an organization withoutfirst asking its people to change as well.

The Laws of Organizational ChangeWhen working for change, keep in mind these laws of organiza-tional change:

People dont resist change, they resist being changed. Thebest way to get people to dig in their heels is to give them anarbitrary mandate to change. If you want their cooperation,youve got to keep them on board for every step of the change.Ask for their opinions. What do they hope will happen? Whatdo they fear? What suggestions can they make to ensure thesuccess of the effort? Communicate regularly about progressand results. Provide a clear picture of what the future will belike, and answers to the questions How will work bedifferent? and When will the changes be implemented?

Things are the way they are simply because they got thatway. Somebody, sometime, had to write the policy or createthe process that you are now trying to change. There wereprobably some very good reasons for doing things that waywhen the system was established. Before you attempt tochange something, first take the time to understand the historybehind the problem.

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Most teamwork involves change, andchange is seldom easy.

IV. Teams and Change



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Unless things change, they are likely to remain the same.If you want improvement, people will need to change the waythey work. Its important not to confuse improvement withtampering. Tampering is overreacting to a problem or a mistakeby applying what seems like an obvious solution without fullyunderstanding the causes of the problem or error. Often oursolution inclinations produce greater variation in results insteadof less. Tampering often leads to higher costs and moreerrorsthe exact opposite of what you want. (For a more in-depth discussion of tampering and variation, see p. 4-24.)

Change would be easy if it werent for all the people.There are other variations of this law: Management would beeasy if it werent for all the employees, and Business wouldbe easy if it werent for all the customers. The message is thatpeople are the organization and the organization is there forthe customers. So you must pay attention to the people, aswell as the systems. Listening to employees and customersbefore problems arise makes any change go more smoothly.

If the team is part of an organizational strategy, then themanager is key in completing all the tasks below. For example,if self-directed work teams are the new organizationalstructure, the manager must help everyone see how thatchange is good for both the organization and themselves. Ifthis is a project team, and the project is key, then initially themanager will need to articulate the importance and the needfor change (solutions always mean changes for someone), butlater the team itself will be advocating change as it gets readyto implement its solution.

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V. Implementing ChangeTeams will run into several common problems when attempting tomake a change. People may fear having their security or position putat risk. The perception that change is bad needs to be managed. Thefollowing steps will help you uncover, identify, and manage thesebarriers as the change unfolds.

Create a Shared VisionChange is difficult for people because the way things are iscomfortable and familiar, has a history, and often is part of theiridentity. To help people let go of the status quo and support change,it is important to

Communicate vividly and regularly why things mustchange. Focus on such factors as customer demands anddissatisfactions, competitive pressures, technology changes, etc.

Describe your vision for the change. A clear, concretestatement that describes what will happen after the change isimplemented can mobilize people and provide energy for thechange. What will people start doing that they are not doingnow? What will they stop doing that they are doing now? Whatnew skills, attitudes, or work methods will be required?

Clearly describe the first steps being taken and directlylink the teams work and the vision for change.

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ImplementingChange

Create a shared vision

Understand stakeholders

Develop an action plan

V. Implementing Change

Create a Shared VisionTo help people support the change,describe your vision for the future.


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Understand StakeholdersCreating successful change requires anticipating peoples reactions byunderstanding how they will be affected by the change.

Identify the extent to which various organizational areasand key individuals will be affected by the change. Eventhough the percentage of an area affected by the change maybe low, the impact on this small percentage may be high, andthey cannot therefore be ignored.

Understand stakeholders attitudes toward change, andcompare them to where you need them to be. A stake-holder analysis using the stakeholder commitment scale isuseful here. The scale is a matrix used to

Identify the people or groups involved in or affected by a change

Identify the amount of work needed to bring groups to thelevel of commitment necessary for changes to be implemented successfully

Set priorities and develop appropriate communicationplans for different groups

As illustrated in the above graphic, the level of commitment islisted down the left side of the matrix. The stakeholders orstakeholder groups are listed across the top. The level ofcommitment necessary from stakeholders or stakeholdergroups is identified on the matrix as an . The level of com-mitment currently demonstrated by stakeholders or stakeholdergroups is identified on the matrix as an .

Those with the largest gap between the and the should receivethe most attention in your planning efforts. You will need to

StakeholderCommitment ScaleA stakeholder commitment scale helpsyou understand how much workneeds to be done to achieve desiredlevels of commitment.

= commitment necessary

= commitment currently demonstrated

Level of Commitment Sales Mgr. Dept. Head Call CenterOperators

Enthusiastic Will work hard to make it happen

HelpfulWill lend appropriate support

HesitantHolds some reservations; wont volunteer

IndifferentWont help; wont hurt

UncooperativeWill have to be prodded

OpposedWill openly state and act on opposition

HostileWill block at all costs

Stakeholder Commitment Scale


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identify what factors are creating the resistance in these groupsand work out actions to minimize them.

Understand potential reasons for resistance. Peopleaffected by a change will often feel threatened and concernedeven if they see the change as desirable. Identify whichindividuals or groups will be subject to the greatest stress,understand the causes of the stress, and incorporate actions toaddress their concerns in the teams work plan. Identifyspecific barriers, endings, and losses by answering thefollowing questions:

How satisfied (or dissatisfied) is this group with its currentwork situation?

How much complexity and risk are involved for this groupin the proposed change?

What new knowledge, skills, attitudes, and perceptionswill people need to successfully implement the change?

What specific endings and losses might this individual orgroup experience?

Security/income Status Relationships Ability to perform Job satisfaction Career advancement Control, influence Predictability Culture Personal life

Resistance to ChangePeople affected by a change will oftenfeel threatened even if they see thechange as desirable.


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Develop An Action PlanBased on your stakeholder analysis, decide

How and when each stakeholder group should partic-ipate in the change. When people are involved in decisionsaffecting them, they are more likely to support change becausethey feel more in control, and are more likely to understandthe reasons for the change or what they have to do differentlyto be successful.

How to attain buy-in and acceptance during the planningphase to garner the commitment and ownership needed toimplement change.

How and when to communicate with stakeholders. Acommunication plan is often a part of the overall project plan.(See the Communication Planning Worksheet on p. 1-13.)

What training they will need to be able to succeed in thechange.

As part of this action plan,

Identify informal networks. All organizations have loosenetworks of small groups of people who offer their memberssupport and friendship. Loyalty to these groups may bestronger than loyalty to the organization. Informal groups havetheir own leaders and rules that can determine, for example,the pace of work or their relationship with the boss. If theinformal organization and its leaders accept a proposedchange, events will proceed more smoothly. Identify theinformal leaders. Get to know them. Spend time listening tothem. When you understand their needs and concerns, you willunderstand how the changes you seek might be fashioned.

Onion Patch StrategyWhat do you do if no one will listen,if youre having trouble getting theattention of the people up high, andyoure feeling like a lonely littlepetunia in an onion patch?

Our advice: Think big but stay closeto your roots.

Select change efforts within yourcontrol. Make certain they will capturethe attention of people at least twolinks up the chain of command. Lookfor opportunities with big dollar impli-cations such as reducing waste orincreasing revenue. Focus on gettingresults that others, even skeptics, willrespect. Involve fellow employees inyour efforts, sharing credit for asuccessful job. Slowly build a networkof supporters.

Be patient. Be persistent. When some-one expresses interest, be prepared toprovide more information and detailabout the implications. Identify themost common questions or objectionsand have the answers at hand.Communicate success stories.


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Instructions: Identify some of the people who will be involved in or affected by your project. Ask them what theirmain concerns are and make some preliminary decisions about how you will keep them informed throughout theproject. Incorporate actions to address their concerns into your work plan.

Who Main Concerns Communication Notes(When and how you will communicate with them)



This worksheet may be downloaded from Oriels website @ www.teamhandbook.com.


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Build a critical mass. To get any idea rolling, it is importantto build understanding and enthusiasm. When the idea issupported by a sufficient number of key people, it takes offunder its own steam, building its own sense of momentum. Thesize of the critical mass can vary from just a few key people tothe whole organization. In the early stages of change, thecritical mass builds as key opinion leaders shift from neutralpositions to more supportive ones, or from resistance toneutrality. When planning a change, identify key opinionleadersboth in the formal and informal networks. Find outhow you can sway their opinions: What are their concerns? Ifthey see a risk, what is the source of the risk? What are theirneeds? How can their needs be met? Do they need to see anidea in action? Do they need to see data you have alreadycollected? Do they need to talk to the people involved in thechange?

Create emotional acceptance. Since people resist beingchanged, any organizational change is a campaign for theirhearts as well as their minds. Even when there is a lot ofdetailed planning and communication, very little happens as aresult of a solely rational, logical process. Allow people toexpress their fears and concerns. Provide mechanisms to solicitopinions and concerns, and to provide answers and addressfears. Permit people to be inelegant and to make mistakes.

Keep activities synchronized. Planning is an ongoingprocess and must be adjusted to stay synchronized as thesituation changes (e.g., as new environmental factors or stake-holders emerge). Monitor the key activities in the plan toensure they stay aligned and integrated.


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Create EmotionalAcceptanceChange is a campaign for peopleshearts as well as their minds.


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Change is a physical event so its not surprisingthat many people have strong reactions to it. Tohelp individuals through the transition from thestatus quo into planning and actualizing their placein the future, Team Leaders should allow TeamMembers to explore the following questions:

What am I giving up? Recognize that employ-ees need a mourning period for their loss.

Whats in it for me?

How will the new process make it easier andmore efficient for me to perform?

What information or skills do I need to besuccessful in the new process/environment?You may need to repeat vital informationmany times until people can absorb andtranslate change into new tasks.

What happens if I have trouble changing?Be honest. Let them know the status quo isno longer acceptable.

How do I go about making changes? Workwith groups and individuals to develop actionplans that are time specific and outcomeoriented. Let employees know you willsupport their efforts to comply with theaction plans as agreed upon.

How will I know how Im doing? Givehonest and frequent feedback: I have noticedyou doing __ and it is really helping __. Or,It appears that you are still having someconcerns with __. What are your plans forworking on/improving this? How can Isupport you in carrying out your plans?

Leading Change


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Chapter 1: Action Summary Understand your teams purpose before moving forward. To work

efficiently and achieve its goals, a team needs clearly definedpurposes and goals, clearly defined parameters, and access topeople in the know.

Realize that things dont change if people wont. You cannot expectany organization to change without first asking its people tochange. Commit to and focus on involving people in every step ofchange.

Create and share a vision that will overcome barriers to change,identify key stakeholders, and understand potential reasons forresistance to overcome barriers to change.

Resist the urge to tamper. Overreacting to a single instance of aproblem or mistake (error in a report, defect in a product) bymaking change without knowing the cause leads to higher costsand more mistakes.

Remember, change doesnt happen overnight. Allow people suffi-cient time to change. Create a timeline for change with positivereinforcements along the way.


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Chapter 1: Action Summary


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