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Be open and impartial in your treatment of team members. SETTING GOALS W hat is your team for? The question may sound obvious, but time spent at the beginning of a project in defining team objectives is crucial to a successful outcome. Make sure that you have clearly established the issues that the team needs to resolve. TIP 20: Set challenging goals that are still realistic in view of your deadlines. TIP 21: Consider the aims of individual team members when setting targets. TIP 22: Do not let failure of one part of a project jeopardize its overall success. POINTS TO REMEMBER: • All team members need to agree on a precise definition of what they are working toward. • Goals should not be set until you have discussed all possible approaches to the task. • Although team members are needed to finalize team goals, the objectives of the team can also dictate membership. • For best results targets should be challenging, with a combination of general and specific goals. BUILDING A CONSENSUS Meetings are an excellent way of fostering team spirit and the team-working habit in the early stages of a team existence. Set up an initial series of meetings in which members can get to know each other and work toward a consensus about the goals of the team. Make sure that the task the team has been assigned and the issues it will be addressing are fully understood by everyone, and assess all the options available to the team before deciding how the team will be organized. Finally, discuss and decide on achievable deadlines for all the elements of the project. ANALYZING GOALS Goals will vary according to whether a team is there to recommend a course of action, to make or do something, or to run something. For example, a task force that makes a recommendation can measure its success rates against feedback from within the organization. A “doing” or “making” team, such as a manufacturing unit, has specific costs and customer satisfaction targets to work toward. A team charged with running a marketing drive has to work to strict budgets and schedules. HARNESSING MOTIVATION Ambitious, challenging goals are more motivational than smaller, specific ones. For example, aiming to be biggest and best in retail financial services is more motivational than trying to reduce average mortgage application approval to two days. If possible, set both general and specific goals, aiming high but remaining realistic. Ensure that everybody participates in setting their own goals, as well as the team’s. Do not compromise on any teamwork needs. Look for the optimum combination of strong teamwork and technical capabilities. TAKING AN OVERVIEW: Take into account all the aspects of your appointed task or project, and discuss them with team members when defining the team overall goals:
PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR A TEAM A degree of independence is essential in successful teamwork, but few teams are able to stand completely alone. Nurture good relations and support systems within your organization that satisfy both your team’s needs and corporate requirements. Tip 23: Insist on having IT support that gives you exactly what you want. Tip 24: Treat external consultants as team members. Tip 25: Keep your team sponsor informed of progress. PROVIDING BASIC SUPPORT Most teams are supported by the technical and administrative infrastructure of the organization to which they belong. It often makes little sense to set up an accounting system within a team, especially as external financial control can help to limit financial outlay However, there are some exceptions, notably in information systems: the danger of relying on a centralized IT department is that your team will not receive the specific software support that it requires in order to complete a particular task successfully To overcome this difficulty, some teams incorporate their own IT expertise. Think carefully about any specialist support your team is likely to need, and then discuss the options for acquiring it with all the team members. Providing Support From Within An Organization – here’s how:
…will lead to… THE TEAM, with vital support in place, operating at peak efficiency. SETTING UP LINKS WITH MANAGEMENT AU teams need to have the backing of the senior staff in the parent organization. The three key relationships a team needs are: the main team sponsor, the head of the department or operation to which the team reports, and whoever controls the team’s budget. Their roles are to monitor and approve the team’s activities, and to ensure that all necessary practical support is available. Keep strong lines of communication going with these managers. This becomes even more important if your team is based away from headquarters, for example in a factory or separate office building. Choosing a Location for a Team:
ESTABLISHING TEAM TRUST The most essential feature of successful teamwork is trust. Teams thrive on mutual trust, so it must be established early in the life of a team. Promote mutual trust through delegation, openness of conduct and communication, and a free exchange of ideas. Tip 26: Keep tasks to yourself only if you know that no one else can do them. Tip 27: Do not delegate any unnecessary work — scrap it. Tip 28: Give your team the freedom to make its own decisions. Tip 29: Encourage positive contributions from team members. LEARNING TO DELEGATE Delegation takes two forms: delegation of tasks and authority Teamwork needs both for mutual trust to develop. Break down each project into single tasks or goals, and allocate them to individual team members. Leave things alone, intervening only if it appears that a goal will not be achieved. To delegate authority, share your power both with the team, consulting members on all issues, and with individuals, giving them full authority if their area of expertise is involved. Ask members to keep you informed of progress — and let them get on with it. RECOGNIZING CHARACTER TYPES WHEN DELEGATING:
PROMOTING OPENNESS Teamwork and secrecy cannot live together, so a leader who is not open with team members will not get the best of their potential. Arrange regular formal and informal meetings: these are avenues to openness. As people get to know one another, they will relax and start to feel at ease with the team — and this will allow a sense of loyalty and cohesion to develop. Try to allow the team full access (where appropriate) to all facts and figures, agendas, and minutes relevant to their overall responsibilities for the project, but bear in mind that there will be times when you may have to maintain confidentiality. CULTURAL DIFFERENCES Attitudes toward teamworking vary around the world. A North American team is unlikely to have any such qualms, and may bounce ideas off each other from the time of their first meeting. Members of British teams may he inhibited about expressing themselves in front of others until a rapport has been established. ENCOURAGING IDEAS People have far more potential for creating ideas when working as a team than they do individually. Encourage the open discussion of ideas, and make sure that all suggestions are heard with respect. If an idea needs to be discounted, do so at a later date, and always give valid reasons for doing so. Alert team members to the expertise available within the group, and to all of its objectives, to promote the open discussion of relevant ideas. CREATING NEW IDEAS: When holding a creative session, ask attendees to come with two or three prepared ideas to present to colleagues. Record all ideas and evaluate them afterward. TAKING ON AN EXISTING TEAM Taking on an established team is a testing experience. While you share the learning process with a team in a start-up situation, a takeover demands immediate evidence of your ability to take charge and recognize team strengths. Tip 36: Show your team who is in charge by being assertive, but not aggressive. Tip 37: Think of ways to make an instant good impression on a new team — but without being overeager. Tip 38: If you ask people for their advice, be prepared not only to accept it but also to act upon it. BECOMING A TEAM LEADER When a new leader joins an existing team, caution and doubt coexist with hope and interest on both sides. Try to make a favorable, positive first impression. Much may depend on the previous leader’s standing and the cause of the change. If the team you have inherited has done well under good, strong leadership, recognize that -- if not, presume -- that the members hunger for reform. Even if your predecessor was disliked and regarded as incompetent, or if the team is failing, never dwell negatively on past faults or poor performance. Demonstrate trust, promote team togetherness, and appear quietly confident. Insist on producing a competitive performance, achieved with the full support of your new team. manage-teams-382 MEETING FOR THE FIRST TIME: When meeting a new team, he relaxed and confident without appearing arrogant. Keep your body language open and friendly so that you look both approachable and natural. TALKING TO A NEW TEAM Find out about your new team’s background, purpose, progress, and membership before you meet them. Other people’s input can be valuable at this stage, but trust your own judgment as you start to form an opinion of the team’s abilities. Remember that your best chance to observe the team will come only once you have taken charge. Soon after taking on the team, set aside time to talk to each member, one-to-one, about their individual tasks and the project as a whole, their views of their own performance, whether they favor any changes in working practice, and, if so, why? From their ideas, you will gain a clear insight into each individual’s character, motivation, and abilities. Avoid asking individuals to assess their colleagues — it is up to you to form your own opinion. THINGS TO DO 1. Socialize with the team, at least occasionally, to show willingness and prevent being excluded later. 2. Show you appreciate the skills of the team to prevent any resentment. 3. Actively show your willingness to listen to team members. 4. Show your authority from the outset with confidence — otherwise you may find yourself being undermined. BECOMING A TEAM MEMBER The rules of being new to a team are simple. Form a clear idea of your personal goals, and work toward fitting them to the purposes of the team. If there is anybody you already know in the team, use them to ease your way into the group. Strive to make a good impression, but do not appear to be overconfident. Observe the culture of the team, and once you are comfortable with what you have learned about your colleagues and your new task, begin to show your own capabilities and initiative. INTRODUCING A NEW TEAM MEMBER When old team members are replaced by new staff, encourage and welcome the opportunity for new ideas and approaches, rather than expecting them to follow previous ways of working. Never leave new members to make their own introductions and find their own way around the team: instead, ensure that each new member has a guide to pilot them through their early weeks. At the first opportunity, such as during a team meeting, introduce new members to the group and ask the newcomers to say a few words about themselves — but prepare them beforehand!Next: Improving Team Efficiency Prev: Analyzing Team Roles |
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