Building effective teams (and repairing broken ones)

1. Building effective teams(and repairing broken ones) Paul C. Godfrey Marriott School Winter 2011

2. Why are teams important • Teams leverage the skills and talents of members • Teams can be more creative than individuals • Teams can be far more productive than individuals • You’ll work in/on teams throughout your career • Good teams will advance your career • Bad teams will hinder your career • Teams are a crucible for leadership development

3. The iceberg • The "tip of the iceberg" expression • Icebergs float because the density of ice (around 900 kg per cubic meter) is lower than that of seawater (around 1025 kg per cubic meter) • The ratio of these densities tells us that 7/8 of the iceberg's mass must be below water. • Usually icebergs are 20% to 30% longer under the water than above and not quite as deep as they are long at the waterline. (http://www.wordplay.com/tourism/icebergs/) 1 Mile 1.3 Miles long under water Almost 1 Mile deep!!

4. What everyone sees is team performance, the tip of the iceberg What drives performance is the 7/8th below the surface

5. A poorly performing team: Surface results Inattention to results: Poor work

6. Inattention to results means everyone’s personal needs (ego, grade, career) drive effort, not the team’s goals

7. A poorly performing team: one layer down Inattention to results: Poor work Avoidance of Accountability

8. Avoidance of accountability means that no one is willing to call out poor performance

9. A poorly performing team: deeper still Inattention to results: Poor work Avoidance of Accountability Lack of Commitment

10. Lack of commitment means no one has REALLY bought into the goals of the team, although they may be quite good at faking it

11. A poorly performing team: toward the bottom Inattention to results: Poor work Avoidance of Accountability Lack of Commitment Fear of Conflict

12. Fear of conflict means that the team never engages in unfiltered and passionate debate of ideas.

13. A poorly performing team: bedrock Inattention to results: Poor work Avoidance of Accountability Lack of Commitment Fear of Conflict Absence of Trust Material for this graphic taken from Lencioni, P. 2002. The five dysfunctions of a team, Jossey Bass

14. Lack of trust means that team members don’t feel comfortable expressing their mistakes, weaknesses, concerns, and needs. In short, people are unwilling to be vulnerable or who they really are

15. So, how do we build a good team (or repair a broken one)?

16. 1. Create trust • (un)fortunately, trust can only be built over time, one interaction at a time • Trust means a willingness to be vulnerable • Trust comes through shared activities and shared values • Trustworthiness begets trust • Acknowledging mistakes and weaknesses is huge

17. 2. Engage in real conflict • Conflict ≠ Contention • Cognitive conflict is good • About ideas, plans, interpretations • Affective conflict is bad • About people, feelings, values • The hockey team as a metaphor • Remember: without trust conflict is negative and won’t get the results you want

18. 3. Gain commitment • Commitment follows, not precedes, strong dialogue, debate, and discussion • Commitment does not always mean agreement • Commitment creates responsibility • Concrete plans/actions generate concrete commitments • Commitment precedes real effort and work

19. 4. Create accountability • Accountability means getting work done • Accountability is very, very specific • A yes/no question, no wiggle room • Accountability is NOT judgment • Accountability uncovers problems in ability

20. 5. Enjoy positive results • The teams deliverable outputs are adequate, if not outstanding • Team members learn through the experience • People grow in leadership and character • Relationships strengthen • People have fun