Businesses have often been pre-occupied with the strengths of the individual; do they have the qualifications and experience to do the job effectively, and the talents to be successful in the job. What they often overlook is whether they will fit into the team environment. This pre-occupation with individual assets means they concentrate on the selection, development, training, motivation and promotion of individuals without emphasising what benefits they bring to the team as a whole.

So Belbin and his team highlighted the necessary skills and characteristics that make up successful teams. They came up with nine archetypal functions that make up an ideal team. Here they are:

- Plant: creative, imaginative, unorthodox, solves difficult problems

- Co-ordinator: mature, confident, trusting, a good chairperson, clarifies goals, promotes decision-making

- Shaper: Dynamic, outgoing, enjoys challenges and pressure, finds ways round obstacles

- Teamworker: Social, mild, perceptive, accommodating, good listener

- Completer-Finisher: Pains-taker, conscientious, anxious, delivers to exact standards

- Implementer: Disciplined, reliable, conservative, efficient, turns ideas into actions

- Resource Investigator: Extrovert, enthusiastic, communicative, explores opportunities

- Specialist: Single-minded, self-starting, dedicated, brings skills and knowledge that few others have

- Monitor-Evaluator: Sober, strategic, discerning, sees many options, makes judgements

These categories have proved to be robust over the years and are still used in business to identify team ethics. High-performing companies increasingly believe that teams rather than business units or individuals are the basic building blocks to a successful organisation.

I’d recommend you take a look at Belbin’s book (Management Teams – Why they succeed or fail, Heinemann Publishing) and identify what you are looking for from your teams.

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training Course

(Image by Stuart Miles)

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Many of the activities we carry out show that managers have little idea of what makes the difference between having a proper team working together in harmony, and a group of people who just happen to be working in the same department.

The truth is, people can work together without having a ‘team’ ethic. But how do you create the environment for all persons in the department to pull together and be a team? Well, let’s first see what a successful team actually does.

A successful team is one in which the team members not only achieve something worthwhile, but feel that they have contributed to and participated in a project with a purpose.

Teams create various levels of deep working relationships within them. Just because people happen to be in the same office doesn’t necessarily mean they get the best out of each other. The relationships that real teams build provide that firm foundation for growth.

Teams have an emotional connection with each other so that they all ‘stand for’ something. If you asked each team member why the team exists, would everyone come up with the same answer, or totally different ideas? This connection will either drive the performance forward or drag it down.

Real teams develop their own internal motivation and stimulus to perform. If your team are dragging their feet or bickering with each other, or showing negative signals, you have to question their real motivations for being there.

Teams build their qualities through synergistic interactions. This involves each person contributing their strengths, opinions, talents and ideas to the team and building on their ideas with each other. Knowledge is shared and made openly available at meetings and on projects.

Teams always know they need to develop, perform and improve. In real teams, they contribute to each other’s’ skills and talents, learning and researching while growing together.

Without each of these traits, people tend to be looking for reasons to stand out in teams for their own motives, and the team ethic falls apart as they just work within the group they have been assigned to.

So, work with your team to help them analyse what level they are at as a team. Get them to formulate plans to improve the connections within the team. Identify individuals who are natural team builders and help others to model their mind-sets so the group you have working with you feel they have the skills and qualities to turn themselves into a committed and special team, growing with every opportunity.

Thanks again

Sean

(Image by David Castillo Dominici)

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training Course

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Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”

Are you helping your team members achieve to the level they know is possible? Do you assist them in building a team culture where they really want to contribute to its success?

Here’s my take on the steps you can implement to achieve a high-performing culture:

• Decide with the team how you are going to build a high-performance culture. Discuss with each team member what they expect from you on a day-to-day basis

• Provide clear expectations and priorities for teamwork and discuss how great team behaviour can be exhibited daily

• Help team members to gain a sense of ownership by sharing the group’s goals, such as productivity, costs, schedule, customer service, production quotas, etc. Let team members help you in tracking what is important progress measurements

• Let team members help in problem-solving. If you deal with other departments, help team members set up cross-departmental improvement groups to ascertain how each department can assist each other

• Let team members have input to agendas for team meetings and have the chance to lead the meetings at times

• If you have a new account or new project, solicit the help of team members in detailing what direction they should take to make the project a success. The more ownership they have of results, the committed they feel to making it work

• Keep lines of communication open. Include team members in plans, processes, results, challenges and project development. Let them see customer feedback. Highlight the relationships with other departments. Tell them what higher management strategies mean to them as a team. Communicate the state of the business, and the part they can play in it.

• Encourage a team ‘code of conduct’ that will develop a team ethos for working together. Ask them what they think a professional team would look like. See if you can get a short film of a Formula One pit-stop team working together. What do they need to do to produce such stunning results? How much do they rely on each other? What can they learn from the pit-stop team that would work in their situation?

• Provide good coaching sessions to each team member so that they feel part of the development of the team and can contribute to their team’s multi-skilling opportunities

If you are able to nurture your team to accept responsibility for the results they achieve, you create a culture of belief in them that will help them go from strength to strength and build a firm foundation for excellence in all they do.

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

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First, make sure you create clear goals for the team. Team members have to believe their journey embodies a worthwhile or important result. If they appreciate these goals, it will help them put personal concerns on the back burner in favour of team goals. Get them committed to the team’s goals and they will understand the importance of the role they play together.

Next, help them to build mutual trust. This takes a long time, but is worth it. Keep team members informed of decisions made higher up…they will appreciate being kept in the loop. Be open with your communication in all matters. Be approachable and available. Show consistency in all you do, and be dependable and honest.

Then, provide necessary support. This means providing the resources to help the team achieve their goals. If resources don’t allow them to carry out their responsibilities, how to you think theu are going to react when you ask them to up their game?

Then, Offer team development opportunities. Talk about how the team can expand in its operation. Coach and support them in their achievements. Thinks about what training people need to achieve their end goals.

Finally, create performance agreements. Expectations must be clearly determined and explicitly agreed. You can do this by foloowing these ideal steps:
1) Agree desired results. Identify what needs to be done and by when
2) Specify guidelines. This means deciding on standards of behaviour that will achieve results
3) Establish resource requirements. Make sure everyone has what they need to produce results
4) Establish standards of performance. Help people become accountable for their own results
5) Asign consequences. Let people know what the results will be through performance evaluations

Clear, mutual understandings of what you are all trying to achieve provides a common vision of desired results and creation of standards against which team members can measure their own success. Team members who buy into performance agreements usually take personal responsibility for their own performance.

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

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1) People are the cause of all team problems, and there is nothing you can do about people.

2) More training will solve the team’s problems

3) No system is perfect and, as a team is a system, there is no point in trying to make it better as it will never achieve the level you want it to.

4) If teams aren’t working, we must be doing something wrong, as teams work in other companies.

5) We just have to bear with team problems, as teams are the only way we can structure people in today’s organisation.

The author highlighted these myths as there are many mangers who still think there are elements of truth in them. But the facts show otherwise.

If you are going to assess how your team is faring, it is wise to approach it from three different perspectives; the team results, the team manager and the team members.

Firstly, the team results. What you need to consider are the actual results versus the plan, the performance versus the objectives, how satisfied the team members are with the team and how satisfied customers are with the team.

Second, the team manager. What are the perceptions of the team members? What are the customers’ perceptions of the way the team is managed? And what is the manager’s own self-assessment of performance?

Finally, What do the team members think? What are their peers’ perceptions? What about self-assessments? And what do the customers think?

If you achieve results against all of these measurements, then the myths of team assessments can be ignored, and you can rely on the truth.

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

Click below for a:
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How can you make sure that you give yourself the best chance of dealing with team problems, so they all buy-in to the solution in the end? Here are some tips:

Start with a solid problem statement:

A team can’t fix a problem that it hasn’t identified well. Coming up with an accurate problem statement is the first step in solving any problem and achieving a meaningful goal. In fact, an accurate problem statement will often suggest a possible solution.

Guidelines for a good problem statement:
• State the problem narrowly enough so the team can handle it
• Make it a statement, not a question
• Be detailed, not too general
• Avoid apportioning blame or cause
• Use measurable qualities or quantities when you can

Use these guidelines next time your team discuss a problem. Make sure they don’t end up too wooly or discriminating.

Take a look at these problem statements and see if you can determine what’s wrong with them. Answers later in the blog:

1) The total number of errors is 0.75 per 1000
2) We don’t have enough time for all the meetings we need to hold
3) We would get better productivity if we had air conditioning
4) We get customer complaints about the phones not being answered between 1 and 2pm

Make sure you differentiate between team goals and individual goals:

The group should decide on a common objective (and agree it) and action steps should then be set showing who will do what and by when.

Make sure team members don’t put their own concerns too much ahead of the team objectives.

All smart players in a team see the link between the success of the team and their individual success.

Make sure the team knows the purpose of dealing with the problem.

Remember that teams develop direction and commitment by working toward a common purpose. The purpose is shaped in response to a demand or opportunity put in their path. Top teams spend time exploring, shaping and agreeing on a purpose that belongs to them as a team and individually. This makes the day’s work clear in the eyes of every team member.

And the answers to those problem statements?
1) A pretty good statement, but exactly what are the errors and over what time period?

2) Too general and not measurable. A better statement would be “ In March, 5 team meetings were cancelled because of lack of room availability”

3) This includes a solution in the statement. It may not be the only solution. A better phrase may be “productivity decreased by 10% last summer in the CKD department”

4) This is pretty good, but doesn’t specify how many customers and how many calls. A better one would be ”During March, three of our top customers complained that they were unable to get through to IT on 7 occasions between 1 and 2 o’clock.

These tips should help you formulate the problems in a way that will gain solutions much quicker.

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

Click below for a:
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1. Working group: No significant incremental performance need or opportunity that would require it to become a team. The members interact primarily to share information, best practices, or perspectives and to make decisions to help each individual perform within his or her area of responsibility. There is no call for either a team approach or a mutual accountability requirement.

2. Pseudo-team: This is a group for which there could be a significant, incremental performance need or opportunity, but it has not focused on collective performance and is not really trying to achieve it. It has no interest in shaping a common purpose or set of performance goals, even though it may call itself a team. Pseudo-teams are the weakest of all groups in terms of performance impact. In pseudo-teams, the sum of the whole is less than the potential of the individual parts.

They almost always contribute less to company performance needs than working groups because their interactions detract from each member’s individual performance without delivering any joint benefits. For a pseudo-team to have the option of becoming a potential team, the group must define goals so it has something concrete to do as a team that is a valuable contribution to the company.

3. Potential team: There is a significant, incremental performance need, and it really is trying to improve its performance impact. Typically it requires more clarity about purpose, goals, or work products and more discipline in hammering out a common working approach. It has not yet established collective accountability.

There are many potential teams in organisations. When a team (as opposed to a working group) approach makes sense, the performance impact can be high. The steepest performance gain comes between a potential team and a real team; but any movement up the slope is worth pursuing.

4. Real team: This is a small number of people with complementary skills who are equally committed to a common purpose, goals, and working approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. Real teams are a basic unit of performance. The possible performance impact for the real team is significantly higher than the working group.

5. High-performance team: This is a group that meets all the conditions of real teams and has members who are also deeply committed to one another’s personal growth and success. That commitment usually transcends the team. The high performance team significantly outperforms all other like teams, and outperforms all reasonable expectations given its membership. It is a powerful possibility and an excellent model for all real and potential teams.

We’ve discussed Katzenbach’s ideas on many of our courses and managers always go away with a clearer insight into how and why they should be dealing with groups or teams.

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

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Many companies have asked us to help build efficiencies and effectiveness within their teams, and we have noticed key similarities between the most successful ones. Here is our list of characteristics of team that tend to do well in all sorts of organisations:

1) They have the optimum number of team members. When a team goes beyond ten members in a business setting, they don’t appear to be able to develop a common purpose, goals, approach and mutual accountability that’s needed to create great results. If your team is larger, break them down into constituent units so that they report in to a team leader who has accountability and responsibility for results.

2) They have complementary skill-sets. The best mix of skill-sets we have come across are: technical skills, problem-solving and decision-making skills, and relationship-building skills. As teams develop, these skills multiply, but without them , the team is lacking ideas an progress.

3) They have a common purpose. Each team-member knows the direction, the vision and the purpose of the team. They discuss agree and shape the purpose so that everyone sings the same tune when under pressure.

4) They have specific goals. They translate the purpose into goals that drive them forward to achievement, energising them into performance.

5) They have mutual accountability. Members understand what they are individually responsible for and what they are jointly responsible for. There are no ‘slackers’ and everyone goes positively in the same direction. They achieve goals because, when there are critical concerns, all know what they individually have to do, and all rely on each other to do their job right.

So, ensure your team knows these five key components and support them in achieving their ultimate aim: that of achieving great teamwork!

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

Do the members of your team understand the context? In short, do they understand not only the main purpose of the team but how the work the team completes will help the organization reach its ultimate, long-term goals? In short, your team members should feel as though their team is important to the organization.

Does the team feel as though it has the tools it needs to perform competently? Most team members, when asking themselves this question, aren’t looking for materials but are looking at the other people on the team. Do they feel as though everyone in the group is capable of getting the job done. Are they kowledgeable and skilled?

Does the team have control of the project? Have you given the team the power it needs to get the job done while setting boundaries and limitations that will prevent them from going over budget or missing their deadlines? Control is good. Having to redo a project because the team members let the power associated with the work go to their heads is bad.

Is everyone communicating? Communication is key in any venture. Are all members of your team encouraged to give feedback and express their honest opinions. If not, they may be wondering why they are a part of the team at all.

Does your team understand that their work comes with consequences? Do they understand that they are accountable for what they do and do not accomplish and that if the job does not get done there will be consequences? Likewise, will they be rewarded for getting the job done on time and within budget?

Choosing a group of people to participate in a team is easy. Making sure those people are happy, can work together, and actually get the job done is another. You’ll have to work on the team from the inside out but I guarantee once you’re done you’ll have a highly functioning group you’ll be proud to have under your wings.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Manager Training

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”

So what areas of team building should you really be looking at in order to ensure both the happiness of your team members and the group’s overall success? Here are a few concepts to get you started…

Do your team members have clear goals and expectations? In short, has upper management given you clear directions and have you conveyed those directions clearly to your team? Your team needs to know why it exists, what it’s goals are, and what it’s limitations are (financially, chronologically, etc.) in achieving those goals.

Are your team members committed to the task at hand? Do they really want to be on your team or do they feel forced to participate? Will they be rewarded or recognized for their efforts? If the entire group isn’t committed the odds of you completing a successful project instantly drop.

Has the team created its own mission statement or charter? The team needs to work together to outline exactly what its goals will be given the task at hand. Upper management needs to support the team in its efforts to set those goals. Do they have clear goals set within a reasonable timeframe?

Do your team members understand the concept of collaboration? Are they all working together as a team or is one person (or group of people) making all of the decisions and telling everyone else what to do? Are they working together respectfully? Are they resolving conflicts peacefully? Are they all working towards the same goals?

Are the teams coordinated properly? Is your team working independently or are there several other teams working on tasks that will ultimately come together to form one large project? If they are working together, is upper management coordinating the teams properly so that the process flows smoothly? Will everyone complete their share of the project on time – and will all the pieces fit together properly?

If any one of these aspects is falling short, your team members will begin to feel as though they’re not really a part of a team. The happier they are in their work, and the more they feel like a part of a team, the better they’ll ultimately perform!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”