Characteristics of effective teams

1. CHARACTERISTICS OF HIGH
PERFORMING GROUPS
ETEC 704 Summer 2010

2. Agenda
•Case # 1:Ask the class
•Tuckman’s Theory
•WHAT MAKES HIGH-PERFORMANCE TEAMS EXCEL?
•Model of High Performing team Leadership
Characteristics
•The X-team Model
•The 6 steps of X-Team Leadership
•Characteristics of Successful Team leaders
•Leadership styles according to stages of group dynamics
•Case # 2: Ask the class

3. What is a Team?
 Two or more people working together toward a common
goal for which they hold themselves mutually
accountable; it is the fuel that allows common people
to attain uncommon results; achieving performance
results through collective work products, mutual
accountability, and shared leadership.

4. Case # 1: Your professor Dr
Claude Martel asks you…
 Did you enjoy working in groups or you would prefer to do a
similar assignment on your own?
 What did you like most or least about your participation in
the group?

5. Tuckman’s Theory of Small Group
Development
A look at the essentials of team life
 Stage 1: Forming:  Stage 3: Norming
 Accepted leadership  Stage 4:Performing
 Solid Relationships  Stage 5: Adjourning
 Stage 2: Storming:
 Low Conflict
 High Conflict
 Purposes, Roles, Goals and
Objectives need to be
clarified

6. Famous Quotes
The achievements of an organization are the results of the
combined efforts of each individual. People who work together
will win, whether it is against complex football defenses, or the
problems of modern society. Individual commitment to a group
effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a
society work, a civilization work.
Teamwork: By Vince Lombardi
 Although the scientific investigation of group work is but a few years
old, I don’t hesitate to predict that group work – that is, the handling
of human beings not as isolated individuals, but in the social setting of
groups – will soon be one of the most important theoretical and
practical fields…there is no hope for creating a better world without a
deeper scientific insight into the…essentials of group life.
 -Kurt Lewin (1943)

7. Stage One
Norming
This is also the stage that the group development theorist
Lacousiere also calls the “orientation stage”
 Getting acquainted and forming membership
 Positive expectations and optimism
 Builds effective working relationships with peers, customers,
stakeholders
Project Manager’s Role:
• Perform “ice breakers” and other relationship building activities.

8. Stage Two
STORMING
Also known as the “dysfunctional” stage
Characterized by:
 Absence of trust
 Fear of conflict
 Lack of commitment
 Avoidance of accountability
 In-attention to results.

9. Project Manager’s Role:
 Create an inclusive environment
 Set group norms
 recognize and appreciate the diversity of team members skills and
personalities
 Be humble and have a sense of humour
 Realize how biases affect perceptions and decision making
 Be assertive, focus on the mission of the project, mediate and
harmonize in order to get the team to operate effectively.

10. Stage Three
NORMING
Also know as Schutz’s “Openness” Stage
This stage is characterized by:
• Team cohesion
Project Manager’s role:
 group facilitation clear decision-making procedures
 the creation of opportunities for early successes

11. Stage four
PERFORMING
At this stage:
• “Trust” is optimal
• Characteristics of effective teams shines
• Team member’s leadership styles starts to emerge
Role of Project Manager:
• Empower the team
• Maintain trust

12. Stage Five
AJOURNING
Adjourning, is the break-up of the group
 Sigh of relief
 Some grieving
 Sense of fulfillment and accomplishment
Project Manager’s Role:
 Celebration for a job well done
 recognizes accomplishments
Hopefully, skills were developed, lessons were learned and great friends were made and
ready to do it all over again.

13. WHAT MAKES HIGH-PERFORMANCE
TEAMS EXCEL?
 Individual recognition and engagement  Convincing leadership.
 Possess unique knowledge that  Group engagement in development
contributes to the development and process.
refinement of the emerging technology.
 Shared ownership, collective
 Deliver performance and achievements achievement valued.
that exceed the cumulative
performance of the collective  Information sharing and
individuals. communication, and a strong platform
of understanding and knowledge.
 Clear goals and a shared, common
vision  Challenging tasks and resilience to
setbacks.
 Cooperative engagement, problem
solving and learning from individuals'  Professionally meaningful projects.
experiences
 Constructive interactions
 Interpersonal relationships formed.

14. Model of High Performing team
Leadership Characteristics
 Leader as a role model  Emergent Organization
 Hire the best talent  Trust
 Know the market  Creativity
 Speed and the necessity of  Communication
multiple layers of leadership
 Metrics
 Build the infrastructure to
accomplish goals  Consistency
 Train your team  Risk Taking
 Resource your team  Transactional and
Transformational leadership
 Relationship and Social
Awareness  Team organization

15. The X-Team
Model
1- External Orientation
2- Flexible Membership and
Leadership
3- Exploration, Exploitation, and
Exportation

16. The 6 Steps of X-
Team Leadership
1: Choose team members for their network
2: Make external outreach the modus operandi
from day 1.
3: Help the teams focus on scouting,
ambassadorship, and task coordination.
4: Set milestones and deliverables for
exploration, exploitation, and exportation.
5: Use internal process to facilitate external
work.
6: Work with top management for commitment,
resources, and support.

17. Characteristics of
successful team leaders:
 Builds effective working relationships with peers, customers, stakeholders, etc
 Practices effective communication skills including listening, observing, and collaborating
 Demonstrates enthusiasm, drive and energy to overcome obstacles
 Facilitates changes, tolerates ambiguity
 Shares knowledge and power
 Focuses on performance
 Builds trust and demonstrates honesty and integrity
 Contributes valued technical expertise to the team
 Motivates others
 Devotes appropriate time to team development

18. Leadership styles according to
stages of group dynamics
 Directing: the leader takes charge.
 Coaching: the leader ensures that things stay on track
and that everyone participates.
 Participating: the leader acts as part of the team,
intervening to avoid problems and modeling good team-
work behavior.
 Delegating: the leader steps back and turns leadership
over to the team.

19. Case # 2: Your professor Dr
Claude Martel asks you…
 Imagine you would be stuck
in your same group for
several months or a year…
Would you be happy or
frustrated?
 What is your take on this?
 What if your income was
directly dependent on the
success of the group you
worked with?
 What are your answers???