Teams and TeamTools
Diversity or Similarity: What's Best?
The research suggests that teams in which members
are more similar perform best when the tasks, problems and challenges
they face are
-
Straightforward
-
Predictable
or similar to those previously experienced
-
Covered
by agreements, procedures or protocols about how the team should act
or respond
Under these circumstances, teams of SIMILAR
folk perform best.
Why? Because team time is used in doing the
job (performing), with very little time taken up in getting to know each
other (forming); working through issues of power
(storming); or deciding roles, goals, rules and methods (norming).
Teams where members are similar are more efficient, and, in situations like
those described above, more effective.
However, there is a but...
they may not tolerate or make effective use of difference when it does
emerge - they may suffer groupthink, making disastrous decisions rather
than gathering and considering all relevant information, views
and ideas.
And they may not be as adaptable or effective
in changing, complex or uncertain circumstances because their shared blind-spots
and assumptions limit their problem solving ability.
On the other hand,
where when the tasks, problems and challenges faced by the team are
-
Complex
or ambiguous
-
Unpredictable
-
Unlike
those previously experienced by team members
-
Not
covered by existing protocols Ð ie the best way to respond is not yet
known,
not clear
then teams
of diverse folk generally perform best.
In these teams the members do not share assumptions
or blind-spots and their differences cause creative friction
between them. As a result, they are more effective at dealing with changing
and uncertain circumstances, solving complex or ambiguous problems and
producing better quality decisions for action.
While such teams may take more time
forming, storming and norming, and so take longer to solve problems or
make decisions (performing), they are not likely to make disastrous decisions
through groupthink. On the other hand, if left unmanaged or mismanaged,
the creative friction can get too much -the team may polarise, split into
cliques or break down totally rather than performing effectively.
In both team types, performance depends on
leadership. The risks and the time needed before the members really click
can be minimised through effective leadership.
This leadership may come from a designated
or formal leader (as is traditional in sport and business organisations)
or may be shared amongst members in a leaderful
team (as is common in teams of elite professionals, women
and some cultures). See Leaderful Organisation for more information.
Making Use of Difference
The more- leaders and members - understand
about themselves and the ways in which others differ, the more likely
it is that
-
they
will move quickly and easily through the stages of team development
instead of
getting stuck trying to change each other!
-
the
friction between folk will spark creativity rather than just conflict!
There are some excellent tools available to
help team leaders and members understand and
-
Predict
their own style, behaviour and emotions when working with others
-
Predict
others style, behaviour and emotions when working with others
-
Predict
their 'default' leadership style
-
Predict
their reaction to stress and change
-
Manage
the way they and others approach problems and make decisions
-
Get
the best from each other
-
Negotiate
effective ways of working together.
In the rest of this article we will discuss
the best of the available team-tools -those tried, tested and AFFORDABLE
tools we can confidently recommend as being valid, reliable AND effective
when used by ethical, qualified
and experienced professionals.
Belbin Team Roles
Meredith Belbin is a British researcher who
has studied the membership of effective teams for over twenty years. He
has found that the different roles that emerge in teams relate to individual
differences in:
- Intelligence
- Dominance
- Extroversion/Introversion
- Stability/Anxiety
Belbin has identified eight key team roles
and the predictable behaviours (in teams) of the people who fill these
- their contributions and allowable weaknesses. An understanding
of each persons team role can help organisations put teams together
in ways that increase the chances of success (whether or not all eight
roles are filled). Team Role analysis can also uncover or predict the
causes of conflict, identify team weaknesses, encourage teams to seek
and use resources outside the team and help to manage teams.
Team Type: MBTI®
and MBTI-StepII®
Probably the most widely used personality inventory
in business, the MBTI™® helps team members understand and appreciate
the different ways people work and contribute to teams. Extensively used
and researched over the past 30 years, the MBTI® is a reliable way
of developing individuals and teams by understanding how people differ
in their preferred ways of
- Energising
themselves and using their energy
- Gathering
Information
- Making
decisions
- Approaching
work and life (style)
Team
members are often surprised at the insight they get into themselves, and
others as a result of completing an MBTI® team workshop. It is particularly
useful in helping team members
| Understand,
value and include each other |
| Play
to each others' strengths - rather than tearing each other down |
| Communicate
more effectively |
| Minimise
damaging conflict |
| Change
their problem solving approach to be more efficient AND effective |
|
Run
better team meetings |
|
Make
better quality decisions |
The
Expanded version of the MBTI (MBTI-Step II®) is proving especially
useful in coaching and developing management and professional teams (and
in coaching individual managers and leaders). It provides an extensive
and detailed report on 20 subscales of the four standard MBTI® preferences,
with specific insights and guidelines on using and developing type effectively,
managing change, conflict management and stress management.
The
MBTI-Step II® is particularly useful for teams in which members have
'done' the MBTI® previously but need to find the 'edge' for further
development or a new angle for tackling interpersonal or team dynamic
problems.
Team Relationships: FIRO-Bª®
In
the 1950's Will Schutz developed the Fundamental Interpersonal Relationships
Orientation-Behaviour inventory to aid selection and optimise teamwork
in high-pressure decision making situations in the US military (Schutz
worked with battle command centres and submarine crews). Since then, the
FIRO-B® has been researched and used to aid selection decisions, predict
how key staff will work together, predict leadership behaviour and compatibility
in teams, and to build and improve communication and relationships in
teams.
The
Firo-B® identifies a person's psychological/emotional needs and natural
tendencies around those needs. It identifies patterns of interpersonal
behaviour and expectation based on the degree to which a person needs
and expresses
The FIRO-B®
provides information about three fundamental dimensions of interpersonal
needs:
INCLUSION
is about recognition,belonging, participation, contact with others,
and how you relate to groups
CONTROL
concerns influence, leadership, responsibility, and decision making
AFFECTION
is about closeness, warmth, sensitivity, openness, and how you relate to
others
The FIRO-B®
also indicates your preferences as to the extent to which you express
each need (and so identifies behaviours you initiate and others see)
and the extent to which you want each dimension from others
others (ie how much you like others to initiate such behaviours towards
you). By a comparison of profiles, team members can identify likely
areas of ‘fit’ and ‘friction’ or potential misunderstanding
or frustration.
Overlaps, gaps
and differences in team member profiles have a significant impact
on the team’s experience of and progress through the stages of team
development (Tuckman & Jensen’s forming, storming, norming and
performing) and can assist teams to anticipate and effectively negotiate
potential stuck spots or derail areas.
While
it is widely used in the US and Europe, the FIRO-B® has not been widely
used in Australia until recently. This may be because it can be experienced
as more challenging and confronting than other inventories and so requires
significantly more skill and care in administration, reporting and use.
The
FIRO-B® raises questions about - even challenges - how satisfying
and effective a person's patterns of relating may be for them, their teams
and their organisation. It helps leaders develop real insight and a deeper
understanding and appreciation of their style; the people with whom that
style will be more - and less - effective, the reasons for those differences
and what they might do to expand their effectiveness with the range of
individuals with whome they need to develop effective working relationships.
FIRO-B®
also has special value in coaching and developing individuals who need
to change their behaviour if they are to succeed or add value to their
teams and organisations, but have shown commitment to patterns of behaviour
that cause tension, frustration or difficulty in their working relationships
- for example, talented but abrasive specilaist staff, people who may
seem over-controlling or rebellious, people who others describe as 'high
maintenance etc - people others may even refer to as the difficult
or challenging individuals in our teams and organisations.
FIRO-B®
is particularly useful in facilitating
the development of high performance teams - professional teams,management
teams and leadership teams. When
used with teams , FIRO-B®
can be used to explore areas
of compatability, satisfaction and ease and, perhapos more importantly,
the
potential, unique challenges the team will face as it develops.
Likely relationship issues can be mapped using FIRO-B®,
enabling
the team to anticipate, recognise and develop strategies for managing
and leveraging their differences to achieve synergies.
Communication Impact Questionnaire:
CIQ
This
tool is based on the transactional analysis model of personality and looks
at the impact a persons communication has on others. While leaders and
team members are usually clear and honourable in regard to their INTENT
when communicating and relating, they may be less clear about their IMPACT.
Where there is a gap between the two, problems, misunderstandings, frustrations
and resentment flourish.
The
CIQ helps people understand the effect of their communication patterns
on:
- Cooperation
- Problem
Solving
- Morale
- Respect/Trust
- Candour/Openness
The
CIQ helps people map their patterns of communication, understand their
impact and predict the reactions they will get. The CIQ report provides
guidance on the changes needed if communication is to have the desired
impact.
It
can be particularly useful in teams where corrosive or frustrating patterns
of communication have developed, and in newly formed teams to establish
effective norms of communication.
LEADERSKILLS 360Facilitated®
Based
on the best practice research model of leadership and management developed
by former British Airways transformative HR manager Peter Farey, and used
to bring a turnaround in performance at Royal Sun Alliance, the LEADERSKILLS
360Facilitated®
allows managers to gauge their behaviour against the needs of their
team members and, using the Australian, New Zealand and British norms,
against best practice in four key areas of practice:
-
Task management
-
Task leadership
-
People management
-
People leadership
While
there are numerous 360 survey instruments available, four features distinguish
the LEADERSKILLS 360Facilitated®
survey from all the others:
1.
It is web-based and easy to use whether team-members are co-located or
dispersed across the state, the country or the globe
2. It focuses on
needed behaviours - not opinions or evaluations.
The
LEADERSKILLS 360Facilitated® asks team members
(boss, peers, staff) to identify whether they need more or
less of each of 100 specific Best Practice behaviours to
ensure they can work effectively with you and each other.
Unlike other instruments, it does NOT ask
respondents to appraise or evaluate the manager's performance. This means
results are highly focused on needed behaviour, but do not unduly threaten
the manager's self-esteem.
3.
It is not just a survey but a change lever - a facilitated teambuilding
and development process that aligns manager and team performance with
the strategic direction of the organisation, improves communication and
team functioning AND shifts the culture towards performance.
It utilises a
carefully designed and facilitated process that
-
actively engages the manager AND his
or her team in clarifying and
using the results to improve team performance -turning feedback
into individual and team action plans;
-
ensures both manager AND team development
through on the job activity (rather
than relying on off the job development
via training or coaching only)
-
is integrated with the organisation's
performance management system to ensure and demonstrate that both
action AND improvement result from the investment.
4.
As well as being used by prestigious performers such as Royal Sun Alliance,
the LEADERSKILLS 360® was selected,
and has been used for the past four years, by Australia's
leading business school (Australian Graduate School of Management)
to develop participant managers in their Executive MBA program.
For more information visit http://www.360facilitated.com - there
are excellent Case Study articles here
Or talk to our Accredited Consultant.
IN
SUMMARY
There
are many team analysis and development tools and models around but these
are some of the best we have encountered in nearly twenty years of practice.
Having
a better understanding of these tools will help you in making decisions
about when and how to use them.
You
are the 
person
to read this article!
Remember to exercise judgment and discretion in choosing whether, when
and how to use any of these concepts and suggestions to inform your consideration
of issues.
Nothing
in this article constitutes advice for specific matters or issues you
may be considering - so please ensure that you source appropriate, professional
advice on specific matters you confront.
