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"Team performance is a fact, not a fad. Unfortunately, so is team frustration and failure. Team training efforts continue to miss the target by focusing on togetherness, open communication and interpersonal dynamics rather than simply getting the basics right." Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith The Wisdom of Teams
Most business leaders understand that there are significant performance gains to be achieved through teamwork, and yet few organizations have succeeded in getting the results they hoped for. Is the one of the reasons for the failure to achieve the potential that teams offer in the training that teams get? So if togetherness, open communication and interpersonal dynamics (which form the basis of much of the team development training offered) are not the basics, what are? Being a Team Member is a Part-Time RoleThe first thing to understand is that most teams are not full time teams. In fact, it is very much a part time role. Team members are selected for their knowledge and expertise, and their primary role is to fulfill their individual responsibilities. And yet one could get the impression from much of the team training that is delivered, that you have to be a team members all the time! Some team members resist participating in teams because they don't see the team member role as distinct from their functional role... often leading to conflict as they argue from their own position rather than looking at issues from the perspective of the team as a whole. Behavioral Adaptability is an Essential Skill
Behavioral adaptability requires a high degree of emotional intelligence, which we know can be learned. But it will take time. The emotional competencies of Self-Awareness and Self-Management are essential as we increase the awareness of the need to excel in two roles requiring different behavior and then go through the process of learning to adapt to new habits. The Motivation to be a TeamThe second basic fundamental is that teams must have a significant reason for being a team. If it is not really important to the team members, why would they go through the discomfort and effort to adapt their behavior? So one of the first things an effective team training program will do is help the team establish what their Team Performance Challenge is. Once they have agreed on an objective that is meaningful and important to all members... working as a team, when they need to will make a lot of sense. Our team development programs provide what teams need to be effective, not one or two days or even just a couple of hours of team building. Team DiSCovery™ and Team Innovations™ are our basic team development programs, providing the most comprehensive approach to working with intact teams. For those organizations that are embarking on The Management Development Process II: Engaging Performance™ we recommend conducting these programs after completion of the MDP II™. We also highly recommend using our Team Adventures™ program as a supplemental approach to both of these programs. It is a highly flexible designed to build personal responsibility in people at all levels of the organization. For executive team building, please see our Team Quest™ program. To learn more, please click on the buttons on the left above or Contact us for more information or continue browsing through our web site to learn more. |
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Managing the Human
Side of Business
sm is the property of
Resource Development Systems, LLC.
Resource Development Systems, LLC and its programs, please use our Contact Us Page or give us a call at: Phone 386-754-0920 Toll Free in the USA 888-909-6194 Last Modified: 25 February 2008 |
Effective
teamwork cannot be achieved unless team members understand the need to switch
from one role to the other. To be effective at switching roles, the team member
first needs to have the flexibility of
mind, to mentally switch roles. Secondly, they must have the behavioral
adaptability to effectively perform both roles.