Over the years, companies have employed a variety of organizational models and corporate structures to enhance efficiency and productivity, and gain an advantage on the competition. One of the earliest models – and still popular with some organizations today – is the hierarchical style based on the command structure found in the military. However, modern theories of management have inspired a variety of creative and more flexible management strategies to complement – and in some cases replace – the standard hierarchical model.
One of the most exciting and effective models is the Team Concept. This approach offers a wide variety of options for enhancing productivity, creativity, motivation and personal growth among employees. Many organizations rely heavily on teams now because the output is greater. And with the increased sophistication of technology, you can have a team that literally spans the globe.
Experts acknowledge that most of our learning– and most productive work - comes in a team or group environment. In a group, if you encounter a problem, you can ask for help or input from your teammates who offer a fresh perspective. Dividing work among team members gets things accomplished measurably faster. And drawing on the expertise of others will increase the overall quality of your work. Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald’s, was known for his beloved saying on teamwork: “None of us is as good as all of us.”
Whether it is a softball team, an engineering team, or a board of directors, teams take some time to come together. After all, great teams do not form overnight. Teams go though a natural development progression. An effective manager must recognize these stages and provide whatever guidance and support is necessary to help his or her teams succeed.
STAGE 1 – Forming
Do you remember your first day at high school? Or your first date? Everyone is generally polite, overly cautious, and unsure of what to expect. You really don’t know the other person and don’t know what questions are okay to ask. What’s this class all about? Where is this going? This is the first stage of the team– forming. Everyone is getting to know each other and getting comfortable as a group. Members will first define their roles in the group and find out those of other members, as well as the purpose for the team as a whole. Generally, members are excited to be part of the team and eager about the work ahead but at the same time unsure and anxious about what lies ahead.
STAGE 2 – Storming
Once the group has been together for a little while, they enter the storming stage. The gloves come off. The pleasantries are gone. The politeness has left and dissention is in the ranks on the basic mission of the group and how to achieve it. The team members show their true behavioral styles, voice the individual differences, and jockey for position in the group. Control becomes the primary issue– who decides what?
This is the toughest stage for a group to weather, but just as in our individual lives, conflict will work to make the team stronger. It is a necessary part for healthy team development and should not be ignored or avoided. Therefore, it is vital that the members are highly involved, including voicing their concerns in order to feel represented and understood
STAGE 3 - Norming
Once teams have recognized their differences and dealt with them, they move to the norming stage, where the focus is “how should we accomplish our goal?”
The members now have a common commitment to the purpose of the group and they will want to evaluate how they are functioning. As the team learns how to work out the conflict, it will have more time and energy to focus on the overall goal.
The ground rules and standard procedures that were once overlooked in the beginning are now taken more seriously and less time is spent on idea generation and more time spent on decision-making. At this point, the team is laying down the process pretty well. What is left now is the execution.
STAGE 4 - Performing
After all the groundwork has been laid, the final stage is performing. Here, the team is “humming” and running on all cylinders. Members are actively participating in the team process in order to achieve the goals of the group and the organization. The team is highly effective, solving problems that can reach a solution quickly and even being pro-active to head off potential problems.
The team is productive – tasks are accomplished and the team will seek out more work to do. They will often be pro-active and not wait for direction from their managers. The individual members will demonstrate loyalty to the group and respect individual dissention and disagreement.
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December Management Quick Tip of the Month -- Share It Through The Grapevine
Office gossip travels faster than the speed of light these days, especially with email and instant messaging. Usually this is a bad thing, and only contributes so confusion and employee unrest. But the system can also work for you in helping to boost employee morale and motivation. Whenever it is appropriate, praise an employee’s performance to a third party. For example, “You know, I thought Jenny’s work on the Keeler project was outstanding, didn’t you?” Pretty soon, the employee grapevine will kick in, and by lunchtime, Jenny will have gotten the message from about four sources. Each time she hears it, she will receive a little boost. However, make sure that you also express your appreciation to her personally. Otherwise, she might assume that you like her work, but you don’t like her.
