Saturday, July 26, 2008 What makes a good team By Roger P. Antalan Dateline IGaCoS
TEAMWORK is the number one rallying call of all organizations. The reasons are clear and simple. Let's start with the Bible, Mark 3:25, "If a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand."
The Three Musketeers of Alexander Dumas won against all odds with their famous cry "All for one, one for all. That is our device."
Benjamin Franklin, at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, stated: "We must hang together, or assuredly we shall hang separately." And in his poem, Mending Walls, Robert Frost, wrote: "Something there is that doesn't love a wall."
Teamwork however is easier declared than done. Here are a few humor digs at the struggle to achieve unity. "If we all run away from a problem, we will all be running in the same direction." You may tie the tails of a cat and a dog together by a rope and have union but surely you don't have unity. "The reason mountain climbers are roped together is to keep the sane ones from going home."
Building a good team is a long and tedious process. Generally there are six sources of conflict that have to be tackled: Value Differences, Perceptual Differences, Role Pressures, Status Conflicts, Personality Differences, and Divergent Goals.
A group becomes a team when each member is sure enough of himself and of his contribution to recognize and praise the skills of others. The time to jell varies with every organization. Henry Ford said: "Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success." But a lot of work needs to be done.
Many companies find teambuilding workshops very important and necessary. As a training consultant, I have facilitated many teambuilding programs for different groups. From long observation, there are four stages of how a team develops.
The first stage of team development can be labeled as the Underdeveloped Stage. The brief descriptions of behaviors at this stage are as follows: Feelings are not faced; Conformation of established line; Poor listening; Personal weaknesses are covered up; Unclear objectives or rationale; Defensiveness; and the Boss makes most of the decisions. The cold assessment here is that "there is only one warm body in the group."
The second stage is when the group becomes an Experimenting Team. It starts to be more exciting. There is willingness to experiment; openness to problems; underlying values and beliefs are debated; team becomes more inward looking; there's increased listening; and more dynamism in the team. Members are now reacting to the style of leadership.
In stage three, the group becomes the Coordinating Team. Interpersonal issues are resolved; group adapts more systematic approach; rationales of tasks are clarified; objectives are established; planning is detailed; and review evaluation becomes regular.
The Fourth Stage is called the Mature Team: There is a strong sense of security; flexibility is the keynote; people are not defensive; leadership is recognized; individual commitment to success; pride in the team and its achievements; development increasing in priority; trust, openness, honesty is a way of life; and the team is admired and emulated.
Bruce W. Tuckman, in his Group Development Model, described the four stages in a more action-oriented way. The four steps are Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing. Each step builds on the previous one and each step prepares for the performing stage.
In addition, the teambuilding experts list eight characteristics of an ideal team. 1. Mutual Trust - views and differences can be stated openly without fear of ridicule and retaliation. 2. Mutual Support - help is generously given to all without being concerned with prerogatives. 3. Genuine Communications - no need to be guarded and cautious. Good listening and serious desire to understand. 4. Team Objectives - the team will assume no objective until clearly understood by all members. 5. Conflict Resolution - conflict is necessary and desirable. Work through them openly and resolve as a team. 6. Utilization of Member Resources - individual abilities, knowledge and experience are fully utilized by the team. 7. Control Methods - responsibility of the member to keep relevant and for the integrity of the team's operation. 8. Organization Environment - respect individual differences. Work at keeping "team climate" free, open and supportive.
The value of working together cannot be underemphasized. Through teamwork, the group attains mutuality of strengths, generation of ideas, multiplication of talents and resources, and strength of collective action.
At the least, we could learn from G. K. Chesterton and his brother, Cecil. "They always argued; they never quarreled." But is it an impossible dream to see our beleaguered nation, during these hard times, unite and work as one for the greater good of all?"
