Developing Performance Teams

Dell Company realized that aligning teams towards a common objective and creating the same incentive system across the entire company would help direct everyone’s talent towards creating value for customers and share holders.

This would make one to understand the importance of developing and routing the teams towards the common goal.

As more and more teams are moving towards a team-based approach to work, the “command and control style” of leadership is becoming redundant. As a result, the leaders are playing the role of facilitators and are now expected to teach their team members on taking decision for day-to-day challenges.

What is a team?

A team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, a set of performance goals, and an approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.

Difference b/w work groups and teams: -

Any group of people working together doesn’t form a team. Indeed there is a visible difference b/w a work group and team

1. WG- there is single strong leader, and he/she only is clearly focused.

T- Team members share leadership roles based on the needs and circumstances.

2. WG- There is no scope for mutual accountability. Only individual accountability matters.

T- They have individual and mutual accountability.

3. WG- The purpose is always the same as the mission of the organization.

T- The team shapes its purpose taking into consideration the top management’s expectations

4. WG- Delivers performances based solely on individual work-products.

T- Team’s performance is based on individual and collective work-products.

5. WG- Efficiency is the criterion.

T- Team meetings involve open-ended discussions and problem solving.

6. WG- The success is determined by the impact it makes on others.

T- Success is assessed based on the collective work-products.

7. WG- The working group activities involve discussion, decision-making and delegation.

T- Discussion, decision-making and execution are done by the whole team.

Ten very important principles of great teams:-

Warren Bennis conducted a study to identify the principles that made great teams successful. His studied teams include- Manhattan project (this team invented atom bomb), Palo Alto Research Center {(PARC) LAN, printer were invented here}, Apple computers, Lockheed Skunkworks (worked on top-secret air craft) and Walt Disney animation studios. He says that there were some principles common to all these.

1. Shared dream: Great teams sincerely believed they would change the world for the better. They did not treat their work as simply a job but a fervent quest.

2. Mission is bigger than ego

3. Protection from leaders: The team leaders helped the team members and managed to keep them satisfied and remain focused on their work/ goal.

4. Fostering enmity: A team with even the noblest of missions benefited when it had real or invented enemies in the form of competitors.

5. Dare to be different

6. Pain and suffering: sometimes for the benefit of the company mission and aligning to its goal makes one to go for personal sacrifices.

7. Strong leaders: The leaders in great teams are not always the most intelligent or capable in the team but neither are they passive players. They are like curators who appreciate and preserve talent in the team.

8. Meticulous recruiting: ensuring the right skill set employee in the right place.

9. Young and energetic: teams with young are quite energetic and creative.

10. Great teams deliver: Great teams always believe in tangible outcome. Steve Jobs of Apple computers reminded his team that their work was not good unless it resulted in a great product at the end.



Composition of teams:

It is important for teams to have problem-solving skills to identify problems and opportunities, evaluate the different options and decide which is better. This depends on interpersonal skills such as risk taking, active listening, helpful criticism and appreciation of the interests and achievements of others.

There should be an agreement on:

 Who will do what?

 What are the schedules and how they are to be met?

 What are the skills that need to be developed?

 How will the teams take decisions?

 On what basis will the team change the existing way of accomplishing its purpose?

The shaping of a common approach needs:

 Details of the task to be accomplished; and

 A fit between individual skills the team task.