What it takes to make a team
By Staff -- Purchasing, 9/2/1999
Teams don't just happen when people get together. At the start, a team is just a collection of individuals. And, like most collections, it is only as strong as its weakest member.Ironically, the way to develop an effective team is to first develop individual interpersonal skills among all team members. These skills reflect an ability to manage individual or personal behavior, while also responding appropriately to the behavior of fellow team members and outsiders whom the team interacts with.
It's important to remember that behavior is different than personality. Behavior is observable. It is comprised of what we say and what we do--that's it. The more our behavior elicits approval from others, the greater acceptance or endorsement others give us. Obviously, approval between team members creates more positive interpersonal relationships. That, in turn, facilitates the interdependence teams need before they can achieve real results.
When it comes to behavior, what you see really is what you get. That's because the things that we say and the things that we do are all the information we have available when dealing with each other. For example, you may see that someone is happy or upset, but you don't know why he or she is sad or glad based on what you see alone. However, if you're approaching that individual, it's important to temper your communication with this observation. Something is going on here, and you'd better be careful. Key point: Developing observational skills is essential to developing effective interpersonal skills. Equally important, you must learn to manage your own behavior to earn approval.
There are four areas, or sources, that we can control to enhance the level of approval we receive from others:
- Our image.
- Our presentation.
- Our competency.
- Our ability to handle feedback.
When we manage all four sources well, we create a positive impression. It's important to focus on all four sources because we can never predict which source, or combination of sources, will most affect a person's response at a particular moment in time, or in a particular circumstance. Success here requires continuously monitoring and adapting our behavior, an ability that can be developed with practice over time.
Team building is difficult
None of this is easy. But if you've ever worked in or simply encountered a competitive team, you probably know exactly how essential a collaborative environment is to achieving positive results. Because many corporate cultures and societal structures traditionally reward individual effort and achievement, it takes ongoing training to develop a team that focuses on sharing information, not hoarding it, and group goals, not individual achievement.
Likewise, team members must respect each other by honoring deadlines, project milestones, and other commitments. Some of this may sound warm and fuzzy, but it's essential if a cross-functional team is going to achieve hard results. Teams are built on trust, and trust is built on mutual respect among team members.
Without trust, true interdependence cannot develop. Team members need to take direction and then work with minimal supervision. That's all about trust.
Team members also need to learn to manage conflict by controlling the amount of behavioral tension they create in their interactions. At appropriate levels, tension motivates a team to accomplish its work. Too much or too little tension, however, directly affects the team's productivity, both individually and collectively. Finally, team members are as responsible for offering honest feedback as they are for receiving it!
The inability to manage any of these areas results in a team that cannot develop to its fullest capability.
Bottom line: Teams don't just happen. They are developed through hard work, mutual respect among members, and striving toward group goals.
John R. Myers is Sr. VP, The Tracom Co., a Colorado-based consulting, training, and education firm, specializing in team building and team leading. Tracom runs workshops around the country. For a schedule or other information, contact Purchasing Magazine a 617-558-4291.
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