problems, making decisions, and reaching goals. Teams are not always bound by the same policies and practices by which the organization as a whole works. Deciding on common processes is one of the first tasks of a newly formed team.
5. Teams are bounded and stable over time. Some teams are formed and dissolved in a matter of a few months. Some have a life span of a few years. Others, like the management team of a company, may be a permanent fixture of the organization. In each case, stability of the membership impacts team performance.
Although teams share these five characteristics, the characteristics themselves don’t guarantee that a team will be effective in meeting its goals. One of the first steps to take toward increasing team effectiveness is to pay attention to how you form your team.
Forming an Effective Team
Team effectiveness isn’t inevitable. Teams quite often fail to meet performance objectives, and the consequences can be harsh and lasting. The business opportunities a team is charged with developing may be missed, the business problem a team is charged with solving may persist and even worsen, competitive advantage may be lost, relationships between business units may be damaged, trust in the organization’s leadership and direction can erode, valuable people may resign, and subsequent teams may launch in an atmosphere of cynicism and doubt, increasing the likelihood that they, too, will fall short.
Yet most of the pitfalls teams encounter are predictable and preventable. In its research into teams and its work with organizational teams, CCL has learned that what a leader does or fails to do prior to and during team formation has considerable impact on the team’s fate. You can head off most of the problems that beset teams by considering in advance the composition of the team, its purpose, the resources it will need, and the potential obstacles it will face.
By carefully laying the groundwork you will greatly increase the likelihood that the team you launch will deliver on its potential. You can be sure to cover all of the facets of team formation by reviewing five critical components:
1. Set a clear direction. A common sense of purpose unifies team members and provides a context within which they can understand how the team functions and how their own contributions play a part.
2. Build organizational support. Teams are more productive when they are able to operate within an organization that provides resources that support their efforts.
3. Create a team structure that empowers team members. Establishing shared expectations, identifying and organizing resources, and creating a clear sense of how the team goes about doing its work allows team members to focus their efforts on achieving the team’s goal(s).
4. Identify key relationships. Building key relationships with individuals, other teams, and organizations allows more efficient and effective flow of resources into and from your team.
5. Monitor external factors. Gathering and analyzing information about the broader environment relevant to your team’s goals enables it to make necessary adjustments when conditions warrant.
Set a Clear Direction
When teams go awry it’s often the case that the team members have different ideas of what the team’s mission is and what they are expected to accomplish. Effective teams begin with a clear purpose. In addition to your view of the team’s purpose and direction, there are stakeholders with their own views. Talk to these stakeholders to gain an understanding of their expectations for team success. Compile this information so that you are prepared to share it with the team you’re forming.
A team’s purpose doesn’t specify how the team will carry out its work but indicates what the end result of the team’s work will be. For example, the result might be a plan for increasing sales or a strategy for penetrating a specific market. Hone your team’s purpose to a strong, memorable, and inspiring challenge. Use the Team Direction Worksheet on page 11 to help you clarify your team’s purpose.
Build Organizational Support
When a team fails to operate at its full potential, team members and sponsors often cite interpersonal conflicts and tensions as the reasons. But more often than not the real causes of failure lie outside the team, in the system that fielded and is meant to support the team. While forming your team make special efforts to ensure that your organization supports the team with adequate resources, organizational sponsorship, careful recognition of team member responsibility (to the team and to the organization), authority, a means of providing feedback on performance, and a team-oriented reward system.
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