Managerial Skills
Creating High
Performing
Teams
Learning Objectives
• Identify the Characteristics of Effective
Teams.
• Recognize the Stages of Team
Development.
• Adapt Leadership Style to Different
Stages of Team Development.
• Facilitate Team Processes.
• Conduct Effective Meetings
Exhibit: Ways Your Organization
Can Benefit from Teams
• Team output usually exceeds individual output.
• Complex problems can be solved more effectively.
• Creative ideas usually are stimulated in the presence of
other individuals who have the same focus, passion, and
excitement.
• Teams both appreciate and take advantage of diversity.
• Support arises among team members.
The Importance of Creating
High Performance Teams
• Characteristics of High
Performing Teams
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Small Size
Complimentary Skills
Common Purpose
Specific Goals
Mutual Accountability
The Five Stages of
Team Development
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Forming
Storming
Norming
Performing
Adjourning
Exhibit : Variations in Productivity and Morale during Team
Development
Adapting Leadership Style to
Facilitate Team Development
• Provide Direction – focus is on the task; getting the
job done
– Identifying purpose, setting rules, identifying goals and
performance standards
• Provide Support - focus is on inter-relationships;
how the team works together
– Developing harmony, cohesion,
participation and listening, praising
Adapting Leadership Style to
Facilitate Team Development
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Structuring
Resolving
Collaborating
Validating
Exhibit : Leadership Style
Exhibit : Leadership Style and Team Development
Some hints to get through these
stages
• Forming:
– Be clear on your purpose and problem
– Agree on ground rules for meetings and
behaviours
– Set goals and timetables, assign tasks
• Storming:
– Encourage different points of view about the
project
– Break down the project into small parts and
seek small successes
Some hints to get through these
stages
• Norming:
– Move from being directive to being supportive
– Challenge the group to analyze and resolve
personal disagreements
– Stick to your goals and timetables
• Performing:
– Encourage everyone in the team to be equal
members
– Have lots of regular communication
Transforming Existing Work Groups
into High Performing Teams
• Assessing and Solving Problems to Team
Effectiveness
• Lateness and absenteeism at meetings, negative gossip,
not helping others
• Problem Awareness: Determining Symptoms
of Ineffective Teams
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Over Dependency on the Leader
Unrealized Decisions
Hidden Conflicts
Fighting without Resolution
Subgroups
Transforming Existing Work Groups
into High Performing Teams
(continued)
• Problem Identification
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Weak Sense of Direction
Infighting
Shirking of Responsibilities
Lack of Trust
Critical Skills Gaps
Lack of External Support
Team Discussion
• Using previous information and other
personal sources (i.e. your brain), create a
specific strategy you might use to overcome
the following group problem:
• One member of the team is not putting in their share
of the work and is missing meetings
Lost at Sea Exercise
• Do individual ranking of item importance
(10 minutes)
• Do a team ranking of item importance (30
minutes)
• I will let you know the order that the experts
have chosen
• Discussion of group processes
Meetings
• True or False?
– A meeting is a gathering where people speak
up, say nothing, then all disagree
– A meeting is indispensable when you don’t
want to accomplish anything
– The length of a meeting increases with the
square of the number of people present
Conducting Effective Meetings
• Preparing for the Meeting
– Set Objectives – problems to solve, issues to
address, decisions to be made
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Select Participants
Set a Time and Place
Plan the Agenda
Distribute the Agenda and Relevant
Materials in Advance
– Consult with Participants
Before the Meeting
Conducting Effective Meetings
(continued)
• Conducting the Meeting
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Begin the Meeting with the Agenda
Establish Specific Time Parameters
Control the Discussion
Use Problem Solving Techniques
Encourage and Support
Participation by All
Members
Conducting Effective Meetings
(continued)
• Conducting the Meeting
– Encourage the Clash of Ideas, but
Discourage the Clash of Personalities
– Exhibit Effective Listening Skills
– Reach a Consensus
– End the Meeting by
Clarifying What
Happens Next
Conducting Effective Meetings
(continued)
• Follow Up after the Meeting
– Spend the Last Five Minutes Debriefing
the Meeting Process.
– The Best Time to Share Your Reactions
to the Meeting Is Right After It Has
Ended
– Brief Memo Summarizing
Discussions, Decisions, and
Commitments (minutes)