Team Leadership
AGED 3153
If you look for the worst in people
and expect to find it, you surely will.
~ Abraham Lincoln
Overview

Team leadership approach perspective

A functional model of team leadership

Dimensions of leadership on teams

Characteristics of effective teams

Strategic leadership decisions

How does the team leadership model work?
Team Leadership

Most popular & rapidly growing areas of theory and
research



Organizational groups composed of members who are:
 Independent
 Share common goals
 Must coordinate activities
Examples:
Importance of Team Leadership

Organizations are:

Rapid organizational changes

Organizational team structure

Quickly respond/ adapt to constant changes
Team Leadership Approach Description

Effectiveness research
(Parker, 1990)
 The use of teams has led
to:





Greater productivity
More effective use of
resources
Better decisions & problem
solving
Better-quality products &
services
Increased innovation &
creativity

Issues

Team process is difficult to
understand
 Complex

Leader ineffectiveness is
major obstacle to overall team
Critical Leadership Functions
1.
Facilitate the group in accomplishing its task
(Task Function/Team Performance)


2.
Ensure group maintenance and functioning
(Maintenance Function/Team Development)




Getting job done, making decisions, solving problems, etc.
Developing positive climate, solving interpersonal problems,
satisfying members’ needs, etc.
Interrelated
Team Leadership Model (Hill)

Provides a tool for understanding the
complex phenomenon of team leadership.

Based on the functional leadership claim that
the leader’s function or job is to:


Monitor the team
Then to take whatever action is necessary to
ensure team effectiveness
Dimensions of Team Leadership

Leader: “medium”

One who processes and acts on information

Functions




Monitoring (objection mediation)
Action taking (action mediation)
Helps group form an organizing framework
Effective team performance starts with a
leader’s mental model of a situation
McGrath’s
Critical Leadership Functions

Effective team leaders:

Analyze and balance the internal and external
demands of the group and react appropriately

Model incorporates two dimensions



Analysis of situation (internal/external)
Monitoring/ taking action
Leader or experienced team members can carry
out functions
McGrath’s Critical Leadership Functions
Diagnosing
Group
Deficiencies
Taking
Remedial
Action
1
2
Forecasting
Environmental
Changes
Preventing
Deleterious
Changes
3
4
Dimensions of Team Leadership
• Monitoring:

Leaders need to monitor both internal and external
environments

Create an accurate model of team functioning



Search - seek out information to assess current state
Structuring - analyze, organize, interpret information
Improve information search by:




Obtaining member feedback
Engaging in networking- outside the team
Conducting team assessment surveys
Evaluating outcomes
Dimensions of Team Leadership
• Action Taking



Involves
 Selecting from competing courses of action
 Assisting the team in developing an organization system that
facilitates quality decision making
Skills of action mediation
 Material resources - Decision making & task accomplishment
 Personnel resources - Managing interpersonal relations
For team success, leaders must:
 Remain open and objective in understanding and diagnosing
team problems
 Skillful in selection of appropriate action/inaction
Effective Team Characteristics
(Hackman & Walton, 1986)
• Conditions of Group Effectiveness
•
•
Clear, engaging direction
An enabling performance situation
• Group structure fostering competent task work
•
•
•
Organizational context supporting and reinforcing
excellence
Available, expert coaching and process assistance
Adequate material resources
Effective Team Characteristics
Larson & LaFasto, 1989
1.
Clear, elevating goal
Involving or motivating goals

2.
Results-driven structure
Meet needs of group & accomplish team goals

3.
Competent Team Members
Right number & mix of members


4.
Informed, educated, trained
Unified Commitment

Involve members in all aspect of the process
Effective Team Characteristics
Larson & LaFasto, 1989
5.
Collaborative Climate
Based on honesty, openness, consistency & respect


6.
Standards of Excellence

7.
Feel pressure to perform at their highest levels
Principled leadership

8.
Problem focused, listen to each other, feel free to take risks
Understands and performs tasks
External Support & Recognition

Enables group to become more effective and achieve
performance goals
Team Leadership


Effective team leadership is related to team
effectiveness
Leader influences team through four sets of
processes:


Helps team understand the problems

Helps the team become cohesive & capable
Affective
 Helps team handle stressful circumstances
Coordination
 Helps coordinate the team’s activities by matching
members’ skills or roles



How does the team
leadership approach
work?
Focus

Model provides a cognitive map




identify group needs
offers suggestions on appropriate corrective
actions
Assists leader in making sense of the
complexity of groups
Provides suggested actions to improve group
effectiveness
What are the strengths
of the team leadership
approach?
What are the criticisms
of the team leadership
approach?
How can we apply the
team leadership
approach?
Summary


Team process is complex
Critical leadership functions



Facilitate the group in accomplishing its task
Ensure group maintenance and functioning
Effective teams have identifiable
characteristics