Building effective teams
(and repairing broken ones)
Paul C. Godfrey
Marriott School
Winter 2011
Why are teams important
• Teams leverage the skills and talents of members
• Teams can be more creative than individuals
• Teams can be far more productive than individuals
• You’ll work in/on teams throughout your career
• Good teams will advance your career
• Bad teams will hinder your career
• Teams are a crucible for leadership development
The iceberg
1 Mile
1.3 Miles long under water
Almost 1 Mile deep!!
•
The "tip of the iceberg"
expression
•
Icebergs float because the
density of ice (around 900 kg
per cubic meter) is lower than
that of seawater (around 1025
kg per cubic meter)
•
The ratio of these densities tells
us that 7/8 of the iceberg's mass
must be below water.
•
Usually icebergs are 20% to
30% longer under the water
than above and not quite as
deep as they are long at the
waterline.
(http://www.wordplay.com/tourism/icebergs/)
What everyone sees is team performance,
the tip of the iceberg
What drives performance is the 7/8th below the surface
A poorly performing team: Surface results
Inattention to results:
Poor work
Inattention to results means everyone’s personal
needs (ego, grade, career) drive effort, not the team’s
goals
A poorly performing team: one layer down
Inattention to results:
Poor work
Avoidance of
Accountability
Avoidance of accountability means that no one is
willing to call out poor performance
A poorly performing team: deeper still
Inattention to results:
Poor work
Avoidance of
Accountability
Lack of Commitment
Lack of commitment means no one has REALLY
bought into the goals of the team, although they may
be quite good at faking it
A poorly performing team: toward the bottom
Inattention to results:
Poor work
Avoidance of
Accountability
Lack of Commitment
Fear of Conflict
Fear of conflict means that the team never engages in
unfiltered and passionate debate of ideas.
A poorly performing team: bedrock
Inattention to results:
Poor work
Avoidance of
Accountability
Lack of Commitment
Fear of Conflict
Absence of Trust
Material for this graphic taken from Lencioni, P. 2002. The five dysfunctions of a team, Jossey Bass
Lack of trust means that team members don’t feel
comfortable expressing their mistakes, weaknesses,
concerns, and needs.
In short, people are unwilling to be vulnerable or who
they really are
So, how do we build a good team
(or repair a broken one)?
1. Create trust
• (un)fortunately, trust can only be built over time, one interaction at a
time
• Trust means a willingness to be vulnerable
• Trust comes through shared activities and shared values
• Trustworthiness begets trust
• Acknowledging mistakes and weaknesses is huge
2. Engage in real conflict
• Conflict ≠ Contention
• Cognitive conflict is good
– About ideas, plans, interpretations
• Affective conflict is bad
– About people, feelings, values
• The hockey team as a metaphor
• Remember: without trust conflict is negative and won’t get the
results you want
3. Gain commitment
• Commitment follows, not precedes, strong dialogue, debate, and
discussion
• Commitment does not always mean agreement
• Commitment creates responsibility
• Concrete plans/actions generate concrete commitments
• Commitment precedes real effort and work
4. Create accountability
• Accountability means getting work done
• Accountability is very, very specific
• A yes/no question, no wiggle room
• Accountability is NOT judgment
• Accountability uncovers problems in ability
5. Enjoy positive results
• The teams deliverable outputs are adequate, if not outstanding
• Team members learn through the experience
• People grow in leadership and character
• Relationships strengthen
• People have fun