Team Building - Developing Performing Teams

Keywords

Team Conflicts, Argyris, Team Learning, Peter Senge, skill, Team Building, Teamwork, collective work-products, leadership, Michael Dell, John Medica

Links

Free Resources,
Articles,
Book Reviews,
Interviews

Tools

<< Previous

Principles of Great Teams Contd...

Fostering Enmity
A team with even the noblest of missions benefited when it had real or invented enemies. For example, the enemies of the Manhattan project were the Japanese and the Germans. An implicit mission such as destroying the enemy is more motivating than an explicit mission. During the heydays of Apple computers, its mission was to bury IBM and Apple's advertisements reflected this enmity.

Dare to be Different
Great teams generally consist of people who consider themselves as mavericks and are generally at the periphery of their disciplines. They like to operate on the fringes and do not have respect for the mainstream thinking or activities. As Bennis says, their sense of operating on the fringes feeds their obsession to succeed.

Pain & Suffering
A place in great teams is rarely assured without personal sacrifice. The nature of their work is such that the team members generally go through intense pain and suffering.

At Skunk Works of Lockheed, the team members could not disclose information on their project even to their families. The team had to work in a cheerless, rundown building at Burbank, away from headquarters and main plants.

Strong Leaders
Though great teams are nonhierarchical, egalitarian, and open, yet they have strong leaders. As Bennis observed, the leaders in great teams are not always the most intelligent or capable in the team but neither are they passive players. They are like curators who appreciate and preserve talent in the team. Great teams make great leaders.

Meticulous Recruiting
Great teams are a result of understanding what talent is needed in the team, and spotting where the talent is available. The leader of the team and the other members consider recruiting a serious exercise. This ensures that the right people are in the right place.

Young and Energetic
All great teams had people who were quite young. Young people have the physical stamina necessary to withstand the arduous tasks involved. They do not consider anything impossible and that makes them accomplish the impossible. Great teams are also young in spirit, ethos, and culture.

Great Teams Deliver Great teams always believe in tangible outcome. Steve Jobs gave adequate importance to this aspect at Apple. He reminded his team that their work was not good enough unless it resulted in a great product at the end.

Next >>