Module 2: Building Strong Teams - Learning Objectives Study Guide Flashcards
How can a leader initiate trust-building in his/her workplace?
Do things that help people like each other.
What are the two dimensions of trustworthiness? What do they entail?
Character and competence.
Not everyone values these two dimensions equally; trust needs to built differently with each individual.
What is the best way to earn trust?
Show trust!
How can we develop trust?
- Trust requires time, and many interactions between individuals
- Ideally, the interactions should require REAL VULNERABILITY: High-stress, intense interactions around solving hard problems with high stakes
- *This will help us understand how people will react under stress, their emotional triggers
Who are we most likely to trust? What does this entail?
People with commonalities: Shared values, goals, backgrounds.
Look for uncommon commonalities –> rare similarities
What is a fundamental characteristic of trust?
Trust is situation-specific.
Why do teams underperform, given the extra resources they have?
Problems with coordination and motivation, that chip away the benefits of collaboration.
As well, the competitive dynamics can hinder progress.
What are the conditions necessary to build a well-performing team? (5)
- Teams need to be ‘real’ (bonded: knowing who is/isn’t on the team)
- Teams need a compelling direction: Members need to know and agree on their common task/objective.
- Teams need enabling structures: Well-designed tasks, an adequate number and mix of individuals, enforced norms
- Teams need supportive organization: The organizational context (reward system, HR system, information system) facilitates team work
- Teams need expert coaching: Coaching as a group!
Who is responsible for setting a compelling direction for a team? Why may this be challenging?
The leader is ultimately responsible for setting the direction for the team. This exercise of authority is emotionally challenging.
What is the importance of the mid-point for a team project? What does this entail?
The mid-point is a ‘reference’ point in which team members are most willing to assess their current work, and make changes to their path/methods.
Leaders should try to create ‘artificial’ mid-points to encourage teams to communicate and share.
Why are the first few minutes of an initial team meeting crucial?
They establish the direction, the norms of conduct, and the relationship between the leader and the group
Why are bigger teams not always better than smaller ones? What is the rule of thumb?
Bigger teams may have more resources, but require more management (more links). The rule of thumb? No double digits!
True or false: As team members become comfortable and familiar with one another, they start accepting each others’ weaknesses. Thus, their performance declines.
False - Teams need a chance to settle in and get to know each other. They become stronger as an unit, with time.
How can you prevent a team from becoming complacent?
Introduce a deviant (a brave individual who is willing to say the things that no one else is willing to say), who can challenge the tendency to desire too much homogeneity.
Why do organizations with great HR departments have less effective teams?
There is too much focus on systems that guide, direct and correct INDIVIDUAL behaviour.
What are five common problems within teams?
- Lack of trust
- Fear of conflict
- Lack of commitment, due to a lack of defined goals
- Avoidance of accountability, due to a ‘fuzzy’ team structure
- Inattention to results
How can we, and why should we integrate both cooperation and competition within a workplace team?
- Promote a constructive, healthy form of internal competition –> Increase the drive to improve
- High cooperation and high competition = Highly-energized individuals, working together effectively
What is the importance of orchestrating early wins? How can we do this?
- Teams have a tendency to fall into ‘self-fueling spirals’
- Early wins build faith and team capacity
- Attracts greater resources, higher-quality feedback
-Carve larger tasks into smaller ones, and make the earlier tasks easy wins, where the success is concrete and unambiguous
How can a leader help his team break out of losing streaks? What team characteristics should the leader be aware of?
- Team will ignore/misinterpret positive feedback
- The leader should challenge the attributions (beliefs about cause of failure), to unstable and controllable attributions
What is the importance of practice?
- Practice = Opportunity to experiment, make mistakes
- “Learning mode”
- “Intelligent failures”, in a stable, familiar, low-risk, low-arousal environment
