What makes a good team?
"Some teams don't need trust and shared values to be highly effective; they just need to get the job done NOW. Team members may not even like or respect each other. Context, therefore is important to recognise and adapt to.
But what makes a more effective team is an identification of who the individual team members truly are and what they bring to the team; not just their technical skills - which are easy to measure and evaluate - but what drives and motivates them. Try hosting an introduction session (this could be facilitated) where team members share something about themselves. This doesn't mean sharing deeply personal stuff, but definitely try to add to the pool of understanding.
We all bring differences to a team, but it's important to acknowledge them and work with them. How are those differences going to fit with what you are trying to do as a team? What is the vision for the team and how are you going to get there?
The most effective teams are open to vulnerability within the team, prepared to share stuff and accept differences. The process of developing self-awareness and sharing vulnerabilities helps to build trust. Then it's a question of building momentum, being prepared to take a few risks, and prepared to challenge each other in a respectful way that is relevant to the team's purpose.
Speaking with my academic hat on, there is a pretty compelling base of research evidence that suggests trust is a critical foundational component to long-term success in teams. Patrick Lencioni writes about this in his books on dysfunctional teams. I agree with him that you cannot get team buy-in if people don't work on trust. Conflict won't be managed and accountability will be very hard to maintain. The message is, be prepared to work on the foundations."
Dr Peter McClenaghan is a Senior Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour and Leadership and a Master Coach in Leading Managing and Coaching by Values, based in the Business School at the University of New England. He consults to industry on human resources, strategic leadership, Crucial Conversations, values-based leadership development and team building. He has delivered strategic leadership programs for the Australian Institute of Management (now IML), the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the ESADE Business School Barcelona Spain and the School of Economics and Business University of Tartu Estonia. Peter also presents programs in Malaysia, China and Vietnam, as well as a wide range of other public and private sector clients within Australia.
UNE offers a variety of leadership and management courses to suit your individual expertise and future career needs, including the Bachelor of Organisational Leadership, Bachelor of Business, Graduate Certificates in Business, Human Resource Management and Management that articulate into our Master of Business Administration and Master of Strategic Organisational Development and Human Resource Management. For more information, head to the UNE Business School website.
Go back to Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3 and Part 4 of this series for more.
