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For many of us, our most positive work experiences happen in teams. Teams can be highly productive, creative, solve problems we couldn't solve on our own and help us form great working relationships. Most of us would think of a team experience to confirm, “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.”
On the other hand, teams can also be highly confusing, especially to team leaders. Participation can be uneven, team members may appear to work at cross-purposes, and we often see conflict between people, or sense its underlying presence. In these situations, gaining a good understanding of why things are not working well – and deciding what to do about them – is a challenge.
This article outlines a model for developing insight into the problems teams experience, along with action steps team leaders can take to correct them. The model, known as THE TEAM EFFECTIVENESS MODEL* is a useful way for understanding how humans interact, especially in groups or teams.
The model’s six elements can be used as both a hierarchical diagnostic system and a blueprint for team development. As a diagnostic model, it tells where to look for the causes of poor team performance or conflict. The model states that relationship problems show up in teams because of "upstream problems" and not because there are bad people doing bad things. Quality experts estimate that 85 percent of the time, problems in a work team are due to problems in the environment, vision, goals, roles and processes. Poor team performance is caused by relationship problems only 15 percent of the time.
THE TEAM EFFECTIVENESS MODEL gives a starting point for team building. Every team has to balance its immediate need to be productive and earn its keep with the need to lay the foundation for success. For example, a group may have to deal with an issue that threatens its survival before dealing with the fine points of its vision. However, if that team does not do an adequate job of dealing with its vision before it deals with a survival issue, it jeopardizes its future and guarantees the need to revisit that issue at some future point. All successful teams demonstrate the ability to cycle back on the six different elements of team effectiveness on an as-needed basis. Each time the team cycles back it will confirm or refine its command of the element.
Members of a team, when faced with problems or failures, will tend to attribute problems to people or relationship issues. Yet good leaders and effective teams refuse to stop here. Instead, they look for problems in the environment, and the team’s vision, goals, roles and processes.
THE SIX ELEMENTS OF THE TEAM EFFECTIVENESS MODEL
Element #1. Environment
Anything outside of the group you are assembling as a team
is the environment. For a sales organization, the employees
of the local sales office can be considered the
“team.”
The environment is comprised of the local community, competitors,
suppliers, supervisors and the home office, as well as current
economic conditions.
Unless the team can effectively relate to the demands of its environment, it will perish. This means the team as a whole must know about and understand its environment. For example, the sales team needs to know about the competitive advantages it possesses relative to its competitors and clients. Team-building efforts in this area can range from formal environmental scanning to competitor shopping.
If all other elements of THE TEAM EFFECTIVENESS MODEL are present, but the group is not aligned with its environment, its members will still fail individually and may blame others for part of the failure. The team will disintegrate in conflict and strife.
Element #2. Vision
Vision refers to the picture that the team and/or its
leader has for the team’s
success. If a team has a vision that strikes a responsive
chord among its members and captures their energy for action, it
will be effective (if it is aligned with its environment). In
high-performing organizations, leaders typically know how the group
will be successful, and team members understand that they have a
chance to succeed in their efforts and "be on a winning team."
Element #3. Goals
A team’s goals are the
quantifiable aspects of its vision. They are the indicators
of critical success. For example,
let’s say a carmaker has a vision that
it wants to create a safe, environmentally sound car that most
people can afford. The carmaker would have to set goals for
safety, fuel efficiency and cost that are consistent with that
vision. Therefore, the carmaker might set the following goals
for its cars:
Goal statements in THE TEAM EFFECTIVENESS MODEL are not the byproducts of a comprehensive, analytical, Management-by-Objectives exercise. They are simply the quantification of the vision and, as such, should be motivating and attainable.
Element #4. Roles
Roles describe who does what. In order to determine
this, a team needs to know its work processes. For example, a
carmaker needs to know the sequence it will follow in assembling a
car.
The “who” part of the equation is determined next. For example, the carmaker can use a traditional assembly-line method that might look like this:
| Department #1 | Paints the car | |
| Department #2 | Installs the motor | |
| Department #3 | Installs the electrical equipment | |
| Department #4 | Installs the seats |
Alternatively, the carmaker could take a team-oriented approach to the same process:
| Team #1 | Paints the car | |
| Team #2 | Installs the motor | |
| Team #3 | Installs the electrical equipment | |
| Team #4 | Installs the seats |
Continuous improvement and organizational design practices are crucial for success in this element. Most organizations fall short in the Role element because they do not measure and study their work processes, or because they organize around political or traditional functional lines.
Element #5. Processes
“Processes”
refer to the formal and informal communication and decision-making
procedures in the team. This can include such things as who
gets what information, who gets input, and how the team makes
decisions. Processes can also include such issues as the
communication pattern in meetings. Below is a short list of
examples:
Element #6. Relationships
Relationships are those parts of team life that describe
how the members feel about each other. Some work styles are
more compatible than others. There are some styles that
regularly create tension and conflict. There may be some
individuals with work styles that are destructive to the team or to
individual relationships. Examples of relationship mismatches
or problems include:
USING THE TEAM EFFECTIVENESS MODEL
Using THE TEAM EFFECTIVENESS MODEL to build a better team can be easy. Simply put, a team leader (or team member) must determine if and how there is trouble on a team. Usually, the first place we notice difficulties is at the relationship level. If you see problems here, start asking questions about the “next level up” until you have identified the real source of the problem. Then, you can design an appropriate activity to resolve the issue and get your team back on track.
The following chart shows how to use THE TEAM EFFECTIVENESS
MODEL to diagnose team
problems:
| If you see problems in . . . | Ask the following questions . . . | |
| Relationships | Are people working together effectively? Do teammembers recognize and appreciate the different strengths each brings to the team? | |
| Processes | Are the processes for communication and decision-making sound? Does everyone have the information they need to do their job well? Do all team members feel they have the right type of input into decisions? | |
| Roles | Is everybody clear about their role and responsibilities, and what they are supposed to do? Are we organized in the way that lets people do their job the easiest and the best way possible? |
|
| Goals | Do all team members know and understand our goals? Are the goals clear, challenging and measurable? | |
| Vision | Does everyone have and agree on a picture of what we will look like if we are successful? |
|
| Environment | Do team members understand our
customers’ needs and requirements? Are team members aware of other external factors that are influencing our ability to be successful? |
For example, suppose your “diagnosis” of the problems in your team shows that there is conflict among team members, communication is lacking or uneven, that there is confusion about who should do what, and that people are unsure about the team’s objectives. However, the team agrees on the its vision and understands how the environment is influencing its effectiveness. In this instance, THE TEAM EFFECTIVENESS MODEL would recommend that you clarify team goals. Once the team has agreed on its goals, you should get agreement about roles, improving communication, and increase the awareness and tolerance of individual team members so that differences can be addressed – in that order. In other words, there will be little lasting payoff in trying to improve relationships or communication unless team members first understand and agree on what they are trying to accomplish.
Achieving an accurate understanding or correct “diagnosis” of a team’s problem is important, but not the only difficult part in making your team more effective. Choosing the right remedy or action is critical. The chart below recommends actions for addressing problems at each level in The Team Effectiveness Model. If you would like to learn more about making your team more effective, contact MDA Consulting Group.
| If you think your team has problems with the . . . | Consider the following . . . | |
| Environment | Environmental scanning; SWOT analysis; obtaining customer feedback | |
| Vision | Visioning exercise; off-site meeting | |
| Goals | Goal-setting; prioritizing | |
| Roles | Role clarification exercise; negotiating responsibilities; work redesign | |
| Processes | Communications training; establishing a decision-making model | |
| Relationships | Team building program; conflict resolution |