Leading-Teams

9-403-094FEBRUARY26,2003________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ProfessorJeffreyT.Polzerpreparedthisconceptualnoteasthebasisforclassdiscussion.Copyright©2003PresidentandFellowsofHarvardCollege.Toordercopiesorrequestpermissiontoreproducematerials,call1-800-545-7685,writeHarvardBusinessSchoolPublishing,Boston,MA02163,orgoto—electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,orotherwise—withoutthepermissionofHarvardBusinessSchool.JEFFREYT.POLZERLeadingTeamsTeamsarebecomingtheworkarrangementofchoiceforaccomplishingawiderangeoforganizationalobjectives.Managersuseteamstorespondtoseveralenvironmentaltrendsthataredestinedtocontinue,suchastheneedforfastresponsestorapidlychangingmarketconditions,increasingglobalization,andever-improvingcommunicationtechnologiesthatallowdispersedpeopletocollaborate.Teamscanbefoundateverylevelofanorganization,fromproductionteamsontheshopfloortotopmanagementteamsintheexecutivesuite.Teamsaredeployedtodevelopnewproducts,provideprofessionalservices,andstartnewbusinesses.Whereintactteamsarenotinvolvedinanorganization’swork,insteadtheremaybetemporary,adhocgroupswhosememberscometogethertosolveaspecificproblemandthendisband,onlytojoinanothergrouptosolveadifferentproblem.Ifyouareearlyinyourcareer,ateamcouldprovidethefirstchanceforyoutoleadandmanageotherpeople.Evenifyouarenottheformalleaderofateam,workinginterdependentlywithasmallnumberofpeopleprovidesachancetoexertinfluenceandinputonbiggerandmorevisibleprojectsthanyoumightundertakeonyourown.Workinginteamscanalsoentailrisk,however,becauseyourownsuccessdependsontheteam’ssuccess,andthereforeonyourteammates’performance.Thisinterconnectednessamongteammembersoftenamplifiesthehighsandlowsofworkexperiences;teamshavethepotentialtoproducebiggerwinsthanindividuals,buttheyalsocancreatemorevisiblelosses.Inshort,teamscanbetrulyremarkableorterriblydysfunctional.Beforeweproceed,someinitialdefinitionsareinorder.Teamsaredefinedbyhaving(1)aclearteamtask,onethatrequiresmultiplepeopletoworktogetherinterdependentlytoachieveacollectiveoutcome;(2)clearboundariesdistinguishingthosewhobelongtotheteamfromothers;(3)theauthorityofthoseontheteamtomanagetheirownworkprocesses;and(4)somestabilitythatallowsteammemberstoworktogetherovertime.1Itisusefultodistinguishteamsfromworkinggroups,whicharesetsofpeoplewhoseworkisrelatedbutwhodonotmeetoneormoreofthecriteriaforarealteam.Forexample,agroupofpeoplewhoformasmallunitinanorganization,butwhodonotneedtointeractwitheachotherbecausetheirindividualworkiscoordinatedbytheirmanager,isnotateam.Teamsandgroupsliealongacontinuum,however,ratherthanhavingacleandemarcationbetweenthem.2Thecontinuumconsistsoftheamountofinterdependenceamongthepeopleinthe1ThisdefinitionisborrowedfromHackman,J.R.2002.LeadingTeams:SettingtheStageforGreatPerformances(Boston:HarvardBusinessSchoolPress).Manyotherdefinitionsintheliteratureonteamsshareconsiderableoverlapwiththeseelements.2Arrow,H.,McGrath,J.,andBerdahl,J.2000.SmallGroupsasComplexSystems.ThousandOaks,CA:Sage.ThisdocumentisauthorizedforuseonlyinFYLOTerm1Fall2010byErikaJamesfromJuly2010toMay2011.403-094LeadingTeams2group.Aswediscussindetaillaterinthisnote,theindividualsmaybeinterdependentregardingtheirtask,theirbehavior,and/ortheiroutcomes.3Diagnosingthisinterdependenceisacriticalfirststepindesigningateam.Wealsoneedtodefineup-frontthecriteriathatwilldeterminewhetherateamiseffective.Teameffectivenessconsistsofthreedimensions:(1)Theteammustmeettheneedsoftheuserofthegroup’soutput,whichoftentakestheformofproductqualityorservicequality);(2)overtime,teammembersshouldincreasetheircapacitytoworktogethereffectively;and(3)theteamshouldmeetitsmembers’needsforsatisfyingwork.4Theconceptsandprescriptionscontainedinthisnoteareintendedtoguidetheactivitiesofthosewhobothleadandworkonteams.Inmostways,thisnoteassumesthataformalleadershiproleisnotaprerequisiteforconductingtherecommendeddiagnosesandinterventionsteps;anymemberofateamcanassessandinfluencetheteam’sdesignandprocesses.Naturally,thosewithformalauthoritywillwieldmoreinfluence,butthisnoteisintendedtobeusefultoanyonewhoisinvolvedwithateam.Theinformationinthisnoteshouldsharpenyourunderstandingofthestepsyoucantaketoenhanceteameffectivenessandtocurtailthedisruptiveforcesthatsooftenderailteams.Thisnoteisdividedintothreesections.Wefirstanalyzetheconditionsthatshouldbeinplacebeforetheteamislaunched.Theseenablingconditionsincludeataskthatisappropriateforateam,accesstoresourcesintheteam’senvironmentthatmaximizetheteam’schancesofsuccess,andtherightpeoplefortheteam.Inthesecondsection,weanalyzetheteamprocessesthatunfoldastheteambeginsitswork.Westartbyassessingwhatshouldhappenduringtheteam’slaunch,andthenproceedtotheteam’songoingworkprocesses—thosethataredesired,thosethatarelikely,theunderlyingcausesofvariousteamprocesses,andadviceabouthowtoimprovedysfunctionalprocesses.Thelasts