BSL 4060, Team Building and Leadership 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit II Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

2. Construct a team member skills–motivation matrix.

3. Examine the impact of shared leadership on team competencies.

6. Distinguish between the coaching and facilitating roles of a team leader.

Reading Assignment Chapter 3: Composition: Getting the Right People on the Bus Chapter 4: Competencies: Developing Team Skills for High Performance Please use the Business Source Complete database in the CSU Online Library to read the following article: Cheng, C. Y, Chua, R. Y., Morris, M. W., & Lee, L. (2012). Finding the right mix: How the composition of self-

managing multicultural teams’ cultural value orientation influences performance over time. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 33(3). 389-411.

Unit Lesson In this unit, we will discuss the concept of finding the right people with the right competencies to make team building a success. As organizations mature, they look for teams to lead initiatives and they realize the importance of determining the right size and dynamics for each team. This is crucial for individual and group development. Research implies that the best size for a team consists of four to ten members. Each member must come equipped with skills and experience. He or she must also follow the organization’s predetermined vision for team goals (Dyer, Dyer, & Dyer, 2013). Effective leaders of high-performing teams are expected to realize that members must be motivated, inspired, valued, coached, supported, held accountable, and praised on a regular basis. It is important that leaders find people who are passionate about their work and internally committed to the organization’s goals. Typically, when leaders are selecting members for a team, they consider each individual’s professional development plans, his or her personality and ability to work well with other members, and his or her skills and competencies. Planning team development in the beginning stages can alleviate many unwarranted headaches down the road. Being wise in the selection process can often lessen the length and duration of time spent in training and professional development. Training is also necessary for individual and team growth. Members must appreciate the opportunity to learn and apply concepts, new techniques, and ideas for the benefit of the team and future initiatives. New members are often paired with a colleague to ensure adequate guidance with personal/professional comprehension of regulations and organizational standards. This enhances proper integration into the team’s culture.

UNIT II STUDY GUIDE

Developing the Right People for High Performance Teams

BSL 4060, Team Building and Leadership 2

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In any organization, leaders know it is vital to communicate clear expectations and enlighten each member regarding his or her significance in assisting management to meet organizational goals while working as a well-developed team. No employee enjoys the agony of working blindly and wasting time, wondering if he or she is on the right path and/or following the right guidelines. Consequently, leaders must view their workers as members of a team rather than members of their staff. This will foster a better working relationship that enables workers to feel as though they are a significant piece of the puzzle, and not just workers serving time to receive a paycheck. Therefore, support, guidance, respect, and rewards are paramount to the boosting of employee morale (Dyer et al., 2013). Good leaders understand that sharing power with team members entails the following:

One way to begin to get team members to focus on the intent of the team is to rotate the responsibility of having different team members prepare the agenda. The leader can work one-on-one with the team member to structure the meeting. It is important to establish early in the process a somewhat stable and consistent agenda format. From that framework, the working agenda is built. Together with the team member the agenda is developed. It is the leader’s role to help the team member stay true to the overall purpose of the group and the mission of the organization. This builds capacity and understanding one member at a time. A powerful technique to build team support is to rotate the co-chair position with various team members. The key to making this work is to teach members of the team facilitation skills. Multiple authors discuss facilitation. “The facilitator is responsible for managing meetings, keeping conversations on track, and ensuring each member’s voice is heard” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). With that in mind, it is a powerful teaching tool to have various members of the team share in those duties and rotating that honor. It is important for all members of the team to feel that their voice has been heard. “Although differing viewpoints among a team are important, they can make it difficult for … leaders to foster collaboration and inspire groups to move smoothly from conflicting ideas to actionable results” (U.S. Office of Personnel Management). One way to make that happen is to record input from the team on newsprint and post it in the room. There is power to see your words recorded and posted for all to see. By delegating significant work through trust, you as the leader and role model, are helping team members to see that they are making a meaningful contribution to the overall structure and the current debate/conversation. If the team views their input as being “significant” you have reached a major milestone in team building. High-performing teams are comfortable following clear and measurable goals. They take pride in making major decisions that affect the company and appreciate the necessity of attending purposeful meetings. We have heard the saying “knowledge is power.” Many people like to attend meetings in hopes of gaining insight as to what is transpiring within the company and how it will directly affect them personally and in their jobs. Through open communication and respect, leaders should believe that providing important information to employees would benefit future endeavors. Communication and feedback should be given and received in a manner that decreases the opportunity for conflict. Frequently, constructive feedback is welcomed as a measure of evaluation that tends to promote more productive results from each member of the team, whereas

(Dyer, et al., 2013, p.63)

BSL 4060, Team Building and Leadership 3

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critical feedback generally results in members feeling defensive and combative. When members feel this way, it is difficult for them to work cohesively, and occasionally performance levels decrease. Therefore, it is imperative that teams are adept at managing team relationships through high trust, clear communications and feedback, effective conflict management, mutual respect, and collaboration. They must also possess a willingness to take risks and attempt to innovate as a means to improve the team as a whole. Team competency scales can be utilized as an assessment tool that leaders can use to help their teams understand where they are and what they need to do to improve their overall performances (Dyer et al., 2013). Click on the link below to view an interactive tutorial from MyCourseTools on motivating and leading others as a manager. http://www.pearsoncustom.com/mct-enterprise/asset.php?isbn=1256689785&id=12236

References Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014). Facilitation tip sheet. Communities for Public Health.

Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/phcommunities/docs/plan_facilitation_tip_sheet.doc Dyer, W. G. Jr., Dyer, J. H. & Dyer, W. G. (2013). Team building: Proven strategies for improving team

performance (5th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. U.S. Office of Personnel Management (2015). Facilitation skills for leaders: Inspire your team to work together

more productively for your organization. Retrieved from https://leadership.opm.gov/programs.aspx?c=129http://www.pearsoncustom.com/mct-enterprise/asset.php?isbn=1256689785&id=12236