Building High Performance Teams

A high performing team gets the job done and enjoys the process along the way. The teams end
product is excellent in quality and quantity. The team members are energized and hard-working.

High performing teams dont just happen. They develop because the team members pay attention to
the task and the interaction. Team members also manage themselves. Using the framework of task,
interaction, and self to understand and strengthen your team is easy.

Task behaviors or actions are those that move a team toward accomplishing their objective.
These actions include setting goals, identifying tasks, gathering facts, providing information,
clarifying and summarizing ideas and building consensus.

Interaction behaviors or actions are those that are directed at the operation of a team. These
actions include encouraging participation, expressing feelings, reconciling disagreements, keeping
communication open, setting and applying standards for group performances and building on each
others ideas.

Self-oriented behaviors are those that put the need of the individual ahead of the needs of the
group. Effective team members avoid these. They include dominating the discussion, interrupting,
wasting time, tangents, not listening, withdrawing from the conversation, and side conversations.

Task Behaviors Create Progress

Task behaviors and actions keep the team moving toward its goal by focusing on what
the team is doing. The following are task behaviors that add to your teams
effectiveness.

Initiate
Clarify purpose.
Set priorities.
Identify requirements for the end result.

Offer and Solicit Information

Team leaders and members themselves should work to ensure that there is balanced participation.
Team leaders may provide information to other team members and solicit ideas or opinions.
There may be a great deal of brainstorming, debate, and problem solving.
Everyone must be active in supplying information. This means that the environment must be
emotionally secure. Individuals should not laugh at or minimize the contributions of team members.

Clarify and Elaborate

As ideas are stated, make sure that every idea is examined and tested.
Do not ignore less-developed or half-stated ideas. Ask for supporting information.
Clarify assumptions and ask about consequences of ideas.
Identify alternative ideas.
It may be helpful to depict words using illustrations.

Summarize
Look for links between ideas.
Work to ensure that every team member works on bridging ideas.
Examine the ideas discussed.
Summarize discussion thus far.

Evaluate Effectiveness
Discuss or write down the ideas discussed.
 Ask team members to articulate consequences for each idea.
Determine whether or not the team is prepared to reach a decision.
Examine whether the team has eliminated alternatives.
Ask team members to rank order ideas.
Examine whether or not the decision would benefit the team or organization.
Make decision.

Interaction Behaviors Build Relationships

Interaction behaviors and actions keep the team moving toward its goal by focusing
on how the team is working together. The following are interactive behaviors that add
to your teams effectiveness:

Manage Differences
Team members have to be sensitive to the emotional needs of each other. It is important to be
aware of persons who do not contribute to discussion. Moreover, body language may indicate
disagreement. These emotions should be openly confronted. Find out reasons for detachment or
disagreement.
Monitor the emotions and reactions of individual team members.
Express individual emotions.
Be open to different ideas.
Acknowledge the thoughts and feelings of fellow team members.
Balance confrontations.
Harmonize conflict by ensuring that clashes are about ideas and not positions and personalities.
Allow divergent ideas and opinions to be expressed and examined.
Balance confrontations sensitively. Listen to reasons for non-involvement.
Understand ways to counter lackluster meetings.

Gate-Keeping
Provide opportunities for all team members to contribute to discussion.
Restrain conversation dominators by saying something like Sue, could you hold
on for a minute so we can hear from Beth?
Encourage withdrawn persons to provide input.
Ask to stop side conversations.
Move to the next topic when one is finished.

Encourage Participation
Make team members feel important to the direction of the team.
Value the concerns and perspectives of others.
Make certain that every view is heard and supported.
Openly request that dissenters provide insight.
Directly ask people for their ideas.
Thank people for ideas.
Ask people to build on ideas.
Recognize hesitant speakers. Notice persons who seem to edit their comments.
Ask for elaboration.
Restate the idea to ensure accurate interpretation.
Examine the positive and negative aspects of each idea as presented.

Standard Setting
Establish a set of group norms early.
Norms focus on how the team will operate:
How decision will be made
Timeliness of work
Effectiveness of meeting
Think of the end product to accomplish that task and then work backwards to identify all the tasks
needed.
Consensus Testing
Determine whether or not all ideas have been fully examined
Ask each team member how he or she feels about the idea
Build in additional ideas
Summarize what the consensus of the group seems to be and check for understanding
In summary, task behaviors create progress and interaction behaviors build relations. Together, these
behaviors enable teams to accomplish their goals.

Self-Oriented Behavior Creates Barriers

Self-oriented behaviors and actions usually act as a barrier to the teams effectiveness.
They slow the teams progress and can affect morale. They need to be managed. It is
easiest if team members manage their own behavior, but sometimes the team leader
will need to intervene. The following are self-oriented behaviors that can affect your
teams performance:
Tangents
Interrupting
Dominating
Wasting time
Not meeting commitments
Seeking attention
Withdrawing/pouting

Bibliography

Druskat, V.U. & Wolff, S.B. (2001). Building the emotional intelligence of groups. Harvard Business Review,
79(3), 81-90.

Edmonson, A., Bohmer, R., & Pisano, G. (2001). Speeding up team learning. Harvard Business Review, 79(9),
125-132.

Garvin, D.A. & Roberto, M.A. (2001). What you dont know about making decisions. Harvard Business Review,
79(8), 108-116.

Hammond, J.S., Keeney, R.L., & Raiffa, H. (1998). Even swaps: a rational method for making trade-offs.
Harvard Business Review, 76(2), 137-149.

Katzenbach, J.R. & Smith, D.K. (1993). The discipline of teams. Harvard Business Review, 71(2), 111-119.

Manzoni, J. (2002). A better way to deliver bad news. Harvard Business Review, 80(9), 114-119.

McCaskey, M.B. (1991). A framework for analyzing work groups. Harvard Business Review, 241-262.

Additional References of Interest

Bradford, L.P. (1976). Making meetings work. San Diego: University Associates.

Ware, J. (1976). How to run a meeting. Harvard Business Review, 54(2), 289-297.