Leadership

in
Work Teams
Angela Kenyatta
Harvard University
Choose a Thought Partner

• Seated near you

• Not a member of your ExEL team
• Preferably someone that you don’t
know
• Introduce yourselves to one
another

Harvard ExEL Oregon ISI Spring 2008 2

Session Objectives
• To summarize key ideas from the IESE article
• To “Get on the Balcony” and use analytic and
diagnostic skills to compare the characteristics
of constructive team cycling to the current
progression of your ExEL Team
• To apply learning’s to assess individual/
collective strengths and weaknesses and make
performance improvement recommendations
to your team

Harvard ExEL Oregon ISI Spring 2008 3

 The Best and Worst
of Teaming

• What were the characteristics of

the most effective team of which
you’ve been a member ?
• What were the characteristics of
the least effective team of which
you’ve been a member?

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 What Makes A Team?
• “A team is a small number of
people with complementary skills
who are committed to a common
purpose and certain shared goals,
for which they hold themselves
mutually accountable”.
(Katzenbach and Smith, 1993).

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 The Right Mix
• Effective teams are comprised of
the right mix of technical, decision-
making and interpersonal skills in
order to accomplish the team’s
mission

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 Four Stages
of Team
Development
Forming
Storming
Norming
Performing
Forming
• Focus on getting to know one
another
• Membership criteria is established
• Anxiety and insecurities surface
• Intentional trust building results in
greater cohesiveness

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Storming
• Members respond to team’s challenges from
different viewpoints and perspectives
• Bids for power and influence occur
• Communication process is critical
– Seek Info
– Define Problem
– Clarify Criteria
– Generate Alternatives
– Evaluate Alternatives
– Make Decision

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Norming
• Rules and processes are decided
upon
• Unwritten rules and behavioral
norms are established
• Process of organization drives the
development of a specific,
measurable action plan

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Performing
• Collaborative work occurs
• Accomplishments reinforce team
identity
• Secure required resources
• Interact frequently during execution
of action plan
• Adapt action plan as needed

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 The Carmill Model
(Cardonna & Miller, 2000)

• Constructive Cycle: Team goes

through a series of stages that
make them stronger and more
mature
• Destructive Cycle: Teams
experience crises and negative
behavior that weaken their capacity
to accomplish their mission

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Roles in a work team
Decision Constructive Destructive
Making Roles Roles
Process
Information Contributor Doubter
Gathering
Discussion Communicator Distracted

Evaluation Questioner Diplomat/

Dominator
Action Plan Collaborator Defeatist

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 Let’s Rumble:
Conflict in Teams

• “If the risk of conflict is implicit in

any interaction between people, all
the more so in a relationship that is
based on interdependence and
collaboration, and that requires a
certain unity of opinion and action”

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The Faces of Conflict

• Rational vs. Emotional

• Explicit vs. Implicit
• Issue vs. Attitude

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States of a Team Meeting

Disagreement Unity
EA+RD EA+RA

Confrontation Conformity
RD+ED RA+ED

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Highly Effective Teams
• Fix and adhere to meeting dates
• Provide information necessary to
prepare for meeting ahead of time
• Start and end at set times
• Develop a clear, well thought out
agenda
• Avoid interference or interruption
during meetings
• Remain focused and “share the air”
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What’s Your Take?
• What recommendation for
increasing the effectiveness of your
work together will you offer your
team?
• Jot down your recommendation,
along with a brief rationale, and
prepare to share during Team
Time.

Harvard ExEL Oregon ISI Spring 2008 18