Work Group This is when individuals work independently and pool their collective

output. This is not really a team. It is a pre-team condition. There is no synergy or

attempt to work together. The work group can be represented by the simple
equation: 1 + 1 + 1 = 3.
Pseudo Team After a workgroup decides, or its leader decides, to become a team,
there is the inevitable downturn in performance. It is similar to a golfer who rebuilds
her swing for a time, her scores will deteriorate. This is a very dangerous place for a
team to be and you dont want to be there for long. It may LOOK like a team from the
outside, but the output tells the real story. This stage can be thought of like this: 1 + 1
+ 1 = 2.
Potential Team The path from Pseudo Team to Potential Team is paved with
discipline and hard work. If a team is persistent, they will reach the output levels
they enjoyed previously as a workgroup. Unfortunately, many teams abandon the
journey at this point. In their mind, its just too much work to be a team. If this
happens, they never get to taste the victory just ahead. Heres what the Potential
Teams equation looks like: 1 + 1 + 1 = 3.
Real Team This is where the journey begins to pay off in real terms. The team that
sticks with it and practices the skills will reach a point in which their output exceeds
their input synergy is realized! The equation for this is: 1 + 1 + 1 = 4
High Performance Team This should be the ultimate goal for every team.
Unfortunately, few teams ever realize this level of performance. Why not? The reason
is twofold most dont know this higher plane even exists. Or, for those who do see
the possibilities, rarely do they know how to get there. It is an exciting place for the
most elite teams. It can be represented like this: 1 + 1 + 1 = 10+
Team communication skills are critical for ensuring the success of the
team effort, whether the team is charged with creating a new product,
making a process improvement, or planning the summer picnic. Strong
team communication skills can help build relationships, ensure the
sharing of new ideas and best practices, and benefit team members
through coaching and counseling.
Cohesiveness:- Effective teams need to work well together and that team
cohesiveness depends on building strong relationships among team
members. Communication is critical and is driven by the team leader who
will work with the team to establish ground rules and work to bring the
team together so that it can accomplish its goals.
When team communication skills are strong, it raises the chance that
good ideas and best practices will be shared openly
Professional Development:- Effective team communication can lead to
both personal and professional development. Team leaders will be
influenced by the coaching and counseling skills of the team leader and,
when the team leader is a positive role model, these insights can help
employees improve their own communication skills.



Verbal communication is anything spoken directly from the mouth of the
leader or members of the team. This can include statements, presentations and
feedback. Verbal communication is the No. 1 way most teams attempt to
understand one another and be understood.
Nonverbal communication is anything that sends a message without words.
For example, if your boss verbally communicates that she is happy with your
performance and then starts to decrease your hours at work, the nonverbal
communication contradicts her verbal statement.
Feedback is an opportunity for those involved in the team to express their
ideas, frustrations and praise. Teams that permit feedback have a much
healthier culture and team dynamic.
A less common type of team communication is the presentation. A
presentation is when a smaller group within the team collaborates to create an
explanation or argument for education or change. This is commonly seen in
large businesses where a department will create a presentation to share with
leadership.
Debate is a healthy form of team communication that encourages members
to disagree and challenge various issues and norms. This enables the
members to explore new ideas and provides time for expression, feedback
and healthy change. Debate is used primarily in brainstorming sessions.

Autocratic Leadership:- Autocratic leadership is an extreme form
of transactional leadership, where leaders have a lot of power over their
people. Staff and team members have little opportunity to make
suggestions, even if these would be in the team's or the organization's best
interest.
Bureaucratic Leadership:- Bureaucratic leaders work "by the book." They
follow rules rigorously, and ensure that their people follow procedures
precisely.
Charismatic Leadership:- A charismatic leadership style can resemble
transformational leadership because these leaders inspire enthusiasm in
their teams and are energetic in motivating others to move forward. This
ability to create excitement and commitment is an enormous benefit.
Democratic/Participative Leadership:- Democratic leaders make the final
decisions, but they include team members in the decision-making process.
They encourage creativity, and team members are often highly engaged in
projects and decisions.
Laissez-Faire Leadership:- This French phrase means "leave it be," and it
describes leaders who allow their people to work on their own. This type of
leadership can also occur naturally, when managers don't have sufficient
control over their work and their people.
People-Oriented/Relations-Oriented Leadership:- With people-oriented
leadership, leaders are totally focused on organizing, supporting, and
developing the people on their teams. This is a participatory style and tends
to encourage good teamwork and creative collaboration. This is the opposite
of task-oriented leadership.
Servant Leadership:- This term, created by Robert Greenleaf in the 1970s,
describes a leader often not formally recognized as such. When someone at
any level within an organization leads simply by meeting the needs of the
team, he or she can be described as a "servant leader.
Task-Oriented Leadership:- Task-oriented leaders focus only on getting the
job done and can be autocratic. They actively define the work and the roles
required, put structures in place, and plan, organize, and monitor work.
These leaders also perform other key tasks, such as creating and maintaining
standards for performance.
Transactional Leadership:- This leadership style starts with the idea that
team members agree to obey their leader when they accept a job. The
"transaction" usually involves the organization paying team members in
return for their effort and compliance. The leader has a right to "punish"
team members if their work doesn't meet an appropriate standard.
Transformational Leadership:- Transformational leaders are inspiring
because they expect the best from everyone on their team as well as
themselves. This leads to high productivity and engagement from everyone
in their team.
An effective approach to empowering self-authorized team leaders is the
adherence to the seven pillars of leadership character.
Caring:- The ability to show others that you care about them through
kindness, generosity, sharing, and compassion.
Courage:- The attitude or response of facing and dealing with anything
recognized as dangerous, difficult, or painful, instead of withdrawing from
it.
Honesty:- The willingness to be truthful and sincere without deceiving or
misleading others or withholding important information in relationships of
trust.
Integrity:- The ability to stand up for your own beliefs about right and
wrong and show commitment, courage, and self-discipline in everyday team
member interactions.
Responsibility:- The ability to think before you act, giving consideration to
the possible consequences of your interactions as well as exercising self-
control and self-discipline.
Loyalty:- The willingness to stand by and support other team members
without talking behind people's backs, spreading rumors, or engaging in
harmful gossip.
Fairness:- The ability to treat all team members alike without prejudgment
and to make decisions only on appropriate considerations.
Conflicting Resources:- We all need access to certain resources
whether these are office supplies, help from colleagues, or even a
meeting room to do our jobs well. When more than one person or
group needs access to a particular resource, conflict can occur.
Conflicting Styles:- Everyone works differently, according to his or her
individual needs and personality. For instance, some people love the
thrill of getting things done at the last minute, while others need the
structure of strict deadlines to perform. However, when working styles
clash, conflict can often occur.
Conflicting Perceptions:- All of us see the world through our own lens,
and differences in perceptions of events can cause conflict, particularly
where one person knows something that the other person doesn't know,
but doesn't realize this.
Conflicting Goals:- Sometimes we have conflicting goals in our work.
For instance, one of our managers might tell us that speed is most
important goal with customers. Another manager might say that in-
depth, high-quality service is the top priority. It's sometimes quite
difficult to reconcile the two!
Conflicting Pressures:- We often have to depend on our colleagues to
get our work done. However, what happens when you need a report
from your colleague by noon, and he's already preparing a different
report for someone else by that same deadline?
Conflicting Roles:- Sometimes we have to perform a task that's outside
our normal role or responsibilities. If this causes us to step into someone
else's "territory," then conflict and power struggles can occur. The same
can happen in reverse - sometimes we may feel that a particular task
should be completed by someone else.
Different Personal Values:- Imagine that your boss has just asked you
to perform a task that conflicts with your ethical standards. Do you do as
your boss asks, or do you refuse? If you refuse, will you lose your boss's
trust, or even your job?
Unpredictable Policies:- When rules and policies change at work and
you don't communicate that change clearly to your team, confusion and
conflict can occur. In addition, if you fail to apply workplace policies
consistently with members of your team, the disparity in treatment can
also become a source of dissension.
Ego problems: Ego is another strong driver of human behavior and
decisions. Ego wants us to be right, and moves people into defending
their position, sometimes unreasonably. One of the quickest ways to
diffuse an argument or conflict is to admit ones mistakes
Miscommunication: The ability to communicate is one of our most
commonly used skills. We sometimes use words to communicate do not
always clearly state the picture in our minds. When this occurs, errors
often result that lead to frustration.
Perceived breach of faith and trust: There is a perceived breach of faith
and trust between individuals. When one puts faith and trust in another,
and that confidence is broken, it can create an emotional response that
elevates to conflict
Underlying stress and tension: Our lives today place enormous
demands on our time and energy. But frequently those demands exceed
our capacity to deal with them. Never the less, we come to work and
attempt to function normally with our team members.
Combinations of the above: Conflict situations are rarely clear-cut,
single-source events. Usually, they are a combination of the factors listed.
One may have a disagreement that stemmed from a miscommunication.
Develop an Attitude of Resolution: The above process will not work unless one first
holds certain values that make up an attitude of resolution. Levine discusses values
such as believing in abundance, being creative, and relying on feelings and intuition.
Tell Your Story: Telling your story is listening to all stories, including yours. It is about
understanding and being understood. Looking for the truth in their story is not as
important as honoring their authenticity, and understanding their truth.
Listen for a Preliminary Vision of Resolution: Listening for a preliminary vision of
resolution is thinking about a resolution that honors all concerns in the situation. It is
about shifting from the desire to win, and get ones way, to a vision that everyone can
buy into.
Get Current and Complete: Getting current and complete is saying what usually goes
unsaid. It demands saying difficult, sometimes gut-wrenching things, thereby escaping
from the emotional prisons that keep us locked in the past.
See a Vision for the Future: Seeing a vision for the future means reaching a general
understanding of the resolution- a foundation of a new agreement. It requires letting go
of the desire for what you know will not work and focuses on what will.
Craft the New Agreement: Crafting the new agreement adds the specifics. The key
point is to have a map or formula for the dialogue that will maximize the potential for
everyone to obtain his or her desired results.
Resolution: Resolution is moving back into action. With a new agreement, and a quiet,
clear mind about the past, one can freely move forward.
Collaborating I win, you win
Fundamental premise: Teamwork and cooperation help everyone achieve their goals
while also maintaining relationships
Strategic philosophy: The process of working through differences will lead to creative
solutions that will satisfy both parties' concerns
When to use:
a) When there is a high level of trust
b) When you don't want to have full responsibility
c) When you want others to also have "ownership" of solutions
d) When the people involved are willing to change their thinking as more information
is found and new options are suggested
e) When you need to work through animosity and hard feelings
Compromising: You bend, I bend
Fundamental premise: Winning something while losing a little is O
Strategic philosophy: Both ends are placed against the middle in an attempt to serve
the "common good" while ensuring each person can maintain something of their
original position
When to use:
When people of equal status are equally committed to goals
When time can be saved by reaching intermediate settlements on individual parts of
complex issues
When goals are moderately important



Accommodating : I lose, you win
Fundamental premise: Working toward a common purpose is more important
than any of the peripheral concerns; the trauma of confronting differences may
damage fragile relationships
Strategic philosophy: Appease others by downplaying conflict, thus protecting
the relationship
When to use:
a) When an issue is not as important to you as it is to the other person
b) When you realize you are wrong
c) When you are willing to let others learn by mistake
Competing: I win, you lose
Fundamental premise: Associates "winning" a conflict with competition
Strategic philosophy: When goals are extremely important, one must
sometimes use power to win
When to use:
a) When you know you are right
b) When time is short and a quick decision is needed
c) When a strong personality is trying to steamroller you and you don't want
to be taken advantage of


Avoiding: No winners, no losers
Fundamental premise: This isn't the right time or place to
address this issue
Strategic philosophy: Avoids conflict by withdrawing,
sidestepping, or postponing
When to use:
a) When the conflict is small and relationships are at stake
b) When you're counting to ten to cool off
c) When more important issues are pressing and you feel
you don't have time to deal with this particular one
d) When you have no power and you see no chance of
getting your concerns met
e) When you are too emotionally involved and others
around you can solve the conflict more successfully
f) When more information is needed

When angry, separate yourself from the situation and take time to cool out.
Attack the problem, not the person. Start with a compliment.
Communicate your feelings assertively, NOT aggressively. Express them without
blaming.
Focus on the issue, NOT your position about the issue.
Accept and respect that individual opinions may differ, dont try to force compliance,
work to develop common agreement.
Do not review the situation as a competition, where one has to win and one has to
lose. Work toward a solution where both parties can have some of their needs met.
Focus on areas of common interest and agreement, instead of areas of
disagreement and opposition.
NEVER jump to conclusions or make assumptions about what another is feeling or
thinking.
Listen without interrupting; ask for feedback if needed to assure a clear
understanding of the issue.
Remember, when only one persons needs are satisfied in a conflict, it is NOT
resolved and will continue.
Forget the past and stay in the present.
Thank the person for listening.
Stick to Schedules:- If the team can effectively manage time, there will
be no or little stress. Project schedules should not be stretched beyond a
stage, otherwise energy levels and productivity drop, leading to stress
and frayed tempers. Team meetings should be well-timed.
Encourage Breaks:- Having a little 'me-time' during office hours can
help manage stress. Encourage your team members to take some time off
during office hours and indulge in activities that relax them
Allocate Jobs Well:- A team leader or manager should allocate work as
per capabilities and capacity. A manager should give specific deadlines,
instead of demanding all the work be done in a few days
Resolve Conflicts:- A good manager always tries to resolve conflicts
among co-workers, instead of brushing them under the carpet. If it's not
possible to resolve conflicts, keep them open instead of concealing them.
Sometimes it's alright if two people cannot get along.
Outline Common Goals:- Pushing the team towards a shared goal or a
common target helps build what is called as 'positive stress'. Working
towards a shared goal lends a sense of excitement, instead of fear or
insecurity, which is typical in a competitive environment. When a shared
goal is achieved, everyone is a winner.


Encourage the team to focus on what they can control and influence :-
Stephen Coveys bestselling book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective
People tells us that successful people spend less time worrying about
things they cant influence and pay more attention to what is within their
control.
Have one-to-one meetings with staff:- Discuss work priorities,
development needs, and how the team will support one another during
the period of uncertainty.
Watch out for trip wires. Set up alarm calls:- Trip wires occur when we
are more stressed than we had realized and something happens that
provokes an unpleasant reaction in us. Alarm calls are when we notice
signs that we are getting stressed before we find ourselves acting in a way
that we want to avoid
Let people moan
Challenge undue pessimism:- In any situation, some people will
catastrophize: theyll assume that the outcome is going to be the worst
possible, and that there is nothing they can do to influence the future. For
example, imagine that one of your team members has applied for an
internal promotion but was unsuccessful at the interview.
Fortunate 500 organization depends on four pillars. Each pillar represents a
certain group of people to whom the company has a key responsibility. We
use the acronym CEOS to suggest that every person associated with a
Fortunate 5000 organization, regardless of his or her position, needs to think,
feel, and act like a leadera kind of chief executive offices.
The letter C stands for Customers. The first thing that makes a Fortunate
500 organization different is the quality of service available to its customers.
You have to treat customers in such a way that they become raving fans of
your service.
The letter E stands for Employees. The second thing that makes a
Fortunate 500 organization outstanding is the quality of life available to its
employees. Such a company creates a motivating environment for its
peopleone in which employees can se that working toward the
organizations goals is in their best interest
The letter O stands for Owners or the companys stockholders. No
company can be called truly fortunate unless its profitable. Today the trait
most cited as required for effective leadership is integrity.
The S stands for what we call Significant Other groups. These may
include the community, creditors, supplies, vendors, distributors, or even
respected competitors. If youre a Fortunate 500 organization, youre
consciously building a spirit of shared responsibility and mutual trust
between your organization and its significant others.
What can I do to enrich myself and my organization? What steps do I take
to get my organization aligned around a set of core values so that I can begin
this Managing By Values process?
It takes two things: (1) the willingness to believe in an agree-upon set of
values and (2) continuous diligence in putting those values into action.
The MBV Process :- Phase 1: Clarifying our mission/ purpose and values,
Phase 2: Communicating our mission and values, Phase 3: Aligning our daily
practices with our mission and values
Phase I of the MBV Process: Company Values, Board of Directors, President
Phase II of the MBV Process: The values have to remain the boss for the
people to gain faith in them as the real source of power in the organization.
Phase III of the MBV Process
One of the biggest changes I see, and the most critically useful in the MBV
process, is the change from either-or thinking to both-and thinking. People
are used to thinking that its got to be either this way or that waybut it
cant be both. And so both sides argue for the right way as they see it. But
once they start listening and admitting that the other side might have some
merit, they begin to use both-and thinking.
Phase I: Gaining Clarity
The problem with being in a rat race is that even if you win the race,
Youre still a rat.
The most important thing in life is to decide what is most important.
In an organization that truly manages by its values, there is only one
boss the companys values.
Managing By Values is not just another program, its a way of life
Phase II: Communicating Effectively
Genuine success does not come from proclaiming our values but from
consistently putting them into daily action.
Communicating happens naturally when you make the work
environment safe.
Real change doesnt happen until it happens inside people. Its a
change not in that people see but in what they see with.
The secret to making Managing By Values work is doing what we all
believe and believing in what we do.
Phase III: Aligning Practices
Being values-aligned does not
occur without changes in our
habits, practices, and attitudes.
Its easy to spot commitment
when you see itand even
easier when you dont
Organizations dont make
Managing By Values work
people do.
When aligned around shared
values and united in a common
purpose, ordinary people
accomplish extraordinary
results and give their
organization a competitive
edge.
Monday morning, office doors open, coffees on and its business as usual. Or
is it? For years business routines have changed mostly as a result of externally
driven technological advances and shifting market demands.
Currently however, an intriguing development is rising on the organizational
horizon that involves an evolving relationship between two odd bedfellows,
business and spirituality.
The emergence of spirituality in modern business has roots from multiple
sources. One source, the slashandburn economics of the 1970s and 1980s,
generated a workforce strongly antagonistic to the toxic nature of certain
corporate machinations.
Ongoing economic upheaval produced prolonged stress which in turn caused
rampant employee burnout, increases in absenteeism, medical leave, and
turnover costs.
Subsequent sensitivity to workforce interests has revealed burgeoning
employee desire to work for socially responsible, ethically driven
organizations that allow the whole self to be brought to work and not
parked at the office door. This in turn has sparked corporate recognition of the
value of promoting personal integration at work; of harnessing not only
intellectual capability for peak performance, but emotional and spiritual
passion as well.
A second source of workplace spirituality stems from advances in
science and healthcare. Growing research in behavioral sciences and
psychoneuroimmunology have established that physical fitness and a
positive attitude can mitigate the effects of stress and reduce health care
expenses.
The third and perhaps most important contributor to workplace
spirituality is the rapid rise of social interest in such matters coupled with
a generation of babyboom executives experiencing midlife review.
Without doubt, exploration of spiritual themes has become a national, if
not international point of focus.
The desire to examine spirituality is only natural. We are, after all, beings
with intense curiosity about our metaphysical origins and purpose. That
this would impact business persons in their midlife years is simply a
matter of time.
In A Study of Spirituality in the Workplace by Ian I. Mitroff and
Elizabeth A. Denton, Sloan Management Review (Summer, 1999)
spirituality was defined as the basic feeling of being connected with
ones complete self, others, and the entire universe.
It is the medium through which individuals establish direct communion
with God, regardless of formal orientation. Spirituality is both the immediate
experience of ThatWhichIsHoly, the Higher Power by whatever name, and
living by those principles and practices which foster this relationship.
The Mayo Spirituality in Healthcare Committee defines religion as a
formalized system of beliefs and practices shared by a group. The definition I
use in my workplace spirituality programs is: the organization of spiritually
based rules, rituals, and doctrine surrounding, and developing from, the life
and teachings of a Founding Individual or Revelatory Source.
In the workplace, these distinctions are important for various reasons. Chief
among them is that a person can pursue his/her cherished spiritual beliefs
without demanding doctrinal complicity from peers. To seek the latter is to
court an infringement of religious freedom lawsuit. Understanding this is
necessary because again, spirituality is not the same as religion.
The question of how to address spirituality in the workplace is undeniably
challenging and made more so because empirical studies of its affects are few.
Researches conclude workplace spirituality is beneficial and possibly
necessary for long term organizational survival.