I've seen groups of people masquerading as teams. But I don't
believe that they are teams. There isn't a team spirit. They're
simply groups of people that have been asked, or more likely
told to work together on
something.
You don't build teams. You grow them. And in the right environment
their growth is a natural phenomenon. As a team grows, you start to
see cohesion. The people in the team bond and jell and the whole
becomes greater than the sum of the parts. In
self-organising teams it's
understood that it's better to succeed together than to succeed
because of some individuals and not others.
A team grows around a shared vision or goal accompanied by shared
criteria that define success. (These should be set out in a
charter , constructed by and
unanimously agreed to by the whole team, i.e. every single person
in the team, at the very start of the project).
A vision that is shared unites
the people in the team and focuses their intent. They pursue the
attainment of their vision, together, with gusto. You see mutual
support begin to develop and you see solidarity and collective
ownership.
As people work together they tune into one another. As they make
commitments to one another and hold one another accountable to
their commitments, mutual trust develops and they begin to
experience the camaraderie of being part of a team. The team begins
to develop an identity. People in the team gain a sense of
belonging, they feel part of something powerful and perhaps unique.
They demonstrate loyalty to the team. People motivate themselves.
They enjoy their work and they have fun. There's a healthy aura as
interactions are confident and convivial. Friendships form and
often extend to regular social activities beyond work. People work
better and achieve results because they've got momentum.
Tom Demarco said:
A team can become an almost unstoppable juggernaut for
success. Managing these juggernaut teams is a real pleasure. You
spend most of your time just getting obstacles out of their
way.
Tuesday, 20 March 2007
United Intent: Teams not groups
Posted by Simon Baker - Permalink
