What is the secret of great teamwork?
First you must understand that team work is a means to an end. You want to have a more productive organization. The assumption is that you can increase productivity through better group cohesiveness. Unfortunately the statistics do not bear that out. Extremely cohesive teams are generally not more productive than less cohesive groups.
However a cohesive team does reap several benefits including better employee morale and therefore better employee retention. Of course there is a strong correlation between employee retention and customer retention. And there is a very strong correlation between customer retention and organizational profitability.
So while the tie between team cohesiveness and team productivity are not compelling, your bottom line can nonetheless be improved by building effective teams in your organization.
There are two distinct types of teams. Some teams are assembled for a specific temporary project. These are often referred to as task forces or quality circles. Their purpose is to define a specific problem, develop alternative solutions, and propose the ideal solution.
I have run several of these task force type teams. The keys to success are properly defining roles, establishing goals early in the process, and setting deadlines for all action steps.
Back in 1992 I was assigned as leader of a task force called the 'Reversal Forum' by our Vice President. We, or more specifically, I , made every possible political and tactical error. In the end we did produce a very respectable and beneficial document. Unfortunately that 12 page document took 12 months to create.
In 2001 I was assigned as leader of a task force at a different company by our Vice President. By then I had led about a dozen different teams. We managed to produce a very beneficial document. However this time the group produced a 120 page document in less than 12 weeks!
I did not get any smarter in those nine years, but I did get wiser.
Assign one person to lead the group. Assign a different person to facilitate the group. Keep a running document of what progress has been made. Clearly delegate assignments. Follow up all meeting conversations with written confirmation. Keep management outside of the group involved and informed. Make it all presentable. Put your findings onto spread sheets and your conclusions onto a powerpoint presentation. In your research involve as many front line employees as possible. This will increase your buy in once you decide to launch or implement.
The other distinct type of group is a working group or operational group. Some companies divide their employees by function while others divide by product or customer. These teams, especially the functional ones, can become very cohesive. The danger is when one very cohesive functional group refuses to play nice with other groups.
This leads to the ubiquitous Sales versus Operations , Sales versus Service, Sales versus Administration. The only constant in this is that it is always Sales that is the problem. That is another topic.
To increase organizational effectiveness, I would avoid the functional grouping of employees. It is antiquated and ineffective.
Regardless of how you structure your organization there are several factors that increase team cohesiveness. I have found the two most effective factors are 1. A Common Goal, and 2. A Common Enemy.
As you may have guessed the Common Enemy is by far the most efficacious method of creating team cohesiveness. And unfortunately the Common Enemy is often the group's manager.
I was in five different teams from 1990 to 1998. In all of them I was the 'Team Leader'. This role includes listening to everyone's problems, resolving intra team disputes, bringing significant issues to management, managing the day to day operations of the group, etc. Often companies will assign a Team Leader because they can't afford to assign an Assistant Manager. That would mean a raise.
Because operational teams do not naturally expire, the causes of cohesiveness and discord are quite different. The team assumes a family like structure. Each member takes on different roles. The cheerleader, the book worm, the teacher's pet, the counselor, the comedian, the trouble maker, the enforcer, the scape goat, the philosopher and other parts are played by the different actors.
What was consistent among all these groups was the progress through team development stages.
The stages include Forming, Norming, Storming, Performing. Every team went through these stages. Sometimes the cycle repeats when new members are added or existing members leave. Each of these stages occur because people try to adapt to their role within the group. But conflicts occur because people do not like their role or disagree with the overall workings of the group.
When your team is driving you nuts try to study the situation. The best course will depend on whether the team is permanant or temporary. Sometimes the issues are the result of a natural progression. The proper response will depend on the circumstances. And as Mark Twain advised " Nothing is often a good thing to do, and always a clever thing to say."