Building Strong Teams

Question 1

Teams Involve

Answer 1

Members Who Work Independently
Members Who Have a Team Identity
Members Who Produce Collective Work/Products/Services

Question 2

Teams Critically Help

Answer 2

To Cope with Complexity
Integrate Knowledge & Skills
Enable Flexibility
Foster Motivation & Commitment

Question 3

Team Performance

Answer 3

Member Skills x Team Processes

When Team Processes are not adequate, teams experience low process gain or even high process loss.

Question 4

Improve Process Gains

Answer 4

Expose the assumptions underlying group members’ suggestions
Evaluate the viability of those assumptions
Derive a consensual mental model of the problem space
Utilize the mental model to derive a solution

Question 5

Synergistic Collaboration

Answer 5

Effective Solutions: Quality x Acceptance
Resources within a Team: Task Skills, Knowledge
Interpersonal Skills & Processes: Listening, Supporting, Differing Constructively, Participating, Striving for Closure

Question 6

Group Polarization

Answer 6

The tendency for groups to show a shift towards the extremes of decision-making when compared to decisions made by individuals.

Question 7

Informational Cascade

Answer 7

Occurs when a person makes a decision based solely on their decisions of other people, while ignoring their own personal knowledge to the contrary.

Question 8

Reputational Cascade

Answer 8

Occurs when people spread a certain prevailing belief regardless of whether they believe it or not, because they want to earn social approval from others, and avoid disapproval.

Question 9

Improving Team Processes

Answer 9

Reduced skewed airtime; ensure participation for everyone.
Prime critical thinking. Make sure people focusing on sharing information rather than their preferences.
Assign Contrarians.
Ensure psychological safety.

Question 10

Actions to Take to Repair Teams

Answer 10

“Tiger Teams” - Cross functional teams with clear mandates to break down silos.
Group Incentives to ensure focus on team.
Integrative goals to build team identity.
Stronger COO & development of middle managers.
Evaluate the people in place.

Question 11

Type of Conflict: Relationship vs Task

Answer 11

Relationship Conflict: Rooted in anger, personal friction, personality clashes & tensions. Interferes with effort & attention to the task by creating preoccupation with with reducing threats, increasing power and deflecting blame.

Task Conflict: Depersonalized; focused on merits of ideas, plans and projects. Stimulates creativity and enhances decision quality through constructive criticism, consideration of different perspectives, and stimulation of discussion.

Question 12

A Good Team Has:

Answer 12

1. Compelling Direction: Clear, Common Goal
2. Strong Structure: Responsibility, Norms, Synergy
3. Supporting Context: Resources, Information, Rewards
4. Shared Mindset: Common Identity, Shared Information, Understanding of Constraints

Question 13

Improving Team Meetings

Answer 13

Clear Agenda
Pre-Work
Right People, Right Number
Ground Rules for Behavior
Collect & Collectively Analyze Meeting Data
Develop Facilitation Skills, Rotate Leadership