It strikes me as though we in business know little about the importance of teams. I can’t believe I just wrote those words. Don’t get me wrong, I recognize that the business literature and language pays much homage to team, teamwork and team members. The evidence of this is ubiquitous on our websites, job descriptions, job recruitment ads, job interview questions, college curriculum and it goes on and on. A simple search of the Internet garners multitudes of models, companies, consultants, books, research papers, training programs and such that profess to impart the magic of building high-performance teams. And, of course, there are great companies and organizations that are at the cutting edge of team development.
In my experience, when ubiquity sets in this is a sure sign that the depth of meaning has been lost on many. Team has become so ubiquitous that Google had to clarify, in its Project Aristotle research, that not every group of workers constitutes a team.
Work groups are characterized by the least amount of interdependence. They are based on organizational or managerial hierarchy. Work groups may meet periodically to hear and share information.
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Teams are highly interdependent – they plan work, solve problems, make decisions, and review progress in service of a specific project. Team members need one another to get work done.
Google’s Project Aristotle
Organic Origins of Teams in Business was Innovative
In the 1970s, hierarchical structures were adapting to the pressures of increased application of technology, information saturation, reduced barriers to market entry, and changing employee and societal expectations. The alternate model that emerged was one of cross-organizational or interdisciplinary teamwork which expanded opportunities for innovation and increased organizational flexibility. This team model began to spread and, as expected, take on formal structure allowing for teachability and replication. Our habits are slow to death so the old command and control model, the hallmark of the hierarchical roots of organizations, is still very present in teams. We still have holdovers such as team leaders, roles and responsibilities for each team member, predetermined outcomes, and individual performance reviews and compensation decisions. This is a small price to pay for the overwhelming contribution of the team model to organizational development. The progress made to date is noteworthy and honor should be placed at the feet of those many teams that have paved the way through the then uncharted territory.
Time to Celebrate and Build on the Origin Story
The team model started as an organic reaction to the pressures of the time. Its devolution into a check box activity for most organizations leads me to my opening statement. Not all is lost. We simply need to pause, reflect, reformulate, build on the great work of the past 50 years and take an evolutionary jump forward for organizational performance.
Let’s start by turning our team check box activity into a full engagement and investment checklist for Team Transcendence. To help position this discussion, take a moment to consider the level of investment in a team made by a professional basketball organization. The Los Angeles Lakers won the 2020 NBA Championship. In its 2020-21 season the Lakers have 14 players, one head coach, six assistant coaches, and three player development staff. There are an additional sixteen employees dedicated to the physical and mental health of the team, these are doctors, performance specialists, trainers, massage therapists, etc. And finally, the Lakers have four culinary chefs for the team. This is a total of 30 individuals who have direct contact and support of the work and performance of a 14-member team.
I know that this example is unfair and I am not suggesting that this be the benchmark or standard for us. It does imply that if our teams are going to be the best in their field, it is going to take some investment and intentionality. This is the jumping off point for the change we envision for teams. The future prosperity of your organization and the importance of the work you are doing is worthy of your commitment.
Team Transcendence Working Model
Are you training, teaching, coaching and developing your teams and team members on:
- Techniques to assess and align personal and team goals and values,
- Communication mindsets such as those found in VIEW and Five Voices,
- Creating environments that provide actionable feedback, deep embodiment and elimination of external distractions,
- Adaptive mindset training which leads to psychological safety and mutual trust,
- Contextual leadership models which enhance opportunities to subordinate individual egos to that of the team, and
- Development and intentional integration of each member’s skills.
A chef and massage therapist are optional. What do you think? How do you rate your level of investment and intentionality for the teams in your organization? What are the challenges your teams face now? If you are already making a significant investment in your teams, what is working and what is not? Join in the discussion and together we can design the future of team and team performance.
Sources
“Re:Work – Guide: Understand Team Effectiveness.” Google. Google. Accessed February 4, 2021. https://rework.withgoogle.com/guides/understanding-team-effectiveness/steps/define-team/.