Truth 38. Teams aren't a necessary evil

Teams are the backbone for getting things done in an organization. But there are pros and cons.

Think about the last poorly managed team that you were on. Members arrived late to meetings and were unprepared. Deadlines were never kept. Trust was never established; goals were not crisply identified and lacked consensus. People spoke more about each other than to each other.

Now remember the way that you felt. You may have resented the team leader for not taking more control. You may have been quietly or even visibly upset at your teammates for their seeming lack of respect. Your frustration grew and apathy increased. Taking your productivity clues from your peers (as research indicates), you adopted an "If they can get away with it, why can't I?" approach.

There is a significant managerial takeaway from this experience. If you allow bent rules, shoddy workmanship, and deadline exceptions for some team members, you can expect a line outside your door seeking the equivalent.

You can't allow this chaos.

When you organize ad hoc teams or subgroups with defined endpoints to take on a "change challenge," there are certain managerial competencies you can embrace and practice that will maximize the probability that people will remain true to the task at hand.

Competencies are composed of skills, but they also include the underlying or "hidden" characteristics of an individual that drive behavior, such as values, self-image, traits, and motives. They involve understanding intentions, actions, and outcomes in job performances. They're learned, developed, refined, and practiced over a career—through role-playing, trial and error, developmental assignments, and coaching. They reflect how a person might behave, think, or be generally disposed.

In considering the must-have competencies for managing teams in the "better, faster, and cheaper" world, evidence says you need to possess or gain proficiency in the following.

• Achievement orientation emphasizes innovation and continuous improvement—performing more efficiently, more effectively, more competitively, and at a lower cost. At the personal level, this involves committing yourself to accomplishing challenging objectives or competing against a self-defined standard of excellence.
• Directness is using your personal power or the power of your position appropriately and effectively, with the long-term good of the organization in mind. This includes a theme or tone of "telling people what to do." The tone ranges from firm to demanding.
• Teamwork and cooperation are about your intention to work with others, to be part of a team, and to work together—as opposed to working separately or competitively. For this competency to be effective, your intention should be sincere.
• Developing others concerns your genuine intent to foster the learning of your team with an appropriate level of need analysis. Its focus is on the developmental intent and effect, rather than on a formal role of training.
• Interpersonal understanding promotes appreciating, interpreting, and responding to others' concerns, motives, feelings, and behaviors; and accurately recognizing strengths and limitations in others.
• Team leadership is when you express and act upon your purposeful desire to take your team to greater heights.

When you organize teams, clearly articulate their purpose and objective. Outline the timetable, context, and importance of their task. Set parameters for risk-taking. Discuss the resources available to the team and who the beneficiary will be from these efforts. Identify any boundaries that should be honored. Make the team members aware of their authority. Be clear in explaining your role as a visible sponsor, facilitator, and champion.

Let the team members set their expectations for behavior, information flow and exchange, inclusion, leadership distribution, and the sharing of power. Be sure they know how and when to keep you informed.

From the team's onset through evolution, be cognizant of and practice these managerial competencies. You will likely find that you're on a path toward optimized performance.