Team Performance At the Top
A key priority for many organizations today is building performance through greater teamwork. Popularly read business books such as "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team", "Good To Great" and "Primal Leadership" all tout (in very different styles) the importance of effectively leveraging the diverse talents of people for better decisions and results.
We know the work it takes to have teams function well. It requires more attention to interpersonal and social skills. Organizations committed to excellence in team work invest in training, coaching and off site meetings in which groups hone their skills and learn more about one another. The return on the investment of money and people’s time shows up in a group’s ability to have frank and robust communication, more productive meetings, enhanced creativity in problem solving and a greater focus on long term strategy.
Why Teamwork is Tough For Top Teams
Executive teams, perhaps more than any other group, need the benefits that come from a truly functional team. However, the unique position of an executive team make it more challenging to realize. Here are some of the barriers to teamwork we have observed in our work with the top teams:
- Senior executives tend to be more independent and entrepreneurial.
- Their roles are defined by their hierarchical and functional position.
- Their compensation is often based on individual performance or the performance of their own group.
- The performance contract is between each executive
and the leader as opposed to mutual accountability among all members of the group.
- The main work together involves sharing information and making critical decisions.
- Spending extra time together is perceived by the execs as “inefficient”.
- Most of the executive’s time is spent outside the working group with people in his or her part of the organization.
- The group performance focus revolves around total company results rather than the team’s results.
“Deeply ingrained biases toward individual accountability and achievement reinforce the executive behavior patterns that run counter to team requirements. Teams at the top, like teams elsewhere, must develop a sense of mutual trust and interdependence. Yet by the time most executives get to the top, they find it hard to allow their performance to depend on people who are neither their boss nor their subordinates. And the risks of personal failure are much greater because many top executives view themselves as candidates for the top job at their or other companies. Thus, while they have confidence pursuing accomplishments in their individual roles, they are uncomfortable with the idea of gambling on a switch to team behavior patterns.”
- Jon R. Katzenbach, Wisdom of Teams |
Moving Towards Teamwork
Top teams can benefit greatly by putting more time and effort into learning how to practice the behaviors and principles of teamwork. Here are ways to build your executive teams:
- Spend more time together informally.
- Address issues of communication, conflict and decision making.
- Have a facilitator assist the team in developing a unique team credo, values and rules of engagement.
- Hold annual and quarterly strategic off site sessions that include a combination of business decision, planning and goal setting along with team development and process improvement conversations.
The more candid, constructive and supportive the members of these groups are, the more effectively they will share useful information and insights. The payoff will be in the quality of their discussions when bringing multiple judgments to bear on critical decisions.
About the Author: Elaine Siciliano Morris is principal consultant and founder of Sea Change Inc, an organizational effectiveness firm based in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. A frequent keynote speaker and workshop presenter on leadership, corporate culture and personal growth, Elaine works with leaders and their teams to create productive and rewarding work environments. More information about her is available on her website: www.seachangecoach.com, or contact Elaine by phone at 972-407-0648.
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