Copyright Executive Excellence, Inc. Jun 1995TEAMWORK DOESN'T WORK, at least not for most teams. This is not a shocking revelation. Until recently, teamwork was viewed with great suspicion. And yet, the evidence is overwhelming that well formed, well led, and well coached teams and team processes are keys to the future. Teams that work well internally are better prepared to work collaboratively in external relationships with suppliers and with customers.
To succeed as the coach of a team, keep the following five points in mind.
1. Many organizations mistakenly form task forces and call them teams. With task forces, the hierarchy remains unchanged. The committee is charged with a task, but is still controlled by management with no real empowerment. Teaming, on the other hand, works horizontally through the organization, strengthening the existing structure, not weakening or substituting for it.
2. In far too many cases teamwork becomes an excuse for abdication. The team is given power that seems to compete with, or undermines, the power of the management team. To establish a team process without first training team leaders to serve as coaches simply creates unresolvable conflict. A team leader must know when to give the team room to grow and when to intervene.
3. Far too many executives have fallen in love with the idea of self-managed or self-directed work teams. There is no such thing as "self-direction" in the context of an organization. Leadership, coaching, direction, coordination, conflict resolution, and prioritization are all more important in a team culture. Where true mastery is sought, in the arts, in athletics, and indeed in business and government, the greater the competence the more important the demand, the more intense is the coaching. It is not unusual to see the masters utilizing the services of a private coach on a one-on-one basis. It is foolish to eliminate coaching and leadership in the name of cost cutting. The selection process must be improved to assure the placement of truly great coaches.
4. Teams should be formed based on a rethinking of the organization along process lines, not along functional lines. If the organization is functionalized, competition, blaming, and scapegoating all increase between functions. The greatest danger of teamwork is the tendency for teams to isolate, to close ranks to protect themselves from outside influence. When given the chance to work collaboratively, they can just as easily become very self-protective. Teams should work across boundaries, not within their own walls.
5. Teams without scorekeeping represent more danger than help. Of particular concern is when the scorekeeping is focused only on the team's internal performance and activity and not on the customer's needs, or on the performance of the larger organization. The danger of getting better and better at doing the wrong things is inescapable. If a team can win at another team's cost, or if an individual can win at a team's expense, teamwork is impossible.
Teamwork is not an excuse for demanding the subversion of personal interests or needs, nor to force compliance through pressure. Neither can it be an objective to creating harmony and friendly relationships. Although teamwork can be personally satisfying and rewarding, effective teams will experience a great deal of tension and conflict, will continually seek opportunities for change and innovation, will challenge the status quo, demand excellence, and develop a true passion for achieving aggressive goals and continually improving and raising the bar. Great teams welcome and embrace diversity, challenge, and freedom of thought.
Ed Yager is president of Yager Leadership and Team Development in Sandy, UT (801) 943-3642.
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