Facilitator Manual

 

 

Group

Dynamics

 

 

INTRODUCTION TO TEAMS

 

DEFINITION:  Team -  A group of individuals who are committed to achieving common objectives; who meet regularly to identify and to solve problems; who work and interact openly and effectively together; and who produce desired economic and motivational results for business.

Common thread that holds us together -------TRUST!

 

 

TEAMWORK =

 

   INCREASE IN OWNERSHIP

 

   WIN / WIN SITUATIONS

 

   TEAM MEMBERSHIP ENABLES YOU TO BECOME THE BEST THAT YOU CAN BE

 

   MULTIPLIES YOUR TALENTS AND ENHANCES YOUR COMPETENCIES

 

   FOCUSES YOUR WORK ON THE RIGHT THINGS

 

   CREATES SYNERGY

TEAMS FIND STRENGTH IN DIVERSITY

 

 

 

1.  EVERYONE ON THE TEAM HAS INTRINSIC WORTH

 

 

2.  EVERYONE ON THE TEAM IS AN INDIVIDUAL

 

 

3.  EACH BRINGS THEIR OWN UNIQUE DIFFERENCES

 

 

4.  EFFECTIVE TEAMS VALUE AND CONSTRUCTIVELY USE DIFFERENCES!

 

 

5.  AS A TEAM WE RECOGNIZE, AFFIRM, AND RESPECT CONTRIBUTIONS OF ALL TEAM MEMBERS

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE SOURCE OF TEAM STRENGTH AND VITALITY IS

SITUATIONAL BALANCE

THIS?        OR    THAT?

 

 

QUESTIONS ABOUT DIVERSITY:

WHAT DO YOU IDENTIFY WITH MORE, THIS OR THAT?

 

THIS                                                                           THAT

 

1.         A BMW                                                           A FORD TAURUS

2.         BOSTON                                                        SAN FRANCISCO

3.         A VIOLET                                                       A SUNFLOWER

4.         POPCORN                                                    BROWNIES

5.         A WATERFALL                                            A POND

6.         A FLUTE                                                        A TUBA

7.         A DOG                                                           A CAT

8.         A BASEBALL BAT                                       A BASEBALL

9.         A WAVE                                                        THE BEACH

10.       A DAM                                                           THE BRIDGE

11.       A MOUNTAIN                                                A VALLEY

12.       SUGAR                                                          SALT

13.       GO                                                                  STOP

14.       THE MOON                                                   THE SUN

15.       SUMMER                                                       WINTER

16.       RIGHT                                                             LEFT

17.       A SKATEBOARD                                         A POGO STICK

18.       A POWER BOAT                                          A SAIL BOAT

19.       WINE                                                              BEER

20.       A BIG MAC                                                    DANNON YOGURT

Team Needs Pyramid

When teams become dysfunctional, the symptoms cause most people to suspect individual relationships are the problem.  You frequently hear "I just can't get along with that team member" or "If only we didn't have to deal with that person, we could get something accomplished."  Relationships are usually not the true cause of a teams failure to perform.

The team must have clear goals and understands its purpose and direction in order to begin to achieve anything.  Next, team members must have clearly defined roles to perform and the training and tools to perform those roles.  In order to have effective meeting the team must have a leader, recorder, time keeper, and facilitator.  In addition to the meeting roles, each team must have other roles fulfilled in order to achieve the goals of the team (quality, scheduling, human resource, etc. might be required).

The team must also have clearly defined procedures and policies for operating.  Meetings, as well as day to day production all require a set of rules or framework that tell team members what is expected and how the team is to function.

The relationships of the individuals on the team are subordinate to goals, roles, and procedures, but still do play a significant part of team functioning.  Diversity is a requirement for synergistic, creative, effective teams.  Learn to appreciate the differences that each individual brings to the team and use it to the teams advantage.

Proper team management and training will solve the majority of teams problems and allow them to perform to their potential.

TEAM NORMS THAT FACILITATE

GROUP PROGRESS

 

 

1.  SELF-ESTEEM IS PRESERVED AND NURTURED IN EACH MEMBER

 

2.  CONFLICT IS MANAGED TOWARD WIN / WIN RESOLUTIONS WHEN POSSIBLE

 

3.  THE PROBLEM BEFORE US IS ALMOST ALWAYS THE PROCESS, OUR PRESUPPOSITIONS, OR THE PROCEDURES

     (PROCESS = 94%    PEOPLE = 6%)

 

4.  ASK PERMISSION TO GIVE FEEDBACK

 

5.  PROCEED AS A TEAM IN AN ORDERLY MANNER WHICH FOCUSES ON SOLUTIONS AND NOT ON PERSONALITIES

 

6.  LISTEN WITH RESPECT

 

7.  ASSUME THAT PEOPLE ARE WELL INTENTIONED (NOT PERFECT!)

 

8.  HONESTY.  WE TRUST AND WE CAN BE TRUSTWORTHY

 

9.  LOOK FOR AND CELEBRATE WIN / WIN MENTALITY

WHY TEAMS ARE ESSENTIAL

 

 

    INCREASE IN OWNERSHIP

 

    TEAM GETS MORE DONE - MORE EFFECTIVELY

 

    DRAWS IN PEOPLE'S STRENGTH

 

    THE WHOLE IS GREATER THAN THE SUM OF THE PARTS.  FIVE WORKING INDIVIDUALS ARE NOT AS PRODUCTIVE AS FIVE INDIVIDUALS WORKING AS A TEAM

 

    THE TEAM CAN BE A SOURCE OF STRENGTH AND POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT FOR EVERYONE

 

    OPPORTUNITY FOR EACH PERSON TO TAKE PRIDE IN THEIR WORK

 

    PARTICIPATION IN DECISION MAKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING

 

    CUSTOMER FOCUS

 

 

 

 

KEY WORD:  SYNERGY!

SYNERGY

 

Organizational relationships - three types of relationships are possible in an organizational setting

        Destructive:      1 + 1 < 2

        Static:                 1 + 1 = 2

        Synergistic:      1 + 1 > 2

 

Synergistic relationships produce a total effect greater than the sum of their separate efforts.   They produce a result greater than the effort & resources consumed.

 

Three types of relationships are possible among the sponsors, agents, targets, and advocates of any organizational change effort: destructive, static, or synergistic.

 

Destructive relationships consume more resources than the benefit that results from their combined effort.  The net result is less than if the individuals had worked alone.  Static relationships just about break even.  There is no gain from the combined effort but there is no loss either.  Synergistic relationships have a net positive gain from the combined effort which is greater than the sum of their separate efforts.

 

A key outcome of synergy is that while working on a task, people generate and sustain resources rather than block or waste them.

 

Organizational change can be achieved without synergistic relationships but at a much greater cost to the organization.  Synergistic relationships allow the organization to effectively deal with a greater magnitude of change without suffering the dysfunction of future shock.

 

Synergistic relationships allow the organization to take a pro-active posture and seek change rather than postpone it.  Business opportunities can be pursued with a higher probability of success.

PREREQUISITES TO SYNERGY

 

Synergistic relationships have two prerequisites:  willingness and ability.  Willingness comes from sharing common goals and a sense of interdependency.  Ability is a combination of internal and external factors, empowerment and participative management.

 

Effective teamwork results from synergy.  This requires hard work and a commitment to persevere.  Finding creative solutions to difficult problems often requires that individuals with different perspectives and skill sets cooperate.  Constructive, productive conflict is required to create the synergy to find these unique solutions.

 

Common goals and a sense of interdependency are necessary to turn diversity into a willingness to work together.  Team members must sense that they not only have the same goal but that they need each other.  Daryl Conner calls this interdependent relationship where one party "has the gun" and the other "has the bullets" a "foxhole" and says that to achieve major change you must create or exploit a foxhole situation.

 

Willingness is not enough.  Team members must be empowered to contribute to the team effort and the organization must be structured to provide an appropriate environment that fosters participation.

 

Empowerment is an internal state gained by refusing to be a victim.  Employees gain this sense when they know they "hold the bullets" (to follow the foxhole analogy).  This contributes to interdependency.

 

Participative management is a philosophy and a method for managing human resources in an environment where employees are respected and their contributions solicited, valued, and respected.  Responsibility and authority is delegated appropriately and boundaries are clearly defined.

 

 

THE SYNERGISTIC PROCESS

 

 

Synergy develops in four stages: interaction, appreciative understanding, integration, and implementation.

 

For the process to begin, team members must be brought together and allowed to interact.  Interaction requires that sponsors, agents, targets, and advocates:

•   communicate effectively       •   listen actively

•   generate trust & credibility

 

Beyond interaction is appreciation - the capacity to understand, value, and use diversity.  There must be a balance between the rational, critical-thinking process and the creative, intuitive, merging process.  The four steps necessary for appreciative understanding are:

•   create an open climate          •   delay negative judgment

•   empathize with others            •   value others

 

Integrating divergent perspectives is the next stage of the synergistic process.  Arriving at the "best" solution is not always a quick or painless process.  To achieve integration the team must learn to:

•   tolerate ambiguity                  •   be persistent

•   be flexible                               •   be creative

•   be selective

 

Implementation harnesses the momentum generated by managing the human capacity to work as a team.  Managing this valuable resource requires.

•   standardization                       •   monitoring and reinforcement

•   team focus                             •   continuous updating

 

Traditional Management Model:

EMPLOYEE
 

EMPLOYEE
 

EMPLOYEE
 

EMPLOYEE
 

SUPERVISOR

 
 
:


Self-Directed Team Management Model

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Traditional Management Model
Strengths:

Self-Directed Team Model l
Strengths:

·        Control oriented

·        Involvement oriented

·        One person responsible

·        Promotes ideas and suggestions

·        Widely accepted

·        Everyone is responsible

·        Quick decisions

·        Continuous improvement

·        Little employee training

·        Access to training

 

·        Productivity

Weaknesses:

Weaknesses:

·        Inhibits input and creativity

·        Requires extensive planning

·        Shields employee from responsibility

·        Resistance from front-line & middle managers

·        Limits communication

·        Initial loss of productivity

·        Promotes helplessness

·        Training costs

·        Fast decisions - slow implementation

·        Slow decision making

·        Slow in emergencies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source:  Implementing Self-Directed Work Teams
KEY COMPONENTS OF FACILITATING

WORLD CLASS PERFORMANCE

 

 

 

 

 

MANAGING FOR

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

 

 

 

YOUR

LEADERSHIP

 

 

 

 

CUSTOMER

SATISFACTION

 

 

 

QUALITY MANAGEMENT

TOOLS