DO YOUR ORGANIZATION NORMS PROMOTE THE BEHAVIOR YOU WANT ?

Every organization has unwritten rules that dictate how people behave. Often these norms are so ingrained that leaders don’t even think about them — but unless you do, you risk creating a disconnect between how people think they should act and how you want them to act. Start by asking yourself what norms employees might hold in their heads. For example, what do people think the best way to get ahead is? Are they allowed to disagree with the boss in meetings? Then test your assumptions by asking employees what they think. (This may be easier if you aren’t the one asking.) Write down what you hear, and reflect on which norms help the organization achieve its goals. If some norms don’t align with what leaders expect of people, figure out where the false perceptions come from, and then implement an internal communications plan to change them. Use management meetings, all-hands memos, and company wide addresses to get everyone on the same

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To collaborative team members, completing one another is more important than competing with one another.

John C. Maxwell

Managing an Employee Who’s Emotionally Needy

Some employees need more validation than their managers can give. When a direct report always wants you to say they did a good job, or is never convinced their work is good enough, it’s best to address the issue directly. Schedule a private meeting to talk to the employee — and be gentle, not harsh or dismissive. Show the person that you care about their well-being, and use concrete examples to explain how their behavior is affecting you, their work, or the team. Encourage the employee to think about why they seek so much reassurance and how to find healthier ways to meet their needs. For example, they might turn to friends outside the workplace or a mental health professional to talk through their emotions. And set boundaries for the future, being direct about what your limits are. Throughout the conversation and going forward, treat the person as if they are strong rather than fragile. Your goal is to give them the right amount of support — not to make them feel bad for wanting more.

Why the disconnect? These teams are made up of people who may be highly engaged at an individual level — and eager to further their own careers — but just aren’t invested in their teams. Understanding what’s really going on can help managers and leadership get to the heart of seemingly intractable issues. Keep alert for these three signs:

Lack of Teamwork

Lack of teamwork can be a problem for a number of reasons. In this article we look particularly at the risk of this occuring during the formation phase of a team, where it seems that the team is being forced to achieve its goals rather than being formed to do that. The distinction is that there is too much emphasis on results and not enough on the needs of the team.

Continuing our series on stages of team development using out STAR team model, in this article we consider how to avoid a team being forced to perform rather than forming and the lack of teamwork that results.

Whilst every team and context is different a few important teamwork tips can provide a basis on which to develop your approach to avoid the danger of lack of teamwork.

The STAR team model suggests that effective teamwork in the workplace happens when four elements (Strengths, Teamwork, Alignment and Results) are in place:

Individuals flourish as they use and develop their Strengths

People come together building relationships that result in effective Teamwork

The team leader Aligns the team through effective communication of purpose, so that individual strengths combine with teamwork to deliver the teams results

Together everyone achieves more as performance flows and Results that are meaningful and rewarding to the team are achieved

A different emphasis and focus for each of the STAR model elements is needed at different stages of the team’s development. There is however a risk that too much emphasis on results can lead to a team being forced to perform and not developing teamwork skills.

Forcing performance from a team is often characterized by:

A focus on the task without regard for the needs of team members

Impatience with lack of progress

The leader is directive and tries to drive performance

A “just get it done” response to conflict

Little involvement of the team in planning or decision making

During the forming stage it is possible that a frustration with a lack of focus on the task, and of initial difficulties with the group could lead to a team leader forcing the situation with a very strong focus on the task at the expense of supporting the sense of togetherness of the group.

Initially this may result in the team performing well and in the short-term achieving its results. The danger is that very soon the team members will start to retreat within themselves, disliking the forceful nature of the leadership approach.

Of course it may be at times necessary to be more forceful to shift a team’s focus back to achieving results, but over the longer term a leadership approach should be about balancing an emphasis on results, on teamwork and on the strengths of individuals. Without the leader ensuring that these three aspects are aligned lack of teamwork is likely to be the outcome.

If you do have the time to read more on this topic, why not go to our teamwork articles. To read more of about our teamwork concept – the STAR team model- see our articles teamwork theories,teamwork defined and teamwork in the workplace. For a more general introduction to team a good place to start might be to think through why is teamwork important , or you may want to think about how you define teamwork or reminding yourself of the benefits of teamwork.

Playing the system

When the organization only measures performance at the individual level, team members can also find more deliberate ways to pursue personal gain at the expense of the full team’s productivity. They might stretch their workload to fill time, rather than taking on more tasks; cherry-pick the duties they perform based on what they enjoy doing; or insinuate themselves into conversations or meetings with management for their own advantage. This behavior is catching: It doesn’t take long for new recruits to lose their enthusiasm for collaboration when they see that the system rewards egoism instead.

A team we studied in the chemicals industry worked extra hard to do all their work in four hours for a whole six-hour shift. They looked highly productive — until we found out that they planned to spend the other two hours “chilling and drinking tea.”

To change the team’s behaviors, again, set targets and metrics both at the individual and team level and explicitly reward teamwork and team output. Managers should work with their teams to co-develop a sense of shared values and purpose. They can also rotate who is accountable for specific metrics to encourage teammates to develop collective accountability.

Only managing up

Finally, some pseudo-engaged team members value others’ impressions of their performance over the reality of their work together. Team leaders often unwittingly set the example here; if they seem more interested in ingratiating themselves to senior management than being present and available for their own teams, those teams are likely to mirror the behavior, becoming more concerned with managing up themselves.

Managers of team leaders should require that managers spend time with their teams so that they can understand what is happening on the front line. And they should encourage team members to think about what “looks good” from a team perspective, rather than promoting themselves individually. One team leader we studied kept a board in the corridor outside their offices where team members commented on a daily basis about their passions or frustrations. This allowed him to sense the daily climate of the team; it also allowed the whole team to talk about activities that went well and those that could be improved in each team meeting. As a result, they developed a sense of good performance at a team level. Finally, introducing social activities can also build the team’s social ties and a shared sense of responsibility.

While it’s easy to be lulled into thinking that these teams are fully engaged, understanding what’s going on beneath the surface can help point managers in a specific direction: helping their teams to see that they value and reward collaboration, mutual support, and shared responsibilities. As these lessons kick in these teams can finally become fully engaged in their work, delivering, as research shows, superior performance, improved customer service and increased client satisfaction.

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Effectively, change is almost impossible without industry-wide collaboration, cooperation and consensus

Poor teamwork can be a major drain on energy in any team. It is a particular problem when moving from start-up to developing a team. Often it is because one or several individuals start to try and dominate the group. ... People come together building relationships that result in effective Teamwork. '' RAVENDU KANSARA''