Sculpting Team Success with Science

To develop a true learning organization, it is important that leaders and managers have a complete understanding of the behavioral concept of shaping employee and team behavior. The science of human behavior has demonstrated that no habits or skills can be developed without many repetitions of the behavior or behaviors that make up that habit or skill. To create sustainability, these behaviors must come into frequent contact with positive reinforcement.  Training in and of itself is insufficient for developing habits related to the content being taught. To shape learning and behavior into habits following some sort of training or learning opportunity, leaders and managers should focus on developing their own important habits that include the following:

• Check in and follow up regularly and ask if there is anything they need.
• Remember to be a good listener (non-judgmental), ask questions, and “catch them being good”!
• Listening allows coaches and administrators to reinforce any new learning or achievement that has occurred
• When problems are encountered, listening will allow for immediate problem solving
• Manage your paraverbals (tone, volume, cadence) and body language (i.e. subtle behaviors like facial expressions, posture, hand positioning, etc). Researchers contend that up to 90% of communication is not what you say, but how you say it. So be careful that you are not saying the right words but sending the wrong message!!
• Give Reinforcement at a 4:1 ratio. It is important that leaders and coaches do not manage by exception, only giving feedback when there is a problem. To increase staff performance and learning, he rule of thumb is to provide at least 4 times as much when you see people doing something right.
• Catch them being good! This is an important habit as people tend to focus on errors which can kill morale and performance.

Practice shaping like a sculptor would shape a piece of clay by using your feedback effectively to reinforce incremental improvements based on direct observation and available metrics.

• Do not weight for large goals to be met. Much like a fighter getting into the ring the first time, the coach would not wait for him to win or potentially lose the fight before giving feedback.
• During the initial stages of learning (e.g. through training) or transferring skills (e.g. through coaching), it is important that feedback be strength and data based as opposed to focusing on weakness with no clear measures.
• Provide information on into the natural environment where the performer is at in regard to a goal, and information on what the performer needs to do to move towards that goal.
• Fade from telling to asking to avoid dependency and help employees become better observers of their behavior and the impact of it.
• A rule of thumb is that the more difficult or significant a change is, the more trainers, coaches and leaders should provide encouragement in the beginning to ensure both skill acquisition and successful transference of those skills into the work environment. The ultimate goals is for employees to see what they are doing work so that it becomes naturally reinforcing in the work environment.

Finally, and like my favorite author Dr. Aubrey Daniels reminds us in his best seller Bringing Out the Best in People: Celebrate! Make accomplishments visible and celebrate as a team. Graphic feedback is a great way to do this when improvements aren’t immediately apparent to the performers. Doing this creates another opportunity for reinforcement as people share their success. In the end, developing the simple shaping habits listed here can truly provide the foundation for building trust, strengthening relationships, and leading teams and organizations to success. 

Supporting team and organizational success isn't just about what you do...it's also about how the folks you are leading or managing experience your support. Check out this great video by Brett DiNovi and Associates on the topic.