1. Select a teamwork model. You need to decide what you think are the
most important behaviors and processes needed for a high performing team. You can do a lot of research on this and
develop your own ideas or you can pull something off the shelf. In the Executive MBA program at Maryland we
use The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
by Patrick Lencioni. His formula for a
high performing team, which is backed up by the research, is:
*They trust one another
*They engage in unfiltered conflict around ideas
*They commit to decisions and plans of action
*They hold one another accountable for delivering
against those plans.
*They focus on the achievement of collective
results
2. Teamwork Training. Put together a training program for everyone
on the team, which is based on your model.
This can be done a lot of different ways and does not have to be elaborate. Just make sure that everyone on the team
understands the teamwork model that you will be using from now on. A great facilitator for the training is
helpful, but not if you ignore the next step.
3. MOST
IMPORTANT. Hold people accountable for their behavior. If you are the boss, then you need
constructively confront people who do not follow the correct teamwork behaviors
you have outlined. You can do this
developmentally – you don’t need to be an ogre.
If you have a leaderless team, then team members need to confront one
another. This is the place where
teamwork improvement breaks down most often.
If you are unwilling to confront incorrect behaviors then do not even start
the process. Everything else will be
just a waste of time.
4. Assess and continue to improve. You can create a survey and regularly assess
how you are doing or keep it simpler.
Every now and then, ask the team:
What are we doing well? What’s
not working? How can we make what’s not
working, work? Identify gaps and make
plans to improve. Do this on a regular
basis.
There is a lot more you can do – behavioral
assessments, ropes courses, retreats, etc.
These are great, but without the four steps above then they are –
frankly – a waste of time. Follow the
steps outlined above and your teamwork will improve – and you will make even
more of a Mission Impact.
For more
ideas on how you can lead breakthroughs in your organization, follow this blog
and check out my web site at www.SheehanNonprofitConsulting.com You will find free resources you can
download, including a Breakthrough Strategy Workbook that you can download at
no cost. You can also check out my book,
Mission Impact: Breakthrough
Strategies for Nonprofits, and buy it if
you are interested. And you can follow Sheehan
Nonprofit Consulting on Facebook.
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