Volume 2 Issue 4

Tapping into Team Potential
Get a 'Dream Team' to lead your organization to the gold medal.

Extensive research has shown that good teams can lead an organization in exciting new directions. They can push an organization's growth potential without jeopardizing its stability. Effective teams can bring value to an organization, not only in terms of profit and productivity, but in terms of difficult human issues that far too frequently exhaust an organization's resources.

Sadly, many of the organizations with which I deal are unaware of the potential of properly organized teams, and fail to understand how teams should develop. Perhaps senior management is reluctant to relinquish control, fearing the loss of power created by a more dispersed decision-making process. Too often organizations forget that teams quickly create a more contented and stable employee base when they are encouraged and given the needed resources. By taking ownership over their tasks, effective teams reduce the need for disciplinary procedures and since their makeup includes management, staff and production people, the usual lines of distrust are often broken down. Of greater importance to the effective team are the well-being of the organization and the team's drive to ensure its success. The result is a cohesive and democratic meeting of people not seeking personal glory but a more dynamic organization better able to transfer its vision into reality. How the team functions and its tangible results will impact areas of the organization well outside the domain of the team itself.

In practice, organizations too often believe teams can be created overnight. Wrong. Developing effective and committed teams requires not only time but people who understand the dynamics of team development and their worth. This means understanding the complexities of human interaction. So don't create teams to placate a discontented workforce if the teams aren't going to be supported fully. Inventing a team and throwing people into the mix is a recipe for failure and a growing sense of cynicism and mistrust.

Take time to develop the team's mandate. Examine the kinds of skills (practical and emotional) needed for the team, and create an open selection process. Know that teams can be brought together to deal with a wide range of tasks ranging from product development, company expansion, and strategic planning to quality of work issues. But don't expect them to perform well if you haven't provided them with some 'how to' training.

Finally, find someone who can furnish the team with effective leadership. What sort of person? Someone who draws out the best in each team member. Someone able to make participation both enjoyable and meaningful without compromising a stringent work schedule. This leader knows each participant must have the knowledge and skills needed to comply with the team's goals. Then, when key members leave, the team is able to carry on.

But the real test, as we all know, is to what extent the organization as a whole adopts the recommendations of the team. My experience says that organizations often fail their teams through a refusal to commit time, energy and monies to important structure-building endeavours. Good teams can anticipate or eliminate crises, while creating a more solid base on which to build your organization's growth. Teams are well worth the commitment!

Dr. Helen Ramirez is an assocate consultant at The Tamarack Group.