Lesson 7 - Team Dynamics and Performance

Key Takeaways

1. A team is a special type of group in which the members share a common objective or goal. 2. There are five stages in the team building process. 3. The different group challenges are Opinions, Feuding, Groupthink, Floundering, Rush to achieve, Attribution, Discounts, and Plops, Digressions, and Tangents. 4. The different modes of communication are meetings, memos, emails, newsletters, and events. 5. The team tools are brainstorming, nominal group technique, and multi-voting.

Team Stages and Dynamics

2.6 Team Stages and Dynamics Group vs. Team: Group: More than one person shares something in common. Team: A special type of group which members shares the same objective or goals. Team members are dependent each other to be successful. >Sales team is not a team since they are paid the commission based on their individual effort. >6 Sigma team is a true team because each member is dependent on each others to be successful. Five Team Stages: 1. Forming: > Team comes together and the team leader directs and assigns responsibilities. > Team leader employs a directive style of management. > Team members are generally enthusiastic and motivated by a desire to be accepted. 2. Storming: > Conflicts start to arise within the team over responsibilities and control. > Team leader employs a coaching style of management. >Example: Manager tried to help two members to figure out who is more suitable to create a data plan. 3. Norming: > Team develops a unified commitment to the project goal. > The team leader promotes and participates in the team activities. > The team members look to the leader for clarification. > The leader utilizes a participatory style of management. (Work as a member not manager) 4. Performing > Team evolution happens successfully. > Team members manage complex tasks and work toward common goals. > Team leader employs a supervisory style of management and delegates work. 5. Adjourning > The project starts winding down and the goals are within reach. > Team members deal with their impending separation from the team. > Team leader provides feedback to the team and employs a supportive style of management. Negative Team Dynamics: 1.Overbearing Participants: > Taks on a position of authority and discounts contributions from other team members. >Solution: Establish ground rules for participation. 2.Dominant Participants: > An excessive amount of group time in talking too much, focusing on trivial concerns, and preventing participation by others. >Solution: Provide constructive feedback without curbing their enthusiasm. 3.Reluctant Participants: > Miss opportunities to bring up data that is valuable to the project. >Solution: Offer encouragement by responding positively to their contribution.

Types of Group Challenges

7.3 Types of Challenges 1.Opinions: >Opinions, when confused for facts, can lead to miscalculations or misinterpretations, and affect the project adversely. >Decisions should be based on data. 2.Feuding: >Feuds between team members negatively affect the group dynamic and can be intimidating to people not involved in them. >Team leader sets the right tone and creates rules for interpersonal behavior 3.Groupthink: >Groupthink occurs when team members reach a consensus without critical analysis >One of the team members plays the role of the devil's advocate. 4.Floundering: >In floundering, teams are unable to make or commit to decisions. >The team relook at the roles and responsibilities and improve communication. 5.Rush to Achieve: >Rush to achieve occurs when the team is more concerned about getting results than analyzing different options. >Team members are reassured that they have sufficient time to do quality work. 6.Attribution: >Decisions are based on inferences and unverified data. >Inferences should be analyzed for their veracity and applicability. 7.Discounts: >Discounts occur when group members are dismissive of other's contributions. >Refocus the team's attention on the individual's contribution to ensure it is not overlooked. 8.Plops, Digressions, and Tangents: >Plops is when one member criticizes others in the group. >Digressions and tangents occur when group members lack focus and discuss unrelated topics or face interruptions. >The team leader has to ensure that the team remains focused and constructive.

Team Roles and Responsibilities

7.5 Team Roles and Responsibilities Roles for a Six Sigma team: More than one person can act more than one role 1. Executive Sponsor >Source or conduit for project resources and is usually the recipient of the benefits of the project. 2. Process Owner >Works with the black belts to improve their respective process and provides functional expertise. 3. Champion >Upper-Level manager who controls and allocates resources to promote process improvements. 4. Master Black Belt >Consultant who offers expertise in the use of Six Sigma tools and methodologies to team leaders. 5. Black Belt >Leader of individual Six Sigma projects who mentors Green Belts by educating them in Six Sigma tools. 6. Green Belt Leads project teams who are working in their areas of expertise. 7. Executive >Managers and leads the team to ensure smooth working of tasks and has the power to execute decisions. 8. Coach >Trains, mentors, teaches, and guides the team when required. 9. Facilitator >Acts as a guide and helps the team understand its common objective. 10. Sponsor >Supports the event or the project by providing all the required resources. 11. Team Member >Contributes to the performance of the team and actively participates to fulfill project objectives.

Team Communication

7.7 Team Communication Mode of communication is selected based on Type of information, Receiver, and Time or Process Stage of the information being conveyed. Modes of communication: 1.Meetings: Good for analyzing, discussing, and presenting information for everyone. 2.Memos: Short business letters to exchange limited information. 3.Emails: Major modes of information communication in text format. 4.Newsletters: A regularly circulated publication in the office. 5.Events: An occasion where people exchange information. Communication with Stakeholders: >Communicate the goals: Meeting, Email and Events. >Understand the status of the project: Meeting, Email and newsletters. >Identify the adverse effects to the stakeholders: Workshop, meeting, and events >Assist decision-making: Meeting Communication Techniques: >Vertical communication: Downward and Upward flow of communication. Exp: Communicate with you and your leaders. >Horizontal Communication: Formal and informal communications. Exp: Communicate with you and your peers. >Verbal and Non-verbal Communication: Exp: Body Language and communicate resistant. >One-way and Two-way communication: >One-way: channels which information are only presented, but nothing returns. Exp: newsletter. >Two-way: When information is conveyed back and forth within party. Exp: At a lunch meeting

Team Tools

7.9 Team Tools: 1. Brainstorming is a tool used by the project team to generate solutions to predefined problems. >Process: 1-1. Identification: Issues are identified and a team session is planned. 1-2. Information: Facilitator describes the issue and states the goals of the session. 1-3. Speculation: Pool of ideas are generated by the team 1-4. Suspension: Writer compiles the ideas generated by the team 1-5. Evaluation: Ideas generated are prioritized and multi-voting is used. 1-6. Analysis: Each idea is reviewed against the project data and requirement. 1-7. Presentation: The final report is prepared and presented for final approval. 2. Nominal Group Technique: Similar to Brainstorming, but restricts the interactions between team members. >Steps: 2-1. Explain issue: Issue explained by the facilitator to all the members. 2-2. Note idea individually: Ideas are listed by the participant individually without any discussion. 2-3. Vote: Vote are cast by each participant to make all the ideas. 2-4. Prioritize: Ideas are prioritized. 3. Multi-voting: Multivoting is used to arrange and enlist a long list of items to a considerably smaller or manageable number. >Steps: 3-1. Generate a list: Number the list for identification purpose 3-2. Choose from the list: Choose one third of the items on the list 3-3. Vote: Cast by each participant to rank the items in the list 3-4. Conclude with a smaller list: Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the group ends up with a smaller list