Effective Groups

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Effective Groups
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Best/Worst

• Describe your best/worst group experience. What
  made it great? What made it unsatisfying?

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Why Groups Fail

• Unclear roles and responsibilities
• Unclear/disagreement on charge/goal
• Lack of facilitation
• Unclear or no process
• Unclear boundaries
• No shared accountability for task and process
• Unmanaged group dynamics
• Lack of advocacy/assertion skills (conflict
  avoidance)
• No celebration or closure

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Unmanaged Group Dynamics

• Lack of common culture
• Unclear standards of behavior
• Unclear mission/charge/purpose
• Unclear roles, responsibilities, influence
• Wrong structure
• Lack of problem-solving/conflict management
  processes

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Effective Groups (Katzenbach and Smith)

• Shape purpose in response to a demand or
  challenge
• Translate purpose into specific, measurable goals
  
• Manageable size
• Right mixture of expertise
• Common commitment to working relationships
  (roles, responsibilities)
• Collectively accountable
• Use effective communication and conflict
  management techniques

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Group Elements

• Interdependence
• Commitment to purpose/goal/mission/task
• Role differentiation
• Accountability
• Agreed-upon process

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Challenge of Team Work

• Task What needs to be accomplished
• and
• Process How the task is accomplished

Some people are task oriented others are more
process/people oriented. Effective groups need
both. What is your style? You may have a
balanced approach.
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Planning

• Good planning reduces conflict.

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Icebreaker and Discussion of Expectations/Goals
- Alignment of Purpose/Outcomes- Agreement on
Groundrules Behavioral Norms (including
facilitation roles)- Discussion of Expertise
and Roles- Procedures - Evaluation of Meeting
Group Planning The First Meeting
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Formal Roles Dont Forget!

• Facilitator
• Recorder
• Timekeeper
• Team Member

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Groundrules Decision- Making Options

• Expert opinion
• Delegated authority (you decide)
• No decision
• Majority rule
• Consensus
• Tannenbaum and Schmidt

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Consensus

• A shared decision reached by all team members who
  commit to support it. Consensus is reached when
  all members have had an opportunity to create
  options, participate in discussion, been listened
  to.

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Stages of Group Development
2. Storm
3. Norm
4. Perform
1. Form
Goal Count me in Task
Orientation Concern Membership Tuckman
1965
Goal I (or we) want to be in
charge Task Organization around
decision making procedures Concern
Influence
Goal Lets set up guidelines to
ensure good work Task
Communication/ Agreement on roles,
process and issues orientation Concern
Disciplining ourselves
Goal To create group
synergy Task Collaboration Concern
Success
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Necessary Balance of BehaviorsTask
Process

• Initiator
• Information Giver
• Information Seeker
• Coordinator
• Evaluator
• Summarizer

• Encourager
• Harmonizer
• Gatekeeper
• Standard Setter
• Follower
• Observer

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Communication Techniques

• Reflective Listening
• Advocacy
• Feedback

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Communication Technique Active Listening

• Listen for Meaning and Emotion
• Reflect without judgment
• Listen for validation
• You are concerned that. . .
• You are upset that Mary is not coming to the
  meetings on time like we agreed . . .

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Communication Technique Feedback

• Information provided to an individual about how
  you (or others) view their behavior and how that
  behavior affects you (or others)
• Feedback can be Neutral (Descriptive)
  Positive
  Negative
  

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Feedback Content

• Accurate
• Relevant
• Specific Behaviors and Facts
• Sharing of Ideas
• Descriptive, not Judgmental

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Feedback Guidelines

• Include an ongoing opportunity for the receiver
  to ask clarifying questions, react, and change
  your statements
• Use I statements, avoid we or they
• Mary, when you come late to our meetings, it
  stresses me out because I have a family and not
  much extra time.

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Dimensions of Team Assessment

• Team Effectiveness
• Individual Member Effectiveness
• Outcome of Team Effort
• Debrief/evaluate every meeting on task/process
  dimensions. The final debrief and celebration
  are key.