Article

How to build a great team

Approach requires understanding of why some teams work, others don’t

In the business world, we often use sports analogies.

One of the most overused sports terms is “team.” It’s as if we think it’s fair to compare, say, the operational nuances of the Green Bay Packers to our propane company’s operating team, and then glean some satisfyingly meaningful conclusion.

As with a lot of simple, quick analogies, the comparisons are poor and we end up with nothing of value to help us run our companies.

In this column, we will address how our companies can operate with the team approach – if we understand what a team is, why some teams work and why some teams don’t work.

The problem with the sports comparison is that in so many ways the situations that define sports teams and our businesses are very different.

For example, in a team sport, the number of members on each team is defined by rule – say, 11 on each side in football. The rules of engagement are also well defined – one point is awarded for each soccer goal. Plus, the roles are clearly spelled out as to what a team member can and cannot do – pitchers pitch, hitters hit, etc. Even team goals are clear cut – win. In other words, measurement of performance is easily identified for both the teams and individuals.

In the real world of our companies, none of this is in place. In fact, the error that we make is to treat any small group within the company as if it were a team, when it’s nothing more than a small group of employees with no rules or definition. Yet, we expect them to perform like the Yankees.

Let’s start with a breakdown of what comprises a real team by using this definition: Any small group of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.

I highlight the three primary components of what constitutes a team – which, by the way, are present in all sports teams. What’s important to understand about this definition is that even well-formed teams fail. Groups of people who attempt to work together as a team – but who do not meet all of the criteria – will likely fail before they begin.

Why teams fail
So as you form your company team – whether it is the management team, an operational team or a project team – consider the following reasons why it will likely not work:

1. It is not clear who is on the team.
2. The direction of the team is not clear.
3. The boundaries of authority and scope were not set.

Further, as you form a team, some common misconceptions about teams are:

1. Teams must be in great harmony. It is not important that the team is quite happy together; what’s important is that everyone on the team works together. What is important, too, are the results, not the mood of the team in the process. It is how the members feel “after the season” that’s more important than how they feel “before the season.”
2. Teams get comfortable over time and lose their effectiveness. Just the reverse is true. Newness is a liability!
3. Improving personal skills helps to improve teams. Training for collaboration and group problem solving is more valuable than individual behavioral training.
4. Creating a team is always better than not. Often, teams that are formed in an ill-defined manner with little charge or purpose end up being highly ineffective or a waste.

The great ones
Finally, in addition to common purpose, complementary skills and mutual accountability, all great teams have the following characteristics:

1. They are small in number. The rule is that functionality of a team is inversely proportional to its size because the larger the group the greater the degree of difficulty interacting and making decisions.
2. The members stay together for long periods of time.
3. Each team must have a leader with courage.
4. The team needs a clear path to honest, frank discussion. This can be from the leader or from an ordinary member who speaks openly and who is the voice of an opposing opinion.