Discipline of Teams
The Discipline of Teams
Jon R. Katzenbach
Douglas K. Smith
Harvard Business Review
July-August 2005
p. 1-9
Performance
Exploit the power of positive feedback, recognition, and reward
Spend lots of time together
Challenge the group regularly with fresh facts and information
Set and seize upon a few immediate performnace oriented tasks and goals
Set some clear rules of behavior
Pay particular attention to first meetings and actions.
Slect members for skill and skill potential, not personality
Establish urgency, demanding performance standards, and direction
Types of teams
Teams that run things
Determining whether a real team approach is the best one
Teams that make or do things
Teams that recommend things
Challenges
dealing with the ultimate handoff
get off to a fast and construcive start
Elements
mutual accountability
complementary skills
Interpersonal skills
Problem solving and decision making skills
Technical or functional expertise
performance goals
Attainability of golas helps team maintain their focus
Specificity facilitates clear communication and constructive conflict
Goals help define a set of work products
common commitment and purpose
Translate common purpose into specific performance goals
The best teams invest a tremendour amount of time and effort exploring, shaping, and agreeing on a purpose that belongs to them both collectively and individually
Most successful teams shapre their purposes in response to a demand or opportunity put in their path
Develop direction, momentum, and commitment by working to shapre a meaningful purpose
Definition
"a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, set of perofrmance golas, and apprach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable."
Usually smaller groups
A team is more than the sum of its parts
Teams are not working groups because they require both individual and mutual acocuntability
