Six Secrets of Powerful Teams: A Practical Guide to the Magic of Motivating and Influencing Teams (4 page)

The illustrative behaviors of this stage are to listen and emphasize, allow, and self-lead. This is the holy grail of team development.

The
performing
stage of team development is characterized by members focusing on problem solving and completing their assigned tasks. Team members are now interdependent and able to handle the decision-making process without direct leader supervision. Social relationships have developed, roles and tasks have been defined, and the team is working synergistically to accomplish objectives. Dissent is expected and allowed as long as it is offered in ways acceptable to the team.

Even so, performance might not be consistent, but instead, it might occur in peaks as everyone coordinates the efforts to meet critical target deadlines.

As individuals question, "How can I best perform my role?” the team questions "Can we do the job properly?" The performing stage of development is best facilitated through individual and team empowerment, encouraging them to work on the tasks they've previously identified as necessary to meet the overall objectives.

Nonetheless, this does not mean that the leader should be hands-off during this stage
.
The leader can support the team by monitoring whether the desired objectives are being met and by making resources available to achieve the desired results.

This is the most skipped stage in terms of a leader’s support and guidance. It is vitally important to allow a sense of completion for the team members. Otherwise, there remains a festering feeling of “unfinished” business.

The final stage of team development,
adjourning
,
or mourning
,
occurs as members disband once their jobs are done—hopefully after the task is completed successfully and its purpose fulfilled. Attention is directed toward wrapping up activities and moving on to new tasks, activities, and projects.

In this stage, team members remain upbeat because of their accomplishments and they feel good about what's been achieved. Others might be depressed due to feelings of loss or stress or because they have looked to the team for positive reinforcement, feelings of self-worth, and personal achievement.

The adjourning stage is often initiated by a brief period of review and reflection upon completion of the project, i.e., a debriefing process. This can occur in the form of summative assessment or as reflective responses to questions about process and effectiveness.

Thinking Alert
: A framework for reflection can include the following questions:

1. What went well?
   
2. What would you do differently next time?
   
3. What was your key learning from this experience?
   

In addition, the leader can help team members transition out of the team by formally celebrating the end or a new beginning
.
Awards, public acknowledgment for a job well done, and mock graduation ceremonies are often presented or conducted, while valuable lessons learned from working with the team and experiencing the group dynamics are recapitulated.

Note
: Sometimes the mourning/adjourning stage is brief or non-existent. It might simply be an informal breaking up of the team, a debriefing following the completion of the small-group project, or a more formal method of "saying goodbye" to the process and one another.

Dr Meredith Belbin studied team-work for many years. He famously observed that people in teams tend to assume different "team roles." He defined a team role as "a tendency to behave, contribute and interrelate with others in a particular way". He named nine such team roles that underlie team success.

It is important to emphasize that
these are not set-in-stone behavioral patterns of individuals, rather these are preferences and attitudes team members will assume in a given team situation
. Therefore a certain individual might perform a certain role within one team, and accomplish a different role within another team. Often however individuals
do
have a tendency to fill a certain role within all the teams that they are a part of or at least strive to fill this preferred role.

Remember
: Belbin is asserting that when a team is performing at its best, one finds that each team member has clear responsibilities. Also noticeable is that every Belbin role needed to achieve the team's goal is being performed fully and well. However it is likely that a team will fall short of its full potential, not because skills are lacking but because the Belbin roles aren’t harmonized across the team 

Teams and team leaders can use Belden model in order to create a harmonious and balanced team.

How do teams become unbalanced? According to Belbin, a team becomes unbalanced if all team members carry out the same behavioral team role. In this case one of two things may occur: When team members have similar weakness, the team as a whole may tend to have that weakness. When team members have similar team-work strengths, they may compete instead of collaborate for the team tasks and responsibilities that best suit their preferred roles.

With this information in mind, the team leader together with the team can implement the model and investigate the team members preferred roles as well as explore the roles which are missing. This analysis helps uncover potential behavioral tensions or weaknesses among the team member, and also guide the team into carrying out the missing roles.

This can be done since individuals have primary roles which they prefer but also secondary roles which they are able to fulfill if required.
By understanding your role within a particular team, you can develop your strengths and manage your weaknesses as a team member, and so improve your contribution to the team.

Belbin identified nine team roles and he categorized those roles into three groups: Action Oriented, People Oriented, and Thought Oriented.

Each team role is associated with typical behavioral and interpersonal strengths. Belbin also defined characteristic weaknesses that accompany each team role. He named the characteristic weaknesses of team roles the "allowable" weaknesses; as for any behavioral weakness, these are areas to be aware of and potentially improve.

The nine team roles divided into the three groups are:

Shaper (SH)

Shapers are people who challenge the team to improve. They are dynamic and usually extroverted people who enjoy stimulating others, questioning norms, and finding the best approaches for solving problems. The Shaper is the one who shakes things up, to make sure that all possibilities are considered and that the team does not become complacent.

Shapers often see obstacles as exciting challenges and they have the courage to push on when others feel like quitting.

Their potential weaknesses may be that they're argumentative, and that they may offend people's feelings.

Implementer (IMP)

Implementers are the people who get things done. They turn the team's ideas and concepts into practical actions and plans. They are typically conservative, disciplined people who work systematically and efficiently and are very well organized. These are the people who you can count on to get the job done.

On the downside, Implementers may be inflexible and can be somewhat resistant to change.

Completer-Finisher (CF)

Completer-Finishers are the people who see that projects are completed thoroughly. They ensure there have been no errors or omissions and they pay attention to the smallest of details. They are very concerned with deadlines and will push the team to make sure the job is completed on time. They are described as perfectionists who are orderly, conscientious, and anxious.

However, a Completer-Finisher may worry unnecessarily, and may find it hard to delegate.

Coordinator (CO)

Coordinators are the ones who take on the traditional team-leader role and have also been referred to as: the chairmen. They guide the team to what they perceive are the objectives. They are often excellent listeners and they are naturally able to recognize the value that each team members brings to the table. They are calm and good-natured and delegate tasks very effectively.

Their potential weaknesses are that they may delegate away too much personal responsibility, and may be manipulative.

Team Worker (TW)

Team Workers are the people who provide support and make sure that people within the team are working together effectively. These people fill the role of negotiators within the team and they are flexible, diplomatic, and perceptive. These tend to be popular people who are very capable in their own right, but who prioritize team cohesion and helping people getting along.

Their weaknesses may be a tendency to be indecisive, and to maintain uncommitted positions during discussions and decision-making.

Resource Investigator (RI)

Resource Investigators are innovative and curious. They explore available options, develop contacts, and negotiate for resources on behalf of the team. They’re enthusiastic team members, who identify and work with external stakeholders to help the team accomplish its objective. They are outgoing and are often extroverted, meaning that others are receptive to them and their ideas.

On the downside, they may lose enthusiasm quickly, and are overly optimistic.

Plant (PL)

The Plant is the creative innovator who comes up with new ideas and approaches. They thrive on praise but criticism is especially hard for them to deal with. Plants are introverted and prefer to work apart from the team. Because their ideas are so novel, they can be impractical at times. They may also be poor communicators and can tend to ignore given parameters and constraints.

Monitor-Evaluator (ME)

Monitor-Evaluators are best at analyzing and evaluating ideas that other people (often Plants) come up with. These people are shrewd and objective and they carefully weigh the pros and cons of all the options before coming to a decision.

Monitor-Evaluators are critical thinkers and very strategic in their approach. They are often perceived as detached or unemotional. Sometimes they are poor motivators who react to events rather than instigating them

Specialist (SP)

Specialists are people who have specialized knowledge that is needed to get the job done. They pride themselves on their skills and abilities, and they work to maintain their professional status. Their job within the team is to be an expert in the area, and they commit themselves fully to their field of expertise.

This may limit their contribution, and lead to a preoccupation with technicalities at the expense of the bigger picture.

Belbin's Team Roles

To find out which team roles you naturally fulfill, or to profile your team, visit
www.belbin.com
.