Dr. David Rafeedie

My wife Ellen and I had our home in Arizona built for us. We took photos and did inspections throughout the process. It was fascinating to see these obviously gifted construction workers and sub-trades do their work. Each trade knew what to do, and they did their jobs well. Though each trade had a different job to do, as part of the house building team, their part contributed to produce the house. They did the right thing at the right time in the building process. To be sure, there was a terrific site supervisor there making sure all the details were covered, and very good project manager overseeing the whole project.

It was fascinating watching as each phase was completed and then watching the next one start. We took pictures at each phase to archive the process for posterity. Well, at least so we could look back and see how our home took shape. If we did not know the plans of the home ahead of time, the beginning phases would not have told us much. Other than we knew to achieve the goal of the finished house, each of these phases was important. We placed our trust in the builder, the supervisors, and the sub-trades. Each phase, from the laying of the foundation to the finishing work once the home was completed, was done intentionally to move us to the point where we could move into our new home.

Just like the phases a home goes through, teams also have phases or stages to move through before they are “hitting on all eight.” I have found that Bruce Tuckman’s four phases of a team development helpful in understanding how to build teams. His theory gives a qualitative and quantitative method of determining where your team is and where you want your team to be. Below is a brief synopsis of each phase. A more in-depth presentation of the phases will be coming in a future article.

Forming

In this phase, the team comes together and may not have worked together before as a team. Beyond what the team have been told by the leader about the goals and desired outcome of the team there is little agreement between the individual team members. The roles and expectations are not known at this point. There is no alignment of the processes involved in working together. The leader must be prepared to do a lot of explaining and answering questions. 

Storming

The team at this point is still a group that gathers together and does not operate fully as a team. (I will explore the difference between a group and a team in a future article). In this phase, decisions are difficult for the team because team members are getting to know and trust one another. Team members are trying to establish their position relative to the other members of the team. There could be a conflict of ideas between individuals or factions within the team. The leader in this phase must be good at working with people, keeping them focused on the goals and desired results, and managing conflict well.

Norming

In this phase, operating procedures for the team (SOP) are agreed upon, and there is clarity and acceptance of roles and goals. In the Norming phase, there is collaboration and the ability to make decisions. Sub-groups can be formed to work in different areas of the team’s responsibilities because there is trust between team members on the team. This trust and working well together may also result in team members liking each other and socializing after hours. In this phase, the team respects the leader, and the leader is good at empowering and facilitating.

Performing Team

In the Performing phase, the team has strategically focused and knows its part in the bigger picture. The team members have a shared and owned vision and are aligned to achieve the vision. The Performing phase is characterized by highly motivated team members striving to go over and above what is required. When conflict on the team occurs the team members themselves settle the dispute among themselves. At this point, the team, for the most part, is autonomous and will turn to the leader for resourcing or interpersonal mediation. In this phase, the leader is more overseer than manager. To maintain this level of performance a good leader will have a strategic team building regime to keep the team sharp and focused.

As indicated, a different style of leadership for each phase is important in moving a team the Performance level. Of course, there is overlap in the phases and leadership styles as it is not always a completely linear process. I will say more about situational leadership in an upcoming blog, and specifically about leadership style in each phase. But to say here, a good leader will know what phase his team is in and adjust leadership style to fit the phase to move the team forward.

Just as the home builders who built our home in Arizona went through recognized phases at the appropriate time to bring our home to completion, a leader has to be intentional about moving their team through the phases of growth to reach the Performance phase. Using the home building analogy, here are a couple of tips that will help you grow your team.

Foundation: Finding the right people: recruiting, assessments

If you are starting from scratch and get to build your team you have an advantage. You just have to make sure you have an effective hiring process. One that measures the skills you are looking for, and that also determines if the potential employee is a good match for your team’s culture and the organization's values.

If you are working with an existing team, it is never too late to begin an intentional process of building your team. With assessments, you can develop current team members and help them adjust to their roles.

Framing: Putting them in the right place on the team

The framing stage is important because it establishes the parameters and shape of the home. I noticed the builders of our home did not put a truss in the wall framing but on the roof where it belonged.

In the same way, it is important to have the people on your team in the right role to maximize their effectiveness well-being and the team’s morale and performance.

If you have the right people in the right place, you can feel good about giving the team responsibility and authority. People are highly motivated when they feel they are an important part of a team with an important mission.

As part of your team building be intentional to discuss teamwork and how to build it. Define what leadership in your organization is and how it is lived out on your team. Communicate and model your core values and how you make decisions.

Wiring and plumbing: There are a variety of ways you can be Intentional in team building. Intentional team building is how you embed values, vision, and direction. It aligns the efforts of the team to accomplish the mission.

The famous quote by Bill Bethel articulates the results of good team building, “A successful team is a group of many hands but one mind.”

Team building can also be done in a variety of venues. A leader should take advantage of every organic venue she has and create special venues on occasion to enhance building the team.

• Weekly staff meeting: A well-designed staff meeting can be a good place for team building. Take care of business but leave some time for quick and fun team building. Keep it simple but participatory. It doesn’t hurt to keep staff meetings fresh. 11/2 – 2 hours should be enough time for a good staff meeting that includes some team building. It doesn’t have to happen at every meeting.

• Special team meeting times for team development. When done well these meetings will lead the team to the Performance phase.

• Retreats that allow input from the team regarding the bigger picture are important. The retreat can include evaluation of team performance, ideas for improvement on how the team can function better together, and taking a look at the future together.

• Fun, even crazy, team building exercises at random times with little or no notice.

Flooring: Clarity in communication

Clarity does not happen naturally. People on a team bring with them different expectations based on their different life and work experiences. Different personalities also bring with them certain biases and expectations. It is the leader’s responsibility to create clarity on the strategically important issues and dynamics for the team to be successful.

Here are a few important questions to ask and answer to help create clarity for your team to help them succeed.

What’s the win?

You must have a clear picture of what success is for your team. If you don’t know the destination, then you will not know what path to take. You could end up anywhere!  Articulating the “win” clearly will give your team clear direction. Clear direction is a morale builder because it helps bring about ownership of the mission.

You must also have a way of knowing when you have achieved the success you have articulated. How do you know you have reached your destination? What are the metrics you need to know you have achieved your mission? If you have the metrics, then you can develop milestones along the way that will give you the confidence you are heading in the right direction.

How are you going to get there?

If you have a clear picture of the destination, you can weigh what is good and what is best. Many good opportunities will present themselves to any leadership team. Picking the best opportunity to get you to your win is critical. Evaluate everything! Staying focused on the destination will guide the decision making.

What is your part?

If team members are clear on the importance of their role, how they contribute to the team’s success, it will help motivate them to do their best.

If the team has clarity on how they contribute to the organization's success, it will motivate them to work together well to achieve the goals and mission. They will have ownership of the organization's success. The team’s important place in the bigger picture is critical to the team's esprit and success.

Two ways to build your team:

The two ways below are not mutually exclusive. A strong leader does both because she knows her team is the key to her success. Take care of them, and they will take care of business.

1.    Build the individual team members

a.    Equip the team members for their roles. Ensure they have the resources and support they need to succeed. Resources and support can sometimes include personal development beyond the task at hand. Do they have the training they need to be successful?

b.    Know and care for the members of your team. Know who they are. Talk to them. What is important to them personally? How is their family doing? This personal interaction helps build trust in the leader. This trust, as we have seen above, is critical in moving the team forward.

c.    Empower each member of your team to fulfill their role. If there is someone on the team you do not trust to empower then move them to a role more suitable for them. You are doing them and the team a favor.

2.    Build the whole team together

a.    Equip—how does each role work in relation to the other member roles. What does    teamwork look like for this team? Does the team have the resources they need to accomplish the task? 

b.    Know what phase your team is in and empower them to carry out the responsibility they have been given.

c.    Do intentional team building that reinforces the mission, and that move them to a performing team level.

d.    Ensure clarity of communication—what is the win! How are they going to get there? What is their part in the organizational vision? What are communication best practices for moving information sideways and up and down? 

Those of you who have built homes have probably guessed the closest I have come to doing so is with Legos. However, I do know how to build teams, and I have done team building and helped others do so for many years. I can work with you to help you establish a great team building regime that will take your team to the Performance level. Check out my website by right-clicking this link, www.davidthecoach.com and contact me. I also appreciate any comments on this article you would like to make as well.