Workforce
Collaboration: Building a Strong Team Foundation
The
ever-changing economy, technology, and global market demands are
compelling enterprising organizations to manufacture products faster
and cheaper without losing sight of their objective selling
product. Since todays drivers of success are speed, cost,
and quality, its important to consider who in the organization
is responsible for keeping the process running smoothly. In most
thriving enterprises the responsibility is delegated to teams that
are expected to meet corporate goals through a collaborative effort.
To that end, it is critical to create an environment that supports
their efforts. Organizations that follow proven methods to enable
workforce collaboration among people and their functions develop
a vision in which everyone can subscribe. From an employers
perspective this synergy provides for better interdependent working
relationships among workers who ultimately produce better products.
Team
Essentials
One
of the first steps in creating a collaborative team effort is laying
out the ground rules. Gone are the days when individuals within
an organization work independently from one another, or from other
departments. Team effectiveness relies on:
- Providing
a supportive environment
- Defining
a clear purpose and clear goals
- Selecting
competent, dependable, trusted team members
- Deciding
upon a set of team agreements describing how members will work
together
Elisabeth
Ekman is V.P. of Engineering for Zilog, in Campbell, California,
a company that specializes in designing and manufacturing computer
chips. She describes what teambuilding was like for her organization.
It takes time, it doesnt happen overnight and it needs
constant reinforcement, says Ekman. We have been at
this collaborative team building effort for nearly two years and
now its pretty much running itself. But, whats important
is to stick to building the team effort consistently. Weekly meetings
are essential to set the pace and the agenda.
According
to a recent survey conducted by Industry Week, Census of Manufacturers
(publication 9.18.00), 26 to 99 percent of employees who work in
manufacturing plants are working in teams, and 39 percent of manufacturing
operations reported up to one quarter of their workers are team
members. Overall, 68 percent of small-company plants are reportedly
using teams to varying degrees to solve problems, realign business
processes, and create new products and ideas. As a result, these
companies have reported significant improvements to the overall
productivity of their organizations.
Strong
Leaders Are Results Driven
One
key to the success of any team effort is choosing a strong team
leader. Much like a conductor in an orchestra, the team leader sets
direction and continues to foster the efforts from individual team
members while helping all to work toward the common goal.
When choosing a team leader, organizations should select someone
who is respected by both the members of the team as well as senior
management. This individual must have access to senior management
in order to secure resources for the team, possess a collaborative
style, and be open to coaching.
Look
for identifying qualifications in a team leader such as:
- Strong
communication skills
- Belief
in group process
- Strong
connections within the organizations hierarchy
- Respect
from all key participants
While
these characteristics provide a model for the ideal team leader,
it would be unrealistic to believe that every organization can produce
this individual. For that very reason, choosing a leader who is
willing to be coached and mentored is important. Leaders can learn
how to lead and build consensus without becoming dictatorial or
passive. A positive attitude will go far in leading a team toward
a shared goal. It is the work of the team leader to facilitate members
as the team determines its purpose (why the organization exists),
mission (what it will accomplish), and vision (what it will look
like and how its stakeholders will be affected by the missions
success).
Voted
Off the Island
Not
everyone is cut out to be a team player. As Ekman relates, Some
people can leave their ego at the door, and some cant, and
you will immediately know who is on and who isnt. Individuals
who have been involved in collaborative team thinking consistently
name trust as the essential requirement for good teams.
True, the knowledge, ability and selfstarting nature of each team
member are what comprise the dynamics of the team. However, regardless
of how skilled a team member may be, he or she may not have the
capabilities to work within a team setting. In that case, the approach
should be similar to a Get Out Of Jail Free card. If
at all possible, individuals who cannot work well within a team
setting should be allowed to escape without incurring any negative
effects on themselves, or the team.
On
the other end of the spectrum, teams may incur problems with members
who have agreed to the teams goals and decisions, but are
unwilling to keep their agreements or unmotivated to move the team
closer to its goal. This attitude does little to support a collaborative
team effort, and in some cases, it is possible that the member be
voted off the island. This course of action should only be taken
after every other avenue to get the team member to function effectively
on the team has been tried. At times, because of a unique skill
or set of circumstances, a team member cannot be taken off of the
team. In those cases, the team should engage with the problematic
member to see if some sort of working agreement can be constructed
that will allow both the individual and the team to be successful.
Virtual
Teams & Geographically Dispersed Teams
The complexities and demands of todays marketplace have also
set the stage to create teams that are not co-located. While corporations
and organizations have had distant satellite and sales offices for
years, never before has the need for interdependence been so great.
Geographically
distributed organizations have recognized that team members may
not necessarily share the same office space, yet they are expected
to work inter-dependently and share accountability for a single
product, or project. For individuals to work and communicate collaboratively,
Virtual Teams (VTs) and Geographically Dispersed Teams (GDTs) have
become necessary in most organizations today.
One
of the benefits of VTs and GDTs is that members, regardless of their
corporate ranking, can participate in teamwork from any location,
depending on what the project dictates. Just as a solid foundation
should be in place to ensure an effective co-located collaborative
team, the same goes for VTs and GDTs to accomplish team goals.
The
requirements for building and reinforcing VTs and GDTs include:
- Face-to-face
start-up meetings
- Development
of a clear set of roles and responsibilities
- Creation
of a conflict/resolution process
- Training
in the use of electronic tools and applications
Many
organizations currently relying on VTs and GDTs caution that while
technology plays a major role in the emerging business arena, creating
virtual teams is not always an ideal situation. Most agree that
it is harder for virtual teams to be successful than for traditional
face-to-face teams.
According
to a recent study by Sirkka L. Jarvenpaa, Graduate School of Business
at the University of Texas/Austin, Communication and Trust in Global
Virtual Teams, It is understandable that, with computermediated
communication, team members can build stereotypical impressions
of the others based on limited information. The report shows
how the global nature of virtual teams can present concerns with
possible cross-culture differences in communication behaviors. Individuals
from different cultures vary in terms of their communication tactics
and group behaviors, including the motivation to seek and disclose
information. Its important to address the issue of communications
cross-culturally from the very start, so that each member
of the team understands what is expected of them.
As
with co-located teams, one big issue is trust, and by virtue of
communicating with one another solely through technology, without
the periodic face-to-face meetings, team efforts via VTs and GDTs
can leave too much guesswork in the process. What is necessary to
promote trust between geographically dispersed team members is carefully
planned and facilitated face-to-face meetings, and thoughtful, strategic
use of technology and telecommunications tools.
This
approach includes:
- A
face-to-face start-up meeting intended for the creation of a clear
set of team agreements, with the development of clearly articulated
and agreed-upon goals
- The
development of a clear set of roles and responsibilities
- The
creation of a conflictresolution process
- Training
in the use of electronic tools and applications
With
properly facilitated, and appropriately supported technologically,
VTs and GDTs can be an effective competitive advantage rather than
being the source of a new set of problems.
Creating
Workforce Collaboration
The key to building a solid foundation that will support a collaborative
team effort is recognizing that todays complex and rapidly
changing technology and marketing efforts make it impossible for
a single individual to hold all of the intricacies of a new product
or idea. Tapping the collective brainpower of individuals, setting
clear and agreed upon goals, carefully selecting a team leader,
and providing the tools to support the team, are some of the best
ways an organization can begin an effective team effort.
Organizations
that follow proven methods of creating strong team collaboration
among people and their functions will create a vision that everyone
can support and build on. Most importantly, when all team members
understand the vision, purpose, and goal, the result is longterm
workforce collaboration. Once in place, organizations will realize
substantial benefits including fewer turnovers, better overall morale,
and faster time to market.
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