Your Team s Two Most Important Plays

Your Team's Two Most Important Plays

You have been warned repeatedly that organizations that have teams for teams' sake are foolish. Rather, build your team to gain the synergy available from bringing together the minds and skills of diverse talents. People are being paid to function well on your teamthey are professionals. Sports teams have plays designed by their coaching staff. They outperform pickup teams primarily because they have a discipline to their approach for getting their work done. For your business to benefit from having a team concept a business strategy and practice, your team needs to have plays to increase the odds that it will be particularly good at problem solving and decision making.

Having a systematic approach to performing these key procedures not only increases effectiveness and efficiency, it also helps build trust. When team members see that problems are solved and decisions are made in accordance with what has been established in the team charter, they begin to believe that they can depend on their teammates. This is especially important on teams of high achievers. High achievers hate to depend on others. They feel that "if it has to be, it better be me." Do you ever feel that way? Don't fall into the trap of trying to get the team's work done on your own. Also, be careful not to overrely on the most talented or most reliable team members . Being asked to be involved in all aspects of the team's work may be flattering to them at first, but later it may produce burnout or resentment. Teams exist to gain collective wisdom. Problem solving and decision making need to be done in a manner that capitalizes on the brainpower of the many, not the few.

Teams need to be able to make decisions to complete the problem-solving process. They need to have systematic problem-solving procedures in place to make wise decisions. These two processes represent the ebb and flow of successteams must be adept at expanding their thinking to include many points of view and then narrow their thinking by coming to a conclusion that all members are committed to implement. To expand their thinking, they need to be skilled in the use of brain- storming and other problem-solving tools. To narrow their thinking, they need to be skilled at decision making.