2.10 Creating a Team

The project teams that have the rockiest beginning turn out to be the most effective teams over time. Team members who really care about the quality of the project early on create much of the disagreement and hostility displayed at team meetings. The disagreements are a way of making a member s department s goals understood . This negative energy can be used to create an effective team. It is the mission of the Project Manager to focus and channel this energy.

Ground Rules

The first step in creating an effective team is to clearly lay down ground rules. It is a good idea to create a list of ground rules at the first team meeting.

An example of a list of ground rules is:

• All members are responsible for showing up on time with assignments complete.

• If a team member has not completed a task assigned to him it is his responsibility to notify the Project Manager before the meeting.

• All discussions will remain professional; all comments must be focused on tasks not people. No slander, swearing , or personal insults are allowed.

• The Project Manager has complete authority for maintaining order.

• The Project Manager can interrupt any team member at any time and ask her to shorten her comments or handle her discussion out of the meeting.

• It is the responsibility of the Project Manager to decide what conversations are pertinent to the team.

• Not all discussions are pertinent to all team members all the time. Team members should show courtesy to each other by allowing members of the team the time to discuss their issues even when it does not involve everyone.

• Team members who break any team rules owe the entire team an apology.

After the guidelines of conduct are discussed and agreed to, it is recommended that all team members sign the bottom of the ground rules sheet, agreeing to follow the rules of the team. Some teams find that financial incentives help keep team rules in check. With some teams a penalty box should be instituted. If teams members are late to meetings and have not called ahead to notify the Project Manager, they have to pay $1 a minute for each minute they are late. If they come unprepared, they have to pay $1 to $5. This money goes into the penalty box. Team members modify their behavior quickly after they are forced to pay money. It s a good idea to keep a running total of penalty box money in the team minutes. When the funds reach a predetermined amount or a certain amount of time passes , the team buys lunch or a cake.

Team Goal

It is important to clearly state the goal of the team. This provides clarity and purpose for the team. An example of a project goal may be ˜ ˜for every employee to have a PDA that can access the company s e-mail by the end of the company s fiscal year. This statement can be used as a benchmark to decide what is important and what is pertinent to the team. It keeps the team focused on the big picture. The team goal can be used as a byline for the team minutes.

Identification of Hidden Positions

A Project Manager needs to understand and manage the three different types of people who are part of a newly forming team ”supporters, naysayers, and organizational anarchists. Be careful when labeling team members; you can t always judge the book by its cover. Many people appear to be in one category but are actually in another. Also, people change categories. Your goal is to move your team to the supporter category.

Supporters. Supporters have typically been involved in teams that have an organized project life cycle. They have learned that a structured approach to project development actually saves time and causes less confusion.

Naysayers. New teams have many naysayers. Naysayers complain that the PLC process is bureaucratic, that the company is too small, or that the project is too small for a PLC process. Do not become intimidated by naysayers. Effective project development needs planning. Many nay-sayers are actually concerned that the PLC process will add paperwork to their already overburdened workload. They may be concerned that the PLC process will provide the company with a scorecard ready to ˜ ˜beat them up if they slip up. When a Project Manager effectively runs a team, a naysayer learns firsthand that the team will support him and that an organized approach is easier and more efficient. In the long run, a PLC process saves time and makes team members look good within the corporation. Most naysayers turn into the biggest supporters once they have worked on an effective team.

Organizational Anarchists. The most difficult group for a Project Manager to identify and deal with are organizational anarchists. Organizational anarchists sound like naysayers or supporters but are in fact people who are incapable of working within structure. They are incapable of creating, providing, or working with the necessary paperwork an effective team needs. Most organizational anarchists are interesting, creative people. Most organizational anarchists have been successful individual contributors who feel it is important for their career growth to get into a management track. An organizational anarchist will unknowingly undermine the effectiveness of a team. Once identified, a Project Manager has one of three choices for dealing with organizational anarchists: 1) replace them; 2) marginalize them; 3) limit their effect. Many times it is difficult for a Project Manager to replace a person assigned to a team. Team members and management might not understand why the Project Manager is trying to get rid of this team member. Getting rid of a team member is a very tricky situation since it can cause a backlash from the team. You should handle this situation carefully . A successful strategy for dealing with an organizational anarchist is to talk directly with him about his role on the team. Organizational anarchists typically feel uncomfortable and overwhelmed by their team role. Saving face makes them want to stay on the team. Help them decide to do what makes them feel comfortable. If they stay, a project manager will need to act as a coach. This way the Project Manager can marginalize the organizational anarchist s effect. By marginalizing someone, a Project Manager will keep an organizational anarchist on the team but will find other people to help fulfill his duties. Sometimes a substitute person can be found to perform the duties. If all else fails and a Project Manager is forced to work with an organizational anarchist, the Project Manager should understand that any duties the organizational anarchist is involved in will have a significant chance of failing. The Project Manager will not be able to complete the project on time and within the budget during the organizational anarchist s activities. The team behavior will have to be modified so the team can react to the organizational anarchist s limitations.

Creation and Fostering of Trust

Trust is necessary for a team to work efficiently . When watching the members of a winning sports team it is obvious they trust one another by the way they intuitively work with each other. A player on a successful team trusts that her fellow team member will be in position and will act accordingly . Trust is not given easily; it must be earned. A Project Manager builds and creates an atmosphere of trust and provides cues to the team on proper behavior. To create trust, it is necessary for the Project Manager to be aboveboard with the team. He or she cannot take sides but should act like a judge, listening and viewing all sides and points of view. Decisions are made based on the team s goals. A Project Manager should provide an atmosphere where team members can raise problems and concerns without being labeled complainers or troublemakers. The Project Manager needs to maintain team members confidence. When an issue or a concern is raised, a Project Manager should investigate all sides and arbitrate a solution. Team members will want the Project Manager to be their advocate. It is necessary for the Project Manager to be an impartial team advocate. This is accomplished by staying focused on the team s goal. Team members recognize if a team leader is impartial and focused on the greater good. This fosters trust. When team members trust a Project Manager, team members provide him with crucial information that identifies potential problems before they become fires, thus creating an effective and efficient team.

Effective Styles

Many new Project Managers look at an established Project Manager and attempt to mimic his or her style. The team sees this mimicking and regards the Project Manager as insincere. The best advice for a new Project Manager is, be yourself. A successful Project Manager can have any personal style. The best are organized, are fair, support their teams, and follow a predictable course, like the procedures outlined in this book.

2.10 in a Nutshell

To have an effective project team, it is necessary to create a group of people who can work with each other.

• Inherent in a team s dynamics are members who bring opposing interests and hidden agendas .

• It is the responsibility and goal of the Project Manager to create a functioning group of people.

• Creating a team is one of the most difficult, but important, responsibilities the Project Manager has.