T.E.A.M. Ethic or Just Another Paradigm?

T.E.A.M.
Ethic or Just Another Paradigm?
by Michael dark, CLP

"A team is a small right number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals and approach/or which they hold themselves mutually accountable." —Katzenbach and Smith The Wisdom of Teams

Individual effort in and of itself can reach limits way beyond any expectations if the "right" individual puts their mind to it. This is further enhanced if the purpose of their efforts are toward an end result or goal that the individual takes great pride in achieving. However, the potential of a group of these "right" individuals can be astronomical if the same situation applies. This potential is a result of the processes and systems that develop from the "real team" idealism.

T.E.A.M. WORK

"A team is a small right number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable." This quote from Katzenbach and Smith's book. The Wisdom of Teams, creates a great foundation for the T.E.A.M. illustration. Not all situations nor all individuals believe that the teamwork ethic is nothing but another corporate buzz word that involves a lot of time and wasted effort in meetings with people you really do not know nor care to get to know. What these individuals are missing out on is the incredible array of related experiences along with the aspects of potential personal growth. Take the definition of team stated above and relate it to the team that most people are exposed to first, the family unit. Even this simple example can illustrate to any individual the potential they may have from experiences with this team. Unfortunately, the family unit in today's society is not as strong as it has been in the past and may be one reason for the failure of youth to see the potential of working together and not against each other with violence and disrespect.

This teamwork perspective can obviously be nurtured or left alone. Those left alone will foster an "every person for themselves" mold because they feel it is the only way to survive. Again, society norms of the past decade have reinforced this perception on youth and the ethic of real teamwork may have become obsolete as these individuals grow up and become more exposed to interactions with other people. As park and recreation professionals, each of us must decide whether to become leaders in showing the youth the benefits of working with teamwork elements in mind. This opportunity may come around through contact in programming or by hiring them as seasonal employees in our facilities.

As stated before, everyone becomes a member of a team either in their workplace or personal life. The experience, whether good or bad, will mold an individual to either accept and respect the ideas, values and efforts of other people, or give them the "every person for themselves" syndrome. Are two heads better than one? Most would agree that new or added perspectives can add tremendous benefits to any decision making process. Too many times one hears that management has blinders on and that they look through a tunnel. However, if one believes that two heads are better than one but always goes back to the safety net of relying only on himself/herself, they have fallen into just another paradigm. It is those individuals that act and react together with others that creates and fosters an ethic which is not only meaningful, but provides the potential of becoming that "right" individual and team member. To illustrate this belief of potential and a "real team" ethic, one must build upon the acronym of T.E.A.M. These represent the building

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blocks involved with molding and experiencing the potential of real working teams. They stand for "Together-Effective/Efficient- Action-Management." Each element stands alone with respect to needsof high performing teams and developing the teamwork ethic. However, placing them all together as a statement fulfills the potential of the "right" individual, and hopefully the potential to lead youth and other individuals towards the success of T.E.A.M.

TOGETHER

The main premise associated with this element is that every member of the team must come to the realization that we are all in the same boat together. Not only must this realization come quickly, but there must be a continued commitment to sail the boat in the same direction. This creates the forming process of a team and is the first vital step in becoming a high performing team. Ironically, the premise must start with the genuine pursuance of each individual. It becomes critical for each member to distinguish the discipline involved with developing this together element as well as make their own decisions on how they will contribute toward the continuity of the group. Every member needs to have the intent of being as objective as they can in assessing their own capabilities, responsibilities and skills. Moreover, each member needs to understand that even if they feel they cannot be a major contributor they can still play a vital role in the team ethic. Again, all members must have the intrinsic desire to be a pan of the whole. Conversely, many people board the boat for their own agenda and not for the team ethic or performance goal that has been identified by the team. A member must draw a fine line when joining a team that they feel they cannot stay objective, or are seeking benefits other than the team objective.

When this agenda differs from a team, then the member must have been forced on the boat by a line of authority, or the member has a hidden agenda. Either situation is counterproductive, and the team ethic necessary to be a high performing team does not exist. This is the main reason why the together element is vital to the ethic model. Once each member has addressed their individual factors, then the principle of togethemess and the forming stage of the team has come around full circle.

There is the argument that even with the together element, people still are different and have instincts of self-preservation. This is undoubtedly true; however, these instincts can work for the benefit of a team. When these differences and instincts are explored and discussed openly within the group's forming stage, they can act as a true asset to the performance of the team. The team must recognize each member's differences, instincts and expectations and address them for what they are. Next, the group must then relate them to how they will assist the team in accomplishing their performance goal. If a group is candid and honest about this step in the together element, the differences can then become a collective strength for the team to build upon. This in turn not only assists in building trust and confidence, which are vital for a team success story, but it also can help members define their roles and contributions they know they can add to the team experience. This type of definition fosters a sense of belonging which only nurtures the together element to the team ethic.

The last factor of this element has to do with the last part of the definition of a team. The clause of being mutually accountable becomes one more indispensable part of the together element. In order for respect to grow, each member must in their own mind know that they cannot and will not drop the proverbial ball. Conversely, each member must install the confidence of every other member on the team that they will pull their own weight. One important factor that can play a major role in assuring this confidence is setting expectation levels. Nothing can destroy an individual's enthusiasm toward a team effort more than not communicating exactly what is going to be expected from each and every team member. Most complications and misunderstandings that occur with a team effort is a lack of communications or an abundance of assumptions. No one likes to come to a team meeting and be surprised when other team members ask for something they did not know for which they were going to be held responsible. Clear, concise instructions and agenda items should be set at the end of each working meeting in order for team members to understand what they need to accomplish for the next meeting. Without this system in place, the mutual accountability aspect is a thing of the past.

EFFECTIVE/EFFICIENT

For the sake of acronyms, these two elements are combined in this article. In addition, the two relate very well when addressing the team ethic because in order to be effective, the team must be efficient. However, an efficient team may not necessarily be effective unless certain factors within these two elements are present. The premise of an effective team must always relate to the purpose of the team. Some may argue that an effective team is one that gets decisions made and items on hand completed, but that does not

Every member of the team must come to the realization that we are all in the same boat together. Not only must this realization come quickly, but there must be a continued commitment to sail the boat in the same direction.

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necessarily have to be the only factor. One must measure the effec-tiveness of a team in some terms, and this is usually measured by performance. Unfortunately, the performance of a team is looked at by manage- ment on whether the final goal was achieved.

The realization managers must make when fostering teams is that even if the end result was not what the final expectation was supposed to be, it does not mean that teams are not effective within the organization. New ideas and personal growth, even if they are not related to a particular team's project, can pay off indirect dividends in the long run. Moreover, an environment that encourages team efforts will also encourage morale and open communication lines which are vital in today's quick information demands.

However, the environment to encourage these factors is not the only issue to address. As quoted in The Wisdom of Teams, authors Katzenbach and Smith state, "Organizational leaders can foster team performance best by building a strong performance ethic rather than by establishing a team-promoting environment alone." What is stated here is that the leaders of an organization must go beyond the point of saying it is good to have teams in the workplace. They must walk the walk and place trust in the teams. In addition, their effectiveness should be measured by a performance ethic. This ethic must also be expanded to include the understanding and tolerance of risk taking along with failure. If a leader or member of a team is involved for the sake of promoting teams without the "real team" ethic, it is a waste of time and one should go sail their own boat in to the troubled and challenging waters.

The action element to the team ethic does involve conflict and overcoming obstacles. Without these barriers, a group really does not become a team.

Another critically important factor to keep in mind when evaluating the usefulness of teams is that the accomplishments must relate to a purpose in order to measure performance. Moreover, the purpose must have a balance toward the needs of customers, employees or family members. A high performing team will also plan their performance record so that there are small accomplishments along the way when working toward the final goal. These are often overlooked by teams, especially those whose existence is perpetual. A constant uphill climb without any successes can be the death of a team. Thus, a team when planning an attack should leave room and flexibility in order to have several successes along the way. No matter how small or insignificant the successes are toward the final result, the opportunity to reflect and celebrate on them is a definite element toward a high performing team and a team ethic by all members. Otherwise, the "just another paradigm" syndrome will creep in and become contagious to the entire team.

The obvious premise with the efficiency of a team is that the more individuals there are working on a project, the more efficiently and quickly the job will be completed. Again, this premise can be misleading to managers if they are not aware of the potential to the team ethic and other group dynamic factors. For example, the law of diminishing returns becomes a consideration when measuring the efficiency of a team. This is when an additional input of a member actually starts to diminish the productivity of a team because too many people get in the way. This is why the definition of a team states a "small right number of people." Other group dynamics such as taking breaks at opportune times, meeting times, duration of meetings, and proper delegation of tasks utilizing member strengths all play an essential role in the efficiency of a team. A key characteristic of high performing teams have members that feel that they are involved and committed to something larger than themselves.

ACTION

How many times have you been in a group and it seems nothing gets accomplished except scheduling another meeting? Too often this leads individuals to believe that teams are a waste of time. This can be all too true if the perception of time utilization is poor. A high performing group should be able to meet periodically (time frame usually depends on the scope of the task and, of course, that nasty word— deadline), and pool their information together that they have compiled individually based on their responsibilities. This does not mean that a team should not brainstorm together as a group. This is an imperative part of working as a team to make sure that all ideas are placed on the table. However, once the working group has brainstormed and the expectations are communicated, time utilization becomes critical. People will stop coming to team meetings if (1) they are redundant; (2) they are poorly organized; (3) they do not start on time or are too long; or (4) they recap what they have already completed individually.

Meetings should be spent productively by having members pool their information together. This will assist the team in coming to consensus on matters that are specifically on the agenda for a particular meeting. Other factors or decisions will appear during every work meeting, but those should be tabled until the next meeting.

The action element to the team ethic does involve conflict and overcoming obstacles. Without these barriers, a group really does not become a team. Once a group explores the capabilities of how to resolve conflict and overcome obstacles they realize each other's strengths and how well they perform together.

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Last, action also means having fun. Park and recreation professionals should take this to heart whether as a worker or recreator. Enjoying the accomplishments, interaction with people, and the friendships that develop become more than trivial advantages from working with a team. In fact, whether at home or work, this part of the T.E.A.M. ethic most often gets overlooked by team members as well as management or parents.

MANAGEMENT

When one goes to define this word, he/she does not know where to start nor really has a straight forward definition. The same can be said in this context. The management element to the team ethic can be best described as the glue that holds all the elements together. Such factors as leadership, time management, evaluation processes, norms of the group, as well as the organization or family and so forth. One key aspect within this element is that the team must maintain a consistent perspective on the role of the team. For example, is the role of the team to make things such as products or decisions? Is the role to do or to recommend things? The perspective must always be addressed prior to the team acknowledging any accomplishment. There can be nothing more detrimental to a team who has worked long and diligently on a task, expect the task or recommendation to be accepted, and find out later it was for nothing. If a team's role is purely to recommend, that perspective must be maintained throughout the duration.

Other group dynamics assist with the management element of a team. For example, the leader plays a critical role, but this article is not intended to cover leadership dynamics. A team in its purest sense basically manages their team subconsciously by the development of their group norms and their history. Failures and accomplishments all play a vital role in the effective management of the team. Teamwork utilizes people to the best of their capabilities by assigning tasks they are good at, as well as providing opportunities to grow in areas in which each team member should improve. A well managed team provides both of these aspects and evaluates them periodically. Too many times teams get caught up in the projects and forget the critical step of evaluating each other as well as the team as a whole. Helpful hints in regard to the evaluation process are "do well—do differently" sessions, as well as journals.

Periodically, it is healthy and helpful for the team to communicate what they are doing well and what they feel they should do differently. A well managed team, no matter how effective, should have a sense that there are new plateaus to climb. The do well—do differently sessions should include several dimensions. First, every member should evaluate themselves. This can be a very difficult thing for members to do, but it can provide a reality check for them. Second, each member should evaluate other members on the team. This can also be very difficult but can have tremendous results if conducted correctly. Last, each member should evaluate the team as a whole. One should keep in mind, especially the leader if there is one, that these sessions should not be scheduled until the other elements have been established. Mutual accountability, trust and a history should all be in place before these sessions occur.

Last, it can be helpful if the team develops a journal. These are not minutes and should not be interpreted as such. Journal entries are made by each team member after a working meeting. They should be narrative in nature and should explain what and why things were said or done. All journal entries are distributed to all team members on a periodical basis. This provides all team members with the perspectives of each of their team members. The process can be very helpful in the developing stages of a team because members can get an idea of how people articulate and evaluate things. Furthermore, this can greatly assist a team with clarification processes so that misunderstandings and rumors that all too often occur can be communicated before they get out of hand.

CONCLUSION

The "right" individual can be part of an amazing phenomena if the T.E.A.M. ethic can be understood. Individual differences will always occur but respect of these differences can be a strength to a team. This type of mentality must permeate throughout an organization or family. Do not fall into another wasteful paradigm; the experience and opportunity awaits you. A concluding quote from Wisdom of Teams — "Each team must find its own unique performance challenge ... this discipline, and the performance focus at its heart, provide the essential compass to potential teams."

Author's acknowledgment: To my T.E.A.M. members at LFGSM for the countless hours of enjoyment. The true sense of team has forever endured my heart, and I will remember our times as good times. Thank you and good luck to all of you.

Michael dark is the Manager of Revenue Facilities for the Park District of Oak Park. He is also the Vice-Director of the Facility Management Section and Chair of the Illinois Park and Recreation Certification Board.*

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