The information in this article is derived mainly from a section of a book by Ralph Kleim and Irwin Ludin entitled “Project Management Practitioner’s Handbook.” It probes the characteristics of both poor teams and effective teams and identifies actions that the project manager might take to help realize some of the effective team characteristics.

 

 

 

 

Team Building

 

 

 

 

A team is more than just a group of people doing work. It is an assembly of individuals with diverse backgrounds who interact for a specific purpose. The idea is to capture and direct the synergy generated by the group to efficiently and effectively achieve a goal. Throughout the years, experienced project managers have witnessed many signs of ineffective teams.

 

 

 

 

Characteristics of Poor Teams

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





     
  •  
  • No processes for gaining consensus or resolving conflicts. Team squabbles and overt and covert discussions are ongoing occurrences, making cooperation difficult, even impossible.




    •  
  •  
  • Team members who lack commitment to the goal. No one has an emotional attachment to the goal.




    •  
  •  
  • No camaraderie or esprit de corps. The players do not feel that they are part of a team. Instead, everyone acts in his or her own interests.




    •  
  •  
  • Lack of openness and trust. Everyone is guarded, protective of his or her own interests. Openness and truthfulness are perceived as yielding to someone, giving a competitive advantage, or exposing vulnerabilities.




    •  
  •  
  • Vague role definitions. The reporting structures and responsibilities are unclear, causing conflicts. Territorial disputes and power struggles occur often.




    •  
  •  
  • No commonality or cohesiveness. The team is an unorganized grouping of people. No one feels a sense of community or brotherhood. No common ground exists other than to meet periodically to work. This results in lost synergy.




    •  
  •  
  • Conformity and mind protection. Insecurity permeates people for fear of being different or ostracized. People do not speak or share information unless it reinforces behavior or thoughts.




    •  
  •  
  • Low tolerance for diversity. The pressure to conform is so intense that anyone different in thinking or work style is ostracized or not taken seriously. Whistle-blowers and creative types, for instance, may be viewed with suspicion. Under such circumstances no opportunity is available to capitalize on people’s strengths and address their weaknesses.




    •  
  •  
  • Insufficient resources. Whether it’s people, equipment, supplies, facilities, time, or money, insufficient resources make teams ineffective. The situation can also lead to squabbling, dissention, even revolts. If resources are not distributed in an objective, meaningful manner, then differences can magnify into severe conflicts. Members of the team can quickly become polarized.




    •  
  •  
  • Lack of management support. If team members perceive—whether justifiably or not—that management is not supportive of the project, then motivation can plummet. People will feel that the work is not valuable, at least to the organization.




    •  
  •  
  • Listless team members. The goals are vague or nonexistent. Even if the goals are defined, no one—including the project manager—seems to focus on them. Instead, everyone is aimless.




    •  
  •  
  • Discontinuity between individual expectations and group expectations. There is a misalignment between the two, with the latter not valuing the former. A symbiotic relationship between the two just does not exist.




    •  
  •  

 

 

 

 

 

 

An ineffective team is conflict ridden, filled with distrust, unfocused, and reeking of negative competition. These conditions manifest themselves in high turnover and absenteeism, considerable frustration levels, poor communication, no esprit de corps, and intolerance.

 

 

 

 

The project manager, of course, wants a project team with desirable characteristics:

 

 

 


Characteristics of Effective Teams

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





     
  •  
  • Acceptance of new ideas and objective evaluation of them




    •  
  •  
  • Sustained common norms, values, and beliefs without excessive conformity




    •  
  •  
  • Synergy through mutual support




    •  
  •  
  • Loyalty and commitment to the project




    •  
  •  
  • Focus on end results




    •  
  •  
  • A trusting, open attitude




    •  
  •  
  • Ability to gain consensus and resolve conflicts




    •  
  •  
  • High morale and esprit de corps




    •  
  •  
  • Information and resources sharing




    •  
  •  

 

 

 

 

 

 

An experienced project manager knows all too well that a team with these characteristics is difficult to achieve. Yet he also knows that such characteristics will not arise unless he takes action. There are some actions that the project manager might take to engender such characteristics:

 

 

 

 

 

 





     
  •  
  • He sets the example. He not only espouses certain values and beliefs but also exercises them. He wants people to be trustful and open, so he is trustful and open. He expects people to be committed, so he is committed. In other words, he “walks the talk.”




    •  
  •  

 

 

 

 

 

 





     
  •  
  • He encourages communication—oral, written, and electronic. He knows that communication is more than writing memos, standing in front of a team, or setting up a Web site. It requires sharing information in an open and trusting manner, holding frequent meetings (status reviews and staff), publishing a project manual, defining acronyms and jargon, employing technology as a communications tool, and encouraging task interdependence.




    •  
  •  

 

 

 

 





     
  •  
  • He has the team focus on results. They direct all their energies toward achieving the vision. Whether he or the team makes a decision, it is made in the context of achieving the vision. The project manager constantly communicates the vision and establishes change control and problem-solving processes.




    •  
  •  

 

 

 

 





     
  •  
  • He engenders high morale and esprit de corps by developing and maintaining the energy that comes from teaming. He knows, however, that he must continually nurture that energy to keep it flowing. So he empowers team members, encourages consensus building and win-win solutions, increases task interdependence, matches the right person with the right task, and teams people with complementary work styles.




    •  
  •  

 

 

 

 





     
  •  
  • He builds commitment to the vision and the project. Throughout the project cycle, team commitment can rise or fall. Ideally, the project manager wants to achieve the former. Ways to do that include matching people’s interests with tasks, encouraging participative decision making, empowering people, seeking input and feedback, assigning people with responsibility for completing deliverables, and keeping the project in the forefront of everyone’s mind.




    •  
  •  

 

 

 

 





     
  •  
  • He lays the groundwork for synergy. A team is more than the sum of its members. But synergy requires cooperation. Ways to obtain cooperation include providing cross-training so that people understand each other’s roles and responsibilities, clearly defining roles and responsibilities, determining each team member’s strengths and weaknesses and making assignments that capitalize on the former, and having groups within the team be accountable for a complete work unit (e.g., subproduct or deliverable).




    •  
  •  

 

 

 

 





     
  •  
  • He encourages greater diversity in thinking, work style, and behavior. Always mindful of the danger of groupthink, the project manager encourages different thoughts and perspectives. He encourages experimentation and brainstorming to develop new ideas and keep an open mind, seeks task interdependence to encourage communication, and nurtures a continuous learning environment.




    •  
  •