1.5 - About University

H OW TO USE THIS LEADERSHIP TOOL“Effective team leaders realize they neither know all the answers, nor can they succeed without the membersof the team. The wisdom of teams lies in recognizing that any person … who genuinely believes inthe purpose of the team and the team itself can lead the team toward higher performance.”—Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith, THE WISDOM OF TEAMSShould your group be organized as a workgroup or as a team? What level of teamwork shouldyou expect from employees? The answer to these questions is, “It depends.” Check (√) thesestatements to help you decide between a workgroup and a team structure. Keep in mind thatworkgroups require less coordination and meeting time than do teams, and unless the workdemands joint accountability, a workgroup may be a more practical way to organize.Workgroup requirements___ Individual accountability is primary.___ Work issues can be discussed, decided, then delegatedto individuals in the group.___ There is likely a shared purpose within the workgroup.___ Individual work products are pooled to achieve overallworkgroup results.___ Challenge and support within the workgroup willenhance results, but individual performance is the keyto workgroup success.___ Workgroup membership is a matter of practicing teamwork(e.g., relating well within the workgroup, workingwithin organizational values).___ Little attention needs to be paid to the workgroupitself, other than to group leadership skills.___ The group can be any size, depending on the skills ofthe group leader.___ Skill mix can vary considerably.Team requirements___ Requires both individual and joint accountability.[☛ 13.3 Accountability]___ Work issues need to be discussed, decided, and completedas a team. (Thus, issue size is important.)[☛ 4.4 Employee Involvement]___ There is clearly a shared purpose within the team.[☛ 2.6 Clarifying Purpose]___ The team is working to achieve a specific result that isunique to the team (a whole job), and that is greater thanthe sum of the individual team members’ contributions.___ There is significant interdependence within the team.Individual success depends on the success of the wholeteam. The team will succeed or fail together.___ Team membership is a matter of contribution. Thosewho contribute will be on the team. Those who don’twon’t be needed on the team.___ There needs to be a vision of the team itself (e.g.,working approach, team development).[☛ 2.4 Visioning, 2.5 Values, 4.5 Culture]___ Team size should be fewer than 12.___ Skills must be complementary within the team.R ELATED LEADERSHIP TOOLS4.4 Employee Involvement 10.3 Team Competencies 10.6 Group Leader Skills8.6 Communications 101 10.4 Team Commitment 13.3 AccountabilityF OR FURTHER ASSISTANCEKatzenbach, Jon, and Douglas Smith. The Wisdom of Teams: Creating the High-Performance Organization.HarperBusiness, 1993.300 SECTION 10 TOOLS FOR LEADING TEAMS AND GROUPS