1.5 - About University

Sources of increased team IQLearn from Hard Times➠ All teams have hard times, when the error rate is highand efficiency is low; when interpersonal stress is high,and organizational support is low. High-IQ team membersrecognize and talk about difficulties, take ownership,and take action to improve their situations.[☛ 8.1 Conversations]Build Trust by Delivering➠ High-IQ teams build trust by underpromising andoverdelivering; by consistently meeting commitments,especially when under pressure.[☛ 1.7 Results-Based Leaders, 12.2 Trust]Find the Causes of Problems➠ When things go wrong, high-IQ teams find the cause ofthe problem, then fix the cause so the problem does notrecur.[☛ 7.2 Problem Solving, 7.3 Finding Cause]Engage in Conflict of Ideas➠ Team synergy and high Team IQ come from differingideas being discussed, challenged, combined, and transformedinto new and improved thinking.[☛ 12.7 Dealing with Conflict]Meet in the Meeting➠ High-IQ teams get ideas and issues on the table in themeeting. The team is free enough that members can tellthe truth in the meeting, about what is going well,problems, and real opinions about its work.[☛ 8.5 Metacommunicating, 10.8 Ground Rules]Focus on High Priorities➠ There are always too many things to do. High-IQ teamsfocus team energy and attention on high-value issues.They resolve these issues and move on.[☛ 3.5 Strategic Resourcing, 13.5 Time Management]Sources of decreased team IQMake Hard Times Worse➠ When times are tough, things get worse, decreasingTeam IQ. Inability to talk through difficulties causesindividuals to complain, blame, and attack.Break Trust by Missing Deliveries➠ Failure to deliver reduces trust. In attempting to pushtheir limits, low-IQ teams and members may commit toactions and timelines they cannot possibly deliver.Find the Person to Blame➠ When things go wrong, low-IQ teams tend to identify aperson to whom they can attach blame.Engage in Personal Conflict➠ Attacking team members deflects the team from its realwork, reduces listening, and produces the kind of emotionsthat hamper thinking.Meet after the Meeting to Discuss the Meeting➠ Subgroups, often people who did not speak up in themeeting, congregate afterward to criticize decisionsmade in the meeting.Demonstrate Attention Deficit➠ Low-IQ teams tend to give equal weight to all issues,without prioritizing which issues to work on first.H OW TO USE THIS LEADERSHIP TOOL“How can a team of committed managers with individual IQs above 120 have a collective IQ of 63?”—Peter Senge, THE FIFTH DISCIPLINEUse this tool as a diagnostic to help a team assess its IQ and plan action. Here is a process todo that.WEB WORKSHEETA. Have everyone in the team independently complete the Team IQ questionnaire, using theTeam IQ sources for ideas. It may help to have the questionnaires completed anonymously,for the purpose of compiling results for a collective diagnosis.1. Signs of low Team IQ: Identify specific behaviors and actions the team has taken thatdemonstrate low Team IQ.302 SECTION 10 TOOLS FOR LEADING TEAMS AND GROUPS