1.5 - About University

The need to deal with unresolved I and We issues is why people invest in informal and relationshiptime, like coffee discussions before morning meetings begin. This informal time givesspace to vent and let go of a few I disturbances—heavy traffic, a fight with the kids, complaintsabout too many meetings. It’s also a time for reconnecting with folks they haven’t seen forawhile, meeting new members of the group, and so on.T HE ITThe ultimate purpose of a workgroup is to produce superior results in an efficient way. Butsuperior and efficient performance cannot be accomplished without dealing with the I and theWe. This is why opening rituals are so useful in workgroup and team meetings—introductions;reviewing the agenda; estimating meeting time; clarifying desired outcomes; reviewing rolesfor the meeting chairperson, timekeeper, scribe, and so on. Opening rituals help clarify someof the We issues and prevent these issues from becoming disturbances. It’s also advisable toclarify the It, the group’s task and goals (the reason the group came together in the first place).Unleash the power of workgroups and teams by taking care of disturbances during meetingstart-ups. Meetings with hurried starts—“Never mind the chitchat, let’s get to work”—oftenget bogged down quickly. Disturbances take precedence if time is not allowed for clearing awayI and We issues. This then draws individuals’ and the group’s attention away from the task athand, the It. Always remember, at the beginning of a meeting or workgroup activity, to a) maketime so that I disturbances can be aired and cleared away, b) review group or We issues, and c)clarify task or It outcomes. Doing so gives everyone in the group an opportunity to help ensurethat their efforts produce superior results for the company.H OW TO USE THIS LEADERSHIP TOOL“Certain concerns almost always exist among the people entering a potential team situation. ... ‘Whatare the real agendas here?’ ‘What is this going to mean for me?’ ... ‘How long is this going to last?’”—Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith, THE WISDOM OF TEAMSAs a leader, you need a number of group models and tools. This diagnostic tool will help youanticipate and manage workgroups and teams. It’s a simple approach for anticipating, noticing,and signaling problems: “I think we need to deal with some We issues now, before wemove on,” or “I think we have spent enough time on I, and need to start working on It, thetask.”IBalancerequiredWEIT312 SECTION 10 TOOLS FOR LEADING TEAMS AND GROUPS