1.5 - About University

10.8G ROUND R ULES: HELPING G ROUPSTO A CHIEVE B USINESS R ESULTSInspired by Peter Block and numerous other sources.Clear and empowering ground rules help leaders achieve results through workgroups andteams. Thus, knowing how to establish and work with ground rules has become an essentialleadership skill in modern, knowledge-based organizations.W HAT ARE GROUND RULES?Often part of a team charter, ground rules are explicit guidelines that support and demandhealthy group process and member behavior. Similar terms include group norms, behavioralguidelines, group operating principles, and so on. Ground rules can cover such things as:✔ how decisions will be made✔ how conflict will be managed✔ how information will be recorded ✔ how meetings will operate✔ how closure will be reached✔ what preparation is expected before a meetingW HYESTABLISH GROUND RULES?Whether or not they are explicit, workgroups and even entire organizations have norms andestablished patterns of interacting (e.g., who supports whom, how sensitive information is handled).Over time, implicit norms and practices become embedded in the very fabric of a groupor organization, and take on the mantle of dogma. Despite the difficulty these norms maycause, they come to be seen as normal, and as “how we do things around here.” Thus, althoughsome norms outlive their usefulness and become limitations on member satisfaction and groupsuccess, they are nonetheless self-perpetuating, and challenging them can seem like heresy.Explicit ground rules help to surface these norms, making them legitimate topics of discussionand challenge. In this way, ineffective norms and dysfunctional patterns of interacting arereplaced. Over time, group satisfaction and achievement improve accordingly. [☛ 4.5 Culture]H OW MANYGROUND RULES, AND HOW MUCH TIME WILL IT TAKE?The nature, scope, and number of ground rules that are needed to facilitate group success willdepend on a range of factors (e.g., the type of group interaction required, how much time thegroup is expected to spend together). For a short-term task force, a few minutes may be sufficientto establish a few key process and behavioral parameters. For long-term teams, a fewhours may be needed over a few meetings. Generally, a short list of the most critical groundrules (six or seven) is more desirable than a long wish list.320 SECTION 10 TOOLS FOR LEADING TEAMS AND GROUPS