cameron and green making-sense-of-change-management

Team changeTeam rolesThe best way for a team to achieve its goals is for the team to be structuredlogically around those goals. Individual team members need to have clearroles and accountabilities. They need to have a clear understanding notonly of what their individual role is, but also what the roles and accountabilitiesof other team members are.When change happens – within, to or by the team – clarity around rolehas two useful functions. It provides a clear sense of purpose and it providesa supportive framework for task accomplishment. However, during changethe situation becomes more fluid. Too much rigidity results in tasks fallingdown the gaps between roles, or overlaps going unnoticed. It might resultin team members being less innovative or proactive or courageous.Team operating processesA team needs to have certain enabling processes in place for people tocarry out their work together. Certain things need to be in place that willallow the task to be achieved in a way that is as efficient and as effectiveas possible. Glaser and Glaser (1992) comment, ‘both participation in all ofthe processes of the work group and the development of a collaborativeapproach are at the heart of effective group work. Because of the traditionof autocratic leadership, neither participation nor collaboration arenatural or automatic processes. Both require some learning and practice.’Typical areas that a team need actively to address by discussing andagreeing include:• frequency, timing and agenda of meetings;• problem-solving and decision-making methodologies;• groundrules;• procedures for dealing with conflict when it occurs;• reward mechanisms for individuals contributing to team goals;• type and style of review process.In the turbulence created by change all these areas will come under additionalstress and strain, hence the need for processes to have beendiscussed and agreed at an earlier stage. During times of change when75