The Challenges of “Team Building” Projects

by Stacey Lett, Director of Operations – Eastern U.S. – Proactive Technologies, Inc.

We have all been there. Assigned to a project along with several others and declared “a team.“ Sometimes they work well, sometimes they result in endless meetings, endless meaningless reports, rivalries between team members as some jockey for position to be seen by management, or worse yet, the team is hijacked by that one self-appointed “leader” in the group that is convinced they know everything, but evidence shows quite the contrary…and the more that is pointed out, the more they feel threatened and push back.

Team building is a “collective term for various types of activities used to enhance social relations and define roles within teams, often involving collaborative tasks.” It is also a management tool to “expose and address interpersonal problems within the group.”

Whenever people join together to work on a common project, no matter if it is two people or 20 people, the organizational dynamics and personality differences, the aspirations of the individuals and each member’s level of dedication and self-motivation will determine the outcome of the project more than the importance of the assignment itself. In cases where that one, perhaps overly ambitious, individual who has learned to control the agenda through intimidation, or the team wanders without direction, other team members (and potential team members for future projects) may react in various ways – some very undesirable. These include:

• Timid behavior – reluctant to offer input to the team for fear of criticism, uncomfortable in a team setting or with team members;
• Ambivalent behavior – team member shows up late, seems distracted, doesn’t participate in conversations and/or turns in late or weak assignments;
• Skeptical behavior – those with more experience with project management can assess the team’s efforts and conclude it will never reach its goal, then distance themselves being concerned for their image being connected to the predictably failing project;
• Conflictive behavior – contributes to the team only when pushed and/or only when they agree with the reason for the assignment, quick to argue with other team members, seeks to keep team fighting among themselves;
• Combative behavior – takes actions to sabotage the team and its efforts, publicly broadcasts objections to team members or team decisions, undermines the team’s efforts by “poisoning” the workplace before or after the team’s results are released.

Obviously, there are many other possible undesirable outcomes from an imbalanced team or team goal, or an inappropriately selected team leader.  A team approach to project management can be effective if the right steps are taken. Here are a few of the obvious:

• Clearly define the project – what is the problem to be solved or improvement to be discovered and implemented. What facts are available to support the hypothesis (or if the project goal is researching an incident or condition, provide evidence that points to its existence).
• Clearly establish the team leader – wisely selected for their background relative to the project goal, their demonstrated experience and known leadership skills. Democracies rarely work in a team approach to a project without a clearly defined project and proper leader; situations can arise with the only person with knowledge and experience is outvoted by the other members who have little or no knowledge or experience. Unless management doesn’t really care about the outcome of the project or new skills all team members can acquire by being led to the goal successfully, thoughtful consideration of the leader should be given. Also, a poorly assembled team can sour all members on team efforts as well as the company culture. Project teams set up as democracies rarely work well and often leave a wake of damaged work relationships, confusing expectations and underwhelming outcomes. Too many of these experiences can ruin an employee’s motivation to succeed with the company or ability to take pride in their contribution to the company’s success.
• Establish “guardrails” for the team – ensure everyone knows the protocols for keeping concerns and complaints internal to the group. If a team member breaches the guardrails, deal with it swiftly and clearly. It is easier to do damage control immediately than when the damage has reached a stage it is irreparable. All of the good will of including employees in a management initiative can be lost to a higher degree than the positive results initially expected.
• Clearly, as best as possible, establish a project timeline – Sometimes this is not easy if new territory is being charted. However, at some point, and opportunity will arise when enough information and progress has been ascertained that a schedule can finally start to take form.
• Give clear and tangible support for the project and team – If team building is a management tool to develop internal talent, everyone has to believe it is.
• Give praise/criticism professionally – don’t feel you have to give everyone a gold star if goals have only somewhat or not been met or a team member didn’t participate or provided destructive support. These are adults, not grade schoolers. If you want them to behave like adults, they need to be treated like adults. If criticism is given, offer opportunities and follow-up for improvement. Use this as a learning experience for everyone. Honesty will carry more weight than undeserved accolades or inappropriate criticism.
• If management dropped the ball, own it – management, from time to time, can get distracted and forget to support the team’s project it initiated. Also, management can fail to provide the appropriate support or resources the team requested. If that is the case in either event, take responsibility and make it clear to all team members the failure was management’s, and discuss what was the “teachable moment.” The team members will appreciate the honesty and feel relief that they will not be scapegoated though they put in the effort.

Before assembling a team to tackle a project, give some thought to the pros, cons and tips for better team building. It can make the difference between a successful experience for all and a lot of containment and “clean-up” later.

Team building starts with everyone mastering their role. Check out Proactive Technologies’ structured on-the-job training system approach to see how it might work at your firm, your family of facilities or your region. Contact a Proactive Technologies representative    today to schedule a GoToMeeting videoconference briefing to your computer. This can be followed up with an onsite presentation for you and your colleagues. A 13-minute promo briefing is available at the Proactive Technologies website and provides an overview to get you started and to help you explain it to your staff. As always, onsite presentations are available as well.