Michael Winner said that 'team effort is a lot of people doing what I say.'
However, we are all familiar with other mantras like Together Everyone Achieves More and there is no 'I' in 'team' and so on.
So, what is the truth about the effectiveness of the popular idea of team-working?
Is the decision-making of a group better than that of a talented individual?
Are 'two heads are better than one' or do 'too many cooks' lead to conflict and rivalry?
As usual, reality lies somewhere in the middle. Team effectiveness depends on the skills and talents of the contributing individuals, the kind of task being addressed and the level of managerial support and leadership.
Small teams (five to 12 people) are generally more effective than large ones which are more difficult to manage and tend to have more conflicts. A well structured and appropriately managed team can have significant benefits, for the individuals as well as the organisation:
- The skills and knowledge available in the organisation are utilised.
- Team members have a greater sense of involvement.
- The flow of information among team members is improved.
- The decisions may better reflect the needs of the whole organisation.
Teams need to have clear goals and an understanding of the role each member will play in achieving them. Effective teams consist of members with different strengths and abilities. Although his team-types questionnaire has been criticised, Belbin made some interesting observations and it is clear that excellent teams need to have:
- A leader capable of defining roles, clarifying objectives and who knows how to engage effectively the range of abilities within the team. He/she must also encourage honesty, openness and trust.
- A person who generates lots of creative ideas and original solutions (a plant).
- A range of mental abilities – if every member is highly intelligent, then they may spend most of their time arguing rather than effective problem solving.
- A completer/finisher who will take and shape ideas into practical solutions.
- A company worker to organise the team.
Team tasks can include:
- Generating plans and ideas.
- Solving problems that have correct answers.
- Deciding on issues that have no obvious correct answer at the time.
However, team-work does not always bring out the best performances in people and leaders need to be able to cope with some of the potential problems.
Brainstorming is a familiar technique for generating ideas and solutions. However, research suggests that individuals working alone generate more ideas than when they work as a group. Several explanations have been suggested to account for the difference. Team members may fear criticism of their ideas by colleagues (evaluation apprehension) and, if only one person at a time can express their ideas, others may simply forget theirs or suppress them (production blocking). Social loafing may occur if members think that others will do the work for them. Nevertheless, there is clear evidence that exposure to others' ideas enhances creativity and the key is to find a technique that enables idea generation, without the negative group effects. A simple way is to ask people to list their ideas before they attend the meeting and to ban any evaluation of ideas until they have all been listed. Teams linked by computer may generate more ideas than those meeting face to face – presumably this makes the process more impersonal and reduces blocking and the fear of critical evaluation.
Research on problem-solving tasks suggests that lower status group members have less influence on the group decision than higher status ones (even when the lower status people are correct). Even if one team member knows the correct answer, the team consensus is not always correct and, typically, two correct people are needed to persuade the rest of the team. The lessons for leaders are clear - where calculations are involved in the task:
- Listen to and engage everyone.
- Always get the sums checked as the consensus may deviate from the correct answer.
- Remember that your team may only be as strong as its second-best member!
When members are committed to a cohesive team, they may be reluctant to express conflicting opinions and they may 'go along' with some decisions for the sake of harmony. Low levels of conflict can result in poor decision making and too much can reduce motivation and productivity. Team leaders have to try to find the right level of conflict so as to balance a healthy exchange of ideas without damaging relationships. Several measures have been suggested to try to avoid 'groupthink':
- Leaders should try to be impartial so team members are not tempted just to agree with the leader.
- The team should be encouraged to raise objections and offer alternative opinions
- Outside experts may be helpful to critique ideas
- Decisions not yet implemented could be given a second chance review to air final doubts.
Good teamwork can be a key factor for business success. However, small is better than large; best individual performances cannot be guaranteed and managers (leaders) need to ensure individuals are fully engaged and their contributions are visible and acknowledged. A moderate amount of well managed conflict can improve decision-making and can lead to a high level of team performance. So let's be clear that however enjoyable and motivational it may be, a once-a-year away-day will not, in itself, build a committed, effective team. There's a bit more to it and managers may need to develop skills that hover between the art and science of management - the patience of a saint may also be helpful.
References available on request.