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Teamwork
is defined as "a cooperative effort by members of a group or team to
achieve a common goal." Teamwork can be challenging at times, but
there are documented stories of well-honed IT teams that cannot be denied.
What
dictates a successful IT team? What makes the good ones tick? What is the
"heart" of a team? There are no easy answers but there are some
guidelines that, if followed, just might help.
The
guiding objective on an IT team is to serve the business process. With that
in mind, one must first assemble the full complement of skill sets to
identify and address a given need. Through the integration of technology
and business, the two worlds are becoming increasingly compatible, and the
differences are shrinking daily. The greatest conflict that remains is
that, to the IT-oriented, change is normal. In coaching the non-IT team
member, the focus is on assimilating change, while the IT professional
often must learn to be cognizant and tolerant of another's reaction to
change. Balancing the two approaches is critical to the team's success.
IT
teams come in all sizes and flavors. Members reflect a multitude of personalities
and capabilities, with unlimited motivations, insights, and needs. Project,
operation, and development teams typically are most effective when all
members' style and strengths define the team's personality. How can you be
assured that the team you build has the right chemistry? For a strong
start, I suggest looking for the "Five-Es":
- Experience - in being a team
member as well as performing a function
- Expertise - the desire to
attain expertise can suffice
- Effort - toward being consistent and dependable
- Expansion - the capacity to
learn from and within the team experience
- Extension - the willingness
to exceed expectations
For
IT teams, the first three E's are minimally required for the operation to
achieve its goals. Effort is usually attainable regardless of past
performance when the coach or team leader is diligent in getting
commitments and confronting members when they are not fulfilled. Expansion
and extension, which can be determined only by working with a person, are
choices that benefit an individual personally while helping the team. My
experience is that if there is a heart (i.e. trust) within the team, a
member naturally expands and extends.
How
an IT team interacts is key to its yielded results. The team leader needs
to trust every member regardless of reputation. As in any relationship,
trust is built on mutual understanding, respect, and recognition, and
should be encouraged when defining the tasks that will fulfill the team's
purpose. Varied personalities impact a team's creativity, but personality
should not be a decisive factor in selecting an IT team member. Still, true
personality conflicts, when individuals are adamantly opposed for whatever
reason, should obviously be avoided in forming teams.
Even
when personalities mesh, a team leader must ensure that conflicts are
mitigated appropriately. Whenever there are more than two people involved
in anything, there will be "siding," or a taking of sides, on a
given issue. Where the majority takes a stance, the minority needs to up its
effort for its voice to be heard. As an IT team coach, I stress the
importance of having a well-defined purpose that is agreed upon up front by
all team members. Then, when there is siding, it can be resolved by simply
asking which side best serves the team's purpose. The challenging part is
when a team member either forgets his or her commitment to the defined
purpose, or was not truthful in their commitment.
Team
tacks
I
have created a concept known as Team Tacks, which I define as "a
course of action which minimizes opposition to the attainment of a
goal." It is a model that underscores the purpose, vision, and actions
necessary for a fruitful team process. A tack is defined for the team by
the team along with each team member defining his or her personal tacks.
This exercise brings out the best in everyone. Usually there is resistance,
but once it gets going, the results can be very rewarding. With each step,
the team's heart grows and becomes stronger.
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"Whenever
there are more than two people involved in anything, there will be
"siding," or a taking of sides, on a given issue. "
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Here's
how one IT team, charged with improving an IT infrastructure, defined its
purpose: "to implement the upgrades to hardware and software with only
positive effects to the customer." This was printed on 18x24 posters
and placed in every department. During this project, conflicts were
resolved by referring to how a decision would affect the purpose of the
team. There were still disputes, but compromises were easier when the team
agreed on the purpose. Another benefit came from user acceptance of the
rollout plan, resulting from their knowledge that the project was centered
on the well being of their customers.
Just
as the team defines its purpose, so should each member. More than the
responsibilities outlined in a job description or a project requirements
document, the individual's purpose should be a
"why-you-go-to-work". In the above scenario, the team leader
defined her personal purpose as "to promote an environment that
nourishes intuitive leadership." A help desk technician's purpose was
"to be a calming, reassuring voice in a chaotic world." When
individual and team purpose is in alignment, the heart of the team has a
strong beat.
You
have the answer, don't you? By now you know that trust is the heart of a
team. In order for information technology teams to reach their potential,
the "business mindset" has to evolve to a new level of trust and
a commitment to change. This gets the team off to a great start. As in any
relationship that is centered on trust, a team needs nourishment. It grows
by good practices in communication, commitment, and change. But those are
issues for another day. //
Anthony
R. Dziedzic, located in Phoenix, is an IT team coach with 30 years of
experience in IT. He can be reached at Anthony@ARDassociates.com.
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