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In the 1970s, we were led to believe that teams were the secret to Japan's amazing recovery from World War II. Wayne Rieker and Donald L. Dewar, then with Lockheed, went to Japan and returned with Japan Inc.'s secret: quality circles. After considerable success in applying the quality circle concepts and associated training at Lockheed, both Rieker and Dewar left Lockheed to enter the consulting business. Their primary service was team training, including such ideas as the seven basic problem-solving tools, team operating principles, statistical process control and facilitation skills.
Quality circles gave way to team problem solving and consensus decision making. Team advocates promoted a belief that, when used in teams, 1 + 1 equaled something greater than 2. In other words, a solution developed in an hour by a team of 10 people was more than 1,000 percent better than a decision made in an hour by one person. Of course, this is not true: In reality, the group solution may be 25 percent or even 50 percent better, but the concept of 1 + 1 equaling more than 2 is seldom realized. In most cases, when using teams, 1 + 1 equals something less than 2. Fortunately, this isn't always bad. For example, if your team of 10 people produces a product that is 10 percent better than your competition's product, that advantage may be enough to win the market, which would far offset the tenfold increase in development cost.
A team is a group of people that come together to accomplish a specific task (e.g., a baseball team, a football team, a project team or a customer survey team). Most managers like to think of the people who report to them as a team working to accomplish the assignment that has been delegated by the manager. However, assigning individuals to a specific team does not mean that the individuals are working with each other. In fact, a team member can be assigned to a process that does not require interaction with any other member on the team.
Teams fill a very important need in an organization. They provide each individual with a sense of belonging. They help build trust in management and foster a sense of commitment to the team that eventually expands to include the organization. As such, team-building pursuits such as team meetings and external activities are critical in low-performing organizations.
The disadvantage with teams is that they are inwardly focused. They are small groups that, if functioning correctly, strive to better other teams. Teams, by nature, are competitive. A team in the Pop Warner baseball league competes against all of the other teams in its league. We don't train people on a team to cooperate with other teams if doing so detracts from the team's performance--just think how long a San Francisco Giants pitcher would last if he started throwing nice, easy pitches to the Los Angeles Dodgers batters so they could improve their batting averages.
Although teams are so necessary in low-performing organizations and in organizations that have problems with management trust, they're much less effective when the organization is well-managed. In well-managed organizations, trust runs high and people are empowered to make decisions on their own. These organizations focus on promoting teamwork between individuals. Teamwork can
be pictured as a series of boxes connected together by outputs, much like a process (see Figure 1). Each individual (represented by a box) knows what the interface person needs, and adjusts his or her work to fulfill these needs. It is an attitude of ""How can I help?" "What can I do to make your job easier?" and "How can we work together to produce more value for the whole organization?"
In an organization that establishes an environment supportive of empowerment and teamwork, connecting lines between individuals are formed and dissolved continuously as the individual's' needs change. An organization that builds teamwork is a fluid organization, quick to react to business opportunities and personal requirements. These are organizations whose people feel that they make a difference. They are organizations that people are excited to work for, where team boundaries become dotted and individuals feel challenged.
Don't get me wrong; I'm not suggesting that you do away with teams--they serve a valuable and useful purpose. However, when your organization has developed to the point that your employees trust the management team, it's time to start blurring the team boundaries and rewarding individuals who practice teamwork that extends beyond the limitations of the team itself. Use teams to communicate, to solve the more complex problems that affect everyone on the team. Empower your people to build their personal teamwork networks with the objective of improving network performance.
About the author
H. James Harrington is a principal at Ernst & Young and serves as its international quality adviser. He has more than 45 years'' experience as a quality professional and has written 12 books. He can be reached by e-mail at jharrington@qualitydigest.com , or visit his Web site at www.hjharrington.com. |
