Post on 12-Dec-2021
Dr Uwe NapierskyBusiness Psychologist + Team Coaching ExpertWork & Organisation Departmentu.napiersky@aston.ac.uk
Managing Team Dynamics
Overview
Background and Team Research Focus
Team Dynamics
Science of ‘Real teams’, Size, etc.
Lead/Manage team dynamics in times of disruptions
Four Perspectives for creating positive dynamics
Q+A
Background as team ‘plumber' and team specialist
Plumbing takes place inside a messy interdependent system …example of Team
communication mapping
Team Intervention
to intervene is to enter into an ongoing system of relationships, to come between or among persons, groups, or objects for the purpose of helping them. This usually refers to performance but can include emotional/behavioural/social concern.
Regarding Team Interventions or working as a team coach: “Mostly I am called when things are really stuck and smelly”
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Team Dynamics: the what…
Team dynamics are the unconscious, psychological forces that influence the direction
of a team's behaviour and performance. ...
Team dynamics are created by the nature of the team's work, the personalities within the team, their working relationships with other
people, and the environment in which the team works.
Team Dynamics: the what …
Team dynamicsare like
undercurrents in the sea, which can carry boats in a
different direction to the one they intend
to sail.
Team Dynamics: positive or negative for team effectiveness or team equilibrium
Team dynamics can be good – e.g., when they improve overall team performance and/or get the best
out of individual team members.
They can also be bad– e.g.; when they
cause unproductive conflict, demotivation, and prevent the team
from achieving its goals’
Science of Real (work) Teams + Size => Distinguish !
Impact on results/effectiveness, behaviour, mindset, process gains or losses etc.
Dynamics in groups or teams
•Dynamics in work teams
•Dynamics in Real teams or Pseudo teams
Dynamics in small or large Real Teams
People have very different things in mind when they talk about teams.
DEFINING GROUPS AND TEAMS: Most commonly used interchangeably to refer to the same thing. Focus here is on work teams embedded in organisations, in big or small organisations. “a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable”
regards the team as a dynamic “system”.
Real Teams characteristics: – interdependence – Shared objectives – reflexivity
Aston team research: Hospitals with higher proportions of real team membership (and, in turn, lower proportions of pseudo team membership) are associated with lower levels of staff absenteeism and lower levels of patient mortality.
Team Size: Bezos (Amazon) believes that no matter how large your company gets, individual teams shouldn’t be larger than what two pizzas can feed.
Manage team dynamics in times of disruptions
In the following I share results of 5 interviews of successful team leader pooled with 4 dynamic intervention dimensions.
Before I share the results: some interesting statements…
“Suddenly teams and team leaders are forced into the 21st century ….working remotely and to have to trust their team members…
Team Dynamics are a “fluid thing”. You can’t manage it. “Bulls*… ” You don’t have control, you only can facilitate it.
It is like the concept of managing time…it’s not a 19th century process …it’s a fun run
General priority: Safety and well-fare of the team and its members goes before profitability – even with the risk of free riders
Lead/Manage team dynamics in times of disruptions
Psychological Team Safety
Know your Team Diversity & Inclusion Agile Team Learning + Fast Feedback
Build New Team Anchor
Perspectives for creating positive team dynamics
Psychological Safety:
Build / Extend trustInterview Examples
Potential Undercurrent
dynamicYour Examples
Def.: “a shared belief that the
team is safe for interpersonal
risk taking”
Generate a psychologically
safe team space: E. g.
encourage team members to
share any expectations,
anxieties, and requests they
have at the start of a team
meeting engagement
Encourage openness and
honesty – be authentic and
human as a leader (in a very
transactional b. environment)
Do lot of information
sharing… on customer
issues and e.g. Job safety…
Increase social competence
in Communication – right
balance between task related
stuff and empathy …
Collective Climate –
increased motivation vs
feeling as a ‘lonesome team
prisoner ’.
Perceived risk of being
wrong in front of peers may
cause member performance
on tasks that require
experimentation and
unpractised behaviour
fight-or-flight responses often
hijack higher brain functions
– esp. in crises or danger –
be in control and not a
hostage of negative emotions
Hero?
Villain?
Psychological Team Safety – build/extend trust
Know your team Interview ExamplesPotential Undercurrent
dynamicYour Examples
Regards the team as a
dynamic “system”.
Explore team’s needs
independent of the needs of
any single member.
This shifts the attention and
the work of the team to the
team itself.
Do team check ups: about
e.g. clarity about how team is
performing – HPT, the
current needs etc.
Formal and informal checks
Have the fingers on the
pulse….Many check
ins…’how you are doing?’
As a team what is essential
now? How is the team
moral? (questions to team)
‘we all are going through the
unknown’ – check
commitment and stamina to
go though a marathon
What team decision are now
important? Priority setting
….observe emotional roller-
coaster and paralyses of
people…
Lencioni's ‘5 dysfunctions
explores the fundamental
causes of organizational
politics and team failure.
Trust, conflict, accountability,
commitment, results
Team performance – HTP or
mediocre?
Motivation (discouraged,
frustrated, are there
emotional outliers in the
group)
In Group – Out Group
behaviour …
Hero?
Villain?
Know your team – do pulse checks, don’t be in the dark
Diversity & Inclusion Interview ExamplesPotential Undercurrent
DynamicYour Examples
Def.: “In simple terms,
diversity is the mix and
inclusion is getting the mix to
work well together”
Research – positive effects
on age, decision making –
mixed results on
performance, intercultural
teams need more
‘maintenance’ to be effective
…
Inspect what system of
values is, and make it as
explicit as possible – e.g.
safety first, job security
Friday – pub quiz – virtually
What’s app for social
interaction
Microsoft teams for work/task
related issues…
See open questions asked
from know your team –
leading teams by asking
critical questions…
Those in the team who feel
not included - > emotional
turmoil, confusion etc - > lots
of dysfunctional derailment
Diversity conflicts – based on
biases, stereo types,
different assumptions …
Readiness and capabilities in
inclusiveness of team leader
and members will play out
undercurrent dynamic
Hero?
Villain?
Diversity & Inclusion – enhance inclusive thinking and action
Agile Team Learning Interview ExamplesPotential Undercurrent
DynamicYour Examples
‘Shifting the learning strategy focus from efficiency to agility will allow organizations to adjust swiftly in an uncertain future.’
Is your team learning strategy focused on efficiency or agility?
Many new Virtual teams are not used in this way of working/not well oiled/ new way of working experiences…explore the learning of it…
Reflective comments –‘navigating through this uncertainty let me observe mixed reactions…’
As a team leader – I am extend my social/emotional IQ (meant was competence)
team members – extent autonomy and levels of accountability – higher commitment ? (or fear?)
Caveat- don’t confuse people – team learning has not being the norm -> create positive learning dynamics in baby steps
Action without Reflection is day dreaming – Uwe Reflection is important element of team learning…reflexivity and innovation can go hand in hand
Fast feedback – research about behavior driven dynamic – fast feedback was leading to better team performance + customer satisfaction
Hero?
Villain?
Agile Team Learning: keep learning drive + fast feedback
Lead / Manage team dynamics in times of disruptions
Psychological Safety: Build / Extend trust
Know your Team: Do pulse checks, don’t be
in the dark
Diversity & Inclusion: enhance inclusive
thinking and action
Agile Learning + Fast Feedback: keep learning drive
Build new Team Anchors
•Images & Cliparts– http://pictogram2.com/– Microsoft Office 365– 1 = © Farrow Creative Ltd., UK– 2: © Michael Hamer
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