Keep in mind two caveats as you review the issues that lead to effective teams:- First, teams differ in form and structure. Since the model we present attempts
to generalize across all varieties of teams, you need to be careful not to rigidly
apply the model’s predictions to all teams.^20 The model should be used as a
guide, not as an inflexible prescription. - Second, the model assumes that it’s already been determined that teamwork is
preferable over individual work. Creating “effective” teams in situations in
which individuals can do the job better is equivalent to solving the wrong
problem perfectly.
OB in Action—Harming Your Teampresents actions that can make a team ineffective.
You might want to evaluate your own team experiences against this checklist to give
you some idea of how well your team is functioning or to understand what might be
causing problems for your team. Then consider the factors that lead to more effective
teams below. For an applied look at the process of building an effective team, see the
Working With Others Exerciseon pages 179–180, which asks you to build a paper tower
with teammates and then analyze how the team performed.
Context
Teams can require a great deal of maintenance to function properly. They need man-
agement support as well as an organizational structure that supports teamwork. The four
contextual factors that appear to be most significantly related to team performance are ade-
quate resources, effective leadership, a climate of trust, and a performance evaluation
and reward system that reflects team contributions. Hamilton, Ontario-based Dofasco is
a clear example of getting the context right for team performance. Dofasco started using
teams in the early 1990s, putting almost 7000 employees through team-building exercises.
Today, multidisciplinary teams are given improvement goals; the teams assume respon-
sibility for developing plans to reach the goals. To a large extent, the teams are self-man-
aged. “The supervisor became less of an ass-kicker and more of a resource person,”
explained former CEO John Mayberry.^21 Pay is tied partly to how well Dofasco does160 Part 2Striving for Performance
Dofasco
http://www.dofasco.ca
At Montreal-based PEAK Financial
Group, CEO Robert Frances (left)
lets his teams do their own hiring.
Everyone who might work with
the potential hire, including sub-
ordinates, is invited to sit in on
the interview. “If a team is to
work properly as a team, then
they should have a say in who the
other team members are,” says
Frances. His philosophy is that if
those involved don’t think they
will get along at the start, it’s bet-
ter to know this before they are
hired. At right, we see a couple
of PEAK’s client services employ-
ees getting ready for the RRSP
season.
PEAK Financial Group
http://www.peakgroup.com