1. The two critical functions of team effectiveness
“The two critical functions of team effectiveness are performance (task accomplishment) and development (team maintenance)” (Northouse, 2016, p. 367-368). Hackman (2012) points out six enabling components that lead to group effectiveness including compelling purpose, right people, real team, clear norms of conduct, supportive organizational context, and team-focused coaching. Larson and LaFasto (1989) find that eight characteristics are highly related to team excellence regardless of the type of team. The eight characteristics are clear goal, results-driven structure, competent team members, unified commitment, collaborative climate, standards of excellence, external support and recognition, and principled leadership (Larson & LaFasto, 1989).
Example No. 1: Right people
Four years ago, our company initiated an event of “Voluntary Teaching”. The five teachers, including me, was chosen to a rural school and taught for two months. When we were preparing the teaching tools and discussing the content of the course and course arrangement, there were always issues or opinions jumping out and getting in the way of preparation. In order to reach an agreement about all the aspects within the team and to get each of us well prepared as soon as possible before we left, I reported to the manager about the rocky-patch situation we were experiencing. The manager reviewed the reports which recorded the details of the meetings we had. Then he talked with the team member one by one and found out that one team member was extremely reluctant to be involved in this event as she hated to leave her newborn baby for two months. This explained why she delayed to hand in the documents and appeared negative in the discussion. The manager immediately replaced her with a new teacher who adopted the enthusiastic attitude toward this event. Our team made every decision quickly before we left, and the whole event turned out to be meaningful and profound not only to the company but also to the five team members, the rural school, and the community.
Example 2: Standards of Excellence
The teaching team I am in right now is engaging in a teaching competition in our company. There are total four steps to win the competition. We have average three meetings before each steps to conclude the effort and experience, and the leader of the team will offer his suggestions and make the requests. All team members could perceive that he wanted to adopt the encouragement strategy and tried not to put pressure on us. After every meeting, he always said we were doing great and wished we could do better. But we did not know to what extent we should strive for. By thinking we were doing well, we overestimated ourselves and underestimated the competitors, and we lost the first two steps. The leader held another meeting immediately after we lost the second competition. Unlike the old days, he clearly announced his expectations and listed specific standards for each of us. After that, he adjusted the standards accordingly based on our performance in every meeting. And, the team won the third competition. Now, we are preparing for the last one. The last win has greatly encouraged the whole team and we are confident about the next competition.
Example 3: External Support and Recognition
My colleagues applied for a project about cross-company teaching. Our manager liked their idea and approved the project. We thought this was a chance to communicate with other teachers in other company, and to keep up with the information of the bigger context. We soon prepared everything including the documents and reports that needed to be signed by other managers. And we ran into the obstacle that other managers deliberately made excuses and refused to sign the papers. Our manager went to find the CEO after hearing this situation and finally got the support from the top management. With the approval from CEO, all the papers and documents were signed directly and the project had been launched smoothly.
2. Principled Leadership
Anthony and Huckshorn (2008) state that it’s the quality and effectiveness of its leadership that fuels a successful organization. Principle leadership, as an effective leadership, contains eight leadership principles or traits including: (1) Leaders communicate a shared vision; (2) Leaders centralize by mission and decentralize by operations; (3) Leaders create an organizational cultural that identifies and tries to live by key values; (4) Leaders create an organizational structure and culture that empowers their employees and themselves; (5) Leaders ensure that staff are trained in a human technology that can translate vision into reality; (6) Leaders relate constructively to employees; (7) Leaders access and use information to make change a constant ingredient in their organization; (8) Leaders build their organization around exemplary performers (Anthony & Huckshorn, 2008). Furthermore, Dean Garth Saloner of Stanford Graduate School of Business (2009) mentions that principled leaders need to think not just about the impact of their actions on their own firm, but the impact of those actions on society more broadly. In another word, principled leaders need to dig deeply beyond their immediate domain to the broader context when making decisions.
Leadership could influence the team effectiveness through four sets of processes: cognitive, motivational, affective, and coordination (Zaccaro et al., 2001). I would like to make an example of the coordination process. Like the 4-step competition mentioned above, our team is consist of five team members. We were chose by the team leader for each of us was good at one teaching skill. In order to win, we are in charge of different roles and are accountable for our own role. Each role has its standards for performance set up by the team leader, and all roles share a common goal which is to win eventually. Moreover, the team leader are providing distinctive feedback to us regularly according to his observation of our performance. The team leader also has studied the rules of the competition to find out the requirements of each role implied in the rules. If the rules change, the standards toward each role might change accordingly. With the standards of my role, I am confident about my performance and my strategy. The other team members share the same feeling when we communicate with each other. We can feel that every part of our team is functioning well, just like the perfect fit gears making the team work effectively.
Questions: What is your own definition of the principled leadership? If you are a principled leader, what kinds of strategy would you adopt to make decisions?
References
Anthony, W. A., & Huckshorn, K. A. (2008). Principled leadership in mental health systems and programs. Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation/Boston U.
Hackman, J. R. (2012). From causes to conditions in group research. Journal of Organizational Behaviour, 33, 428-444.
Larson, C. E., & LaFasto, F. M. J. (1989). Teamwork: What must go right/what can go wrong. Newbury Park CA: SAGE.
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications.
Stanford Graduate School of Business. (2009, September 2). Principled Leadership for a Life of Meaning and Impact [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDbxOdMdxYo
https://create.twu.ca/ldrs500/unit-5/unit-5-learning-activity/