TeamResearch News

September 2003
Vol. 1, No. 3

TeamResearch News summarizes the latest information from studies or articles on business teams, along with guidance on how to apply that research in your workplace. It is published the first full weekend of each month as a free service from TeamTrainers^TM Consulting (www.suddenteams.com), with announcements sent by e-mail to subscribers.

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From the Editor: August, typically a slow month in the business world, was also a slow month for teaming articles in the journals. So I've made up for the lack of numbers by adding more details than usual in a couple of this month's items. I hope you find that this helps TeamResearch News deliver on its promise of practical information.

If you own a small business in Washington State, be sure to check the announcement at the end of the newsletter about an important survey.

Contents

Studies and Articles

• Information Hoarding Reduces Team Performance
• Rate Accountability Before Cutting Managers
• Research About Research Supports Findings on Teams

Make Good Teams Even Better

Newsletter Information

• Subscribe/Unsubscribe
• Contact the Editor

Important Survey for Small Businesses

Information Hoarding Reduces Team Performance

Study: A researcher assigned undergraduates into 89 small groups to compete for cash prizes in a murder mystery game. In some groups, each member received all the clues needed to solve the mystery; in others, each only received some of those clues.

The study found that a group was not as likely to identify the murderer when the needed clues were doled out among the members instead of all members getting all clues. Groups whose members already had all the critical clues were more likely to share clues during discussions than groups given less information. Groups performed better if their members:

• shared critical information openly;
• offered information that supported other members' opinions; and
• confirmed each other's statements during discussions.

This was true regardless of the amount of information members had or their perceptions of their coworkers.

Application: The study findings that team performance was improved by fully sharing information among team members initially and by open discussions among them are consistent with earlier research. This seems obvious, but all too often managers don't give their teams all the relevant information they have on a team task to all the team's members. Your teams will perform better and be happier if their managers practice or encourage:

• full disclosure, in which the manager gives the team—every member of it—all the information the manager has related to the team's work;
• constructive conflict, meaning frank discussions that raise and confront differences of opinion (without allowing attacks on the people involved); and
• open-book management, in which the manager shares financial and other summary performance data the team needs to guide its own improvements.

Rate Accountability Before Cutting Managers

Article: Many companies eliminate levels of management, becoming "flatter," to cut costs. For example, where there might be six levels of management between the line workers and the CEO before, the company cuts that to four (often empowering teams to fill the gaps). A consultant who has spent "3,000 hours…interviewing managers around the world" warns against doing so without first determining which management levels are adding value. To do so he suggests focusing on accountability, "when one is answerable to a higher authority for work, resources, results, or services." He says you can determine levels of accountability and see if they match the levels of management. The ideal number of management levels are "the total of accountability levels minus one." Eliminating too many management levels can lead to loss of direction or control in the company.

Application: If your top managers are considering flattening your organization, first rate the accountability of existing management positions. The article mentions several elements of accountability, so rate each management level on each element using a common scale. Then see if any levels clump together. Here's one approach:

1. List every type of manager in the company (these "types" may have different titles, but similar responsibilities or numbers of employees).
2. Create a 1-10 scale with "1" being "no accountability" and "10" being "highest accountability" (in the company).
3. Rate each position according to these elements the author discusses:

• the relative degrees of planning, supervisory, and line work (the first two are more accountable)
• the types and numbers of "people, capital, technology, and knowledge" the position is accountable for
• how abstract the problem-solving is (greater abstraction is more accountable)
• the position's responsibility for creating (not just managing) change and the impact of those changes on the company
• the number of people the position influences inside and/or outside the company
• the length of time over which the position's tasks extend (a task that takes two years is more accountable than one lasting two hours)

The resulting range over 60 possible rankings (10 ranks times 6 elements) may provide groupings of positions. For example, two layers may differ by only a point, with the next closest layers five points away. Where there's a grouping, there's an opportunity to combine management levels and/or replace a level with empowered teams. Note, however, that if those teams are not given the authority, information, and teambuilding time needed to succeed, the exercise will ultimately fail.

Research About Research Supports Findings on Teams

Study: This study performed team research on research teams. The authors looked at how four "longitudinal" studies were managed. These types of studies involve teams of researchers from different sciences observing or testing the same group of people over many years, sometimes decades. These study teams faced issues many business teams face, such as:

• loss of team members that had unique knowledge,
• meeting the work needs of different members, and
• creating cost-effective work processes for virtual teams.

Based on their review, the researchers came up with a number of actions these teams required to perform better.

Application: The following suggestions outlined in the study fit well with research into business team success:

• Take the time to clarify the research questions (project goals) in a way that satisfies each person's work needs.
• Select team members not only based on area of expertise but also on willingness to cooperate.
• Show members how project success can affect career success.
• Have the team set explicit "rules, policies, and work-process issues," but also stress the ability to change these when needed.
• Hold regular, mandatory meetings through the process.
• Regularly communicate about progress with stakeholders.
• Specify roles and responsibilities for each output.
• Reward team members who take on special team duties.
• Decide together how outputs will be delivered.
• Review the mix of team member skills on occasion to ensure current team needs are being met.
• When assigning subteams, make sure every member eventually works with every other member on a subteam.
• Store data where everyone can get to it easily.
• Use formal project management and meeting facilitation techniques.
• Discuss task outputs early and often to ensure alignment with the team's and members' goals.

Make Good Teams Even Better

Just because a group or team seems to be doing well, that doesn't mean it can't improve output or reduce costs more. Contact TeamTrainers today for a free assessment to determine if "fine tuning" would improve your bottom line.

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Contact the Editor

Your questions and suggestions are always welcome. Contact:

Jim Morgan
Head Coach, TeamTrainers Consulting
(425) 823-5082
jim@suddenteams.com
www.suddenteams.com

Important Survey for Small Businesses

If you own a small business in Washington State, please take a few moments to complete the Washington First Survey sponsored by Lare & Associates (you'll need to enter user name "Washington First Survey" and password "first"). The results will go to Senator Maria Cantwell's office, so this is an easy and important way for you to make your needs known to our elected officials.