Designing Effective

Teams
RANDELL JAMES D. MANJARRES
 Designing Effective Teams
Means making decisions about team composition (who should be on the
team), team size (the optimal number of people on the team), and team
diversity (should team members be of similar background, such as all
engineers, or of different backgrounds).
Answering these questions will depend, to a large extent, on the type of task
that the team will be performing. Teams can be charged with a variety of
tasks, from problem solving to generating creative and innovative ideas to
managing the daily operations of a manufacturing plant.
 A key consideration when forming a team is to
ensure that all the team members
are qualified for the roles they will fill for the
Who Are the Best team. This process often entails understanding
Individuals for the Team? the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) of
team members as well as the personality traits
needed before starting the selection process.
When talking to potential team members, be
sure to communicate the job requirements and
norms of the team. To the degree that this is
not possible, such as when already existing
groups are used, think of ways to train the
team members as much as possible to help
ensure success.
 When deciding team size, a good rule of
How Large Should My thumb is a size of 2 to 20 members. The
Team Be? majority of teams have 10 members or less
because the larger the team, the harder it is
to coordinate and interact as a team. With
fewer individuals, team members are more
able to work through differences and agree
on a common plan of action. They have a
clearer understanding of others’ roles and
greater accountability to fulfill their roles
(remember social loafing?).
 Team composition and team
diversity often go hand in hand. Teams
How Diverse Should My whose members have complementary
Team Be? skills are often more successful because
members can see each other’s blind spots.
One team member’s strengths can
compensate for another’s weaknesses.
For example, different educational levels
for team members were related to more
creativity in research and development
teams and faster time to market for new
products
Organizing Effective
Teams When a team is well organized, it tends to
perform well. Well-designed teams are
able to capitalize on positive events while
maintaining composure when facing a
negative event. There are several strategies
that can boost team effectiveness through
effective organization.
Establishing Team Norms A key to successful team design is to have
and Contracts clear norms, roles, and expectations among
team members. Problems such as social
loafing or groupthink can be avoided by
paying careful attention to team member
differences and providing clear definitions
for roles, expectancy, measurement, and
rewards.
 Team norms are a set of rules or
Team Norms
operating principles that shape team
members' interactions. Team norms
establish clear, agreed-upon behavior, how
the work will get done, and what team
members can expect of each other. This is
a key way to build trust, which is critical
for team success.
 Scientific research as well as experience
Team Contracts
working with thousands of teams show
that teams that are able to articulate and
agree on established ground rules, goals,
and roles and develop a team
contract around these standards are better
equipped to face challenges that may arise
within the team.
 Team Meetings

Anyone who has been involved in a team knows it

involves team meetings. While few individuals relish
meetings, they serve an important function in terms of
information sharing and decision making. They also serve
an important social function and can help to build team
cohesion and a task function in terms of coordination.
 Before the Meeting

There are three key things you can do to ensure the team members get the most out of their
meeting.
First, ask yourself: Is a meeting needed? Leaders should do a number of things before the meeting to
help make it effective. The first thing is to be sure a meeting is even needed. If the meeting is primarily
informational, ask yourself whether it is imperative that the group fully understands the information
and whether future decisions will be built on this information.
Second, create and distribute an agenda. An agenda is important in helping to inform those invited
about the purpose of the meeting. It also helps organize the flow of the meeting and keep the team on
track.
Third, send a reminder before the meeting. Reminding everyone of the purpose, time, and location of
the meeting helps everyone prepare themselves.
 During the Meeting

During the meeting, there are several things you can do to make sure the team starts and keeps on
track.
Start the meeting on time. Waiting for members who are running late only punishes those who are on time
and reinforces the idea that it’s OK to be late.
Follow the meeting agenda. Veering off agenda communicates to members that it is not important.
Manage group dynamics for full participation. Be on the lookout for full participation and engagement
from all team members as well as any potential problems such as social loafing, group conflict, or
groupthink.
Summarize the meeting with action items. Be sure to clarify team member roles moving forward. If
individual’s tasks are not clear, chances are role confusion will arise later.
End the meeting on time. This is vitally important as it shows that you respect everyone’s time and are
organized. If another meeting is needed to follow up, schedule it later, but don’t let the meeting run over.
After the Meeting
Follow up on action items. After the
meeting you probably have several action
items. In addition, it is likely that you’ll
need to follow up on the action items of
others.
Barriers to Effective
Teams
Barriers to effective teams include the
challenges of knowing where to begin,
dominating team members, the poor
performance of team members, and poorly
managed team conflict.
 Common Barriers to Effective Teams

 Challenges of Knowing Where to Begin - At the start of a project, team members may be at a
loss as to how to begin. Also, they may have reached the end of a task but are unable to move
on to the next step or put the task to rest. Floundering often results from a lack of clear goals, so
the remedy is to go back to the team’s mission or plan and make sure that it is clear to everyone.
 Dominating Team Members - Some team members may have a dominating personality that
encroaches on the participation or air time of others. This overbearing behavior may hurt the
team morale or the momentum of the team. A good way to overcome this barrier is to design a
team evaluation to include a “balance of participation” in meetings. Knowing that fair and
equitable participation by all will affect the team’s performance evaluation will help team
members limit domination by one member and encourage participation from all members, even
shy or reluctant ones.
 Common Barriers to Effective Teams
 Poor Performance of Some Team Members - Research shows that teams deal with
poor performers in different ways, depending on members’ perceptions of the reasons
for poor performance. In situations in which the poor performer is perceived as lacking
in ability, teams are more likely to train the member. When members perceive the
individual as simply being low on motivation, they are more likely to try to motivate or
reject the poor performer. Keep in mind that justice is an important part of keeping
individuals working hard for the team.
 Poorly Managed Team Conflict - Disagreements among team members are normal
and should be expected. Healthy teams raise issues and discuss differing points of view,
because that will ultimately help the team reach stronger, more well-reasoned decisions.
Developing Your Team
Skills There are many things you can do to help
build a cohesive team. One key thing to
remember is that too much cohesion
without strong performance norms can be
a problem. Many of the ways to build
cohesive groups are also fun, such as
celebrating successes and creating rituals.
 Steps to Creating and Maintaining a Cohesive Team

There are several steps you can take as a manager to help build a cohesive team. For
example, you can work to:
• Align the group with the greater organization. Establish common objectives in
which members can get involved.
• Let members have choices in setting their own goals. Include them in decision
making at the organizational level.
• Define clear roles. Demonstrate how each person’s contribution furthers the group
goal—everyone is responsible for a special piece of the puzzle.
• Situate group members in proximity to one another. This builds familiarity.
 Steps to Creating and Maintaining a Cohesive Team

• Give frequent praise, both to individuals and to the group, and encourage
them to praise each other. This builds individual self-confidence, reaffirms
positive behavior, and creates an overall positive atmosphere.
• Treat all members with dignity and respect. This demonstrates that there are no
favorites and everyone is valued.
• Celebrate differences. This highlights each individual’s contribution while also
making diversity a norm.
• Establish common rituals. Thursday morning coffee, monthly potlucks—these
reaffirm group identity and create shared experiences.