High Performance Teams

A521.6.3.RB

Based on this week's readings from the Denning text, identify the elements of high-performance teams and apply them to teams with whom you have worked in your organization. Next, Identify the importance of shared values and discuss the influence of shared values on your team's performance. Finally, examine the four patterns of working together and detail one positive and one negative experience. What could you have done to influence the outcomes?

High performance teams display the following elements according to Denning (2012):

• High-performance teams actively shape the expectations of those who use their output—and then exceed the resulting expectations.5
• High-performance teams rapidly adjust their performance to the shifting needs of the situation. They innovate on the fly, seizing opportunities and turning setbacks into good fortune.6
• High-performance teams grow steadily stronger. Over time, members come to know one another's strengths and weaknesses and become highly skilled in coordinating their activities, anticipating each other's next moves, and initiating appropriate responses as those moves are occurring.7
• The members of a high-performance team grow individually. Mutual concern for each other's personal growth enables high-performance teams to develop interchangeable skills and hence greater flexibility.8
• Fueled by interpersonal commitments, the purposes of high-performance teams become nobler, team performance goals more urgent, and team approach more powerful.9
• High-performance teams carry out their work with shared passion. The notion that “if one of us fails, we all fail” pervades the team.10 (p. 155-156).

Being a part of a high performance team is an extremely fulfilling event. For instance, while serving on a specialized security detail, each member of the eight-person team possessed many of the same fundamental expertise and experiences. However, each team member specialized in a specific area such as: close-in protection, driving, weapons, and breaching to name a few. Furthermore, each member was capable of familiarizing or training the other team members in their specialty so that the safety and security of the team was enhanced. Within this high performance team, everyone had their own responsibilities, however, coordination and communication was essential as everyone was vested in the overall outcome. Aside from the technical expertise and experience of the team, its shared values was the driving force to effectively learn and communicate with each other. According to Denning (2012), “collaboration rests on values” (p. 157).

Denning (2012) identifies the following as categories of working together (p. 160-161):

• Working group: In this groups each member has a defined responsibility and timeline that is gear towards achieving the group’s overall objective. As a result, there is little need for members to collaborate or coordinate efforts which prevents active communication and a shared investment in other members.
• Team: Traditional assembled for a specific purpose with stated objectives, which is led by a team leader and are usually disbanded once their job is complete. Teams have a share a goal that requires a “high degree of interaction among the unit's members, who got to know each other's strengths and weaknesses extremely well” (Denning, 2012).
• Community: Are groups that share a common interest and/or passion; members are self-selecting. These groups facilitate shared knowledge and even provide action relating to their communal goals.
• Network: Is a method for people to share information and provide input on common topic or issues that span the globe. Unlike in a community, it is likely that those in a network do not have as much personal interaction. “They use the network to stay informed about events, books, or articles of common interest and occasionally discuss issues…Those who join make no mutual engagement to do anything in particular except stay in touch by way of the list” (Denning, 2012).

A positive experience I have had (and continue to have) is being a part of a military/veteran networks. One important network that many current and former military professionals take part in is RallyPoint, which discuss countless topics such as: leadership challenges, policy issues, initiatives, pending transitions, deployment challenges, and so much more. In one particular case, a leader posted an issues that he was having with one of his Solders (leadership challenge) and was opening up discussion for possible courses of action and recommendations from the many leaders that have experienced the same issue. Like many other leaders, I highly recommended digging further into the Soldiers life because there usually is something going on in the Soldier’s life that causes them to decline. As a military leader, unlike in the civilian world, a leader has a duty to learn about their subordinates (personal & professional) in order to get them back on tract and support them. Furthermore, I also recommend that constant engagement and professional counseling would help the Soldier feel supported without an authoritarian overtone. Finally, I recommended that the leader look into services (counseling) that the military provides before the situation became unsalvageable. Without such a network, leaders such as the one looking for advice, would have had limited resources. Yet, by discussing this challenge in a forum where others have had similar experiences or have different perspective on the matter, can constructively discuss and provide guidance to others is valuable. Because in the end, the leader’s actions will directly affect his Soldiers life.

A negative experience I had was when I served as a member in a working group that was established to relook an organizations training requirements, training standards, measures of effectiveness, and develop courses of action for the commander to consider for future operations. This working groups consisted of various level of leadership and subject matter experts. Thus, there was a wealth of knowledge and experience to achieve our given task. Yet, when comments and ideas were submitted to address the topics, the working group leader appeared to develop their own criteria and input. Leaving the rest of us wondering why we were there in the first place. I believe there was little anyone person could have done to influence the outcome because of the military’s structured chain of command and reporting system. Although everyone contributed their best efforts to the working groups objective, the decision to present the courses of action/recommendation was beyond our responsibility. However, I used the experience as a learning tool as to when I seek the advice and input from other capable professionals, I give the proper consideration and more importantly, weigh the ideas/input against the vision, end state and intent with the group collectively.

Reference

Denning, S. (2012). The Leader's Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative (J-B US non-Franchise Leadership). Wiley. Kindle Edition.