Guiding Principles of High-Performance Teamwork

 

      © Copyright 1990-2010 Dan Webb. All rights reserved.

 

  1. People support what they help build.   Engaging the participation of all stakeholders is essential to success.
  2. “People don’t resist change. They resist being changed.”  –George Land, Leadership 2000
  3. The more familiar an idea or a process seems, the less likely it is to trigger an immune response. And vice versa. Change in a culture doesn't happen without awareness, courage and effort.   A painful status quo helps, too.
  4. Questioning our own assumptions is one of the most difficult and uncomfortable skills required to achieve excellence, and there is no substitute for it.   Let the best idea win.
  5. We apply the principles of systems thinking (boundaries, inputs, processes, outputs, feedback) to our work and to understanding ourselves and our team dynamics.

  6. Consensus occurs when everyone on a team understands a proposal and expresses a willingness to support it -- not that they necessarily agree that it's the best possible course of action.  Operating by consensus produces more effective solutions than a dominance-submission process as long as there's an effective culture for sharing information openly, questioning assumptions, discussing team processes, honoring all participants, and resolving conflicts.  Without consensus, team members are operating out of alignment, blind to the covert disagreements that have not been put on the table for discussion and resolution.  
    (See the McCarthys' Decider Protocol.)   

  7. "Conflicts arise as the result of conversations that are not happening."  –John Gottman, PhD

  8. A conflict that emerges from expression of diverse points of view is a natural, healthy occurrence in the course of an evolving relationship, not something to be avoided.   Let the best idea win.

  9. An effective team has an agreed method of escalating decisions when consensus has stalled as a result of "the tyranny of a minority" blocking resolution.

  10. Every voice has a place in the choir -- even the disagreeable ones.
  11. Being in a position of authority does not bestow knowledge, wisdom or leadership.  Those assets are purchased by paying attention to others with genuine curiosity and bringing out the best in them.   Let the best idea win.

  12. What gets measured gets done.  Measure twice and cut once.  
    "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." -- Albert Einstein

  13. Being accountable for our intentions as well as our results demonstrates and builds maturity.  In fact, no matter what we may like to think, our colleagues can sense our intentions, so we may as well own them publicly.

  14. Defensiveness is a business cost.  We enhance our awareness of our own defenses and their consequence to us, to our team, and to the company. *

  15. We're most effective when we're self-aware.  So I work to discover my strengths and weaknesses.  I want to know the parts of me that work well with others.  I become aware of my defensive parts and what parts I am defending -- i.e., what feelings I'm resisting feeling and what parts of me I'm disowning.  I am aware of how my inner parts and personal issues affect my behavior and my workplace. *

  16. Decisions and agreements that affect the team are accountable communications that are important enough to be captured and recorded in an accessible journal of significant events.

  17. Communication occurs when the message received is equal to the message intended.  Without objective feedback about what message was received, one can not assume communication has occurred.

  18. When the receiver is off, any effort to send a message is, at best, wasted.

  19. Expression of a diversity of ideas, styles and preferences is a powerful process for raising capability maturity and having more fun at work when it's managed effectively.  This requires:

    • treating all participants' contributions, thoughts and opinions as being worthy of equal consideration and listening for understanding
    • embracing conflict when it occurs
    • addressing conflict as a win-win opportunity for a higher level of integration of the team's energies rather than as an unpleasant win-lose battle of wills or egos that must be avoided
    • providing facilitation and coaching when individuals are conflicting without immediate resolution
  20. We promote openness in our communications.  I can find out how you feel about me, about my work, and about what it's like for you to work with me anytime I want to know.  We do not withhold from one another.  We ask straight questions, and we give straight answers.  When I'm doing something that reduces your comfort or effectiveness, you inform me at the time.  Resentment does not grow. *

  21. When sending an intended message does not result in the reception of an equivalent message, there's probably a resonance problem in the dynamic between the sender and receiver or an absence of appropriate attention to the communication on one side or the other or both.  In any case, when both parties bring creative attention to the matter, success is virtually assured.

  22. We are self-determinant.  When we are involved in a project, there is no question about who is accountable for its success.  Everyone is 100% responsible for their experience and their contribution.  Blame does not exist.  We deal directly with our differences.  We see how each of us is contributing to the problem or situation, and we identify how each of us will contribute to the solution. *

  23. Imposing accountability on an individual or a team without an agreement (as a parent would assign a chore to a child) is an unbalanced dynamic that can erode the effectiveness of the individual or the team or both.   And when imposing a responsibility is necessary, the person in authority is most effective when they make an unqualified commitment to support the assignee's success.

  24. We minimize rework by planning ahead, adopting standards, coordinating our efforts, questioning assumptions, and sharing knowledge.

  25. “Handle the difficult, while it is still easy.” –Lao Tsu

  26. Whirled peas begins in each person's own art.  (We don't take ourselves too seriously.)

 

Team Analytics Consulting provides training for teams through The Teamwork Shop, which focuses on these activities:

  • aligning to serve a shared vision – a set of values, a common purpose, and a common process
  • embracing a diversity of styles and ideas
  • affirming the equal value of participants’ contributions
  • Systems thinking
  • managing roles & group dynamics
  • managing communication processes
  • creating mutual support among interdependent participants
  • learning together

 

See also http://www.coachinc.com/images/coachinc/guidingprinciples/guiding_printable3.jpg.

 

* Derived from http://www.bartonwhite.com/act_overview.htm.