Article for APT Canada by Jack Falt, INFJ
In developing the workshop outline with my contact person, it became clear that an ongoing problem leaders were having was the high turnover rate of staff who might only stay a year before moving on to other jobs. There is no formal training required to become a staff member as the main requirements are learned on the job. Staff are there to assist the participants to function as best they can. Much of what is done is fostering good life skills among the participants. So as well as general team building skills, a knowledge of the Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing cycle would likely be of value, i.e. that this was a normal process in the life of a team.
Here is an outline of the team building session that I presented.
A team is a group of two or more people working together to accomplish a task, and the tasks of leadership are to achieve the objective, develop the individuals, and build the team.
Daniel Goleman in Primal Leadership (Harvard Business School Press, 2002) said, “Great leaders move us. They ignite our passion and inspire the best in us. When we try to explain why they are effective, we speak of strategy, vision, or powerful ideas. But the reality is much more primal: Great leadership works through the emotions.” This emphasises the need for high emotional intelligence (EQ) to be an effective leader.
A good leader: reduces unproductive work; identifies areas of strength and possible areas of weakness for the team: clarifies team behaviour; helps match specific task assignments with team members according to their temperaments; maximizes a team’s diversity in order to reach more useful and insightful conclusions; and supplies a framework in which team members can understand and handle conflict.
I divided the group into temperament-alike groups. As to be expected there were a large number of Golds (SJs) so I divided these into STJs [Green (NTs) as a second colour] and SFJs [Blue (NFs) as a second colour]. Instead of newsprint I use clipboards with overhead transparencies and overhead pens. This way I find it easier for everyone to see thes list, and also I end up with a copy that makes it easy to compile and send out to participants later. I ask each group to appoint a scribe and reporter.
I asked the groups to think of past situations in which they have been a team member: What did you want from your leader? Then I had each person identify a time when they felt their leadership was effective and ineffective. Again in temperament-alike groups they were to share their experiences and report to the larger group.
We looked at various tasks of leadership: achieving the objective, assessing team’s performance, being responsible for many behind the scenes actions to remove barriers to team performance, and developing the individuals.
Next we looked at the various means of feedback: positive, negative, zero, physical, mental, conditional, and unconditional feedback, and discussed the difference between motivation and satisfaction on the job.
Another exercise was given first as an individual task and then in temperament-alike groups to complete the following statements: 1. People are being positive team members when . . . 2. People are being negative team members when . . . 3. To help the teamwork process my strategies are to . . . 4. To help the teamwork process I try to avoid . . . 5.I have felt good as a team member when others . . . 6. I have not felt good as a team member when others . . .
Next we looked at the elements of group development as conceived by William Schutz. The first stage is Forming in which people are exploring the rules, their roles within the group, and asking is it safe to be in the group. The second stage is Storming and here individuals are testing out the limits of the group, who has control and how the group deals with conflict. The third stage is Norming or the ‘honeymoon’ stage in which the group gels as a group and each one knows his or her place in the group. The final stage is Performing in which a trust has built up and it is possible for individuals to take risks to become more effective as a group.
At the Forming stage: the Oranges (SPs) are slightly cautious until they know what the team is to do; the Golds (SJs) are trying to understand their roles and responsibilities; the Greens (NTs) are looking to see what expertise they can contribute; and the Blues (NFs) are looking to determine if relationships with others in this group. will be satisfying.
At the Storming stage: the Oranges want to be free as possible and are likely to be unpredictable; the Golds may act like victims and blame others for lack of performance; the Greens can use extensive critical questioning to get their ideas noticed; while the Blues often rescue someone by siding with them and undermine someone they see as a persecutor. It was interesting to hear the comments of the l’Arche group members as they realized how they had been involved in conflicts at this stage.
At the Norming stage an outsider may not be able to identify the leader. Team members have met core their needs. The Oranges troubleshoot, use tactical skills, and are respected for direct pragmatic approach. The Golds monitor progress, keeping track of sequential progress towards the goal. The Greens are respected for expertise and allowed to design the plan. The Blues bring coaching, mentoring and visioning skills to the task.
At the Performing stage the team is working harmoniously toward a common goal. The Oranges have found a way to make an impact and see direct, measurable results. The Golds have taken care of the group and kept order so that results are achieved. The Greens have evidence of their competence and are able to have mastery over what has been achieved. The Blues have made a unique and special contribution using their mentoring skills.
Also at the Performing stage the leader acts in an advisory role realizing that an intervention could upset the group process. The team is managing its own performance while the leader acts as a facilitator by coaching and guiding. Leaders are most comfortable with a specific style of management but need to adapt their style to the needs of the situation. Leaders need to be aware that under stress (the Storming stage) they tend to revert to their most comfortable behaviour which is not likely to be the style needed.
A key insight for the l’Arche leaders was that this process begins again every time there is a change in the team: someone leaves, someone is added to the team, someone has gone off for a period of time and then returns, or new regulations have been instituted. Having to deal with the process over and over again is very wearing on the leaders but understanding that it is just part of the normal cycle helps them realize that this is just the way things are and that they are not incompetent because the group seems to keep unravelling all the time. It is just part of the human condition, or looking at the animal kingdom, it is just like a chicken coop with the hens establishing a pecking order or a wolf pack determining who is the alpha male.
I have also used this presentation in a modified form with Grade Ten students.
Anyone wishing a copy of the XP PowerPoint (about one meg in size) of
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