Assignment 2.2: Applying And Critiquing Team Models
Assignment 2.2: Applying and Critiquing Team Models
BC541: MANAGING HIGH-‐PERFORMANCE TEAMS Assignment 2.2: Applying and Critiquing Team Models
In looking over the types of teams in Module 1: Introduction to Teams in my JIU syllabus I experienced what I believed to be a crisis management team. This Team worked within the Social Services and was made up
of CPS, Foster Care Permanency Placement, Foster Care Licensing, 1
Assignment 2.2: Applying and Critiquing Team Models
Administration, Home Visiting, Foster Care Payments and Head of Social Services. Each Manager was able to take on as the Acting Head of Department if all others were unavailable.
In this set up the Managers are to know all other Manager’s position so if an issue comes up in any one of the departments they can deal with the issue if that Department Manager was not in the office. In my experience with this Team I felt there was no support or adequate trainers to help me understand or Guide me to the full knowledge of my position. The environment was crowded, constantly changing with new Staff, bi-‐weekly meetings and Mandatory Trainings. This Team did have a structure of a few Managers overseeing a group of departments and they looked to the Head of the Department for direction and dealing with issues within their departments. In the time I worked in this Team experience it would be considered successful in how it dealt with crisis situations but would be considered low functioning as an overall Team.
After reading the guidebook by Kanaga, K.; Michael E., How to Form a Team: Five keys to High Performance (page 7,8) the five characteristics that follow were points that made sense to me of what members need to make a high performance team:
1. Members of the team are dependent upon each other for the completion of a complex Task.
2. Members possess different but complementary skills sets. 3. Teams manage their own work within boundaries set by the organization. 4. Teams have internal processes for managing communication, resolving conflict, solving problems, making decisions and reaching goals. 5. Teams are bounded and stable over time. Kanaga and Michael explained that Team refers to a specific kind of group whose members are collectively accountable for achieving the team’s goals. (pg 7) I think this model is appropriate to help analyze the Team I experienced because it has five clear guidelines of a high performance team. I believe the Team I worked with relied on each other in crisis situations when working with reports on 2
Assignment 2.2: Applying and Critiquing Team Models
Child Abuse and Neglect. The Team came together and calls were made to the Head of Department to inform them of the Child Abuse and Neglect that was taking place in the field and direction was given and then the children were then placed in a temporary safe home until they could meet within 72hrs to discuss the next plan for the family. The one out in the field had all the co-‐workers numbers to rely on to help out in case there were calls that they needed help with or if another vehicle was needed for transportation. I watched each worker put aside differences to assure the safety of the child(ren). The dysfunction would happen when the crisis was over and then staff would lose their communication with each other as to what was going to happen with the children and who was going to take the case. When the case was finally assigned that worker had to gather all the pieces of the report from different workers because sometimes there would be documentation from two to three co-‐workers that were on the same case. I observed a worker gather documentation and then tried to get a report together for court and that needs to be done within 72 hours plus find out if the family in the case has recent history of child abuse and neglect. If that was quite the undertaking then the worker would also be given deadlines or assigned new tasks that needed to be done that day or by the end of the week.
Working within this Team I observed that they worked closely with each other in crisis situations and knew each other’s strengths and looked to each other for feedback when a decision was made to assure the decision was the best interest of the children and followed the rules and regulations of the Department. On the other hand the Team was suffering because when the situation was not a crisis situation they would try to hand it off to the next Manager to deal with leaving usually one Manager and their department to figure out how to complete the task. After the task was close to completion other Manager’s would strongly criticize and want it done another way leaving Management stressed and underappreciated. The Crisis Management Team did not do well managing their own work within boundaries of the organization. In the previous paragraph it mentions the Managers were always handing off their 3
Assignment 2.2: Applying and Critiquing Team Models
responsibilities to other Manager’s when dealing with everyday tasks on hand, that was not crisis related. The Manager that handed off the responsibility would feel they had say in the task ending up in undermining the Manager that took on the task resulting in tension and stress in the workplace.
In the fourth characteristic of this model the team should have internal process for managing communication, resolving conflict, solving problems, making decisions, and reaching goals. This Crisis Management Team did move forward to making decision but not all Management was there for the long haul to reaching the goals. When the team was in the process to making the decisions not everyone was included in that decision leaving some Manager with new job duties when they arrived to work to figure out. The Head of Department would be pushing new programs and follow it with saying …..Just get it done and you will need to stay until Its’ done!!
The final characteristic of this model states Teams are bounded and stable over time. When I observed the Crisis Management Team I did see two workers that connected in this chaotic system and were strong because of their undying support for each other. Some of these workers have been in this system for years and know the ins and outs of any situation and know their job. In review of the Crisis Team experience I believe if they became aware of their dysfunctions in the Team, the Team would be a High Performance Team. In course readings in the book
“Overcoming the five dysfunctions of a Team,” this Crisis Team would need to overcome Dysfunction #4:
Avoidance of Accountability and Dysfunction #5: Inattention to Results.
This Team failed in holding one another accountable when it came to the long haul in reaching the set goals that were decided on. Furthermore, the team failed in putting their individual needs aside and work together for the success of the Team.
In conclusion, the Team was excellent when handling a crisis/emergency situation and I did admire them for the skill to remain calm and make decisions in chaotic stressful environment. However, in an overall analysis from a High Performance Model this Team needed to become aware of some dysfunctional areas.
If this Team would take the time to commit to what was decided and hold each 4
Assignment 2.2: Applying and Critiquing Team Models
other accountable to that commitment the Team would begin to become a High Performance Team.
The Team Manager’s would carry their weight, the responsibility would not land on the few, there would be less tension and deadlines would be met because no one is being stuck with other Manager’s last minute deadlines.
REFERENCES: Lencioni, P.M. (2005). Overcoming the five dysfunctions of a team: A field guide for leaders,
managers and facilitators. San Francisco: Jossey-‐Bass Kanaga, Kim: Kossier, Michael E. How to Form a Team: Five keys to High Performance
Greensboro, NC. USA. Center for Creative Leadership. 2002. P 8
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Assignment 2.2: Applying and Critiquing Team Models
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BC541: MANAGING HIGH-‐PERFORMANCE TEAMS Assignment 2.2: Applying and Critiquing Team Models
In looking over the types of teams in Module 1: Introduction to Teams in my JIU syllabus I experienced what I believed to be a crisis management team. This Team worked within the Social Services and was made up
of CPS, Foster Care Permanency Placement, Foster Care Licensing, 1
Assignment 2.2: Applying and Critiquing Team Models
Administration, Home Visiting, Foster Care Payments and Head of Social Services. Each Manager was able to take on as the Acting Head of Department if all others were unavailable.
In this set up the Managers are to know all other Manager’s position so if an issue comes up in any one of the departments they can deal with the issue if that Department Manager was not in the office. In my experience with this Team I felt there was no support or adequate trainers to help me understand or Guide me to the full knowledge of my position. The environment was crowded, constantly changing with new Staff, bi-‐weekly meetings and Mandatory Trainings. This Team did have a structure of a few Managers overseeing a group of departments and they looked to the Head of the Department for direction and dealing with issues within their departments. In the time I worked in this Team experience it would be considered successful in how it dealt with crisis situations but would be considered low functioning as an overall Team.
After reading the guidebook by Kanaga, K.; Michael E., How to Form a Team: Five keys to High Performance (page 7,8) the five characteristics that follow were points that made sense to me of what members need to make a high performance team:
1. Members of the team are dependent upon each other for the completion of a complex Task.
2. Members possess different but complementary skills sets. 3. Teams manage their own work within boundaries set by the organization. 4. Teams have internal processes for managing communication, resolving conflict, solving problems, making decisions and reaching goals. 5. Teams are bounded and stable over time. Kanaga and Michael explained that Team refers to a specific kind of group whose members are collectively accountable for achieving the team’s goals. (pg 7) I think this model is appropriate to help analyze the Team I experienced because it has five clear guidelines of a high performance team. I believe the Team I worked with relied on each other in crisis situations when working with reports on 2
Assignment 2.2: Applying and Critiquing Team Models
Child Abuse and Neglect. The Team came together and calls were made to the Head of Department to inform them of the Child Abuse and Neglect that was taking place in the field and direction was given and then the children were then placed in a temporary safe home until they could meet within 72hrs to discuss the next plan for the family. The one out in the field had all the co-‐workers numbers to rely on to help out in case there were calls that they needed help with or if another vehicle was needed for transportation. I watched each worker put aside differences to assure the safety of the child(ren). The dysfunction would happen when the crisis was over and then staff would lose their communication with each other as to what was going to happen with the children and who was going to take the case. When the case was finally assigned that worker had to gather all the pieces of the report from different workers because sometimes there would be documentation from two to three co-‐workers that were on the same case. I observed a worker gather documentation and then tried to get a report together for court and that needs to be done within 72 hours plus find out if the family in the case has recent history of child abuse and neglect. If that was quite the undertaking then the worker would also be given deadlines or assigned new tasks that needed to be done that day or by the end of the week.
Working within this Team I observed that they worked closely with each other in crisis situations and knew each other’s strengths and looked to each other for feedback when a decision was made to assure the decision was the best interest of the children and followed the rules and regulations of the Department. On the other hand the Team was suffering because when the situation was not a crisis situation they would try to hand it off to the next Manager to deal with leaving usually one Manager and their department to figure out how to complete the task. After the task was close to completion other Manager’s would strongly criticize and want it done another way leaving Management stressed and underappreciated. The Crisis Management Team did not do well managing their own work within boundaries of the organization. In the previous paragraph it mentions the Managers were always handing off their 3
Assignment 2.2: Applying and Critiquing Team Models
responsibilities to other Manager’s when dealing with everyday tasks on hand, that was not crisis related. The Manager that handed off the responsibility would feel they had say in the task ending up in undermining the Manager that took on the task resulting in tension and stress in the workplace.
In the fourth characteristic of this model the team should have internal process for managing communication, resolving conflict, solving problems, making decisions, and reaching goals. This Crisis Management Team did move forward to making decision but not all Management was there for the long haul to reaching the goals. When the team was in the process to making the decisions not everyone was included in that decision leaving some Manager with new job duties when they arrived to work to figure out. The Head of Department would be pushing new programs and follow it with saying …..Just get it done and you will need to stay until Its’ done!!
The final characteristic of this model states Teams are bounded and stable over time. When I observed the Crisis Management Team I did see two workers that connected in this chaotic system and were strong because of their undying support for each other. Some of these workers have been in this system for years and know the ins and outs of any situation and know their job. In review of the Crisis Team experience I believe if they became aware of their dysfunctions in the Team, the Team would be a High Performance Team. In course readings in the book
“Overcoming the five dysfunctions of a Team,” this Crisis Team would need to overcome Dysfunction #4:
Avoidance of Accountability and Dysfunction #5: Inattention to Results.
This Team failed in holding one another accountable when it came to the long haul in reaching the set goals that were decided on. Furthermore, the team failed in putting their individual needs aside and work together for the success of the Team.
In conclusion, the Team was excellent when handling a crisis/emergency situation and I did admire them for the skill to remain calm and make decisions in chaotic stressful environment. However, in an overall analysis from a High Performance Model this Team needed to become aware of some dysfunctional areas.
If this Team would take the time to commit to what was decided and hold each 4
Assignment 2.2: Applying and Critiquing Team Models
other accountable to that commitment the Team would begin to become a High Performance Team.
The Team Manager’s would carry their weight, the responsibility would not land on the few, there would be less tension and deadlines would be met because no one is being stuck with other Manager’s last minute deadlines.
REFERENCES: Lencioni, P.M. (2005). Overcoming the five dysfunctions of a team: A field guide for leaders,
managers and facilitators. San Francisco: Jossey-‐Bass Kanaga, Kim: Kossier, Michael E. How to Form a Team: Five keys to High Performance
Greensboro, NC. USA. Center for Creative Leadership. 2002. P 8
5
Assignment 2.2: Applying and Critiquing Team Models
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