TEAM DYNAMICS
Understanding the 3 Phases
of Team Development
Every workgroup generally passes through three phases of growth and change on their way to becoming a high-performing Championship Team. That means our staff is either a:
- A Collection of Individuals,
- A Leader-directed Group,
- A Purpose-driven Team, or
- A Championship Team
As team synergy improves, performance increases. The practice is able to get consistently better results with less effort. The staff knows what to do, why they’re doing it, and how to get it done. Everyone is on the same page, focused on making lasting improvements.
Also, as the team develops, the relationships among the team members become more harmonious with greater cooperation, improved communications, higher commitment, more accountability, and better focus on key results.
But as illustrated below, if we attempt to become more productive without improving Team Synergy, we’ll have to resort to micromanagement or experience burnout and constant frustration.
What Distinguishes One Phase from Another
Each stage of team development can be distinguished by:
- how they MAKE and EXECUTE the day-to-day decisions and
- who (or what) GUIDES their decisions and performance?
There is whole laundry list of qualities that make a great team. But ultimately, they all can be condensed into three distinguishing characteristics that change as the team becomes more effective.
- LEADERSHIP - Who makes the decisions about what we should do today and in the future?
- DIRECTION - What are the results that we’re trying to achieve and why?
- PERFORMANCE - How well do we share responsibility for getting things done? (Team Synergy)
A Collection of Individuals
In this phase, cooperation and communication are poor leading to frequent conflict among the staff. The staff doesn't work together well to achieve Practice objectives so the Leader must micromanage the staff to be productive.
A Collection of Individuals
Observed Behaviors
The staff members:
- Frequently act independently and don't keep the interests of the practice or other staff members in mind
- Often get into conflict with other staff about job responsibilities or interpersonal differences.
- Are reluctant or unwilling to accept new responsibilities and resist change
- Often don’t follow through on what they promised to do
- Seem to focus on their own needs rather than the needs of the patients or the goals of the practice
- Turnover and absenteeism may be a problem
Characteristics of this Phase
Decisions are:
- made by the individuals,
- with little guidance or direction, and
- with limited sharing of responsibility.
Common Staff Issues
- Lack of Cooperation (Trust)
- Failure of Communication (Conflict)
A Leader Directed Group
Most practices fall into this category. Relationships and productivity are reasonably good, but staff commitment and accountability are sometimes lacking. By maintaining control of most of the decisions, the Leader is susceptible to burnout as the practice grows.
A Leader Directed Group
Observed Behaviors
The staff members:
- Get along with each other most of the time, but some of the staff have “favorites” and others who they tend not to get along with as well.
- Often are quiet at meetings and don’t willingly offer feedback on proposals or contribute thoughts and ideas to the discussion
- Occasionally don’t seem committed to improvements in the practice
- Willingly respond to changes suggested, but often do not take the initiative to make practice improvements on their own
- Willingly respond to the doctor’s direction, but have some difficulty taking direction from other team members
- Recognize the goals of the practice, but did not participate in their formulation
Characteristics of this Phase
Decisions are:
- made by the leader who
- provides direction,
- assigns tasks,
- reviews performance,
- is the primary focus of communication, and
- maintains control of the significant decisions about the practice,
- based on a recognized common purpose & direction
- established by the doctor, and,
- most decisions are deferred to the doctor
- with one way sharing of responsibility
- the staff have accepted the doctor’s leadership;
- the staff is responsible to the doctor; and,
- although the staff may cooperate with each other, they don’t always feel responsible to each other.
Common Staff Issues
- Lack of Commitment
- Avoidance of Accountability
A Purpose Driven Team
Everyone is now on the same page. Most decisions which are based on the shared purpose & objectives of the Practice are made jointly by the Leader and the Team. Relationships are good and productivity is high, but the Leader may become frustrated when some members of the Team occasionally fail to stay focused on the Practice objectives.
A Purpose Driven Team
Observed Behaviors
The staff:
- Trust each other and willingly work together to help each other
- Are encouraged to think for themselves and feel free to admit mistakes because they know that they will not be blamed by others
- Occasional conflicts between staff are resolved amicably
- Willingly contribute thoughts and ideas at meetings and engage in passionate (and respectful) discussions
- Accept responsibilities willingly and consistently follow through on commitments
- Are free to confront each other and the doctor if they feel that someone is not following through on what they promised.
- Are free to make day-to-day decisions based on the goals of the practice without having to consult the doctor or staff leaders
- Seem committed to the goals of the practice and focus their efforts on achieving them
Characteristics of this Phase
Decisions are:
- made by the team
- leadership is shared
- shares the team’s purpose & direction
- the members and the leader not only understand the purpose, but share it and are committed to it, and,
- use the purpose to guide actions and decisions.
- responsibility is shared by all
- clear lines of delegation and responsibility have been established and the members have become self-directed;
- because the members of the Team look to the purpose to help them know what to do, only a few decisions have to be referred to the doctor;
- the members and the leader hold each other accountable for decisions based on the mission of the practice;
- team members willingly help each other with their work even when it’s not part of their primary responsibility;
- the team responds rapidly to opportunities because they welcome change as they constantly seek to improve.
Common Staff Issues
- Inattention to Results
A Championship Team
This high-performance team exists when every member of the team is fully committed to maintaining great relationships and achieving significant results. The deeply shared purpose, values, and focus creates high productivity and team synergy, in which the performance of the whole team is much greater than the sum of its individual members.
