EMPOWERING PEOPLE
Team Building Success
Seven steps on the path to high performance.
By Karen Y. Wilson-Starks
A high performance team is an interdependent group of people with specialized skills, exceptional processes and results, and a clear mission to accomplish a complex task. In times of ministry challenge and economic uncertainty, how can high performance teams help? Here are seven essential building blocks to consider:
1. Determine If it is a complex task.
When organizations venture into uncharted territories where no one person has the answer or the ability to accomplish the task, consider a team. If it really only takes one person to change a light bulb, then to use a team will consume more time and resources. When King Solomon was building the temple, the complex task warranted the use of teams. In 2 Chronicles 2, it describes the workers he needed, which included carriers, stonecutters, and various skilled craftsmen.
2. Define clear purpose.
For a team to function at a high level of performance, the mission and goals have to be clear and mutually agreed upon. King Solomon was clear he was building a magnificent temple for the name of the Lord. He also had specific plans and blueprints given to him by his father King David. Sometimes, ministries and organizations are operating at cross-purposes because they think they have alignment and agreement on purpose when they do not.
3. Emphasize task interdependence.
What distinguishes a group from a team is that in a team, no one part can be successful without the other parts. Apostle Paul’s analogy of the church as a body is a good example of task interdependence since the foot cannot move purposefully without the brain giving the command or know where it is going without the eye or some other part of the body pointing the way. If a ministry wants to do a major fundraising dinner, there are many interdependent tasks related to invitations, venues, menus, and program plans. A failure in even one area adversely affects the whole.
4. Select talented and skilled members.
Once you know the team task, select members who have those skills and competencies. For example, once Solomon knew what he needed, he was able to contact Hiram, king of Tyre, to ask for a craftsman skilled in gold, silver, bronze, iron, royal fabric, and engraving. Solomon even went outside of Israel/Judah to find the skills he needed. One mistake organizations often make is to select unskilled people for complex tasks.
5. Provide sufficient resources.
Many teams are thwarted in their ability to be successful because they do not have the tools and resources needed to do the job. Imagine building the temple without the necessary wood or stones. Solomon took responsibility for contacting King Hiram to get cedar, pine, and algum logs from Lebanon.
6. Develop appropriate reward structures.
When people are rewarded only for their individual contributions, there is no impetus to function as a team. When the people of God were entering the Promised Land, Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh were allowed to take land east of the Jordan. Once their brothers crossed the Jordan, Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh also crossed over to fight until their brothers had secured their land. The whole "team” had to come to a place of safety and blessing before the job was declared done. Too often we specify team goals, but reward individual accomplishment, and have no consequences for failure to achieve the team goals.
7. Create a learning culture.
High performance teams are nimble and ready to change with new information. To keep moving effectively in the right direction, they are continuous learners. Continuous learning means using feedback mechanisms to determine what is and isn’t working and then to make the necessary adjustments. When I was an active duty Army officer, one of the feedback mechanisms I learned and appreciated the most was the After Action Review (AAR). After every major activity or maneuver, the team meets to talk about what did and didn’t work, and how to get better results the next time.
The next time your organization considers whether to use a team or not, consider if the task is appropriate for teamwork and then make sure you have all the necessary building blocks for high performance.
Dr. Karen Y. Wilson-Starks is the president and CEO of TRANSLEADERSHIP, INC. (translead ership.com) or contact her at DrKyws@aol.com.
Wilson-Starks will lead a workshop entitled "Building and Leading High-Performance Teams” during the 2011 Christian Leadership Alliance National Conference in Dallas, April 26-28, (claconference.org).
