July 28, 2011

SDI+Summer Institute

Outcomes

1. An increased awareness of five common barriers to effective teamwork and some strategies for overcoming them.

2. An increased awareness of the importance managing agreement when making group decisions.

Definition of a Team

A RELATIVELY SMALL NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT

SHARES COMMON GOALS AS WELL AS THE REWARDS AND

RESPONSIBILITIES FOR ACHIEVING THEM.

Roundtable Discussions

Which teams are you a member of?

Which teams are you the leader of?

What makes teams effective?

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Absence of Trust

Fear of Conflict

Lack of Commitment

Avoidance of Accountability

Inattention to Results

Building Trust / Being Vulnerable

PEOPLE WHO AREN’T AFRAID TO ADMIT THE TRUTH ABOUT

THEMSELVES ARE NOT GOING TO ENGAGE IN THE KIND OF

POLITICAL BEHAVIOR THAT WASTES EVERYONE’S TIME AND

ENERGY.

Vulnerability

1. The state of being vulnerable or exposed

2. Susceptibility to injury or attack

4. Staff members quickly and genuinely apologize to one another when they say or do something inappropriate or

possibly damaging to the school.

6. Staff members at my school openly admit their weaknesses and mistakes.

12. Staff members at my school know about one another’s personal lives and are comfortable discussing them.

Building Trust

Personal Histories

Behavioral Profiles

Shared Experiences

Mastering Conflict

Artificial Harmony Mean-Spirited

Personal Attacks

Constructive Destructive

Ideal Conflict Point

1. Staff members at my school are passionate and unguarded in their discussion of issues.

7. Staff meetings at my school are compelling and not boring.

10. During staff meetings, the most important and most difficult issues are put on the table to be

resolved.

Mastering Conflict

Mining for Conflict

Real Time Permission

Setting the Hook

Achieving Commitment

COMMITMENT IS ABOUT A GROUP OF INTELLIGENT, DRIVEN

INDIVIDUALS BUYING INTO A DECISION PRECISELY WHEN THEY

DON’T NATURALLY AGREE. IN OTHER WORDS, IT’S THE ABILITY TO DEFY A LACK OF CONSENSUS.

Consensus

An opinion or position reached by a group as a whole

General agreement or accord

Consensus has been achieved

when every person involved in the decision

can say, “I believe this is

the best decision we can arrive at for the organization at this time, and I will support its implementation

”.

3. Staff members at my school know what their peers are working on and how their peers contribute to the

collective good of the school/district.

8. Staff members at my school leave meetings confident that their peers are completely committed to the decisions

agreed upon during the meeting, even if there was initial disagreement.

13. Staff members at my school end discussions with clear and specific resolutions and calls to

action.

End Meetings With These Questions

1. Who will do what by when?2. Who will communicate informally and

formally to whom?3. What will be communicated regarding

decisions at today’s meeting?4. What are next steps?5. Under what conditions would you be

tempted to deviate from these communication agreements that we just made?

Embracing Accountability

ACCOUNTABILITY IS THE WILLINGNESS OF TEAM MEMBERS TO REMIND ONE ANOTHER WHEN THEY

ARE NOT LIVING UP TO THE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS OF THE

GROUP. (AKA ENTERING THE DANGER)

2. Staff members at my school call out one another’s deficiencies or unproductive

behaviors.

11. Staff members at my school are deeply concerned about the prospect of letting down

their peers.

14. Staff members at my school challenge one another about their plans, instructional methods and approaches.

Embracing Accountability

Team Effectiveness Exercise What is the single most important

behavioral characteristic or quality demonstrated by this person that contributes to the strength of our team?

What is the single most important behavioral characteristic or quality demonstrated by this person that can sometimes derail our team?

Roundtable Discussions

Create Your Own Scoreboard

What are the most important things to

measure to track your team’s progress?

5. Staff members at my school willingly make sacrifices (such as budget, supplies, extra duties) for the good of

the school.

9. Morale is significantly affected by the failure to achieve the school/district goals.

15. Staff members at my school are slow to seek credit for their own contributions but quick to point out those of others.

Focusing on Results

Establish a Scoreboard

Distraction # 1: Ego Distraction # 2: Career

Advancement Distraction # 3: Money Distraction # 4: “My” department

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Absence of Trust

Fear of Conflict

Lack of Commitment

Avoidance of Accountability

Inattention to Results

THE CURIOUS TENDENCY OF GROUPS TO MAKE DECISIONS THAT INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS

DO NOT TRULY SUPPORT.

The Abilene Paradox

The Abilene Paradox

People make decisions based not on what they actually want to do,

but on what they think that other people want to do,

with the result being that everybody decides to do something that nobody really wants to do,

only what they thought that everybody else wanted to do.

Groupthink

A type of thought exhibited by group members who try to minimize conflict and reach consensus without critically testing, analyzing, and evaluating ideas.

THE TENDENCY OF GROUP MEMBERS TO HESITATE TO

OFFER THEIR TRUE OPINIONS, AND TO THEREFORE AGREE TO A

DECISION THAT THEY DON’T SUPPORT.

Mismanaged Agreement

Roundtable Discussions

Why is it so hard to disagree with what the

team seems to be thinking?

Ways to Skip the Trip

Invite the right people. Clearly state the decision

to be made. Organize available data

and information. Allow enough time for

discussion. Check assumptions.

Weigh risks and benefits.