Module III·Article I·~1 min read
Building High-Performing Teams
Teams and Culture
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Team vs Group
A team is a group of people with complementary skills, united by a common goal for which they bear collective responsibility. Not every group is a team. The key difference: collective interdependence and responsibility.
Hackman Model: Conditions for an Effective Team
Richard Hackman (Harvard): the effectiveness of a team is determined not by how it is managed during work, but by how it is created and prepared.
Five conditions: (1) Real team (clear boundaries, stability); (2) Compelling direction (inspiring goal); (3) Competent structure (composition, tasks, norms); (4) Supportive context (resources, reward systems); (5) Expert coaching.
Belbin Model: Team Roles
Meredith Belbin identified 9 team roles (3 groups):
Action-oriented: Implementer (turns ideas into action), Completer Finisher (brings tasks to perfection), Shaper (challenges, drives forward).
Social roles: Coordinator (sets goals, allocates tasks), Teamworker (creates harmony), Resource Investigator (explores opportunities outside the team).
Thinking roles: Plant (generates ideas), Monitor Evaluator (analyzes, evaluates), Specialist (expertise in a narrow field).
Conclusion: a balanced team is better than an unbalanced one. A team made up only of "Plants" (idea generators) will be creative but will not implement anything. A team of only "Implementers" will implement, but will not come up with breakthrough solutions.
Stages of Team Development (Tuckman)
Forming → Storming → Norming → Performing → Adjourning.
The leader at each stage: Forming — directs and explains; Storming — resolves conflicts; Norming — encourages; Performing — delegates; Adjourning — celebrates achievements.
Regression: external events (change of team composition, new task) can return the team to earlier stages.
Practical Assignment
Evaluate your team according to the Belbin model: (1) Take the Belbin test (or assess intuitively). (2) Which roles are well represented, which are lacking? (3) What should be changed in the composition or task structure for better balance?
§ Act · what next