Diagnosing the dynamics within a group is the first step toward facilitating a team's development and productivity. An accurate diagnosis is achieved by carefully observing teams in action. There are two parts to this. The first part is paying attention to the content being worked on. This is the information that is documented in the meeting minutes.

The second part, which is more difficult for most people, is to observe and pay attention to the process--how the results were achieved. Failure to examine the process can result in a team that is unhappy about the way it is operating even though it might be meeting its stated objectives. A universal symptom of teams that are not paying attention to the process are "I should have said" meetings that spontaneously crop up in hallways, bathrooms, stairwells, and parking lots after the official meeting has ended to discuss the steps that were missed, the voices that were not heard, or other missing aspects of the process that would have made for greater consensus and more satisfied team members.

Adaptability, the second area of focus, is the skill of matching one's style to the needs of the team.

To be effective, leaders and team members must adjust their style to provide the group what it needs (and cannot provide for itself) as it moves through the four stages of team development. At The Ken Blanchard Companies we refer to these four stages as Orientation, Dissatisfaction, Integration, and Production*.

In the Orientation Stage team members bring enthusiasm and commitment to meetings, but little knowledge, so they need direction. At this stage the team needs a leader who can provide the structure the team needs to build a team charter, share necessary information, explain initial goals and tasks, and develop the skills necessary to become more effective.

In the Dissatisfaction Stage team members are not strong on competence or commitment. They are struggling with the task as well as how to work together, so they need both direction and support. If a leader uses a directive style exclusively at this stage, team members will soon resent being told repeatedly what to do and how to do it. As a result, they will be less inclined to contribute their ideas and opinions. Productivity, satisfaction, and creativity may suffer as a result. That's why team leaders at this stage should actively encourage team members to share their ideas and opinions. This helps the group move to the next level of development.

In the Integration Stage team members have the skills to perform well but need to build their confidence and morale. At this stage, the effective team leader needs to gradually reduce the amount of direction while continuing to offer encouragement and support. This allows the group to practice managing their communication and decision-making processes. Team responsibility for both the task and the process increases, and consequently the team becomes less dependent on the formal leader.

Finally, at the Production Stage the team has high skills and morale. Now, the leader can stand aside or join in the work with little need for additional intervention. While the leader is still responsible for maintaining close ties with other teams and the larger organization, he or she is no longer making decisions for the team. Instead, the leader is participating in these decisions. The former team leader is now sharing the leadership of the team.

Empowerment is the third area of focus for creating self-directed work teams. Empowerment starts with sharing information. People can't contribute to something they know little about, so if the intent is to have employees act like owners and share responsibility for the financial success of the company, everyone needs to have the same information. Remember, people without information cannot act, while people with information cannot help but act.

By fostering empowerment, and by developing their diagnosis and adaptability skills, leaders can improve team productivity and team satisfaction within their organizations. When team leaders and team members facilitate this process by diagnosing their team's current level of development and then use the proper combination of directive and supportive behaviors, they can quickly advance to the next stage. In working together, individuals throughout the organization will exemplify the premise that "No one of us is as smart as all of us." Organizations with people who work together can accomplish goals that far surpass those of organizations filled with individual members who strive to achieve alone. Creating more effective self-directed work teams is the first step towards achieving those goals.

*R. B. Lacoursiere, The Life Cycle of Groups: Group Development Stage Theory (New York, NY: Human Science Press, 1980).

Would you like to learn more about creating self-directed work teams in your organization?

An Individual Approach to Better Work Teams
Thursday, May 13, 2004, 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. Pacific (United States and Canada)

Join Kathleen Martin, PhD, as she teaches you what you can do as an individual to help your company's teams succeed. In this presentation you'll learn a team development model and the corresponding individual and leader behaviors needed to accelerate a team's progress toward accomplishing its goals.

This unique process teaches team members and leaders how to function more efficiently by combining the proper amounts of direction and support at each stage of development. You'll learn how to help a team succeed by creating a clear vision and purpose, empowering and involving all members, and creating an open, productive environment.

Be sure to stop by The Ken Blanchard Companies^® booth at this year's show.

Here are six big reasons why:

1. Meet Ken Blanchard, founder of The Ken Blanchard Companies, and coauthor of The One Minute Manager^® and get his autograph!

2. Learn how The Ken Blanchard Companies can help you create results.

• Online coaching, goal setting, leadership development, and more!
• Closing the learning-doing gap!
• Leveraging your training investment

• The Magic of Situational Self Leadership
• Situational Frontline Leadership
• Situational Team Leadership
• Coaching Essentials for Leaders

Designed for individuals or organizations, these workshops provide the opportunity to learn skills to meet the challenges of today's working environments. Participating in a public workshop is an ideal way to preview the Blanchard processes for possible rollout in your organization. Smaller companies also may use these workshops to meet their employee's training needs.

Situational Self Leadership
June 7-8 in San Diego, CA

Gung Ho!
June 21-22 in London, United Kingdom

DiSCovering Self and Others
August 2 in San Diego, CA

Building High Performing Teams
August 16-18 in San Diego, CA

Situational Leadership II
May 10-11 in San Diego, CA
May 10-11 in Atlanta, GA
June 14-15 in London, United Kingdom
June 21-22 in San Diego, CA
July 12-13 in San Diego, CA
July 26-27 in Toronto, Canada
August 9-10 in Shanghai, China
September 13-14 in San Diego, CA
September 13-14 in London, United Kingdom

Telephone registration available by calling 800 728-6000.

What is the secret of great leaders?

Who better to answer that question than the team of Ken Blanchard, whose books on leadership have sold over 20 million copies, and Mark Miller, who worked his way up from line worker to vice president of one of the largest fast-food chains in the country.



The Secret revealed

• Why great leaders seem preoccupied with the future
• Why and how people on "the team" are invariably key ingredients of success or failure
• What three arenas require continuous improvement
• Why true success in leadership has two essential components, and
• How to knowingly strengthen--or unwittingly destroy--leadership
credibility

Designed for professionals who are rising in their careers and who have responsibility for managing others, this University of San Diego degree program combines the best in Blanchard thought-leadership with the core of a traditional MBA.