Q: Do teams help make better decisions or would people be better off working on their own?
A: To make effective decisions you need to things – you need high quality information and you need a high level of acceptance so that people accept the good idea when someone contributes it. What that means is that if I give a good idea and the team ignores me, either because I didn’t explain it well enough, or people just didn’t want to listen to me, then the team will make worse decisions.
Q: Does that happen in the survival simulation you use in the Ultimate Teambuilding Workshop?
A: Yes, some teams are dysfunctional and ignore the good ideas people on the team bring forward.
Q: What is it that makes a team of people more effective when they work together?
A: There are a number of factors that determine whether a team makes better decisions together – synergy is best when:
– Participation – what we notice is that the most successful teams involve everyone in solving the problem. The unsuccessful teams have one or two people dominate the discussion.
– Support – even if the idea won’t cut it, the team initially supports the idea so that it can be considered
– Differing – it is important to look at each idea critically – just because somebody says an idea with authority does not make it right. I’ve seen people make statements like, hey I was watching the Discovery Channel and they said to… and everyone accepts it at face value.
Q: All of this involves communication doesn’t it?
A: Yes, managing the communication in the team makes a big difference.
People can use these tips at the Ultimate Teambuilding Challenge – presented by AM800 on October 18th at the Caboto Club. I invite those listening to either come on their own or bring a team from their organization. To register and get more information now, they can go to LeadershipWizard.com or follow the link from the AM800 home page.
http://LeadershipWizard.com/seminar
