Build ing a Bet t er Team Req uires Mult ip le To o ls

Team s are t w o o r m o re ind ivid uals w o rk ing t o g et her ad ap t ively, int erd ep end ent ly, and d y nam ically t ow ard
a co m m o n g o al.

Read t he d e nit ion of w hat is a t eam? above, and it is not d if cult t o see w hy hum an b eings som et im es nd
t eam wo rk a challenge. W it h our my riad experiences, exp ert ise and p ersonalit ies, how easy is it for a rand om
g roup of p eop le t o com e t og et her and w o rk ad ap t ively, int erd ep end ent ly and d ynam ically t o achieve a
com m on g o al?

Most of us have had t he exp erience of b eing part of a t eam and w hile exp erience is a hig hly ef fect ive
t eacher, it can also b e a hig hly inef cient one. Trial and error t eaches us a lot , b ut t he m o st effect ive p eop le
nd w ays t o accelerat e t he learning p rocess t o avoid t he w orst errors. A nd one crit ical w ay t o accelerat e
learning is t o nd effect ive t ools, b ased o n t he b est available evid ence, t hat inherent ly help avo id t he m ost
cost ly and p ainf ul p it falls.

The p ract ical g uidelines in t he Teamw ork Toolkit can b e used im m ed iat ely, as p art of your Cap sim sim ulat io n
experience, but are ap p licab le also t o alm ost every t yp e of t eam set t ing . Taking t he op p ort unit y t o p ract ice
w it h t hese t ools now, is likely t o p rovid e a sig ni cant fut ure ret urn t o you in t he form of increased t eam
effect iveness and t eam p erform ance.

Five Team Effect iveness Tools

Here are ve t ools t hat form a st ep -by-st ep guid e your t eam can use t o im p rove t he d ecision-m aking p rocess.

1. Creat ing a Team Chart er

Team s t hat p lan w ell, p lay w ell. A t eam chart er represent s an ag reem ent am ong t eam m em b ers as t o how t he
t eam w ill w ork t og et her t o m ake d ecisions and share responsib ilit y in get t ing t he t eam s wo rk d one. Cap sim
reco m m end s you sp end t im e using t his t ool t o p lan your t eam wo rk st rat eg ies b efo re yo u beg in your t askw ork.

2. Running an Ef fect ive Meet ing

Most p eop le exp erience m eet ing s as a w ast e of t im e. This Toolkit p rovid es g uid ance on how t o keep m eet ings
focused and how t o eng ag e in p rod uct ive use of t im e and resources.

3. Red ucing So cial Lo a ng

Yes, everyone slacks off from t im e-t o-t im e, b ut in t eam s, it s alm o st a g uarant ee t hat at least one individ ual
w ill not p ull his or her ow n w eig ht . A nt icip at ing t his and d iscussing w hat t o d o ahead of t im e alm ost alw ays
im p roves each t eam m em b er s cont ribut ions t o t he t eam s success. Guid ance is p rov id ed on how t o ant icip at e
and t erm inat e social lo a ng b efore it hap p ens.

4 . Reso lving Con ict

Con ict is nat ural p art of t eamw ork, b ut t hat d oesnt m ake it g o od . In fact , a t eam s ab ilit y t o effect ively
m anag e con ict is one of t he crit ical success fact ors for t eam p erfo rm ance. These g uidelines help t eam s
d iscuss t he inevit ab le con ict and d ecid e how t o d eal w it h it , b ecause let t ing con ict g o unchecked or act ing
like it d oesnt exist is not a w inning st rat egy.

5. Using Team Feed b ack f or Develo p m ent

Too oft en, t eam p roject s are co m p let ely void o f feed b ack reg ard ing t eam wo rk t he p rocesses t he t eam uses
t o accom p lish it s w ork. In Capsim sim ulat ions, t eam s are p rovid ed ext ensive dat a t hat can b e used t o im p rove
a t eam s overall funct ioning . Team MATE help s t eam s p rocess t hose d at a and m axim ize t heir op p ort unit ies fo r
im p rovem ent .

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Team To o l 1: How t o Creat e a Team Chart er
If you w ant t o becom e a g reat t eam , d evelop a t eam chart er. A t eam chart er rep resent s an ag reem ent
am ong t eam m em bers as t o how t he t eam w ill wo rk t og et her in m aking d ecisions and sharing t he
resp o nsib ilit y of get t ing t he w ork do ne. A lt houg h t eam chart ers t yp ically result in a w rit t en d ocum ent
t hat can b e revisit ed anyt im e d uring a given p roject , t he real value of a t eam chart er is t he opp ort unit y
t o est ab lish clear exp ect at ions fo r t eam m em b er behavior.

Exercise t o Creat e a Team Chart er

1. Ind iv id ual Prep arat io n

Prio r t o develop ing t he t eam chart er w it h ot her t eam m em b ers, each t eam m em b er should answ er t he
follow ing key q uest ions ab out t heir p ersonal cap ab ilit ies. It is crit ical t hat ind ivid uals p rovid e honest
resp o nses b ecause f ut ure w ork assig nm ent s m ig ht hing e on t he resp onses p rovid ed:

W hat can yo u t ell t he t eam ab out yourself (w here you g rew up, your key exp ert ise, career asp irat ions,
and how you sp end your free t im e) .

Provid e your p rim ary cont act inform at ion and t he b est m et hod t o cont act you w it h short -not ice.

W hat is yo ur availab ilit y in t erm s of ho urs and d ays and p referred w ork t im es?

W hat are your b est business-relat ed st reng t hs and w eaknesses, includ ing w hat sub ject s/ courses in
w hich have you p erform ed best ?

How d o you p refer t o com m unicat e w it h ot hers (e.g ., face-t o -face, em ail, et c) ?

Is t here anyt hing t he t eam should know ab o ut you or any const raint s t hat could im pact you ab ilit y t o
b e a p rod uct ive t eam m em b er d uring t he p roject p erio d ?

2. Ho ld a Team Chart er Meet ing

This should b e t he sole focus of t he m eet ing . In m ost cases it w ill b e unrealist ic t o t ry t o creat e a t eam
chart er and eng ag e in t ask-relat ed w ork in t he sam e m eet ing.
Share t eam m em b er inform at ion from st ep one above.

A s a t eam , discuss how t he m em b ers w ould like t o o p erat e t he t eam and t he t y p e o f t eam m em b er
b ehaviors t hey m ost d esire. Com p let e t he follow ing t ab le:

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 Exp ect at io n A rea Team Ag reem ent
Go als:
W hat are your g oals for t eam p erform ance?
Be speci c.

Roles & Resp onsib ilit ies:

W ho w ill b e resp onsib le for w hat d uring t he
p roject including m eet ing m inut es?

W ho w ill cover for ( back-up) a m em b er w ho is

unab le t o cont rib ut e?

How o ft en w ill t he t eam m eet and for how long ?

Desired Team Mem b er W o rk Behav io r:

W hat are t he exp ect at io ns for:
Meet ing at t end ance?
W ork out side o f sched uled t eam m eet ing s?
Qualit y o f w ork?
Coop erat ion and at t it ud e?
Com m unicat io n t im eliness?
Cont rib ut ion of ideas?

Team Mem b er Perf o rm ance:

How w ill t he t eam rew ard p osit ive t eam m em b er
cont rib ut ions?

How w ill t he t eam sanct io n poor p erform ance

or m anag e m em b ers w ho are not cont rib ut ing
accord ing t o expect at ions?

3. Creat e Draf t Do cum ent and Circulat e

A ssig n a t eam m em b er t he resp onsibilit y of p rod ucing a d ocum ent rep resent ing t he t eam s d iscussion and
ag reem ent on t he q uest ions cont ained in t he t eam chart er. Circulat e t he d raft am ong t he t eam and incorp orat e
any ed it s or chang es t hat are w arrant ed . Includ e all p referred cont act inform at ion of all t eam m em b ers on t he
b ot t om of t he d ocum ent . This should b e d one p rior t o t he next m eet ing .

4 . Review, Sig n, and Bring t o A ll Team Meet ing s

At t he next t eam m eet ing, have all t eam m em b ers sig n t he nal copy as an end orsem ent of t heir com m it m ent
t o t he t eam chart er. In a class sit uat ion, you m ay choose t o t urn it in t o your inst ruct or as a w ay t o increase
p eo ples feeling s of com m it m ent t o t he chart er ag reem ent s. Bring t he sig ned copy t o all t eam m eet ing s and
review it as necessary w hen discrep ancies exist reg ard ing ag reed up on accep t ab le b ehavior.

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Team To o l 2: How t o Run an Ef fect ive Team Meet ing
If t here is one universal com plaint ab out t eam s it is t hat t eam m eet ing s are unp ro d uct ive at b est and
d ysfunct ional at w orst . One w ay t o im p rove t he q ualit y of a t eam m eet ing is t o use a consist ent st ruct ure. Team
m em b ers w ill b ecom e accust om ed t o, and in fact crave, a consist ent ap p roach. The elem ent s o f a g reat t eam
m eet ing includ e p rep aring for t he m eet ing, orchest rat ing t he m eet ing, and follow ing -up w it h m eet ing d ecisions.
Below are t ip s fo r creat ing p rod uct ive st ruct ures for t eam m eet ing s as w ell as for b eing a p rod uct ive ind ivid ual
cont rib ut or t o t eam m eet ings.

St ruct ure of a Qualit y Team Meet ing

1.Det erm ine t he Need for o r Purp o se o f t he Meet ing
Meet ing s are m ost crit ical w hen it com es t o w orking on solving com plex p roblem s t hat req uire m ult ip le skills,
jud g m ent s and exp eriences. Det erm ine t he p rim ary p urp ose of t he m eet ing b efore scheduling t he m eet ing . In
m any cases, it m ay b ecom e clear t hat a m eet ing is unnecessary or t hat no t all of t he t eam m em b ers need t o
at t end .

2. Plan A head / Use an A g end a

The best w ay t o p lan for a m eet ing is for a t eam m em b er t o creat e a m eet ing ag end a for each and every
m eet ing . A lw ays w ork from an ag end a, even if t he p rim ary t ask is t he sam e from m eet ing t o m eet ing , b ecause it
w ill b e help ful t o rem ind t eam m em bers o f t he m eet ing s st ruct ure.

Prior t o t he m eet ing , t he t eam m em b er should circulat e a d raft of ag end a it em s and ask for ot her it em s t o b e
d iscussed. Consider rot at ing t his ro le am ong t eam m em b ers each m eet ing .

Org anize t he ag end a by cont ent , not by w ho is in at t endance. Fo r inst ance, an ag end a it em should not read ,
Bob t o share t houg ht s on ROA d rivers b ut rat her, Discussion of ROA d rivers.

A ssig n t im e lim it s fo r each ag end a it em , d ed icat ing t he m ost t im e t o issues req uiring ext ensive d iscussion
and t eam d ecisions, t hen t o info rm at io n sharing and b rainst o rm ing, and nally t o follow -up it em s for t he
next m eet ing .

Socializing is b ot h ap p rop riat e and im p ort ant fo r t eam co hesion, b ut can also d erail a w ell-in t end ed ag enda.
Keep socializing t o a m inim um and aft er nishing t he m eet ing s ag enda.

3. Co nd uct t he Meet ing as Planned

Rest at e t he purp ose of t he m eet ing and review t he ag end a.

A pp oint a scribe t o reco rd t he d iscussion and out com es o f t he m eet ing and a t im ekeep er t o m onit or t im e
relat ive t o t he ag end a ( ro t at e t hese roles) .

Use g o-around s and direct ly ask for each ind ivid uals inp ut in relat ion t o his or her p revious assig nm ent s or
areas of exp ert ise.

Use p arking lot s ( i.e., w rit t en reco rd of im p ort ant issues t hat arise and need t o b e d iscussed b ut are not on
t he current ag end a) t o d efer off-t ask id eas t o fut ure m eet ing s.

Explicit ly at t ach act ion assig nm ent s t o sp eci c m em b ers and g et p ub lic ow nership ( in f ront of t he t eam ) of
t heir com m it m ent t o co m p let e t he assig ned t ask by a sp eci c d ead line.

Close every m eet ing w it h a b rief sum m ary of w hat w as accom p lished ; clearly rest at e any act ion it em s for
w hich t eam m em b ers are resp onsible. Record assig nm ent s in m eet ing m inut es.

Sched ule t he next m eet ing and assign t he ag end a-d raft ing role t o a sp eci c t eam m em b er.

Circulat e m eet ing m inut es w it hin 24 hours follow ing t he m eet ing (w hich includ es follow -up assig nm ent s) .

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How t o Be a Great Team Mem b er During Meet ing s
Here are key t hings you can d o t o m ake sure yo u m axim ize your cont rib ut ion t o any g iven m eet ing :

1. Prep are
The success of any t eam m eet ing dep end s on each ind ivid ual t eam m em b er. Thus, t he m ost im po rt ant st ep
in help ing your t eam b e successf ul is b eing p rep ared fo r a m eet ing . This includes read ing relevant rep o rt s
or inform at ion p ert inent t o t he agend a it em s, follow ing t hroug h on assig ned w ork and g enerat ing q uest io ns
you w ould like t he g roup t o consid er.

2. A sk fo r Clari cat io n
If you d ont und erst and , chances are som eone else d oesnt eit her. Revisit co m m on g oals t o rem ind t he
g roup of it s cent ral t ask.

3. Seek t he Inp ut o f Ot hers and b e Sup p o rt ive o f Ot hers

A sk q uest ions and seek inp ut f rom t eam m em b ers w ho m ay b e less w illing t o share t heir op inio ns and
p ersp ect ives. Valid at e ot hers id eas as leg it im at e b efore offering your ow n p ersp ect ive.

4 . Take Init iat ive

Volunt eer t o sup p ort t he t eam by t aking m inut es or m onit oring t im e or t o eng age in ext ra w ork on behalf o f
t he t eam .

5. List en / Turn o ff Pho ne

Not hing shut s d ow n a m eet ing like not list ening o r t ry ing t o m ult i-t ask. Avo id t ext ing and em ailing during
m eet ing s and use g ood non-verb al act ive list ening t echniq ues (e.g ., head nod s) t o d em o nst rat e your resp ect
for ot hers and your ow n int erest in t he t op ic.

6 . Co nt rib ut e t o Discussio n b ut A lw ays b e Co ncise

Part icip at e but d ont d om inat e. A necd o t es and p ersonal st ories have a p lace, but t hey are rarely ap p rop riat e
or p rod uct ive in m eet ing s. Be t horo ug h b ut concise in m aking your p oint s.

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Team To o l 3: How t o Red uce So cial Lo a ng
One of t he m ost frust rat ing asp ect s of w orking in t eam s is t he exp erience of social loa ng, also know n as
free rid ing , w here at least one m em b er d oesnt cont rib ut e his or her b est effort d uring a g iven project .
Social loa ng is so com m on t hat virt ually everyone rep ort s having eng ag ed in social loa ng on a t eam at
one po int or anot her. The g ood new s is t hat w it h so m e p lanning and m onit oring , a t eam can sub st ant ially
d ecrease t he likelihood of social loa ng and at t he sam e t im e enhance t he t eam s overall perform ance.
Most im p ort ant , if you eng ag e in creat ing a t eam chart er ( Too l 1) and follow t he g uid elines in running an
effect ive m eet ing ( Too l 2), youre alread y w ell on your w ay t o red ucing t he likelihoo d of individ ual free-
rid ing .

Ensuring Team Mem b er Perform ance

1. Make all Co nt rib ut io ns Id ent i ab le
W hen m em b ers know t hat t he t eam w ill b e review ing t heir w ork p rog ress reg ularly, t hey are m ore likely
t o st ay on t op of t heir ind ivid ual assig nm ent s. Inst ead of m aking g eneral assig nm ent s t o t he g roup, (e.g .,
everyone com e b ack next w eek w it h t w o art icles relat ed t o im p roving m arket visib ilit y ) , seek t o t ie w ork t o
sp eci c t eam m em bers (e.g., Jim and Tam my, p lease ret urn next w eek w it h a short sum m ary o f t w o art icles
relat ed t o im p roving m arket visib ilit y t hat you w ill share w it h t he g roup . We w ill allow 15 m inut es on t he
ag end a for t his ).

2. Make A ct iv it ies/ A ssig nm ent s Int erest ing

Not all w ork t eam m em b ers d o is f un or m o t ivat ing . Id ent ify early in t he p roject t eam m em ber s areas of
int erest and t alent (see Tool 1, Team Chart ers). Seek t o assig n w ork t o m em b ers in t heir areas of int erest
and st reng t h, unless ind ivid uals are sp eci cally looking t o eng ag e in w ork t hat can serve as a d evelo p m ent
op p ort unit y.

3. Rew ard Go o d Perfo rm ance

A lt houg h peop le do like nancial incent ives, such incent ives are no t alw ays effect ive in rew ard ing t eam w ork.
In b usiness t eam s, rew ard s can b e of a m ore sym b olic nat ure; anyt hing t hat w ould m ake a t eam m em b er feel
ap p reciat ed for his or her cont rib ut ions. These rew ard s can co m e at any t im e, b ut sho uld b e t ied d irect ly
t o p erform ance and effort and not g iven b efore p erfo rm ance and effo rt are d em onst rat ed . Exam p les m ight
includ e t w o iTunes g ift card s t he t eam purchases collect ively t o g o t o t he t eam s m ajor cont rib ut ors, an
ap p reciat ion em ail t o t he effect ive cont rib ut or s sup erviso r or inst ruct or ab out his or her p erform ance, or
even a w eek off of w ork out side t eam m eet ing s.

4 . St reng t hen Team Co hesio n

Team s t hat st ick t og et her are m ore likely t o have m em b ers w ho are com m it t ed t o t he t eam s overall
ob ject ives. Som e relat ively easy t act ics for im p roving t eam cohesion includ e sched uling social t im e w it h
t he ent ire group (e.g., hap py-hour follow ing a t eam m eet ing ) and celeb rat ing success t og et her. A lso
effect ive is using a com p et it ive sit uat ion (such as t he b usiness sim ulat ion) t o focus at t ent ion on b eat ing t he
com p et it ion.

5. Exp licit ly Set Po sit ive Team No rm s

Team s t hat set p rod uct ive or p osit ive norm s or exp ect at ions for b ehaviors are m ore likely t o have
p rod uct ive t eam m em b ers. Early in t he t eam s form at io n, d iscuss exp ect at ions for key d esired b ehavio r
around issues o f ind ivid ual cont rib ut ion, p rofessional b ehavior, q ualit y o f w ork, and at t it ude t ow ard t he
p roject . For exam p le, a p rod uct ive norm wo uld b e t o ag ree t hat m eet ing s st art and st op on t im e and
it s exp ect ed t hat m em b ers show up o n t im e. A n unp rod uct ive norm w ould b e t o allow m eet ing s t o g o
unm anag ed g iving m em b ers t he feeling t hat t heir t im e is not being resp ect ed . Ag ain, if you follow t he
inst ruct ions in Tool 1 and creat e a t eam chart er, you w ill have accom p lished t his and t aken a sig ni cant st ep
in reducing free-rid ing .

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Team To o l 4 : How t o Reso lve Team Co n ict
Con ict is an inevit ab le realit y of w orking in t eam s. That s no t t o say t hat it s p revalence m akes it easier t o d eal w it h,
b ut rat her all great t eam s and t eam m em b ers know t o exp ect co n ict . A lt ho ug h co n ict st em s from m ult iple so urces
such as id eas or p oo r relat ionship s, t he p rocess for resolving con ict g enerally involves t w o m ajor p hases. First ,
acknow led g e t hat t he co n ict exist s and second , d eal w it h it p roact ively. Dont w ait for con ict t o sp in out o f cont ro l
and t ake o n a life of it s ow n. Below are t ip s for act ively m anag ing con ict w it hin t eam s as w ell as fo r effect ively d ealing
w it h a p ro blem t eam m em ber.

A ct ively Manag ing Team Con ict

1. Fo cus o n t he Co nt ent o f Co n ict
W hen con ict d egrad es int o d isag reem ent s t hat are ro ot ed in d islike fo r ot hers or int erp ersonal d if ferences ( i.e.,
p ersonalit y clashes ), it becom es d if cult t o m ove on. A ny m em b er of t he t eam can p lay an im po rt ant role t o refocus
m em b ers on inform at ion. Head o ff int erp ersonal p rob lem s by t ackling t hem d irect ly and d iscussing o p enly your
concerns w it h ot hers. Say t o ot hers fo r exam ple, Jane, t hat com m ent seem ed t o b e a p ersonal at t ack on Ted , could
you rest at e your concern ab out Teds id ea w it hout at t acking Ted ? The success o f your t eam d ep end s on b uild ing
consensus, even w hen d ifferences of op inion exist .

2. Manag e Fairness Percep t io ns

Much t eam co n ict co m es from t he p ercep t ion t hat ot hers are carry ing m ore of t he w orkload o r t hat assig nm ent s
w ere not b ased upon leg it im at e crit eria like know ledg e o r skills. Use To ol 1 (Team Chart er) t o est ab lish crit eria for how
assig nm ent s are m ad e and st ick t o t he ag reem ent .

3. Make Concessio ns
We of t en b elieve t hat it s bet t er t o be rig ht t han t o be effect ive. In ot her w ord s, no t all g ht s are wo rt h having . Think
carefully ab out w het her t he t eam w ill b ene t m ore from t aking a p rincipled st and on an issue or w het her m aking a
concessio n t o ot hers p oint s of view is m ost effect ive for any g iven decision. In m any cases, t here are m ult ip le w ays t o
b e effect ive and it w ont b e w ort h t he cost s t o your t eam t o int rod uce t he con ict .

Sp ecial Con ict Case: Manag ing t he Prob lem Team m at e

Tool 3 (Social Loa ng ) d iscussed how t o est ab lish t eam p ract ices t hat w ill help red uce social loa ng . Even w it h such
p ract ices in p lace, a t eam m em b er m ay st ill und er p erform w it h resp ect t o t he t eam s exp ect at ions. A p rob lem
t eam m at e is o ne w ho t s t he follow ing crit eria: 1) t he m em b er s p erfo rm ance is b elow exp ect at ions of t he t eam ; 2)
m ult ip le op p ort unit ies for p erform ance im p rovem ent have been p rovid ed by t he t eam ; and 3) t he under p erfo rm ance
is due t o t he m em b er s lack of effort , not skills. The last crit erion is im p ort ant t o t ease ap art . If a t eam m em b er is not
p erfo rm ing b ecause he or she lacks crit ical skills, t he rst st ep is t o t ry t o nd assig nm ent s t hat are b et t er m at ched t o
t heir cap ab ilit ies. If t he t eam m em b er m eet s t hese g uid elines for a p rob lem t eam m at e, t he fo llow ing int ervent ion is
w arrant ed. The int ervent ion is b est accom p lished in a face-t o-face m eet ing w it h one or t w o ot her t eam m em b ers (e.g .,
an app oint ed t eam lead er or a respect ed t eam m em b er).

1. Ag ree o n t he Pro b lem

The t eam m em b er need s t o reco gnize and ow n t hat his or her perform ance is b elow st and ard s.

Be sp eci c ab out w hat has t ranspired . Fo r exam p le, say Fred , as you know w eve asked you t o com p let e a
com p et it ive analysis t hree w eeks in a row and each t im e yo u ret urn w it hout having com p let ed your w ork in full.
This has had a negat ive im p act on our t eam s abilit y t o accom p lish it s wo rk in a t im ely w ay and is not in-line w it h
our ag reem ent ab out assig ned wo rk and d ead lines. A re you w illing t o m ake a com m it m ent t od ay t o im p rove
your p erfo rm ance?

If t he answ er is not yes , you cant m ove on and m ay have t o m ove t o t alking ab out im p licat ions for Fred ,
(e.g ., a zero on p eer evaluat ions or a d ism issal from t he t eam ).

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2. Discuss So lut io ns
W hat w ill t he m em b er d o t o im p rove his/ her p erform ance?

If you g et lo ose com m it m ent s, like Ill w ork hard er t he t eam m em ber is not likely t o im p rove. A sk t he p erson for
b ehavioral changes, for exam p le, Fred , next w eek w e have a crit ical d ecision t o m ake, w hat d o you need t o d o d ifferent ly
t hat w ill ensure you cont rib ut e your analysis on t im e t his w eek?

3. Act ion Plan

Have t he t eam m em b er em ail a let t er t o you o r t he ent ire t eam w it h t he st ep s for im p rovem ent , a d ead line fo r im p rovem ent ,
and any resources (e.g., help from ot hers) he/ she w ill req uire. The p lan sho uld b e highly speci c, for exam p le:

On Oct ob er 13, cont act lib rary for access t o d at ab ase, record analysis and send t o Jim .

By Oct ob er 15, read and sum m arize key st ep s for m arket ing st rat eg ies and share w it h ent ire g roup t o solicit feed b ack
and edit s.

Sub m it nal rep ort t o t eam no lat er t han Oct ob er 17.

4 . Prov id e Feed b ack and Reinforce Im p rovem ent

A s t he m em ber is st art ing t o w ork t hroug h t he act ion p lan, p rovid e feed b ack and reinforcem ent of effort . For inst ance,
Hey Fred , just a q uick not e t o t hank you for st icking t o your p lan, it looks like youre on your w ay t o g et t ing t he w ork
accom p lished .

Team To o l 5: How t o Ef f ect ively Ut ilize Team Feed b ack

Cap sim p rovid es t he op port unit y for t eam s t o receive d evelop m ent al feed back at m ult ip le p oint s in t im e over t he course
of t he sim ulat io n. This feedb ack is b ased o n t he crit ical success fact ors t hat w ere d iscussed in t he lect ure/ vid eo, Becom ing
a High Perfo rm ing Team . Recall t hat t hese includ ed fo ur ind ivid ual-level success fact ors (t he four Ps ) and ve t eam -level
success fact ors ( t he ve Cs ).

Using Cap sim Ind ivid ual Perform ance Feed b ack Dat a
1. Id ent if y A reas f o r Perso nal Im p rovem ent
Loo king at your ow n p erfo rm ance feed b ack, w hat areas if any d o b elieve you should focus on for im p rovem ent ?

2. Creat e A n A ct io n Plan
Select up t o t hree b ehaviors t o focus o n st rengt hening b et w een now and t he next survey. Creat e a short act ion p lan
d escrib ing an effort t o im p rove t he b ehavior(s) select ed (see b elow ).
Be sp eci c. St at e exact ly w hat w ill hap p en b et w een now and t he next feedb ack point .
Use behavioral lang uag e, for exam p le, By Oct ob er 23, I w ill carefully list en t o ot hers and elim inat e all int errup t ions d uring
t eam m eet ings.
Track p rog ress. Be sure t o assess your im p rovem ent . Fo r inst ance, in t he exam p le ab ove you could record how m any t im es
you nd yo urself int errup t ing ot hers d uring t eam m eet ing s.

3. Share Result s
W hen ind ivid uals are serio us ab out im provem ent , t hey share act ion p lans w it h t he t eam . This w ill com m unicat e or sig nal t o
t he t eam t hat t he feedb ack is: a) received and p rocessed and b) b eing act ed up on for im p rovem ent .

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Using Cap sim Team Perform ance Feed b ack Dat a

1. Id ent if y A reas f o r Team Im p rovem ent

Loo king at your t eam s scores on t he t eam -level success fact ors, ask w hat areas if any d o you b elieve t he t eam
should focus on for im provem ent ? Discuss as a t eam t he w ays in w hich t he t eam can im p rove t heir overall
funct ioning bet w een now and t he next survey p oint .

2. Creat e an A ct io n Plan
Creat e a short act ion p lan d escrib ing speci c t act ics t he t eam w ill use t o im p rove t heir t eam w ork funct ioning .
Use t he follow ing st at em ent if you need help m aking it b ehavio ral and sp eci c: Over t he next t w o w eeks, we
w ill im prove our by eng aging in t he fo llow ing b ehaviors .

For exam ple, t he t eam m ig ht st at e, By Oct ob er 22, w e w ill includ e 10 m inut es on each m eet ing s ag end a t o
allow for m o re inp ut from all t eam m em b ers t o d iscuss our current st rat eg ic p osit ion. We w ill d o so by going
around t he t ab le and asking for each m em b er s inp ut .

Track p rog ress. A s w it h ind ividual im p rovem ent , b e sure t o assess t he t eam s im p rovem ent .

3. Share Result s
A t eam m em ber should nalize t he act ion p lan and d ist rib ut e t o t he t eam m em b ers. Even if not req uired t o d o
so, consid er sharing t he docum ent w it h your inst ruct or t o d em onst rat e your com m it m ent t o im p rovem ent .

If Only A ll W ork Team s Were Cap sim Team s!

In t he realit y of real w ork t eam s, such feed b ack is not likely t o be p rog ram m ed int o t eam wo rk. Great t eam s
learn how t o review t heir t eamw ork at m ult ip le and reg ular int ervals over t he course of a p roject by asking t he
follow ing key q uest ions:

How w ell d o es t he t eam .

1. List en t o each ot her s id eas?
2. Have clear goals and und erst ood by all t eam m em b ers?
3. Follow it s ag end a?
4 . Ho nor it s chart er ag reem ent s?
5. Fully ut ilize p eop les skills?
6. Resolve con ict o r d if ferences of op inion?

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Team To o l References
1. Mat hieu, J. E. & Rap p, T. L. ( 20 0 9). Laying t he found at ion for successful t eam p erfo rm ance
t raject o ries: The roles of t eam chart ers and p erfo rm ance st rat eg ies. Journal of A p plied
Psycho log y, 94 , 90 -10 3; McKend all, M. (20 0 0 ) . Teaching g roup s t o b ecom e t eam s. Jo urnal
of Ed ucat ion for Business, 75, 277-282.

2. Bald w in, T. T., Bom m er, W. H., & Rub in, R. S. ( 20 12). Manag ing o rg anizat ional b ehavior:
W hat g reat m anag ers know and d o. Burr Rid g e, IL: McGraw Hill; Trop m an, J. E. ( 20 0 3) .
Making m eet ing s w o rk: A chieving hig h qualit y group d ecisions ( 2nd Ed .) . Tho usand s Oaks,
CA : Sage. W het t on, D. A . & Cam eron, K. S. ( 1991). Developing m anag em ent skills. New York,
NY: Harp er Collins.

3. Brickner, M. A ., Harkins, S. G., Ost rom , T. M. (1986) . Effect s of p ersonal involvem ent :
Thoug ht -p rovoking im p licat io ns for social loa ng . Jo urnal of Personalit y and Social
Psycho log y, 51, 763-770 ; De Crem er, D. (20 0 2). Resp ect and coop erat ion in social d ilem m as:
The im po rt ance of feeling includ ed. Personalit y and Social Psycholog y Bullet in, 28, 1335-
134 1; Harkins, K., Harkins, S. & Lat ane, B. ( 1981) . Id ent i abilit y as a d et errent t o social loa ng :
t w o cheering experim ent s. Journal of Personalit y and Social Psycholog y, 4 0 , 30 3-311; Mello,
J. A . ( 1993) . Im p roving ind ivid ual m em b er account ab ilit y in sm all w ork g roup set t ing s.
Journal o f Manag em ent Ed ucat ion, 17, 253-259; Savit sky, K., Van Boven, L., Ep ley, N., &
W ight , W. ( 20 0 5). The unp acking effect in allo cat ions of resp onsib ilit y for g roup t asks.
Journal o f Exp erim ent al Social Psycholog y, 41, 4 47-4 57; Thom p son, L. L. ( 20 11). Making t he
t eam : A g uid e for m anag ers ( 4 t h Ed .). Bost on, MA : Prent ice Hall.

4 . Bald w in, T. T., Bom m er, W. H., & Rub in, R. S. ( 20 12). Managing org anizat ional b ehavior:
W hat g reat m anag ers know and d o. Burr Rid g e, IL: McGraw Hill; Thom p son, L. L. ( 20 11) .
Making t he t eam : A g uid e for m anag ers (4 t h Ed .) . Bost o n, MA : Prent ice Hall.

5. Brut us, S. & Donia, M. B. L. ( 20 10 ). Im p roving t he effect iveness of st ud ent s in g roup s w it h

a cent ralized p eer evaluat ion syst em . A cad emy of Manag em ent Learning & Ed ucat io n, 9,
652-6 62; Dom inick, P. G., Reilly, R. R. & McGo urt y, J. W. ( 1997). The effect s of p eer feed b ack
on t eam m em b er b ehavior. Group & Org anizat ion Manag em ent , 22, 50 8-520 .

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