Teamwork - Flow and Function

Teams come in many sizes, many shapes, and many names. In addition to Eco-Units, you have QITs (Quality Improvement Teams) and PITs (Process Improvement Teams), CATs (Cost Analysis Teams) and PATS (Process Assessment Teams), PIGS (Process Improvement Groups) and CITS (Cost Investigation Teams), ad hoc groups and self-directed work teams, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. No matter what their name, all teams have some things in common. Most important, they're expected to get done the jobs to which they've been assigned, on time and within budget. In addition, they're expected to be disciplined, cooperative, and focused on a common goal.

There's a multiplicative power that teams enjoy: the energy that's released from their collective efforts, sometimes referred to as "synergy." Teams, especially when they meet success with their early projects, are energized to tackle projects of increasing difficulty. If initial projects fail, though, teams members may be so discouraged they hesitate to join other teams in the future. Prudent selection of projects is a critical first step in the success of a team.

ACTIVITY: Discuss the worst teams and the best teams of which you have ever been part or about which you've heard. Identify the specific actions that caused success and failure.

In "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience" (New York: Harper & Row, 1990), author Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes universal components that characterize work conditions that are optimized. Those components, with slight revision, apply to ideal work conditions for teams as well.

- The activity should be challenging and should be one that we can complete in the amount of time we have allocated to us.
- The conditions are such that we can concentrate on what we are doing.
- The goals for the project have been clearly defined.
- We can easily obtain feedback on our progress.
- The project should be sufficiently different from our regular work, so we can escape our frustrations regular work virtually like diving into this new venture.
- We must have an appropriate level of authority and responsibility, so we're really empowered to do this and see it a success.
- Remove our individual concerns, as the team's results to become increasingly significant.
- We gain confidence and experience justifiable pride to the achievement of our teamgoal.

ACTIVITY: Select any one of the above conditions and explain what you can do to ensure it occurs for your team.

Teams improve to the extent that team members are willing to intro- and intra-spect. Continuous improvement of how your team functions will inevitably improve your team's flow.