Do you really want people who are good at liking each other and trusting each other and paddling well together? No! You need people who care so much about the work-related outcome that they overcome their liking to deal with any member who is not performing.

A friend was once told to improve teamwork with her client by going river rafting together. In her own words: “Before, I thought he was an idiot. Now I know.” So much for team building.

What should have mattered was the work they produced together, not whether they could paddle together.

Advertising creative Norman Berry once explained that people don’t want a drill bit – they want a hole. Remember this when you plan your next team building exercise. Then you are more likely to have a specific purpose in mind before you even think about whether your team needs sharpening.

It’s easy to be trapped into sharpening without thinking. Here’s why. Often, the most visible result of poor team work is inefficiency, whether in the form of wasted resources, wasted time or wasted effort. This is why we unthinkingly tackle team work from an efficiency perspective and end up trying to fix symptoms instead of causes.

Instead, look to the desired outcome of working together. A focus on expected results tends to uncover underlying causes, such as inappropriate systems, procedures or management style.

Poor team work is a symptom, not a cause.

Team work is the drill bit – don’t focus on it. Focus on the outcome you want.

And that, as far as I am concerned, is the hole truth on team building.
 

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© 2008 James Henry McIntosh - All rights reserved