This paper examines the key elements of building and managing a high-performing project team. It covers Tuckman's model of team development—forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning—alongside the personal values and skill clusters that distinguish effective team members. The paper discusses team success factors, the role of situational leadership, and the importance of ground rules in fostering trust and participation. It also addresses conflict resolution, distinguishing between task-based and relationship-based conflict, and outlines a six-step process for resolving disputes. Finally, it presents a structured six-step approach to negotiation that project managers can apply when competing interests must be aligned.
All teams go through a process of forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning when they are being created. These stages tend to be predictable and sequential, although some teams spend more time at particular stages than others. Teams can also regress, particularly when new members are added. As described in Tuckman's model of group development, project managers must be aware of the different dynamics and needs of the team at each stage: when it is tentatively establishing roles (forming); when people are jockeying for position (storming); when team goals and roles are being clarified (norming); when the team is functional and reaching its goals (performing); and finally when it disbands (adjourning).
High-performing teams have clear, strong personal values that facilitate achieving both the personal rewards of members and the overall project results. Self-direction, personal responsibility, and a high need for achievement are among the values that enable a team to perform at an elevated level. In addition to strong personal goals, team leaders should foster collaboration by selecting the right mix of skills and encouraging members to work closely with one another. Personal conflict should be discouraged, though constructive conflict over ideas need not be. Encouraging positive interdependence results in high team morale and genuine enjoyment of the work being done.
Even though teams are ultimately evaluated on their collective results, certain measures can be taken to ensure that the selected individuals work well together. Activity-specific knowledge and skills; personal planning, self-control, and the ability to learn; understanding of the organization; and interpersonal skills and creativity are all indicators of a potentially high-performing team member. This cluster of skills suggests that a strong team player possesses individual competence but must also demonstrate sensitivity to others and a willingness to share those capabilities in service of a larger goal.
A manager must be able to assess the team both collectively and individually, reinforcing the notion that a good team is greater than the sum of its parts. Various team success factors help explain why a team succeeds or fails, including strong team leadership, effective communication skills, opportunities for recognition, and other combinations of personal and interpersonal factors that create an environment promoting rather than inhibiting success. Strong leadership is critical, but many success factors relate specifically to how the team functions as a unified entity. Importantly, all critical success factors can be influenced by the project manager, both from within and outside the team.
"Situational leadership, identity, and team ground rules"
"Task vs. relationship conflict and six-step resolution"
"Six-step negotiation framework for project managers"
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