How Real Managers In The Real World Build Real Teams: A Call For Relevance

David L Mathison

doi:10.19030/jber.v2i1.2850

Abstract

Few places in the management literature is there a greater divide between theory and practice than in Team Building.&nbsp; Yes, academics have thoroughly researched what this &ldquo;ideal team&rdquo; should look like, its various developmental stages, even the proper mix of roles &ndash; yet this author would argue we as educators and consultants know little of how to really develop teams and offer even less of this in equipping our students-managers for this central task.&nbsp; The purpose of this paper is a call for relevance &ndash; a challenge to move from speculative theory on team development to actual practice &ndash; identifying what works and what doesn&rsquo;t. Following a literature review which underlines how theoretical our field has become concerning team development, an actual research study will be reported.&nbsp; Forty-two MBA students participated in a study where near ideal work teams were developed.&nbsp; Then these same students were asked, &ldquo;What went right?&nbsp; Identify four lessons you learned on how to build an energized team.&rdquo;&nbsp; The following is a partial list of student observations on what contributed most to an ideal team: listening, clearly defined goals and tasks, respect for each other, urgency of time, strong norms that rejected loafers, lack of formal structure, and allowing natural leaders to lead.&nbsp;The paper ends with a discussion on implications for managers hoping to develop energized work teams:&nbsp;&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Ad Hoc Teams are Best.&nbsp; Standing groups which lack &ldquo;Sunset Causes&rdquo; tend to become political over time.&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Find the Right Mix between Formal and Informal.&nbsp; Informal gives energy, formal gives needed structure.&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Leadership Must Emerge Early in the Process and be Accepted by Most.&nbsp; There is a critical moment where leaderless teams dissolve into political games.&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Strong Norms of Mutual Respect Must be Present from the Beginning.&nbsp; The tendency toward competition in early team formation must quickly be moderated and directed toward task completion.&nbsp;In conclusion, our theoretical traditions have led us to a profound understanding of group dynamics, but to remain relevant we owe our students a practical guide as well.&nbsp; A guide that discussed how Real Managers in the Real World develop Real Teams.

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