My wife and I took the opportunity to volunteer yesterday in a large Thanksgiving event in which a full turkey dinner was served to thousands of folks. We showed up early in the morning as volunteers, before the serving time, and were directed to an area to wrap plastic utensils with a paper napkin and then tie the package with a ribbon. In the big scheme of things our contributions seemed small by comparison to feeding thousands of people. Yet there were a lot of volunteers like us, our task was completed, and it was a good feeling to give back to the community.
I couldn’t help but be struck by the teamwork, or lack of teamwork, that was exhibited at the various tables wrapping the plastic utensils. Since part of what I now do professionally involves creating high-performance teams, the volunteering effort gave me a chance to reflect on assessment tools that can be used to help businesses create those high-performing teams.
When we arrived at the “wrapping” area, there were many tables of folks preparing the utensil packages.
At each table there were about 8 individuals. Some tables elected to “go it alone” and let everyone select a knife, a fork, a spoon, and a napkin. Each individual then proceeded to wrap the utensils in a paper napkin, then tie the package with a ribbon. Henry Ford taught us that the assembly line method was the best way to get something like this done, so we opted to find a table that was utilizing this approach.
The table we selected appeared to have the assembly line approach in full progress. We sat at the end of the table and assumed the position of tying the ribbon. Once we became part of the team, though, we saw that only some of the folks at the table were employing the assembly line approach. There was an individual that wanted to go it alone. What struck me was that, until the team was formed, and the team started producing, we didn’t really see some of the team’s behaviors.
Unfortunately, this is what happens in a business when a team is assembled. Everyone has high expectations for the team, but unless you know the team members very well, you don’t really see the behaviors until the team performance underway.
Let’s think about how we need to form a team, in the business setting, so we have a greater chance of assembling a high-performance team. We start with a simple Profiles Performance Indicator (PPI) assessment. This 15 minutes, online assessment and its Individual, Manager, and Team Analysis Reports will help you form a new team, or figure out how to make a good team perform even better.
Organizations appreciate PPI’s aid in motivating and coaching employees and resolving performance issues. It measures a worker’s motivational intensity and actions related to:
- Productivity
- Quality of work
- Initiative
- Teamwork
- Problem solving
- Adapting to change
- Response to conflict, stress and frustration,
and helps a Manager work with each of the Individuals on their team.
The Team Analysis Report will help leaders:
- Form new teams
- Reduce team conflict
- Improve team communication
- Improve their ability to anticipate problems
- Enhance team leadership skills
I’m not suggesting that the next time I volunteer, I submit everyone at the table to a PPI, but I suggest that you do when you put your next business team together. As I said, the PPI takes about 15 minutes to complete, and you will know the results immediately.