Super-team

In a 'Super-team',  a variation of a High-performance team, a single person is not the leader throughout the entire project. Leadership is based on different experiences and education among participants. Different people will know more about different subjects; therefore, leadership for different tasks changes. The most knowledgeable person, the person with expertise, has the role of leader for that piece of work.¹ Everyone on a Super-team is selected for their expertise. These experts experience continuous learning from each other throughout the team project. As Ciampa ² points out, people cannot be forced, they must want to do a task, done in the right way, a sense of ownership of results develops among each team member. Harrington ³agrees with the need for individual involvement in projects, and states that cross-functional groups are beneficial to an organization. Zeffane ⁴ makes the point that through participation, participants become committed, shifting responsibility for change to team members where there is no “boss” to rebel against; thereby, reducing resistance to change. Tuckman ⁵ conducted work that proposed four stages of development experienced by new teams. Tuckman lists these four stages as:

' Forming - Awareness:'

*Feelings, weaknesses and mistakes are covered up.

*People conform to established lines.

*Little care is shown for others' values and views.

*There is no shared understanding of what needs to be done.

' Storming - Conflict:'

*More risky, personal issues are opened up.

*The team becomes more inward looking.

*There is more concern for the values, views and problems of others in the team.

' Norming - Co-operation:'

*Confidence and trust to look at how the team is operating.

*A more systematic and open approach, leading to a clearer and more methodical way of working.

*Greater valuing of people for their differences.

*Clarification of purpose and establishing of objectives.

*Systematic collection of information.

*Considering all options.

*Preparing detailed plans.

*Reviewing progress to make improvements (part of a continuous improvement process).

' Performing - Productivity:'

*Flexibility

*Leadership decided by situations, not protocol.

*Everyone's energies are utilized.

*Basic principles and social aspects of the organization’s decisions considered.

Lloyd and Feigen ^[6] warn that broad based behavioral changes are required of traditional managers in their new roles as team member/leaders. Behavioral changes will require them to learn new skills around the concept of their role as team member/leader, as opposed to the role of a manager as the "boss."

References

1.      Sharp J.M., Hides M.T. and Bamber C. J. Continuous Organisational Learning through the development of High Performance Teams HPO Research Group, Business School, University of Salford, UK E-mail: J.M.Sharp@Salford.ac.uk

2.     Ciampa (1991) Ciampa D. (1991). Total Quality - A User's Guide for Implementation. Addison-Wesley Publishing Co Inc. DeToro I. and McCabe T. (1997). How to Stay Flexible and Elude Fads. Quality Progress, March, vol:30,no:3, pp:55-60.

3.     Harrington H. J. (1997). The Fallacy of Universal Best Practices. The TQM Magazine, vol:9, no:1, pp:61-75. (1997)

4.      Zeffane R. (1996). Dynamics of Strategic Change : Critical Issues in Fostering Positive Organisational Change.

5.     Tuckman B.W. and Jensen M.A. (1977). Stages of Small Group Development Revisited. Group and Organisational Studies, vol:2, no:4, pp:419-427. et al

6.      Lloyd B. and Feigen M. (1997). Real Change Leaders : The Key Challenge for Management Today Leadership and Organisation Development Journal, vol:18, no:1, pp:37-40. .