5 parts of a Successful Team, ideas to think about in your data center project

There are a few enlightened individuals who have focused on building better data centers teams to transform their IT services.  I found this presentation that articulates an approach that I think some of these people use.

The above link has a video with this framework.

1. The team is a Real Team

-       Clearly bounded task and everyone on the team has a clear idea of who the team members are
-       Team member have the authority to manage their own work
-       Stable membership
-       Clear model of working with their task structure (shared, independent or interdependent)

2. There is an Enabling Structure for task achievement

-       Task design that supports completion of work and is intrinsically motivating and meaningful to team members
-       Team members have strong task related skills
-       Team members have adequate interpersonal skills
-       Team is the right ‘size’ for the task
-       At the group level the team has a good balance in terms of heterogeneity and homogeneity
-       Team norms to shape and support behaviour

3. The team has a Compelling Direction for task achievement

-       Clarity in terms of the task or outcome of team work
-       The outcome or direction is both challenging and consequential
-       The task objective is clear
-       Means of achieving the task is self-directed or managed by the team
-       Clear measures of success

4. There is a Supportive Organizational Context that ensures team success

-       Team identity reinforced by the organisation e.g. rewarding and reinforcing excellent team performance (pay, benefits)
-       Information system that makes data required to plan team work easily accessible to the team members
-       Educational system that provides training [interpersonal and technical expertise] when required
-       Team is provided with sufficient material resources to do their work

5. That Expert Coaching is available and delivered by both the team leader and peers to:-

-       Improve group process
-       Reinforce individual behaviour
-       Improve interpersonal relationships
-       Eliminate unhelpful interventions

Whether you are a team leader, coach or consultant we can offer you expert supervision so you can learn how to set up and use the TDS. You will then be able to implement successful team interventions using the TDS Team Report as the foundation of your own team feedback process.