A521.6.3.RB_Mace_Royce
Based on this week's readings from the Denning text, identify the elements of high-performance teams and apply them to teams with whom you have worked in your organization. Next, Identify the importance of shared values and discuss the influence of shared values on your team's performance. Finally, examine the four patterns of working together and detail one positive and one negative experience. What could you have done to influence the outcomes?
Denning (2011) states that the elements of high performing teams include teams who have clear goals, appropriate leadership and membership, and adequate resources and support. Additionally, these teams share excitement in their work, rapidly adjust to situations, grow steadily stronger over time, and share a higher sense of shared responsibility as a member of a team. High performing teams value the team and usually share the same values as the other members of the team.
In essence, high performing teams aren't always the most talented individuals compiled together. They are the teams that have a collective unit of individuals who are selfless and committed to a higher purpose. They take their respective talents and insert them appropriately into the goals of the group without any complaint or ego. The goal of the team greatly outweighs anything else for the high performing team.
I personally have been apart of a high performing team my whole career. Air traffic controllers are teams of individuals who rely on each other to safely and effectively control the movement of air traffic. Since our first days of training to become air traffic controllers, it has been repeated that the team is what matters most. We are reminded that one single controller cannot do everything by themselves. Our team must work collectively to keep the skies safe which is the bigger goal that we must consistently keep in mind.
The shared values of air traffic controllers according to the FAA (2013) include discipline, tough-mindedness, meticulousness, and drive. Those that have these values and traits are able to integrate well within the high performing workforce of air traffic controllers. Because of the pressure that is involved with the job, newcomers to this career field cannot simply fake or temporarily take on these aforementioned values. They have to start and finish with these values over a long period of training time which typically takes a year or longer.
The four patterns of working together include the work group, the team, the community, and the network. While each pattern works towards a common goal, their objectives in meeting these goals are quite different. The work group has individuals with specific responsibilities within an overall group objective. The team has a specific operational objective. The community has a domain of information, knowledge, or activities of common interests. And lastly, the network consists of members who want to stay in touch with each other in order to share and obtain information.
Each of these patterns can be of use depending on the situation. I have personally been a member of each pattern during my Air Force Career. One positive experience came from being apart of a network. There is a network of air traffic controllers on Facebook who were all previously USAF air traffic controllers. We use our Facebook page as members to network with each other and gain employment opportunities. I have personally tried to positively affect this network by taking the time to post job openings about air traffic control jobs at my place of employment.
A negative experience that I encountered was as a team member during Airman Leadership School (professional military education circa 2008. During this time the class was broken up into random teams per the instructor's request. It was clear to me that other members of the team did not share the same values as I did as we moved along through our mission to come up with a decision pertaining to an ethical dilemma in the class. We were fairly divisive in our opinions on the matter we were collaborating on and we were not given much time to work through our differences.
In retrospect, I could have influenced the team to reflect on our individual values and think about a "middle ground" when it came to determining an answer to our ethics question. Edwards (2015) tells us that high performing teams listen to each other with an open mind without interruption. I started off ignoring this and that probably led to the negative experience of being on this team. Having gained some knowledge about the power of values within groups and how to apply assertiveness, I could have taken a different approach to the situation. This would have probably changed the experience of the team as a whole and helped me in subsequent team projects where I was paired with other people who carried differing values.
References
Denning, S. (2011). The leader’s guide to storytelling: Mastering the art and discipline of
business narrative. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Edwards, M. (2015). Teamwork : The ten values of excellent teams. Retrieved
from http://www.leader-values.com/article.php?aid=727
Federal Aviation Administration. (2013). Air traffic control specialists. Retrieved from
https://www.faa.gov/jobs/career_fields/aviation_careers/media/fact_sheet_ATCS.pdf
Denning (2011) states that the elements of high performing teams include teams who have clear goals, appropriate leadership and membership, and adequate resources and support. Additionally, these teams share excitement in their work, rapidly adjust to situations, grow steadily stronger over time, and share a higher sense of shared responsibility as a member of a team. High performing teams value the team and usually share the same values as the other members of the team.
In essence, high performing teams aren't always the most talented individuals compiled together. They are the teams that have a collective unit of individuals who are selfless and committed to a higher purpose. They take their respective talents and insert them appropriately into the goals of the group without any complaint or ego. The goal of the team greatly outweighs anything else for the high performing team.
I personally have been apart of a high performing team my whole career. Air traffic controllers are teams of individuals who rely on each other to safely and effectively control the movement of air traffic. Since our first days of training to become air traffic controllers, it has been repeated that the team is what matters most. We are reminded that one single controller cannot do everything by themselves. Our team must work collectively to keep the skies safe which is the bigger goal that we must consistently keep in mind.
The shared values of air traffic controllers according to the FAA (2013) include discipline, tough-mindedness, meticulousness, and drive. Those that have these values and traits are able to integrate well within the high performing workforce of air traffic controllers. Because of the pressure that is involved with the job, newcomers to this career field cannot simply fake or temporarily take on these aforementioned values. They have to start and finish with these values over a long period of training time which typically takes a year or longer.
The four patterns of working together include the work group, the team, the community, and the network. While each pattern works towards a common goal, their objectives in meeting these goals are quite different. The work group has individuals with specific responsibilities within an overall group objective. The team has a specific operational objective. The community has a domain of information, knowledge, or activities of common interests. And lastly, the network consists of members who want to stay in touch with each other in order to share and obtain information.
Each of these patterns can be of use depending on the situation. I have personally been a member of each pattern during my Air Force Career. One positive experience came from being apart of a network. There is a network of air traffic controllers on Facebook who were all previously USAF air traffic controllers. We use our Facebook page as members to network with each other and gain employment opportunities. I have personally tried to positively affect this network by taking the time to post job openings about air traffic control jobs at my place of employment.
A negative experience that I encountered was as a team member during Airman Leadership School (professional military education circa 2008. During this time the class was broken up into random teams per the instructor's request. It was clear to me that other members of the team did not share the same values as I did as we moved along through our mission to come up with a decision pertaining to an ethical dilemma in the class. We were fairly divisive in our opinions on the matter we were collaborating on and we were not given much time to work through our differences.
In retrospect, I could have influenced the team to reflect on our individual values and think about a "middle ground" when it came to determining an answer to our ethics question. Edwards (2015) tells us that high performing teams listen to each other with an open mind without interruption. I started off ignoring this and that probably led to the negative experience of being on this team. Having gained some knowledge about the power of values within groups and how to apply assertiveness, I could have taken a different approach to the situation. This would have probably changed the experience of the team as a whole and helped me in subsequent team projects where I was paired with other people who carried differing values.
References
Denning, S. (2011). The leader’s guide to storytelling: Mastering the art and discipline of
business narrative. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Edwards, M. (2015). Teamwork : The ten values of excellent teams. Retrieved
from http://www.leader-values.com/article.php?aid=727
Federal Aviation Administration. (2013). Air traffic control specialists. Retrieved from
https://www.faa.gov/jobs/career_fields/aviation_careers/media/fact_sheet_ATCS.pdf
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