TEAM BUILDING

Does the City of Newport News – Department of Public Works Have What it Takes? 

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PADM 655

BACKGROUND
INTRODUCTION
WHY DO WE NEED TEAMS ANYWAY?
COMPONENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL TEAM
WHAT TO AVOID
AN INVENTORY OF OUR TEAM
RECOMMENDATIONS
CONCLUSION
REFERENCES

BACKGROUND

In early1998, the City of Newport News - Department of Public Works envisioned the need to institute some form of team building. The Department Director and Assistant Director made this determination based on several observations:

• During a crisis, each division (there are five divisions including administration) functioned interdependently as a team. There were obvious cross-divisional and operational interdependencies.
• When there was no crisis, a "we-they" philosophy seemed to prevail. Each division seemed to have its own mission and worked independently of the other.
• Safety and health policies appeared to be widely divergent between each division.
• Management’s preparation for accreditation by the American Public Works Association (APWA) resulted in increased "team spirit" and team orientation. When the accreditation process was discontinued, the team spirit diminished.

Finally, they conducted a workshop for the management staff. The purpose of the workshop was to lay out a structured framework from which to address the issues discovered in the focus groups and interviews. All of the participants of the workshop agreed to continue the team building initiative.

The purpose of this paper is to predict the potential for success of the team building initiative currently underway in the Department of Public Works. I will present my findings to the Public Works management staff in early January 1999.   TABLE OF CONTENTS
 

INTRODUCTION

Government organizations have been undergoing significant change over the last several years. All levels of government (federal, state, and local) are being compelled to rethink the way they conduct business. The public is continuously focused on their belief that government is wasteful and inefficient. To make matters worse, agencies are fighting an uphill battle by trying to do more work with fewer resources. Government leaders must recognize the problem and begin to develop alternative strategies to keep pace. To continue to maintain the status quo is no longer an option.

Team building is an intentionally proactive concept designed to make the best use of strained personnel resources. A team is a "...small number of people with complimentary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable" (Gortner, et al., 1997). Team building permits the organization to be adaptive to change. Unlike many of the fads of the past, teams will continue to exhibit staying power year after year.

For obvious reasons, I am not suggesting that team building can fix every problem or situation in a government organization. Managers should not be tempted to try to form a team or create a team building atmosphere without first deciding that there is an application for it. Some types of work will always be suited solely for individuals (Johnson, 1996).   TABLE OF CONTENTS

WHY DO WE NEED TEAMS ANYWAY

The Department of Public Works asked itself the question, "why teams?" It did not take an immense amount of research to determine that some of the issues identified above were realities. There was an astounding amount of innovation (and even teamwork) going on in "pockets" throughout the department. What was lacking was an overall sense of mission, common values (goals?), and a consistently unified work effort.

Team building helps to develop a sense of mission among the participants (Leavitt, 1998). Because today’s organizations are more complex, team building is necessary to promote communication and coordination among divisions, departments, and customers.

Before even considering a team building initiative, managers have to consider the difficult road ahead. Teams do not just happen. All levels of the organization must be prepared to expend significant energy during the early phases. Management must be prepared to rethink every aspect of their current organizational structure including job descriptions, payroll practices, promotion plans, and reward systems (Frohman, 1995).
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COMPONENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL TEAM

The City of Hampton has been using the team philosophy since the early 1990’s. The initial move to a team based organization was met with resistance from some of the supervisors and employees. Nevertheless, economic conditions resulted in budget cuts citywide. Since that time, many self-directed work teams have formed. The city won several awards for their innovative work methods (and the resulting success). The workers attribute their success to the fact that "...they’re all working off the same page."

Another factor contributing to a successful team is the level of interdependence among team members. According to van der Vegt et al., there are several types of interdependence to consider when looking at a successful team (1998):

• Task Interdependence – when "...one piece of work depends on the completion of another definite piece of work." (127) The functions of the Public Works Department do not really fit this model. I should note that there are some components of the department that do rely on the work of others, but this is not the norm.

• Outcome Interdependence – defined as "...the extent to which team members believe that their personal benefits and costs depend on successful goal attainment by other team members." (130) Outcome Interdependence plays a role in the Department of Public Works at the divisional level. For example, part of a Wastewater Division employee’s evaluation depends on his/her ability to meet job-specific goals. No individual crewmember is able to achieve the goal alone.

Accountability must not be overlooked (Hines, 1998). The team has to be perceived as a complete component of the larger organization. When the group makes a decision or produces an "output", all team members must take ownership. Any variation from this principle of accountability will result in the diminished credibility of the entire team.

Finally, any organization starting a team building initiative must have a strong ethical standard. Outstanding ethical issues or problems will impede the process from the beginning. It is incumbent on the part of management to provide the organization with an assurance that ethical standards are an integral component of the teams’ "charter." Ethical policies will not suffice. Stated legal norms and the actual performance of all employees must both communicate an ethical environment (van Wart, 1995).   TABLE OF CONTENTS

WHAT TO AVOID

Team building requires the commitment of management and staff. All levels of the organization must be willing to participate in all phases of the process. Essentially, every facet of the organization including payroll, reward systems, and schedules will have to be adjusted during the process. Not every meeting will result in major organizational advances. In fact, the early phases of a team building effort can seem to be ineffective and aimless. Conversely, initial meetings may result in motivational euphoria. This will fade quickly if team members do not maintain a long-term focus. All members of the team should be aware of the pitfalls to avoid from the start. Circumventing the pitfalls while maintaining focus on team development will help assure success.

If the fundamental basis for team building is the need to be adaptive to change, then why do some organizations depend so heavily on the status quo? One of the symptoms of an ineffective team is the affirmation of order, stability, and structure (Hines, 1998). Therefore, a structured mechanism must be in place to evaluate how the team is functioning. However, the evaluation is not enough. It is equally important to remain flexible enough to permit team development and maintenance that are necessary components of an adaptive team building model. Routine adjustment of issues causing a "derailed team focus" is a necessity.

Granström and Stiwne identified a variation of regressive movements in work teams (1998). They postulated that the decision-making process of a team tends to disintegrate under certain conditions. The result is that the competence of the overall team is diminished due to its "irrational behavior." (32) Their study expanded on Janis’ concept of groupthink (distorted perception of reality and the group’s capacity). They discovered that there are really two pathologies at play during periods of group insulation. They are a result of "...weak leadership and individual propensities." (53) In their effort to maintain unanimity and cohesiveness, group members exhibit a tendency to overlook both the possibilities and consequences of their decision. As the cohesiveness of the group and external threat forces increase, the probability of group effectiveness diminishes.

Poorly functioning teams are characterized by blame, defensiveness, and a lack of ability to deal with conflict. If communication is strictly one-sided, ideas cannot be expressed, and feelings are suppressed or ignored, team failure is almost assured (Hines, 1998).

It is essential that all team members believe that their performance contributes to the overall performance of the team. However, in some cases, the positive contribution or performance of one team member can negatively affect others on the team. How can this be so? When a strong leader is prevalent, there can be a propensity for one or several team members to vie for the attention of the leader. They may be seeking recognition as the most innovative or productive member of the team. Negative outcome interdependence (van der Vegt, et al, 1998) can cripple the team’s productivity. In these instances, it is essential that emphasis is redirected toward the accomplishment of group tasks. Group reward systems are just one method of mitigating negative outcome interdependence.

If the reward system of the organization is not altered before a team building effort, structural conflict can arise (Coe, 1997). To be sure, many government evaluation systems encourage individual performance. Merit pay systems are becoming more prevalent than ever in government. The merit system links pay raises to individual performance. The conflict arises when members of the team are evaluated on individual performance, expected to perform as a team member, and rewarded based on a positive evaluation (of individual performance).
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AN INVENTORY OF OUR TEAM

The first retreat for the Public Works management team was conducted on October 20, 1998. The retreat was designed to provide the team with an overview of the data collected by our consultant. All of the information was derived during the assessment phase of the team building program. Secondly, a "get to know more about each other" exercise permitted the team members to have a more personal understanding of each other. Finally, the team participated in several exercises designed to focus on the results of the Team Effectiveness Profile. The exercises were designed to provide them with the groundwork for future team development.

The consultants identified several essential improvement goals. The combination of the Team Effectiveness Profile and improvement goals established the foundation for future team building efforts. Three major recommendations were identified to further enhance the teams effectiveness:

• A need to focus on roles and responsibilities
• A need to better utilize resources
• A need to build trust and interpersonal communications

RECOMMENDATIONS

Although the consultants initial assessment of the Department of Public Works revealed some team building deficiencies, there is a strong management desire to enhance communications, "de-turf", and focus on autonomy. It is also very clear that the preference of the focus groups was to have "more communication and teamwork." (Hines, 1998, 3)

Based on the components of a successful team building initiative outlined in Section IV above, I recommend that the department’s team building efforts also focus on the following issues:

• Refine the department’s Mission Statement. A more detailed Mission Statement developed by employees from all divisions of the department will greatly enhance the team’s interdependence.

• Expand on the Wastewater Division’s Performance Measurement Team. This team has been in existence for over one year. It is comprised of employees from various departments and divisions. Because of the mission of the team, group decisions help to produce more productive work processes.

• Modify the current merit and reward system to accommodate group rewards where possible.
• Agree to accept change.   TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Department of Public Works should continue the team building effort already underway. All levels of the organization are currently positioned to enhance their performance through a sustained team building initiative. Many of the components of a successful team currently exist. An emphasis on resolving the issues identified in the Team Effectiveness Profile will significantly enhance the department’s performance.

A successful team building effort will result in "...the greatest single possibility for strengthening effectiveness through mobilizing human resources. Getting the maximum benefits from commitment, involvement, strong initiative, good inquiry, open advocacy, effective conflict resolution, solid decision making, and extensive use of critique is what spectacular teamwork is all about." (Blake, et al., 9) The Department of Public Works is well positioned to meet the challenges of the next millenium thanks to their commitment to a sustained team building effort.   TABLE OF CONTENTS