Personal Blogs

What does it take to flourish in a team?

Flourishing in teams West M,A., Sacramento, C.A, In 'Creative Management and Development. Henry, J (2011) pp25-44

Or 'how to develop team innovative teams'

New ways of doing things.

SEE FULL QUOTE

(West and Farr, 1990)

Initial creativity leads to innovation.

Innovation is dependent on: (Oldham and Cummings 1980)

For innovation to occur need to consider:

• Team task
• Group composition
• Organisational context
• Team processes
• Skill variety
• Challenge
• Task identity
• Task feedback
• Autonomy

(Hackman and Oldman, 1980)

Innovative people are:

• Creative Implementers
• Think in novel ways
• Think globally (see the wood for the trees)
• Intellectual and see things in different ways
• Analytic abilities
• Practical & contextual abilities
• Abilities to persuade others
• And show openness (Barrick et al., 1998)
• + they have confidence in their abilities.

Self-disciplined High degree of drive and motivation Concerned with achieving excellence (Mumford and Gustafson, 1998)

Innovative people have a high need for freedom, control and discretion in the workplace and appear to find bureaucratic limitations or the exercise of control by managers frustrating. (Barron and Harrington, 1981; West, 1987; West and Rushton, 1989)

1) Ensure the team task is intrinsically motivating

2) Ensure a high level of extrinsic demands as the task develops, so hands off to start but pressure mounting towards the end.

3) Select a team of innovative people

4) Select people with diverse skills and backgrounds

5) Provide organisational rewards for innovation

6) Create a learning and development climate in the organisation

7) Develop a climate for innovation in the organisation

8) Establish team norms for innovation

9) Encourage reflexivity in teams

10) Ensure there is clarity of leadership in the team and that the leadership style is appropriate for encouraging innovation.

11) Manage conflict constructively and encourage minorities to dissent within teams.

12) Don't just bond ... Bridge.

CONCLUSIONS

The 'whole' task, its entirety. Brainstorming away from the everyday. Later pressures. Fully integrated team working

REFERENCE

Barrack, M,R; Stewart, G,L; Neubert,M,J; Mount,M,K (1998) relating member ability and personality to work-team processes and team effectiveness. journal of applied psychology 83 , 377-91

Barron, F.B and Harrington, D.M  (1981) Creativity, Intelligence and Personality in M.R. Rosenweig and L.W.Porter (eds) Annual Review of Psychology, 32, 439-76.

Hackman, J, R and Oldman G,R (1980) Work Redesign. Reading, MA.

Mumford M,D and Gustafson, S,B (1998) Creativity Syndrome: Integration, application and innovation. Psychological Bulletin, 103, 27-43

Oldman, G, R and Cummings, A (1996) Employee Creativity: personal and contextual factors at work. academy of management journal, 39 (3), 607-34

West, M.A (1987) Role Innovation in the World of Work. British Journal of Social Psychology, 26, 305-15.

West, M,A and Farr, J,L (1990) Innovation at work. In M.A.West and J.L.Farr (eds) innovation and creativity at work: Psychological and Organisational Strategies, Chichester, England.

West, M.A and Rushton, R. (1989) Mismatches in work role transitions. Journal of occupational Psychology, 62 271-86

Experiences here, lessons learnt and studied, has me now appealing to friends and colleagues to collaborate on all kinds of things.

What strikes me, having spent a few years buried in my writing and alone with the task, is how I have always worked best in a team, if only in a team of two. I do well as number two, I like to have someone working to, for or with me, I like constructing larger teams.

The intention therefore is to throw several balls into the air, but rather than juggling alone there will be a troupe. These will be formed into formal teams (businesses, projects) and less formal ones (writing, thinking teams and partnerships).

The outcomes?

• Results
• Credits
• Reputation
• Income
• Contentment
• Pride

Whilst supported online I know too that for the sake of cohesion and commitment there will need to be face-to-face meetings and shared offices. As soon as I can get an office in town, I will do so. I am looking for a space at the University Innovation Centre and for the first time in a decade will get an address in the West End, back to Newburgh Street or Newman Street, or in Covent Garden.

Ask me in 12 months time how 2011 has been.

Either way I'll keep you posted here.