Determine how team members will communicate, how problems will be analyzed, how decisions will be made, and how the team’s work will get done.

TEAM WORK AND LEADERSHIP STYLES

Few leadership roles are as important in empowered organizations as team building. Effective teamwork is the foundation of productivity. In this chapter we will explore several important topics concerning team leadership. For the purposes of
clarification, when we refer to “team” in team leadership, we mean your day-to-day work team and/or any special project teams that you might be in charge of temporarily.

To get you started, the following are some suggestions for building effective teams. concepts will be discussed in more detail throughout this section.
• Allow time for introductions. When the team is formed, allow people to get to know one another, and to clarify roles and goals.
• Show respect for everyone’s points of view at the earliest point possible. Try to discourage dominant behaviors by some team members. Research shows that the earliest moments of a team’s life define how its members will interact thereaer.
• Establish clear communication channels. Model good listening behavior and encourage it in others.
Determine how team members will communicate, how problems will be analyzed, how decisions will be made, and how the team’s work will get done.
• Encourage balanced participation early on. To discourage sub-teams from forming, ensure balanced participation and move people around so they interact with everyone else.