An interesting article from Jon Katzenbach on different types of teams

1. Perspective Jon Katzenbach
Aurelie Viriot
August Vlak
Unleashing the
Power of Teams
From Theory to
Execution

2. Contact Information
Chicago New York Shanghai
Vinay Couto Jon Katzenbach Joni Bessler
Senior Partner Senior Partner Partner
+1-312-578-4617 +1-212-551-6115 +86-21-2327-9800
vinay.couto@booz.com jon.katzenbach@booz.com joni.bessler@booz.com
Houston John Rolander Stockholm
Kenneth Kurtzman Partner Per-Ola Karlsson
Senior Partner +1-212-551-6114 Senior Partner
+1-713-650-4175 john.rolander@booz.com +46-8-50619049
kenny.kurtzman@booz.com per-ola.karlsson@booz.com
August Vlak
London Senior Executive Advisor Zurich
Ashley Harshak +1-212-551-6113 Ilona Steffen
Partner august.vlak@booz.com Principal
+44-20-7393-3405 +41-43-268-2169
ashley.harshak@booz.com San Francisco ilona.steffen@booz.com
DeAnne Aguirre
Anna Brown Senior Partner Olaf Bach
Senior Associate +1-415-627-3330 Senior Associate
+44-20-7393-3733 deanne.aguirre@booz.com +41-43-268-2196
anna.brown@booz.com olaf.bach@booz.com
Aurelie Viriot
Senior Associate
+1-415-627-4279
aurelie.viriot@booz.com
The authors would like to thank Caroline Kronley, Kenneth Kurtzman, John Rolander, and Ilona Steffen for their
contributions to this Perspective.
Booz & Company

3. EXECUTIVE In most organizations, the untapped performance potential
from teams is enormous. While the fundamental theory of
SUMMARY
team performance is perhaps well known, many teams fall
short of their full potential because they fail to move from
theory to execution, particularly when it comes to making
critical decisions about when, where, and how to team.
The first step to executing a well-designed and sustainably
effective team performance strategy should be taken at the
senior leadership level. In workshops focused on applying
team fundamentals to real business challenges, senior leaders
can learn to recognize the significance of different types of
teams and when they should be employed, while generating
immediate business impact. After senior leadership has
successfully embraced and internalized strategic teaming,
top managers should develop the institutional capability to
spread these behaviors throughout the organization. With
attention and diligence, companies can fairly rapidly move
from team theory to execution and improve the performance
and effectiveness of their teams.
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4. KEYS To goals—the challenges it is address-
ing—must be laid out in order to
a whole should be clearly delin-
eated, including precise descrip-
SUCCESSfUl establish a commonly agreed-on tions of individual responsibilities
TEAMIng working approach. and how these responsibilities
interconnect.
• Communication: What is the
process for letting one another • Leadership approach: When do
know what we need to know? The we need a single leader as opposed
team’s working approach, rules, to multiple leaders? When and
behaviors, decision-making pro- how do we shift the leadership
As business environments become tocols, and interactions should be role among team members based
more competitive, global, virtual, explicitly discussed, especially at on the task at hand? There are
and breakneck-paced, the value and the inception of the group or when distinct team modes, and each
potential of team performance to new members join. requires a different leadership
drive organizational success gain approach. Individual leadership,
significantly. For one thing, effective • Membership criteria: What do we multiple leadership, and shifting
teaming facilitates cross-functional need in order to accomplish our leadership models are the primary
activities, which in turn tend to performance goals? Teams operate options, depending on the perfor-
produce behaviors that result in best when membership is relatively mance situation.
better organizational performance. small but carefully constructed to
Equally important, disciplined team- include the necessary skills, exper- Working groups that rigorously
ing choices and behaviors improve tise, experience, and political apply these fundamentals will tilt the
the quality of internal discussions clout to get the job done. When odds of success greatly in their favor.
and collaborative thinking, create needed, outsiders can be brought But it’s important to bear in mind
engaged and motivated workers, and in to offer new perspectives and that not every business challenge
greatly extend leadership skills. ideas and team members can be requires a full-blown “real team”
trained in new skills. effort. (In our terminology, a real
There are five prerequisites for a suc- team is characterized by collective
cessful team: • Member roles and accountability: work products, shared leadership,
What are we mutually accountable and mutual accountability. By con-
• Clear objectives: What are we for? Who is accountable for what? trast, a single-leader unit would rely
trying to accomplish as a group? Performance expectations for heavily on a hierarchical manager
The group’s purpose and specific team members and the group as who monitors individual assignments
Working groups that rigorously apply
teaming fundamentals will tilt the odds
of success greatly in their favor.
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5. and accountability.) Depending on single-leader approach; indeed, it is for unstructured discussion while
the task at hand, single-leader units best for this group to avoid engaging operating too hierarchically.
and even mere discussion groups in time-consuming team-building
may be sufficient (see Exhibit 1). activities, lengthy debates about In our experience, comparatively few
No small group at any level or routine matters, and the reconsid- senior leadership challenges actually
department of an organization can eration of everyday decisions. On warrant a real team, but knowing
fully succeed without learning to the other hand, operating as a real when this approach is required can
integrate and use discussion group, team is imperative if significant obviously have a tremendous impact
single-leader, and real team working and profound collective insight on the organization’s chances for
approaches as the situation dictates. is a priority—for instance, when success. In general, real teams are
examining the impact on every needed when the situation calls for
For example, a group that must aspect of the business of a possible (a) products to be delivered by three
address a business-as-usual issue new discounting strategy that would or more people working together in
requiring speed and efficiency— cut prices across the board by 20 real time, (b) leadership roles that
such as the need for a quick pricing percent. All too often, companies fail shift among the members to match
analysis in response to a client’s to recognize the need for a real team skills and experience to the challenge
price cut ultimatum—can easily to address these types of complex at hand, and (c) mutual as well as
achieve its goals with the traditional questions and leave insufficient time individual accountability.
Exhibit 1
Basic Team Modes
DISCUSSION GROUP SINGLE-LEADER UNIT REAL TEAM
Clear Objectives - Information sharing - Business-as-usual performance - Breakthrough performance
- Need for speed and efficiency - Need for group insight
Communication - Based on expertise - Between leader and individual - Across all team members
members
Membership Criteria - Relevant knowledge -Individual skills - Complementary skills
Member Roles and - Stakeholder representation - Individual work products - Collective work products
Accountability
- Individual accountability - Mutual accountability
- Clear, stable roles - Evolving roles
Leadership Approach - Distributed leadership - Single leadership - Multiple leadership
- Shifting leadership
Source: Booz & Company
Booz & Company 3

6. WHY TEAMIng These team performance concepts
are well established and might even
roles. Conversely, many collabora-
tive cultures often miss performance
EffoRTS fAll appear straightforward. But many opportunities by trying to introduce
SHoRT teams fail to achieve their potential
when moving from theory to execu-
real team efforts into situations where
a strong single-leader approach is
tion. Part of the problem is tied to the more appropriate. Moreover, cor-
organization’s culture, which tends to porate leaders frequently fall into
play a big role in determining “how the trap of using the same teaming
we team around here”—often with approach for all purposes, usually
suboptimal results. For example, because they naturally gravitate to
cultures that stress strong individual what they have grown comfortable
accountability generally resist real with or because they lack familiarity
team efforts that are based on mutual with other teaming methods. Simply
accountability and shifting leadership put, few organizations have devel-
Leaders frequently fall into the
trap of using the same teaming
approach for all purposes.
4 Booz & Company

7. oped the internal capability to help and effective, special project teams norm. Groups must work together
their leaders and staffs to consistently were set up to rethink the organiza- through virtual environments—via
identify and apply the appropriate tion’s structure and operating model. e-mail, teleconferences, and computer
approach to group work—choosing However, with no precedent for applications (known generically as
between, for example, single-leader operating as real teams, these groups groupware) that let people share
and real team approaches based on defaulted to the agency’s single-leader information and collaborate on proj-
the task they are expected to perform. framework; as a result, they were ects from wherever they are. While
unable to generate the diversity of often the only real option—and
The damage that this endemic short- ideas and inspire the levels of innova- one that has certainly become more
coming can do is aptly illustrated by tion needed to rewire the organiza- efficient as new technology continues
a government agency responsible for tion. Not surprisingly, these teams to simplify the process—the virtual
enforcing securities laws and regu- struggled to fulfill their mission. environment nonetheless raises a host
lations. Traditionally, the agency’s of challenges for team efforts.
teams were based on the single- In addition to these traditional
leader unit model. Small groups concerns, so-called virtual team- For one thing, people in technology-
approached inspection and enforce- ing creates new obstacles for many based groups have a great deal of
ment tasks in a largely hierarchical, organizations. As teams become more difficulty developing the emotional
execution-oriented manner follow- and more scattered, with members commitment, shared understanding,
ing standard rules and procedures, located at distant sites around the and mutual respect required for top-
which adequately served the agency’s world or at least rarely at the same flight team performance, and cultural
day-to-day activities. As the agency place at the same time, asynchronous diversity, which is commonplace
embarked on a broad-scale trans- group participation and disembodied in virtual teams, often exacerbates
formation to become more nimble communication are increasingly the communication obstacles. Moreover,
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8. groups working virtually are often Although achieving stellar perfor- when and by whom, and for what
less rigorous about controlling mem- mance in virtual teams requires the purposes. Simply assuming that the
bership—indeed, groupware offers same discipline practiced in co- technology aspects of the team’s
easy processes for adding new people, located groups—that is, making con- work will take care of themselves is
turning small groups into “swarms.” scious choices among different team a huge mistake.
This can complicate and hinder work approaches to match the challenge
sufficiently that many groups lose the at hand—specific best practices can • Limit team size to 12 at the most;
discipline required to achieve their help virtual teams address the unique split larger groups into sub-teams.
goals. And perhaps most perplexing, challenges they face. These practices Explicitly distinguish core group
groupware often reinforces natu- include the following: members from partial contributors,
ral biases toward the single-leader identify who will have access to
approach: Because electronic commu- • Discuss individual and collective which materials and meetings, and
nication and collaboration encour- purposes and goals early in the determine when and how sub-
age group members to tackle team life of the group project. Ideally, groups should work.
objectives at different times, collec- this discussion, as well as periodic
tive work products often disaggregate problem-solving sessions, should • Push for early wins against clear
into individual efforts with individual be held face-to-face. and compelling near-term goals to
accountability. And on top of all of foster team pride and cohesiveness.
these potential groupware concerns, • Establish specific expectations and
by limiting spontaneous interac- rules regarding the use of group-
tions, groupware may reduce group ware features and applications—
creativity. which ones should be employed,
6 Booz & Company

9. START AT The first step in executing a well-
designed and sustainably distinctive
team performance capability of the
senior leadership group. Once back
THE ToP team performance capability in an in their daily routine, senior leaders
organization should be taken at the often revert to their old group behav-
senior leadership level. There are iors. To truly change how they work
two reasons for this: First, knowing with one another, managers need
how to choose among basic teaming the opportunity to learn and, most
modes is an invaluable capability that important, practice new behaviors.
greatly enhances the performance of And they need “reminder mecha-
most senior executive group efforts. nisms,” both formal and informal,
Second, senior leadership groups to ensure the consistent repetition of
that learn, adopt, and demonstrate those behaviors. The central focus
a disciplined teaming approach can needs to be on doing real work as a
begin the process of building the group rather than on merely trying to
institutional capabilities to drive real become a team.
team behaviors and disciplines in an
accelerated fashion throughout the To achieve this, the best approach is
organization. a series of working sessions at which
senior teams tackle real problems that
Many organizations try to instill they and the organization are facing
team behaviors among senior lead- and begin to coalesce around dealing
ers by sending them to Outward with actual performance challenges
Bound–like offsites, where group (see “Teaming for Success,” page
members bond by building rafts, 9). These senior group workshops
climbing walls, or falling backward should be structured as 20 percent
into each other’s arms. While there teaming fundamentals theory and
is certainly some “bonding value” to 80 percent applying the theory to the
these activities, in our experience they group’s current business priorities.
rarely have a sustained impact on the Substantive issues like skills required,
To truly change how they work with
one another, senior leaders need
the opportunity to learn and, most
important, practice new behaviors.
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10. meeting structure, leadership roles, leadership attributes will gener- approach. If this is not negotiated
and decision making should be ate results. Part of this process is with the team in advance, it is
addressed in the process of solving clarifying the specific behaviors unlikely to happen, and initial
real business challenges. It is essential required for team performance and enthusiasm will inevitably fade in
to follow up on commitments made providing tools and approaches to the face of new priorities.
during the workshop to ensure that support these behaviors.
team members utilize what they have A deft facilitator—who possesses a
learned rather than lapse into old • Clarify the critical choices of when deep understanding of group dynam-
ways of working. and how—discussion group, single- ics and psychology as well as teaming
leader, or real team approach— and decision making, and has excel-
Based on observations at leading that will enable teams to work lent interpersonal skills and extensive
global organizations, we’ve identi- in the appropriate mode for the real-world business experience—
fied five practices that are critical to performance situation they face. sometimes helps senior management
the success of these senior leadership As noted earlier, it is essential to teams achieve their aims. It is usually
team workshops: consider the different options for better, however, if the facilitation
group work rather than “trying to role can be performed by working
• Apply the fundamentals of team become a team” when other group members of the team. Organizations
performance to actual business approaches are more appropriate. should consider outside facilitator
needs, connecting performance candidates carefully, and conduct a
objectives and team discipline while • Focus the discussion on defining test run to make sure they fit the par-
building sustained commitment to and facilitating trade-offs and ten- ticular culture of the company. The
business performance. Preparation sions within and between teams. best ones are able to contribute to the
for each senior leadership work- Most teaming is essentially a collec- substance of the team’s performance
shop requires up-front interviews tion of “right fights” that together challenge as well as the interactions
with the team’s members (and generate shared performance within the team.
potentially its key stakeholders) to goals. As a result, successful team
understand not just behaviors but discussions don’t merely focus on By the end of these sessions, senior
also the business issues that are alignment, togetherness, consensus, leaders should have addressed more
affected by those behaviors. and agreement, but explicitly look than one of the business chal-
for necessary tension and ways to lenges through their workshops, no
• Focus on the “hard side” of make the tension productive. matter what form the groups end up
teaming—the disciplined choices, taking. Moreover, this team build-
compelling performance purpose, • Ensure that the workshop has ing experience has ideally become
clear role definition, working built-in follow-up procedures. second nature to the senior leaders,
approach, prioritization, and deci- These can include a set number of ensuring that they will continue to
sion making that will drive business hours to be used for future discus- use these skills as they face problems,
performance—in order to establish sions about team purpose, perfor- obstacles, and strategic questions in
a clear case for how teaming and mance, restructuring, or leadership the future.
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11. Teaming for Success
A consumer products company had just undergone a substantial
global reorganization, a confusing ordeal that in the heavily matrixed
organization led to uncertainty about roles and responsibilities along with
costly delays in crucial decision making. And this was happening as the
company’s underlying sales and market share were already declining.
To get the organization back on track, 30 workshops in 15 countries
were set up with the top senior management teams—representing 70
percent of the company’s business as well as high-priority areas—with
the goal of helping them to maximize their potential and the business’s
returns in the company’s reorganized operating framework. During
each of the workshops, teams framed the organizational needs under
the new approach and explored leadership tools, concepts, and
methodologies—for example, the different types of teams and when
to use them, the development of effective sub-teams, and the best
methods for designing and running meetings. They collectively identified
opportunities, prioritized them, and defined action plans.
The results of the workshop were significant, and the impact was
immediate. Roles, responsibilities, and key interfaces were clarified.
Strategic priorities were established, allowing senior teams to focus
where it mattered most. Disciplined meeting structures were created,
with clear agendas and efficient information sharing; indeed, agenda
items were reduced by as much as 70 percent and meeting times were
greatly minimized, saving each group member as much as half a day
per week. Follow-up working sessions about how the teams themselves
could work more effectively with one another only added to the value of
this process.
In a company with more than 100,000 employees, these senior
leadership workshops were critical to implementing the new
organizational framework quickly and to building momentum for this
change in the broader organization. After the broad successes enjoyed
by the senior teams, the groundwork could be laid for widespread
teaming focusing on business improvement and better results
throughout the organization. Senior leaders often accomplished this by
instilling teaming behaviors and concepts in their direct reports. And
though the process was not entirely viral and training was necessary
at lower levels, starting at the top made it easier to demonstrate to the
organization the value, importance, and rudiments of teaming know-
how. Since this strategic teaming effort began, the consumer products
company has enjoyed growth in sales and total shareholder return that
has significantly outperformed the industry.
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12. SPREAD mandates) effective group behaviors characteristics, and objectives of
everywhere and at every level in the a company can simplify and make
THE CRITICAl company. The following four pillars more tangible the process of learning
BEHAVIoRS ensure an efficient and sustainable when and how to use different
deployment of team performance team disciplines. This customized
disciplines: framework can be developed by
conducting interviews with the
Create Company-Specific company’s leadership to elicit the
frameworks, language, and ideas and words that best illustrate
Decision Criteria the organization’s personality and
After senior leadership has Although many teaming challenges culture.
successfully embraced and are similar across companies, using
internalized strategic teaming, words and stories linked to an Build the Capability to Deploy
top managers should develop organization’s culture, aspirations, Across Teams
the institutional capability to and history can simplify the process Instilling team frameworks
spread these skills throughout the of helping groups understand and disciplines throughout the
organization. Widespread adoption how best to reach their goals. organization requires tailored
of teaming fundamentals requires Such meaningful language and tools, process support, and strong
a robust teaming infrastructure frameworks that tie teaming to facilitators in addition to engaged
that encourages (and in some cases the specific business initiatives, senior sponsors. A tailored
Widespread adoption of teaming
fundamentals requires a robust
teaming infrastructure.
10 Booz & Company

13. methodology and corresponding • Identifying and prioritizing small projects are staffed have rigorous
support content are key to consistent group opportunities: Processes processes in place with multiple
implementation. They should are needed to ensure that leaders sources of input to ensure careful
include a set of comprehensive have a clear strategic agenda consideration of the skills and
training materials that internal and performance goals to assess resources required for a group to
and external consultants can use special group opportunities do a job correctly. As other types
in working with leadership teams and determine the best working of companies realize the value of
on their performance against approach—real team, single- cross-functional group initiatives,
business challenges. These materials leader, or discussion group. similar processes should be
should be scalable throughout the developed.
organization. Carefully identifying, • Integrating performance goals
training, deploying, and managing to highlight and evaluate team • Selecting and developing team
internal and external resources to results: The performance goals of leaders: Companies that rely
support the development of these formal groups, individuals, and heavily on small group efforts
materials and to facilitate training ad hoc group initiatives should be can often benefit from specific
is critical to ensure widespread integrated to make certain that processes and systems to identify
adoption of teaming fundamentals there is no disconnect between the and select candidates for
and achieve sustained impact. company’s strategic thrust and the leadership roles. When doing this,
organization’s efforts to address it is important to recognize that
Institutionalize with Process it. Because many performance and some leaders are better candidates
Infrastructure goals management systems cover for single-leader units, whereas
As organizations aspire to deliver only an organization’s permanent others are better equipped to lead
against multiple team performance structural units, an increase in real teams. The ideal leader, of
opportunities, effective process special group efforts can require course, is one who can recognize
support is essential. In addition to upgrading to systems that can different situational needs and
training programs focused on when better assess team performance adopt the appropriate leadership
and how to team effectively, an and results. format for each. Processes and
organization needs to have systems systems help senior leadership
in place to institutionalize teaming • Assigning people to teams: ensure that the right skills and
skills and drive sustained impact. Consulting and other professional leadership abilities are deployed in
This includes process infrastructure services whose performance line with the group’s purpose and
for the following: is heavily dependent on how chosen working approach.
Booz & Company 11

14. • Providing incentives for superior techniques with leaders from Applying the fundamentals of team
team performance: Reward and across the organization, updating performance with a consistent and
recognition—both monetary and approaches and best practices broad-based approach is a powerful
nonmonetary—are an important regularly, or creating “community” way to enhance both the capability
element of sustaining teaming tools and methods of reinforcement. and capacity of senior teams and
capability. Special awards and If appropriately structured, these generate measurable business
bonus arrangements can be networks can become powerful results. In workshops focused on
tailored to particular team ways to develop a culture that truly applying team fundamentals to
challenges. However, most real enables team performance and real work, senior leaders effectively
teams are not motivated by will both fortify the experiences of learn to rely on careful, deliberate,
money; they respond more to the teams that have received specialized and disciplined choices for when
nonmonetary aspects of real team training and influence those that and how to team for success while
achievements and to collaborative have not. beginning to solve actual business
interactions. challenges, thereby generating
Identifying the right people immediate impact. To fully unlock
Develop Peer-to-Peer networks to to spearhead this peer-to-peer the untapped performance potential
Sustain Impact effort is critical. They should be from teaming efforts, however,
To keep teaming practices at the accomplished motivators and senior leaders must then alter
forefront in an organization and well-respected advocates who their own teaming behaviors to
continue to enlist new converts to instinctively know how to tap consistently identify and apply
the notion, networks of advocates into the sweet spots that energize the right working approach to
who can capitalize on peer-to- individuals in their day-to- tackle the issue at hand. Once that
peer interactions are extremely day work. They should also be is accomplished, they can build
valuable. In essence, these networks adept at instilling performance the internal capability to instill
are informal groups of individuals teaming behaviors throughout the team disciplines in the broader
who have a common interest in organization to accelerate change. organization. With attention and
disciplined teaming choices and Senior leaders who have firsthand dedication, companies can fairly
behaviors and can sustain and knowledge of the individuals under rapidly and successfully move from
virally spread teaming best practices. consideration can often easily team theory to execution.
Specific actions of these networks produce a starter list of possible
may include sharing teaming candidates for this role.
12 Booz & Company

15. About the Authors
Jon Katzenbach is a senior August Vlak is a senior
partner with Booz & Company executive advisor with
based in New York and leads Booz & Company based in
the Katzenbach Center, New York. He is a member of
which develops practical new the Katzenbach Center and the
approaches to leadership, firm’s global health practice. He
culture, and organizational works with leading companies
performance. With more than 45 on organizational performance
years of consulting experience, and innovation challenges.
he is a recognized expert in He is the coauthor of “Finding
organizational performance, and Grooming Breakthrough
collaboration, corporate Innovators” (Harvard Business
governance, culture change, Review, December 2008).
and employee motivation. Before
joining Booz & Company, he Aurelie Viriot is a senior
was a founder of Katzenbach associate with Booz & Company
Partners LLC. He co-authored based in San Francisco. She is
with Douglas K. Smith two part of the firm’s organization,
best-selling books on team change, and leadership
performance, The Wisdom of practice and a member of the
Teams and The Discipline of Katzenbach Center. She works
Teams. He is also the author of with leading companies on
Teams at the Top. strategy and organizational
performance challenges.
Booz & Company 13

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