BUILDING THE HIGH-TECH TEAM

By Harrison Snow

Are high-tech or scientific teams different from other teams? They have smart people who seek a challenge, want to make a contribution, are outspoken, enjoy collegiality and working with the latest technology. They value autonomy and their independence. They take pride in their profession. All positive, even desirable, attributes. But getting those high-tech professionals all headed in the same direction can be like herding wildcats.

These professionals identify more with what they do than the organization they do it for. Working late on a hot project is part of life but a staff meeting at 8 am might not be such a high priority. They know what they know and expect to be heard, recognized and appreciated for it. Listening is not a highly valued skill. And there are plenty of other opportunities out there so don’t take the work they do for granted.

If you followed the Redskins last session you know that a team full of high-priced stars is not automatically going to deliver high performance. When everyone is sure his or her way is the best way the possibility of synergy goes south. Technical professionals are trained in linear problem solving. And they love to solve problems. It is just that people issues - those dealing with communication, teamwork and the processes that cross different functional areas - do not respond to formalistic thinking. When the technical and interpersonal are intertwined the solutions are not in a textbook. Yet those are the problems that often lead to project failures or poor system performance.

Many teams in the high-tech or scientific world can’t solve their systemic problems because they can’t talk about them. The interpersonal obscures the technical. Different perspectives are not heard or understood. Yet how the different parts of a system impact each other cannot be ignored. When people find a way to define and attack the problem, instead of each other or another part of the organization, progress is made.

A recent study on problem solving was conducted at the Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. They found that people are better at the back-end of solving a problem than the front-end of discovering and defining it. Given the rate of change and the level of uncertainty many organizations are faced with, the fires that get fought are those easily understood. Who has time to figure what is really going and do something strategic about it?

Dealing with nonlinear problems does not mean we have to throw out the principle of cause and effect. There are things the team can do or actions it can take that will help it achieve better results. Here are some ideas:

Develop a Team Charter: The charter defines the goals of the team, the different roles team members will play, and the processes or procedures that will help them get their work done.

Define Mutual Needs and Expectation: What does the boss need and expect from his or her direct reports? What do team members need and expect from their boss or from each other that will help them be successful? People often make the mistake that their needs and expectations are obvious

to those they work or live with. Don’t assume. Ask.

Clarify Priorities and Direction: The team members need to know what is really important.
What is the big picture?

How does our work impact the rest of the organization and its future?

Seek and Give Feedback: We are all customers to each other. How are we doing as a team in meeting customer (internal or external) expectations? Between team members the question is: How are we doing in meeting each other’s expectations?

Conduct Team Problem Solving: Use the Plus/Delta model. Ask the team as a group: What are we doing that is working (pluses)? What should we do differently (deltas)? Brainstorm different approaches, assign responsibilities or make new agreements, and follow up on them at the next team meeting.

Follow Up on the Follow On

It is easy to generate a list of do’s and don’ts. The harder part is practicing them. Action followed by reflection as a team is a potent way to build individual skills and their collective application in a group setting. We get better results when we define what success is and what we are going to do to get there.

When an individual or a group experiences success they always want more. People want to be (and to be seen as) winners who belong to a winning team.

It’s Not Always About Money

In today’s tight job market money may be more of a factor in leaving but it is still not the only one. People leave for more opportunity, challenge and/or a better relationship with their boss. Most people have the need to be seen as more than a nametag or a job function. Like any relationship, personal or professional, the better it is the harder it is to leave. To build that relationship take the time to get to know the people on your team. It only takes a minute to find how out how someone’s kids are doing or what the weekend was like.

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