This video delves into the intricacies of group dynamics, offering insights on transforming a mere collection of individuals into a high-performing team. It introduces a comprehensive section on Wiser at Work resources, including videos and print materials, designed to elucidate fundamental principles of group dynamics. The narrative emphasizes the unique entity that emerges when two or three individuals gather—the group, characterized by its own personality and operational rules. It provides practical guidance for leaders and managers, exploring topics such as transitioning into a new team, fostering high-performance characteristics, optimizing meetings, managing difficult personalities, and empowering team members with calculated risk. The video advocates for interactive learning, suggesting methods to utilize these resources individually or collectively within a team setting.
Transcript
Group dynamics: How to turn your group into a high-performing team and keep it that way. This introduces the whole section of materials on Wiser at Work videos, print materials, and other resources, helping you understand some of the fundamental principles of group dynamics. Anytime two or three people get together, another entity is created in the room. There are you and the other people, but there’s also this other entity called the group. The group has a personality, rules that govern its operation, and capabilities beyond individuals. So, the more you learn about group dynamics, the better leader, manager, and overall more effective you’ll be, whether leading a large or small organization.
For instance, when taking over a new team, there is a fabulous opportunity here. In fact, there’s a window that’s only open for a short time when you and the team are trying to figure out how this person operates, what to expect from him or her, and what he or she expects from you. We have a whole section on this based on the video and an article on the manager transition meeting, condensing the time needed for people to discover these aspects into a single meeting where you have a conversation about these critical matters.
Do you need to turn your group into a real, true team that pulls together? There’s a whole section of materials based on the characteristics of a high-performing team. A high-performing team has a different feel to it. When you walk into a room with a high-performing team, there’s a hum, an energy. If you’ve ever been part of a team, a singing group, an athletic group, or any collection of people pulling together on something very important, you can sense that difference. What are the characteristics of a high-performing team? Check your group against those characteristics.
Again, would you like your meetings to be more productive? How many times have you been to a meeting and thought, “What a complete waste of time?” There’s a whole section here on how to develop really great meeting facilitators during your meetings. You’re going to want to see that one. How about difficult or disruptive people in your group? There’s a whole section here on that. But I would start, frankly, with one of my favorites called the pinch theory. This is about how difficult people can be responded to and dealt with in a way that has a chance of success.
Another consideration is empowering your people without so much risk of failure. Most good employees want more responsibility and power. Most managers and leaders wish they could give more away. There is a way to do it, gradually empowering someone to do slightly more. This is covered in the five degrees of empowerment or the article “Five Degrees of Freedom.” How much freedom does a person working with you or for you have? How do you allow them to have slightly more flight, slightly more freedom, without increasing the risk to you or the organization?
Here’s how this works. You can sit down with these materials and watch the videos by yourself, read the articles, download and copy them. Make it more personal. Alternatively, get your team together, put the laptop or screen in front, and show these brief videos at the beginning of your staff meetings. Use them to help create a high-performing team. Look at these materials, explore the treasure trove, find what interests you, and start using them with your team.
