Teams, Creativity & Support

Teams & Leaders

In organizations, teamwork is required for achievements of any significance. The most powerful team is the one led by the line-manager. Each team member must perform a function such that, together, all the work of the section, department or division is covered.

Most middle-ranking and senior employees are on several teams: they lead in at least one, follow in some, and are one among equals in others.

Where the team is near the front-line, there is a lot of personal interaction which facilitates mutual understanding and creative cooperation irrespective of position. Where team members are senior and control a large division, the daily rubbing of shoulders in relation to tasks does not occur, and so the personal situation is trickier.

The person accountable for a senior team's end-result, the CEO or a General Manager, has to lead chiefs who are leaders in their own right and with their own complex concerns. If you think that efforts to activate creativity might produce the best result, you would surely be right. But there are commonly obstacles in the way that senior managers attempt to engender enthusiasm and gain support (RG3).

Teams & Creativity

Teams appear to be most relevant in the odd-levels of the Framework, where the output orientation is outward (and the creativity orientation is inner-mental). Taking these from the top:

• At RG7: a team can take on an assigned challenge or develop its own.
• At RG5: a team can persevere if allowed.
• At RG3: a team can generate high morale and focus enthusiasm.
• At RG1: a team can be powerful within the degree of autonomy allowed.

By contrast:

• At RG6: a team may have difficulty in enabling full immersion as a sustained state.
• At RG4: a team may learn and play, but surrender and passion do not apply so easily due to other duties.
• At RG2: a team should allow for differences in involvement, conceptions and related states. Efforts for unity tend to generate groupthink.

Teams & Support

I will review the relation of enthusiasm and support to handling any challenge.
Keep the framework in mind by reference to the diagram and this matrix:►

	Method	What You Must Do	How Others Assist	Social Form
RG35	Activate!	Explain some essential desired benefit.	Generally ► By recognizing the value of the project.	Network of believers.
RG34	Appreciate!	Value the other's importance.	Inter-personally ► By reciprocally recognizing your value in the project.	Tight clique of mutual supporters.
RG33	Share!	Offer details of experiences relating to progress.	Intra-personally ► By emotional encouragement and useful ideas.	Handful of productive friendships.
RG32	Interest!	Attract latent curiosity by appeal to interests.	Contributory ► By useful tangible assistance short of doing tasks.	Circle of affiliates and associates.
RG31	Engage!	Induce others to work alongside.	Functionally ► By initiating and completing relevant tasks.	Team of working colleagues.

Organizations are usually focused on results: i.e. the actualization zone (RL1-RL3). And engagement is the Group (RG3¹) that snuggly fits this zone. Its natural social form is, conveniently, a «team of working colleagues». But are they a team? Only in name, if enthusiasm and morale are lacking.

There is no reason why a team should not be at different times:

• a bastion of believers,
• a clique of supporters,
• a pocket of productive friendships,
• a circle of associates, &
• a group of working colleagues.

However, such coverage of all the Generators of Support depends on focusing enthusiasm. So take each Generator of Support in turn:

• Engaging-RG3¹ each chief in the team would definitely help and cannot harm. Review Engagement.
  But

Making demands and threats promotes action while weakening inquiry- RG3², and interfering with adaptive targeting of changes-RG3¹₃. So creative energy drops.

• Interesting-RG3² each chief in the team would probably help and cannot harm. Review Interest.
  But

Imposing and controlling, even if tasks are suited to individuals, undermines the sense of autonomy-RG3²₃. So creative energy drops.

• Sharing-RG3³ experiences with each chief in the team would probably help and cannot harm. Review Sharing.
  But

Manipulative, disinforming and secretive tactics weaken communication-RG3³₃ and harm social bonds, leading to defensive experiences-RG3³₂. So creative energy drops.

• Appreciating-RG3⁴ each chief in the team would probably help and cannot harm. Review Appreciating.
  But

Humiliation and denigration create painful experiences-RG3⁴₁ and make little contribution to understanding the work-RG3⁴₂. So creative energy drops.

• Activating-RG3⁵ each chief in the team would definitely help and cannot harm. Review Activation.
  But

Using carrot-and-stick methodsobscures issues-RG3⁵₁, devalues ideals-RG3⁵₂, and assumes a lack of willingness-RG3⁵₃. So creative energy drops.

---

Originally posted: 17-Feb-2012