Recently I had an experience where I was thrown into a small group of strangers at a leadership development institute. We were to investigate a topic selected by the organizers, develop a report with resources and recommendations, and make a joint presentation to a larger group. Good idea—leaders are called upon every day to do these very things. At our first meeting, the coordinator laid out the task for us, we asked questions, brainstormed a little, and assigned tasks. Hmmm…something seemed to be missing.

Commitment to this project was not high. All members kept putting off the tasks. I am not a procrastinator, but even I was failing to get enthusiastic. Here I was in a group of people, all of whom were learning leadership skills, and we had neglected one very fundamental step in the process: learning to know each other. We knew positively nothing about each other beyond our names, and we had a only a vague idea of where we each worked and what we did.

Teams are very different from task groups. Task groups, functioning as human "machines," do not even perform very well except in brief, focused tasks, because there is no "oil" (no relationship) to make them run smoothly. Teams, however, are distinguished by their emphasis on the human dimension as well as the functional dimension. Leaders are not task masters, and true leaders know that they will enhance goal attainment and improve productivity only to the extent that they can tap the social relationships within their teams and their organizations.

How do you build such teams? There are four major components:

• Clearly defined team goals to which all are committed.

Strategic planning, developing mission statements, MBO processes help in this area.

• Development of interpersonal relationships—knowing each other as individuals.

Team-building games and simulations build trust; they emphasize human similarities by encouraging sharing, build tolerance for differences by pointing out complementary strengths, and promote having fun while teaching important lessons on productivity and collaboration.

• Defined tasks and roles for each member, with accountability and regular reporting.

Commitment to organized, regular meetings and access to resources, including ongoing training as the group experiences problems is one key to success.

• Ongoing monitoring of the group process—how are we doing?

Being honest and willing to examine ongoing problems (both human- and task-centered) is essential if the group is to accomplish its goals.

At my prodding, the leadership group mentioned in the first paragraph engaged in some teambuilding. We talked about our backgrounds, our values, our goals, and our strengths. Because we took the time to do so, we not only completed our project; we completed it well and experienced much more satisfaction and lasting relationships and a more polished presentation than if we had only "done our jobs."

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