TeamMark - Introduction

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Introduction     

      

TeamMark is a self-report questionnaire based on the research of Isabel Myers and her mother Katharine Briggs on Personality Type.  The mother-daughter team built their study of human differences on Carl Jung’s work on Psychological Types.  Psychological or Personality Type refers to a system for understanding human behavior.  It is based upon the belief that there are sixteen distinctly different personality types, and each of us has one type which most accurately describes us. 

 

According to Isabel Myers and Katharine Briggs, everyone has a natural preference for one of the two opposites on each of the four preference scales. 

 

TeamMark Report  

Today, leaders are redesigning work to include teams at all levels of their organizations.  In using teams, skills and tasks are widely distributed among all team members.  Also, team members are held accountable for maintaining and improving the processes and outcomes for which their team is responsible.

 

The synergy that comes from putting individuals together to form teams to solve problems, make decisions, and initiate action is power that must be harnessed for continued organizational success.  When a team is working in such a way, we clearly recognize that within any team, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

 

When individuals come together to form a team, a number of dynamics occur simultaneously.  Some team members are very goal oriented, while others spend time working on interpersonal issues.  Team members often test issues that concern them, such as influence, expertise, conflict management, decision-making, and roles.  Such tests are part of effective team development.

 

One aspect of team dynamics is the way in which team members work together to reach their goals.  As team development progresses, members settle into individual “roles” by mutual consent.  Such roles include both task and process aspects of the team’s interactions.

 

The member-role viewpoint of team building suggests that the team requires the participation of members in both task and process areas if it is to develop into a fully functioning team.

 

For teams to maximize their performance, it is important that each team member understands and plays the appropriate role at the right time.  Building an effective team is dependent on how the relationships between the dynamics of task and process are managed.

Defining a Team:

A group of two or more people interacting together to accomplish a purpose.  Types of teams include leader-directed, cross-functional, self-directed, and informal (i.e., we are all in this together).

 

The ideal team makeup is well rounded with a balance of types.  This provides more depth and points of reference as well as rich and robust input and discussions.

 

Creating a Team’s Purpose:

Before setting performance targets, a team needs to know why it exists, what its purpose is.  The purpose must be clearly stated and each member must perceive the purpose to be appropriate.  Typical team purposes include:   

	Task defined
	Continuous improvement
	Problem solving
	Gather data, review and make recommendations
	Research and analysis
	Decision-making

 

Building Team Effectiveness Needs:

	Clear sense of purpose, direction, and end goal
	Talented members (concentrating on skills, knowledge, qualities                   to do the job)
	Distinct, understandable and engaging responsibilities
	Reasonable and efficient procedural process
	Constructive interpersonal relationships
	Relevant reinforcement systems
	Collaborative external relationships (e.g., team) are a system                  within a large system (e.g., organization, market)

      Adapted from Gregory E. Huszczo, Tools for Team Excellence

 

Considering the Constraints:

Identify and acknowledge potential constraints such as:

	Resources – budgets, workforce
	Time
	Technology
	Alignment and cultural constraints

 

Stating the Assumptions:

	The greater the need to interact and the more dependent each               member is on the other members’ efforts to accomplish the goal,                    the more the group truly resembles a team.
	Every team member has completed the CenterMark Assessment                   and has confirmed which type is his/her best fit.
	Each team member has given permission for his/her TeamMark                         data to be included in the TeamMark Report.
	The team will not be depending totally on The TeamMark Assessment             for team building but will be using other tools, processes, and models                  as well. Team efforts will be both task and relationship oriented.

 

Assessing the Team:

Even when a team has a clear purpose, talented members, and a strong set of procedures for working together, the team can quickly become ineffective and dissatisfying if team members do not know how to work effectively with each other. 

 

The TeamMark Report provides insight into your team members’ similarities and differences.  Your team’s balance of similarities and differences will affect important key performance issues:  how it will perform and how well it does what it sets out to do (results).  Such insight can be invaluable when working with team members from different backgrounds and diverse personalities. 

 

Although it may be easier to communicate and relate to teammates who share your values, beliefs and preferences, there are some disadvantages.  For example, teams where a majority of the members has the same preferences may develop tunnel vision; limit “outside their comfort zone thinking” and fail to produce the prospects, probabilities, and consequences that a team with dissimilar preferences can.

 

The TeamMark Report presents a profile of your team’s similarities and differences, as well as the advantages and disadvantages associated with your team type.  Additionally, the report contains a framework and suggested strategies for improving relationships within your team.  The assessment will help you:

 

	Better understand and build on team members’ similarities and differences
	Analyze and identify your team’s strengths and resources, as well as       potential weaknesses
	Improve communications between team members
	Determine roadblocks and develop work-arounds so not to impede progress
	Utilize and maximize the talents of all the team members
	Serve as a professional development experience for members
	Implement a specific action plan for goal attainment