Steve Myers Team Role Theory
Steve Myers' Team Role TheoryThe basis of Team Performance Management
Team Performance Management involves, at its simplest level:
• Identifying the team behaviours that will lead to optimum performance (the ‘ideal’ profile)
• Assessing the behaviours the team are currently using (the ‘current’ profile)
• Planning, implementing and monitoring actions to change the team’s behaviour from the ‘current’ profile to the ‘ideal’ profile.
In particular, HIGH PERFORMING teams/managers/members...
Adapt To the situation, using whichever team role is most appropriate and will lead to the best performance
Synchronise Use of team roles with other members
Stretch Outside their comfort zones, but getting the balance right between fulfilment in the job, and personal development.
Whereas, POOR PERFORMING teams/managers/members...
Overuse A team role, because they enjoy it so much, or don't know how to act differently (due to the absence of training or role models), or have such a strong culture that they feel compelled to use it.
Avoid using valuable team roles because they don't enjoy or value them
Compete for their own perspective to be the centre of discussion, at the expense of other perspectives.
The keys to improving team performance involve adaptation and synchronisation. The key to maximise individual contributions to team performance is to have the right degree of stretch.
Adaptation
This involves being able to adopt the behaviours that, given the circumstances, are most likely to lead to success. Adaptation can be included as part of the team performance management by:
• identifying the balance of roles most required for the team to succeed
• evaluating the roles currently being used in the team
• producing a current profile by aggregating the individual MTR-i results into a single set of results
• undertaking a gap analysis, between the roles required and the roles being performed, with special focus on any team roles that may be overused or being avoided
• planning actions to close the gaps, thereby getting the team to have a balance of team roles that is more likely to lead to success.
Synchronisation
This involves getting each team member to focus their efforts in the same direction at the same time, thus cooperating to make rapid progress, rather than competing. As an explanatory metaphor, consider the ‘performance’ of horses drawing a coach: if they pull in the same direction, the coach will make rapid progress; if they are not harnessed together, and pull in different directions, the coach might not even move at all.
Synchronisation can be achieved, by:
• in each situation, identifying the team roles that it would be appropriate to use (not all roles are appropriate for all situations)
• using the team roles in unison or, for more advanced teams, in tandem:
o Unison means for everyone to undertake the same role at the same time
o Tandem means for each team member:
to focus on a particular team role perspective;
to make sure the discussion takes sufficient account of that perspective;
allow time for other perspectives also to be raised, whilst seeking a win-win resolution of views
Stretch
Each individual in the team will be stretched to less or greater extents, and the stretch can be experienced as either a good or a bad thing. To achieve the right degree of stretch, team members can:
• Identify their preferred team role (using questionnaires such as the MBTI, PTI, Personality Profiler)
• Identify the role(s) they are currently performing (using the MTR-i)
• Decide whether they want to be stretched more (for development) or less (for personal fulfilment)
• Restructure the way they undertake your work so that more demands are placed on them for the team roles they want to use more, and ditto for the team roles they want to use less.
In summary, one’s team role identifies the type of contribution made to the team. Anyone can undertake any team role, though people usually prefer or are better at certain roles more than others. High performance teams apply the principles of performance management both to the individuals and the team collectively. They adapt their roles to the circumstances, synchronise their efforts, play to their strengths and stretch themselves appropriately. Poor performing teams are inflexible, compete with each other, stay in their comfort zones and expect others to accommodate them.
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