Leadership teams: Developing and sustaining high performance

272 Pages·2009·2.601 MB·English

by  Geoff Sheard, Andrew Kakabadse, Nada Kakabadse (auth.)

“Leadership teams captures the breathtaking effects of the
driving force of a team.” – Vadim Makhov, Chairman of the
Board of Directors, Severstal, Russia
“This book is a practical and insightful guide to modern team
leadership.” – Peter Steane, Emeritus Professor, Macquarie
University, Australia
“As we struggle with unprecedented environmental problems
at the same time as economic uncertainty, effective leadership
and team work has never been so critically important.” – Juliet
Roper, Professor of Management Communication, University
of Waikato, and Associate Dean, Sustainability, University of
Waikato Management, New Zealand
“A well-written text combining intellectual insight with practical
common sense.” – Dr Ian Brooks, Dean, Northampton Business
School, UK
Other books by Andrew Kakabadse and Nada Kakabadse
GOVERNANCE, STRATEGY AND POLICY: SEVEN CRITICAL ESSAYS (2006) (eds.)
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: RECONCILING ASPIRATION WITH
APPLICATION (2006)
(Andrew Kakabadse & Mette Morsing (eds.))
CSR IN PRACTICE: DELVING DEEP (2007) (eds.)
SPIRITUAL MOTIVATION: NEW THINKING FOR BUSINESS MANAGEMENT (2007)
(Jeremy Ramsden, Shuhei Aida & Andrew Kakabadse)
LEADING THE BOARD (2008)
LEADING FOR SUCCESS: THE SEVEN SIDES TO GREAT LEADERS (2008)
(Andrew Kakabadse, Nada Kakabadse & Linda Lee-Davies)
THE ELEPHANT HUNTERS: CHRONICLES OF THE MONEYMEN (2008)
(Amielle Lake, Andrew Kakabadse & Nada Kakabadse)
Leadership teams
Developing and
sustaining high performance
Geoff Sheard
Andrew Kakabadse
and
Nada Kakabadse
© Geoff Sheard, Andrew Kakabadse & Nada Kakabadse 2009
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2009 978-0-230-20190-3
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this
publication may be made without written permission.
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permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency,
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may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the authors
of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published 2009 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
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registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke,
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Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries
ISBN 978-1-349-30011-2 ISBN 978-0-230-24401-6 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9780230244016
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully
managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing
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country of origin.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09
C
ONTENTS
List of figures viii
Foreword ix
Preface xii
Acknowledgments xviii
About the authors xix
Chapter 1 Conceptual framework 1
Leadership in the 21st century 3
Group development 5
Want to know more? 10
Chapter 2 Mobilizing 12
Group development 14
Practical indicators 15
Forming the group 16
Creativity and innovation 18
Decision making 30
Ways of working 36
Fitting behavior 41
Key learning points 46
Want to know more? 47
Chapter 3 Confrontation 48
Group development 50
Practical indicators 52
Understanding conflict 53
Managing conflict 60
Fitting behavior 70
Key learning points 76
Want to know more? 77
v
vi Contents
Chapter 4 Coming together 78
Group development 80
Practical indicators 82
Work-based relationships 84
Working in groups 92
Fitting behavior 97
Key learning points 102
Want to know more? 103
Chapter 5 One step forward, two steps back 104
Group development 107
Practical indicators 110
The way things are done around here 112
Competencies and capabilities 128
Fitting behavior 137
Key learning points 142
Want to know more? 143
Chapter 6 Behaving as one 144
Team development 149
Practical indicators 151
Teams working with other teams 153
Engaging others 165
Fitting behavior 175
Key learning points 180
Want to know more? 181
Chapter 7 Facing the future 183
Team development 186
Practical indicators 188
Managing yourself 190
Developing leaders 198
Fitting behavior 207
Key learning points 214
Want to know more? 215
Chapter 8 Grace under pressure 217
Grounded under pressure 223
Resilience under pressure 226
Contents vii
Collaboration under pressure 229
Adaptability under pressure 231
Maturity under pressure 235
The audacity of hope 238
It’s only a model 240
References 242
Index 247
F
IGURES
1.1 The integrated group development process 9
2.1 The integrated group development process,
stage one: Mobilizing 12
3.1 The integrated group development process,
stage two: Confrontation 48
4.1 The integrated group development process,
stage three: Coming together 78
4.2 Driving change 85
5.1 The integrated group development process,
stage four: One step forward, two steps back 104
6.1 The integrated group development process,
stage five: Behaving as one 144
7.1 The integrated group development process,
stage six: Facing the future 183
8.1 The integrated group development process 217
viii
F
OREWORD
I have spent my professional life working in and with teams.
I can vouch that poor performance of teams is at the root of
those issues friends and colleagues raise with me most fre-
quently. The importance of knowing how to transform a group
of individuals into a high-performing team can’t be overstated.
The need for people, in every walk of life, to work together was
never more pressing than it is today. That is why this book is so
relevant. Leadership teams explains how real people facing real
problems can learn to create high-performing teams. It explains
what ordinary people need to do if they are to get extraordinary
results.
The authors of Leadership teams use a new development of
well-proven theory that is rooted in a pragmatic and practical
approach to leadership action and team development. They use
an academically sound basis to clearly define what leadership
action means in practice. The book focuses on the leadership
capabilities you must develop and learn to deploy. Critically,
the authors clarify the process of group life that plays out when
people work together. In so doing they provide insight into why
people behave the way they do when working together and, per-
haps most importantly, what you should do about it. By provid-
ing insight into what can otherwise appear to be the irrational
behaviour of others, Leadership teams helps you to better
appreciate what leadership action is appropriate in a particular
context.
This book—more of a handbook—details a stepwise, practical,
and rigorous approach that you can really pick up and apply.
As the authors say, “anyone who wants to be a better leader can
be.” If you have tried the more traditional approaches to team
development and failed, this book offers a fresh perspective. The
linkage between leadership action and team development is laid
out in a clear and concise way that makes it accessible.
ix