The Knowledge Tug-of-War Game

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culled from:leadershiparticles.com

One of the main inhibitors of a team obtaining its goal optimally is knowledge hoarding rather than knowledge sharing. There are many cultural factors that inhibit knowledge transfer. The most common of these frictions include (Davenport & Prusak, 1998):

    Lack of trust
    Different cultures, vocabularies, & frames of reference
    Lack of time and meeting places; narrow idea of productive work
    Status and rewards go to knowledge owners
    Lack of absorptive capacity in recipients
    Belief that knowledge is prerogative of particular groups
    Not-invented-here syndrome
    Intolerance for mistakes or need for help

A basic tenet of communication theory states that a network's (team) potential benefit grows exponentially as the nodes it can successfully interconnect expand numerically. For example, if two team members share information, both gain information and gain linear growth. And if both then share their new knowledge with other team members, and in turn get questions, amplifications, and modifications, then the benefits become exponential.
Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, Adjourning

Tuckman (1965) discovered that teams normally go through five stages of growth: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and finally Adjourning.
Tucker model - Five Stages
Forming

In this stage, team members are introduced. They state why they were chosen or volunteered for the team and what they hope to accomplish within the team. Members cautiously explore the boundaries of acceptable group behavior. This is a stage of transition from individual to member status, and of testing the leader's guidance both formally and informally.

Forming includes these feelings and behaviors:

    Excitement, anticipation, and optimism
    Pride in being chosen for the project
    A tentative attachment to the team
    Suspicion and anxiety about the job
    Defining the tasks and how they will be accomplished
    Determining acceptable group behavior
    Deciding what information needs to be gathered

Activities include abstract discussions of the concepts and issues; and for some members, impatience with these discussions. There is often difficulty in identifying some of the relevant problems as there is so much going on that members get distracted. The team often accomplishes little concerning its goals. This is perfectly normal.
Storming

The team's transition from the "As-Is" to the "To-Be" is called the Storming phase. All members have their own ideas as to how the process should look, and personal agendas are often rampant. Storming is probably the most difficult stage for the team. They begin to realize the tasks that are ahead are different and more difficult than they previously imagined. Impatient about the lack of progress, members argue about just what actions the team should take. They try to rely solely on their personal and professional experience, and resist collaborating with most other team members.

Storming includes these feelings and behaviors:

    Resisting the tasks
    Resisting quality improvement approaches suggested by other members
    Sharp fluctuations in attitude about the team's chance of success
    Arguing among members, even when they agree on the real issues
    Defensiveness, competition, and choosing sides
    Questioning the wisdom of those who selected the project and appointed the members of the team
    Establishing unrealistic goals
    Disunity, increased tension, and jealousy

These pressures mean that team members have little energy to spend on progressing towards the intended goal. But they are beginning to understand each another. This phase can often take 3 or 4 meetings before arriving at the next phase.
Norming

The Norming phase is when the team reaches a consensus on the "To-Be" process. Everyone wants to share the newly found focus. Enthusiasm is high, and the team is often tempted to go beyond the original scope of the process. During this stage, members reconcile competing loyalties and responsibilities. They accept the team, ground rules, roles, and the individuality of fellow members. Emotional conflict is reduced as previously competitive relationships become more cooperative.

Norming includes these feelings and behaviors:

    An ability to express criticism constructively
    Acceptance of membership in the team
    An attempt to achieve harmony by avoiding conflict
    Friendliness, confiding in each other, and sharing of personal problems
    A sense of team cohesion, spirit, and goals
    Establishing and maintaining team ground rules and boundaries

As team members work out their differences, they have more time and energy to spend on the project.
Performing

By now the team has settled its relationships and expectations. They can begin performing by diagnosing, problem solving, and implementing changes. At last, team members have discovered and accepted other's strengths and weakness. In addition, they have learned what their roles are. Performing includes these feelings and behaviors:

    Members have insights into personal and group processes
    An understanding of each other's strengths and weakness
    Constructive self-change
    Ability to prevent or work through group problems
    Close attachment to the team

The team is now an effective, cohesive unit. You can tell when your team has reached this stage because you start getting a lot of work done.
Adjourning

The team briefs and shares the improved process during this phase. When the team finally completes that last briefing, there is always a bittersweet sense of accomplishment coupled with the reluctance to say good-bye. Many relationships formed within these teams continue long after the team disbands.
Team Survey

You can take a team survey to see what stage your team is in.
Factors Separating Teams from Groups
Roles and Responsibilities

Within a group, individuals establish a set of behaviors called roles. These roles set expectations governing relationships. Roles often serve as source of confusion and conflict. While on the other hand, teams have a shared understanding on how to perform their role and perceive the other team members' roles.
Identity

While teams have an identity, groups do not. It is almost impossible to establish the sense of cohesion that characterizes a team without this fundamental step. A team has a clear understanding about what constitutes the team's mission and why it is important. They can describe a picture of what the team needs to achieve, and the norms and values that will guide them.
Cohesion

Teams have esprit that shows a sense of bonding and camaraderie. Esprit is the spirit, soul, and state of mind of the team. It is the overall consciousness of the team that a person identifies with and feels a part of. Individuals begin using "we" rather than "me."
Facilitate

Groups have a tendency to get bogged down with trivial issues. Ask yourself, "How much time gets wasted in meetings you attend?" Teams use facilitators to keep the team on the right path.
Communication

While members of a group are centered upon themselves, the team is committed to open communication. Team members feel they can state their opinions, thoughts, and feelings without fear. Listening is considered as important as speaking. Differences of opinion are valued and methods of managing conflict are understood. Through honest and caring feedback, members are aware of their strengths and weaknesses as team members. There is an atmosphere of trust and acceptance and a sense of community.
Flexibility

Most groups are extremely rigid. However, Teams maintain a high level of flexibility, and they perform different task and maintenance functions as needed. The responsibility for team development and leadership is shared. The strengths of each member are identified and used.
Morale

Team members are enthusiastic about the work of the team and each person feels pride in being a member of the team. Team spirit is high. To be a successful team, the group must have a strong ability to produce results and a high degree of satisfaction in working with one another.
Encouraging Great Ideas

All too often, creativity gets stifled when everyone follows the rules or arriving at solutions the same old way. Teams often become so task-oriented that they narrow down their focus much too soon by choosing the first likely solution, rather than adequately investigating the situation and its possibilities by brainstorming.