Team Goals

According to Katzenbach and Smith (1994) goals are ideas. A goal is a desired and valued circumstance toward which people are working. Team goals are about the future and must be desired by the team for providing momentum and direction. Desired team goals become the foundation of the team's vision thus motivating the team while providing a common purpose and direction. Team goals literally contribute to shared vision, and this vision places focus on team activities.

The establishment of goals is one of the most important processes that teams can accomplish. Goals provide the team with direction and contribute to the process of forming shared vision (Hendrix, 1996). Goals place a reference point where teams can monitor their progress and determine their success. Goals of both the team and the individuals exist, and high performance is more likely if the team goals are congruent with the individual goals of the team. The degree in which teams can succeed at their individual as well as their team goals has a direct relationship with the success of the team.

Goals must be clear and the process of establishing goals must involve everyone on the team. With clear goals, conflicts within the team can provide learning opportunities because the foundation of the team's existence is solidly in place as team goals. Goals serve to direct and motivate the team. Without common goals individual goals are followed guiding the team in multiple directions with a loss in performance. The absence of goals produces frustrations among the team, and these types of frustrations do not have the same growth potential as conflict and dialogue (Senge, 1990a; Hendrix, 1996). The absence of goals displaces vision within the team, and thus the team functions as a group at best.

The school system has broad values to consider when establishing their goals, as opposed to teams. District wide goals are not generally specific because that would limit the goal setting process for teams and individuals among the different units of the school system. The school district's goals tend to identify large problems and processes. These broad goals are then broken down and examined by smaller units within the school system. Strategic unit goals are formed within smaller units such as teams (Hendrix, 1996).

Broad goals such as 'the school district will increase the information literacy level among its students' is typically reduced to a more specific goal among teams. A technology team within the school district would then fine tune this goal to 'all students will have ample access to state of the art technologies that provide continuous Internet and intranet functions.' The point to make here is that team goals need to be aligned with broader district goals to ensure maximum performance.

Some districts will have multiple layers of goals that are further fine tuned as they are formed and developed at smaller units within the school system. Consistency is at least as important as having well-defined goals. A progressive line of development from the smallest unit (individuals) to the broad school system goals is of the utmost importance. Teams can serve as a catalyst for aligning individual goals with broader school district goals.

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Figure 2. System depicting goal development with the development of team goals acting as an accelerator toward individual and school district goals.

Often what occurs is that teams redefine the school district's (broad) goals while maintaining the district mission and vision. When teams are formed for specific purposes, it may be vague on how team goals relate to the bigger picture. Team members will need to carefully examine their purpose and how it relates to the 'big picture' for a more precise direction and relativeness of their goals (Covey, 1990).

The checklists of various team-building processes contained within this guide can be thought of as a series of team goals. These checklists, however, add more to the process than simply setting team goals. The checklists are also a plan for team action with implications for shared vision and purpose within. If the checklists are incorporated into goal establishment, an effective format for a plan of action is virtually in place with mechanisms contained within for developing shared vision and purpose with the team.

All team members need to participate in the establishment of goals with equal potential influence for establishing the goals. With a strong desire among the team to succeed, the team will choose goals that are realistic and challenging. Trust is vital to the process because if team members fear failure or the climate is such that consequates failures, the team will tend to choose very easy goals. Goal establishment is necessary for teams to meet their potential. Low-performance results when goals are implied or handed down without consideration and fine tuning by the team. A climate of trust and a learning-friendly environment is one that encourages teams to take chances and set high goals.

Team Core Competencies

Benchmark

The practice of benchmarking is widely used today for comparing organizations and smaller units of operation and is used for everything from elaborate system designs to the latest teaching methodologies. If a team's goal is to become a quality leader in their area, then looking to the quality of other similar units is necessary for a reference standard. Obtaining specific information about other teams and schools can be very difficult and time consuming. One method is to survey new families in the district on how the school compares to other schools. Another method is to have team members visit other schools and other teams for determining standards. This type of information can be useful to teams for checking on their progress toward goal attainment.

Benchmarks are standards and reference points of merit that the team uses to gage and maintain performance. Benchmarking provides a basis for comparison of current levels of performance and also a basis for desired levels of performance. Benchmarking requires reducing and defining variables so that valid comparisons can be made between current and desired levels of performance. Another purpose of benchmarking is evaluation. Benchmarking provides feedback to the team about how well their approaches to issues are working. Benchmarking is an ongoing process that requires participation of the entire team. The dilemma of finding ideal benchmarks for technology teams is the fact that computer technology is a moving target.

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Figure 3. A system of benchmarking team performance as a continuous improvement process.

Characteristics of Teams With and Without Goals

Teams without goals

• The team is highly stressed and competition is high. Individual achievement is most important.
• The team does not have a sense of direction, and there is much floundering.
• The team is error prone, and everyone tries harder and rushes faster with little success because of the lack of shared purpose and direction. The team becomes increasingly frustrated.
• The team has a non-cooperative demeanor - Helping someone else means they might get ahead. Everyone else is the enemy.
• The team has a low level of trust. The focus remains on individual success, and it is only through shrewdness that anyone can beat the system and stay ahead.
• The team has low morale.

Teams with Goals

• The team is relaxed with a sense of purpose, and everyone has access to the same information as everyone else.
• The team has a sense of direction that is consistent with their vision and purpose.
• The team makes conscientious decisions.
• The team knows what is expected, and they become more proficient thus increasing satisfaction.
• The team is highly cooperative, and everyone is dependent upon the others in the team to accomplish their goals.
• The team has a high level of trust. When one succeeds, the entire team succeeds.
• The team has high morale.

Checklist for Establishing Team Goals

• Look at and brainstorm many goals, but select only a few. The "rule of seven" plus or minus two is though of as the number of things people can keep in mind at once is recommended.
• Look back from various time horizons (weeks, months, and years) and ask what results need to be achieved within the various time frames for each goal.
• Look at the necessary tasks that connect the goals to the results being sought.
• Look at connecting the team's purpose to goals and then to the tasks necessary for the desired results.

Cautions with Establishing Team Goals

$Purposes are processes. If purpose remains static, goals die and eventually so does the team.

$ Clarify the team's purpose. Clarifying the team's purpose may take awhile, but is crucial for maintaining direction and momentum.

Adapted from Hendrix, 1996; Lipnack and Stamps, 1994; and Lipnack and Stamps, 1993

Last updated: March 10, 1998