TEAM MANAGEMENT PROBLEM SOLVING
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb057509 |
| Date | 01 May 1988 |
| Pages | 12-14 |
| Published date | 01 May 1988 |
| Author | Charles J. Margerison |
| Subject Matter | Economics,Information & knowledge management,Management science & operations |
TEAM MANAGEMENT PROBLEM
SOLVING
by Charles J. Margerison
International Management Centre
from
Buckingham
and
Queensland University
Introduction
The success of a manager depends on how well he/she can develop effective teamwork amongst the individuals
who report to him/her. Work with various organisations has shown that those who are effective at teamwork
develop a number of team management systems.
These systems have two major aspects, as shown in Figure
1.
They involve the technical and the interpersonal.
These are the key issues on which effective managers concentrate. They go out of their way to involve people.
One major aspect of team management, therefore, is group problem solving. This article will concentrate
specifically on this aspect of teamwork and explain it using the SADIE model.
How to Problem Solve
Teamwork involves problem solving. A team is brought
together in order to complete a task. The success of
that team working effectively together requires a joint
understanding of what has to be done and who will
do it.
Through work with managers, it has been observed how
successful individuals and teams have operated. The
result has been the development of a problem-solving
model which can be called SADIE for short — because
the first letter of each of the steps makes up the
acronym SADIE.
The SADIE Model
There are five key steps on which everyone needs to
concentrate in order to be effective in team problem
solving.
These steps are shown in Figure 2.
By having a jointly held understanding of the problem-
solving steps, the team can more easily work together.
The steps provide guidelines against which you can
assess progress and check for mistakes.
The Five Major Steps
Share Information
The first step is vital to any successful problem solving.
Too often, people do not get beyond first base because
the available information is not shared. This is not
because people are necessarily being deliberately unco-
operative. Too often, the failure occurs because of slack-
ness.
A member of the team may forget to inform another
member or assume he/she knows what is going on.
Some of the greatest mistakes in teamwork occur
because people do not share the information they have
which is essential for other people to do their job
properly. This is no more clearly illustrated than in the
cockpit of the modern jet airliner where three people
have to work closely together to ensure the safety of
the aircraft and the passengers. The captain, the first
officer and the flight engineer need continually to share
information. On most occasions, everything goes
according to
plan,
but when one of the crew members
does not keep the others up to date, mistakes can occur.
This is true in every team, whether it be in a bank, an
oil refinery, a factory or an office. Therefore, special
attention needs to be given to the sharing of all the
information. Understanding the data is the other side
of the coin and it is therefore important that team
members practise the skills of summarising and
clarifying to ensure accurate exchanges. It is easier said
than done, but nevertheless essential.
Analyse Problems and Opportunities
However, sharing the data without a careful analysis of
what it means is still going to lead to a failure. A team
needs to develop ways and means of analysing its
information. This will mean providing time for people
to meet and talk. It will mean developing systems to
provide a structure to the discussions, such as the use
of visual aids.
Above all, it requires high interpersonal skills to analyse
the information and sift the "wheat from the chaff ". This
is particularly so when there is a team involved and lots
of people want to have a say. Some people will be more
to the point than others. Some will speak more than
others. The difficult job for the chairperson as well as
the team members is to control their conversation so
as to hear the key points and be able to identify what
they mean.
Often,
the information will be seen in a negative rather
than a positive way. Team members, when presented
IMDS
May/June
1988
12
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