To: Jim Michmerhuizen
From: Barry Mallis
Your comment about humor masking lack of vision in a group situation
reminded me of the Parker Team Player Survey, an easy-to-use and
delightful tool for engaging groups in understanding more about peoples'
dynamics in teams.
Glenn Parker identified four broad types of team player. Each has a
primary set of characteristics. One individual may have several equally
manifest types wrapped into one. Most people will have on primary and a
secondary set of characteristics.
The four types are: Contributor, Collaborator, Communicator and
Challenger. According to Parker, people are who they are--not gonna
change. However, knowing one's "type" can sometimes assist not only in
team formation for a specific task, but may allow team leaders and members
to more effectively conduct the business of the team.
In a way it's like knowing that you have a cross-functional team with
someone from Receivables, Customer Service, Marketing and Information
Services (the computer people) trying to solve a problem. Having an
understanding at the very least of how these people can bring their
experience to the table is a bonus. Parker claims this works, too, for
team leaders who want to elicit the best from their team members and from
themselves.
Under the Communicator type we find a process-oriented team member who
listens effectively. The Communicator helps a team have fun and relax by
joking and laughing, but sometimes overuses humor and other such process
techniques.
I find this Parker Survey a nice little tool for team facilitation skills
training.
-- Best, Barry Mallis bmallis@markem.com