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Executive Interviews: Interview with Howard M Guttman on Building High Performance Teams
May 2009
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By Dr. Nagendra V Chowdary
How important is it to sustain high
performance teams? How do you
think these teams have to be kept
focused? What do you think
companies should be doing to keep
their tempo and temperaments going
in these tough times?
High performing teams are a
company’s best chance of riding out
tough times better than the rest.
Teams and organizations that are
aligned in the five key areas, that are clear about goals and roles, and that
aren’t hampered by internal conflict
are at a distinct competitive
advantage, especially in turbulent
times. The same competitive
advantage will serve them well when
the tide finally turns. When new
business opportunities present
themselves, high performing teams
will be off and running while
competitors are left wondering about
how to rebuild. If leaders want to keep such teams
motivated and focused, they need to
continue to role-model highperformance
behaviors – especially
candor and transparency. As painful
as it may be, employees would rather
hear the truth than have their leaders
sugar-coat reality for them. What is the role of business schools
in equipping the students with the
necessary skills and attitudes to be
part of either virtual teams or high
performance teams?
Business schools have got to stop
perpetuating the myth that a senior
executive has to be Superman or
Superwoman. In business today, it’s
not about individual achievement; it’s
about team achievement. B-schools
need to develop in their students the
mindset and the skill set they need to
achieve high performance as a
member of a team rather than as an
individual. A word about your other book,
When Goliaths Clash: Managing
Executive Conflict to Build a More
DynamicOrganization.
When Goliaths Clash examines in
depth one attribute of highperforming
teams: the ability to
manage conflict. And make no
mistake about it: conflict between and
among team members is possibly the
greatest impediment to achieving
results. When Goliaths Clash (Mt.
Arlington Business Press, Mt.
Arlington, New Jersey) examines the
sources of conflict and discusses the
specific skills that can be used to defuse it. Like Great Business Teams,
it does so through real-life examples
of teams that have turned conflict into
a positive force for business success.
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The interview was conducted by Dr. Nagendra V Chowdary, Consulting Editor,
Effective Executive and Dean, IBSCDC, Hyderabad. This interview was originally published in Effective Executive, IUP, May 2009. Copyright © May 2009, IBSCDC
No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or distributed, stored in a
retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or medium –
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise – without the permission
of IBSCDC. |
