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Hello All,

I am trying to do team building exercises for masters students accountants who are getting ready to do a case competition. So far we have done three exercises (marshmallow, PB tech and carter racing).

I noticed that when they were reflecting on their performance in these exercises within their group (using questionnaires), they were very hesitant to be 'open'. I noticed that most of the students who have just moved from China in the past 2 weeks (we have 51 out of 81 students in this group) are quite reluctant to do this aspect of the exercise. I am guessing that they are not used to team-reflection or giving each other feedback. The students who were born in N. America seem quite frank and open and seems like they are used to articulating their own strengths and weaknesses and therefore that of the team...

Is there any research on this particular cultural difference and how to overcome it? I really need them to start building trust in their teams so that they can be more effective in their team competitions that will come up in only 18 days. Any exercise you can recommend to build 'trust'? The ones I know are in negotiation –the prisoner's dilemma paradigm with two groups and I have used it before but am not convinced it builds trust in the entire team because it breaks up the team into two groups to do the exercise.  I also know of a role playing exercise on giving feedback in a one-one managerial situation but again that is not useful in a team situation...

Thanks!

Phani

Apologies for cross-postings

Phani Radhakrishnan PhD

Senior Lecturer, Organizational Behavior & Human Resources

Management Department

University of Toronto

phanira@utsc.utoronto.ca

www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~phanira (cv & publications here)

1265 Military Trail

Scarborough, ON M1C1A4 Canada

P please consider the environment before printing this email

Phani,

Your primary problem is that you are trying to tackle the issues with common "team building" approaches and games, which don't deal with what you have accurately identified as the basis for a good team; Trust.  If you want to Build Trust then you have to approach it using the Four Behaviors That Build Trust™: Straightforwardness; Openness; Acceptance; and Reliability.  As you have already noticed, different behavioral styles and different cultures tend to emphasize one or two of these, while struggling with the others.  Hence, some of your students struggling with Straightforwardness, which very well may be a result of their culture.

So stop playing games.  Start having conversations around their real performance as a team in regard to these four behaviors.  What behaviors support Straightforwardness and the other behaviors?  What behaviors destroy those behaviors?  Have them come up with specific examples.  Have them discuss the implications when supportive behaviors are absent and destructive behaviors are present.  Now discuss the results they get when supportive behaviors are present and destructive behaviors are absent.

Give this a shot.  It is a lot more real and they will begin to see the results in their real performance.  Please let me know how it works out if you decide to try it.  BTW, there is a whole chapter in my book on Trust; after all, it is one of the Seven Elements of High Performance™. 

I hope this helps.

Dear Phani,

Thank you for sharing your dilemma with us.  Gary Lear's answer is quite direct, and I believe his four principles are important if not comprehensive. 

I invite you to consider an Org Dynamics article on "Dialogue" that came out of Peter Senge's group's work.  In my own experience in China and Japan and Southeast Asia, many are indeed reluctant, at first, to go against many of their deep-seated values, assumptions, beliefs, and expectations about the way the world is or should be (VABEs for short) particularly Confucian or collectivist values like "the sticking up nail gets hammered."  (Deru kugi ga utareru.)  or "Don't be direct and rude."  Or "Save another's face." 

The Sengeian dialogue approach essentially invites each person in turn to comment on the task, issues at hand, without any comment from others.  Like a fireside chat with all focusing on the crackling fire or a suitable substitute, go around the circle one at a time, so everyone's voice is heard.  You might begin for example with asking each team separately, "What are your thoughts about our team in this upcoming case competition?"  And the first rule is that everyone listens to everyone else. 

Then, go around a second time inviting comments on what has just been said.  Issues of trust and openness may come up.  And perhaps some thoughts about how to enhance them.

You might also distribute an anonymous mini survey to each group assessing their

a.       Level of Buy-in/Interest in the case competition (I use a seven point buy-in scale, I'll send you if you wish.)

b.      Level of trust with other team members

c.       Level of caring for other team members including those from different countries

d.      Assessment of team competence for the competition

e.      Openly, things we could do to enhance our ability to compete.

Then collect those averages and have another dialogue structured session around those results to see if that would generate internal discussion about what the team could do to enhance our chances.

Another idea would be to use something I call the "Life's Story Exercise."  It's a modified version of Noel Tichy's process in the Leadership Engine.  I have slides, video clips (Jimmy Buffett and Howard Schulz), a teaching note, and a guided process if you're interested.  Basically, people write their life's story in 400 words or less, analyze that story in four ways, and then when the level of understanding about the process is level, one asks for volunteers to describe a single incident from their life, why it was emotionally powerful, and what they learned from the incident.  In my experience doing this all over the world, it bridges gender, age, background, religion, culture, language, and ethnic boundaries very powerfully.

Perhaps these few suggestions will be of interest to you.

Very best wishes in building your students,

   Jim

James G. Clawson

Johnson & Higgins Professor of Business

The Darden School, University of Virginia

Mail:  Box 6550, Charlottesville, VA 22906

Packages:  100 Darden Boulevard, Charlottesville, VA 22903

Tel: 434-924-7488

Fax: 434-243-7680

Web: http://faculty.darden.virginia.edu/clawsonj/index.htm

Twitter:  @Jajisee

Blog: http://jajisee.blogspot.com/

Hello All,

I am trying to do team building exercises for masters students accountants who are getting ready to do a case competition. So far we have done three exercises (marshmallow, PB tech and carter racing).

I noticed that when they were reflecting on their performance in these exercises within their group (using questionnaires), they were very hesitant to be 'open'. I noticed that most of the students who have just moved from China in the past 2 weeks (we have 51 out of 81 students in this group) are quite reluctant to do this aspect of the exercise. I am guessing that they are not used to team-reflection or giving each other feedback. The students who were born in N. America seem quite frank and open and seems like they are used to articulating their own strengths and weaknesses and therefore that of the team...

Is there any research on this particular cultural difference and how to overcome it? I really need them to start building trust in their teams so that they can be more effective in their team competitions that will come up in only 18 days. Any exercise you can recommend to build 'trust'? The ones I know are in negotiation –the prisoner's dilemma paradigm with two groups and I have used it before but am not convinced it builds trust in the entire team because it breaks up the team into two groups to do the exercise.  I also know of a role playing exercise on giving feedback in a one-one managerial situation but again that is not useful in a team situation...

Thanks!

Phani

Apologies for cross-postings

Phani Radhakrishnan PhD

Senior Lecturer, Organizational Behavior & Human Resources

Management Department

University of Toronto

phanira@utsc.utoronto.ca

www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~phanira (cv & publications here)

1265 Military Trail

Scarborough, ON M1C1A4 Canada

P please consider the environment before printing this email