Assuming that the team approach really is the best option, the key to getting unstuck likes in addressing the particular obstacles confronting the team with a strong performance focus.1. Revisit the basics.
One of the primary messages of our book is that no team can re rethink its purpose, approach, and performance too many times. All teams -- and certainly, stuck teams -- benefit from going back to ground zero and spending the time to uncover all hidden assumptions and differences of opinion that, when assessed by the full team, might provide the foundation for clarifying the team's mission and how to accomplish it.
2. Go for small wins.
Nothing galvanizes a stuck team as well as performance itself. Even the act of setting a clear and specific goal can life a team out of the morass of interpersonal conflict and despair. Achieving specific goals is even better.
3. Inject new information and approaches.
Fresh facts, different perspectives, and new information play a major role in the development of teams.
4. Take advantage of facilitators or training.
Usually, successful facilitators bring problem-solving, communication, interpersonal, and teamwork skills to teams who lack them. The ultimate key, however, to whether a facilitator provides enduring help depends entirely on how effectively the facilitator's effort help the team turn its collective attention back to its purpose and performance challenge.
5. Change the team's membership, including the leader.
Many teams avoid getting or staying stuck by changing their own membership.
From "The Wisdom of Teams"
By Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith
