TEAM DEVELOPMENT

Through the Life-Cycle

of the Technology Enterprise

 
ABOUT LARCEN STRAYER
 “Building strong business fundamentals
through excellent people practices”
 Integral part of Silicon Valley since 1983
 Involved with 200 start-ups
 Business approach focused on tools and
techniques

 
 AGENDA
 Overview the basics of team development
 Frame the start-up life-cycle
 Identify the challenges inherent in each
stage of the cycle
 Review strategies for building effective
teams through each stage

 
 CHARACTERISTICS OF
HIGH PERFORMING TEAMS
 Communicate openly and freely
 Provide each other with open, direct
feedback
 Hold each other accountable
 Manage time and effort productively
 Fully utilize diverse strengths, styles, points
of view
 Define and follow decision making guidelines
 Manage conflict effectively

 
 Team Development
Process
Stage 5
Collaboration
Stage 4
Individual
Differentiation PERFORMING

Stage 3
Confrontation
Stage 1 NORMING
Membership • expectations of leaders
•interdependencies
Stage 2
Sub-Grouping
STORMING
FORMIN •feedback
•rules of engagement
G  
•power
•style
•values/philosophy
 KEYS TO CREATING
HIGH PERFORMING
TEAMS
 Recognize and plan to the inevitability of the
cycle
 Devote time to team development activities
 Identify and immediately address team
issues
 Set and enforce constructive team norms
 Readdress team development with any
change in team composition
 Don’t tolerate the “prima donna” syndrome

 
 STARTUP LIFE CYCLE re
do
m
!

Mature
Bo
Adult

Build the Emerging Adult

Organization

Adolescence Satisfy the

Customers

Childhood Complete
a l! the Product
iv
urv
S Clarify the
Infancy   Idea
 CHARACTERISTICS OF
CHILDHOOD
 Like a 2-year-old -- into everything
 Success and arrogance
 See no problems -- only opportunities
 Every opportunity is a priority
 No systems, no policies, no control
 Planning by wishful thinking
 Founder struggles with delegation
 Founder first to violate rules and policies

 
 CHILDHOOD --
COMMON TEAM ISSUES
 Lack of diversity of skills and points of view
(focus on product development)
 Founder team resistance
 “Group think” if all come from same
company
 CEO hiring his friends rather than to needs
 “Morphing” roles

 
 CHILDHOOD --
RECOMMENDED TEAM
ACTIVITIES
 Clarify vision, values and “rules of
engagement”
 Agree upon and enforce standards for
accountability
 Define a common vision for leadership
 Create clear descriptions of roles (and how
they may change with growth)
 Set an expectation for ongoing assessment,
feedback and development
 Reserve time devoted to team-building
 
 CHARACTERISTICS OF
ADOLESCENCE
 High turnover, complaints from senior
leaders
 Oozing strategy -- still highly opportunistic
 Chaotic, overwhelmed -- not focused on
priorities
 Constant change in roles
 Rebellion against beginning structure
 Senior managers still doing too much
“hands on” -- need to build next level
management
 
 ADOLESCENCE --
COMMON TEAM ISSUES
 Additions to leadership team result in
narrowing roles
 Jobs may outgrow skill levels of initial
executives
 Size and complexity of business require
narrowing of involvement in decision-
making
 CEO transition may result in style change
 VP’s (individually and as a team) must move
into more strategic role
 
 ADOLESCENCE --
RECOMMENDED TEAM
ACTIVITIES
 Make sure structure continues to track to
evolving vision
 Clearly define new roles before hiring new
members of team
 Support individuals and team in clarifying
changes in roles
 Proactively address changes in decision-
making involvement
 Continue to expect ongoing assessment,
feedback and development
 
 Continue to devote time to teambuilding,
 LEADERSHIP TEAM
Mature
Adult
Plan for Growth
•Develop growth
strategy Emerging Adult
•Instill discipline
•Build next level of
leaders
Cross Functional Planning
•Develop and align around
strategic plan
Adolescence • Create framework for
monitoring functional
performance
•Identify/address
infrastructure needs
Effective Functional Team
Childhood
Leadership
•Functional support of product
Infancy introduction
  •Plan for scaling function
•Identify/prioritize skill/headcount
 SIGNS OF TROUBLE
 Turf battles
 High turnover/complaints from senior
leaders
 Lack of visibility/plan from each function
 Unclear roles/boundaries
 Tolerance of “prima donna” behavior
 Lack of cross-functional goal alignment
 No clear successors or next level managers
identified
 
 CEO ROLE
Mature
Adult
DELIVERING RESULTS
AND PREPARING THE
MARKET Emerging Adult
• IPO
•M&A BUILDING THE
• STRATEGIC CROSS-FUNCTIONAL TEAM
PARTNERS

Adolescence

DRIVING THE TECHNICAL TEAM

Childhood

Infancy FOUNDER
  GROUP
DOMINANCE
 SIGNS OF TROUBLE

 High turnover, complaints from senior

leaders
 Company is focused on short-term
transactions rather than long terms
strategies
 Frequent tension/conflict between CEO and
Board
 Lack of credibility with investors
 Ineffective recruitment of senior leaders
 Lack of communication/understanding of
  vision