Building Effective Teams“The whole is greater than the sum of the parts”

David Dixon 2009

Objectives

• Gain an increased understanding of the characteristics of effective teams

• Understand the dynamics of effective teams

• Consider how different leadership styles can be used to increase team effectiveness

Apprentice DVD

• What helped the teams to works towards their goals?

• What got in the way?

What do high performing teams look like?

The ratio of We’s to I’s is the best indicator of the development of a team

Beckhard’s model: Team effectiveness hierarchy

Goals (What the team is trying to accomplish)

Roles (Who does What)

Processes (How the work gets done)

Relationships (how the members interact)

What is the team trying to accomplish?

• Clear: understood by all the team• Owned• Specific and measurable• Shared• Team members do not have conflicting goals

Goals

Who does what in the team?

• Complete clarity of role• Boundaries and responsibilities• Openness and shared perception of role• Is there conflict, e.g. do roles overlap?

Roles

How members work together

• Decision making - how are decisions made?• Communication - are there agreed systems?• Meetings - are they run efficiently? Are the

timing and frequency appropriate?• Leadership style - have the leader and team

agreed the most appropriate style?

Processes

The quality of interaction in the team

• Are working relationships open and co-operative?

• Are there values governing interactions?• How are feelings, attitudes and emotions

dealt with?

Relationships

Tuckman’s team development model

Features of Forming

• Team goals being identified• Uncertainty about roles and responsibilities• Politeness – people keeping real feelings to

themselves• Team looking to leader for direction

Features of Storming

• Decisions hard to reach• Power struggles• Low morale• Team members cease to contribute

because they don’t feel valued

Features of Norming

• Differences of opinion accepted• Climate of trust and support• Team members work co-operatively• Team members take on responsibility

Features of Performing

• Team energised by tasks• Confidence that goals will be achieved• Shared leadership• Team talk is ‘we’ not ‘I’

• Build a structure that will support a small chocolate bar as high as possible from the ground

• You may use only the materials provided. The structure must be freestanding, not secured to the surface on which it rests.

Time allowed:15 minutes

Team task

Further reading

VLE – www.wickersleyvle.net

StaffZone > PDP

Enrolment key = “wickersleypdp”