Team Building and Teamwork Team Building and Teamwork

Teambuilding

Besides the one-on-one coaching that is an ongoing responsibility of an effective leader, the careful nurturing and grooming of the people you manage into a cohesive, productive team is another of a leaders key responsibilities.

Different Ways of Interaction

Collaboration: a general term derived directly from the Latin words for "working together".

Partnership: usually refers to two individuals or organizations, who share some specific goals, and who commit themselves to work together in a long-term relationship.

Team: a group of individuals working together to accomplish a specific task (or several tasks).

Coalition: a specific arrangement where a group of organizations (usually three or more) work together for a defined goal.

Types of team functions

Teams have two types of functions: Task-related People-related

Task-related Functions:

1. Clarifying the objectives of the team (committee, working group, and so on);

2. Identifying the expected outputs ("products");

3. Preparing a specific team plan (who will do what by when);

4. Establishing "ground rules" of team functioning; and

5. Regularly assessing progress, in relation to a pre-determined plan.

Ground rules for team functioning with respect to meetings:

1. Team members arrive on time for meetings.

2. The team leader (chairperson) distributes an agenda ahead of time.

3. A designated person prepares and distributes minutes (a summary) of the meeting within a specified time period – such as one week.

People-related Functions:

Frequently the reasons for poor team functioning have to do with the “less tangible” elements of human interaction, such as motivation.

A key leadership question is how to engage people (as individuals and as a group) toward specific activities and outcomes.

Facilitate team synergy. It entails setting the stage for the team to

function as a "unit".

People-related Functions:

If these aspects are in place, team synergy can be facilitated by:1. periodic "strategic planning" retreats

2. occasional social ("no agenda") gatherings

3. designating blocks of time in a regular meeting to creative "brain storming" about specific issues.

Elements of effective teamwork

Teams are Dynamic Entities

Because teamwork involves a certain kind of relationship among people, the team itself becomes a social entity – a type of "unit".

As such, its development and on-going activity can be viewed as a cycle – almost like the life cycle of an organism, going through specific stages.

Teams are Dynamic Entities

Creating stages:1. Orientation: Why we are here?

2. Trust Building: Who are you?

3. Goal and Role definition: What are we doing?

4. Commitment: How will we do it?Sustaining stages:

4. Commitment: How will we do it?

5. Planning: Who does what, when and where?

6. Implementation: the high performance stage

7. Re-assessment and Renewal: Do we continue? If yes, why and how?

Team Performance ModelS

ustainingS

tagesC

reating Stages

Stages of Team Development

Most teams go through typical stages of development, which have been characterized as forming, storming, norming, and performing.

In each stage, members are apt to have certain feelings and exhibit certain behaviors.

Forming Stage:

Initially, team members often feel excitement, anticipation, optimism, and pride in being chosen for the project.

They have an initial, tentative attachment to the team.

Team members are also likely to be suspicious, fearful, and anxious about the job ahead, but they may be reluctant to express these feelings.

Teams in the forming stage are often characterized by politeness and lack of overt disagreement.

Storming Stage:

In this stage, team members begin to challenge each other more openly.

They may resist the task and be uncomfortable with any new approach.

They are likely to experience “mood swings” about the team’s ability and chance for success.

Members may feel uncertain about their own role and their ability to contribute to or control the team’s work.

They may suspect that others have ulterior motives or hidden agendas.

Norming Stage:

This is when things start to come together.In this stage, the team develops norms for

resolving conflicts, managing work assignments, and running meetings.

Members will be more comfortable about being on the team and be more able to take constructive criticism and have positions questioned.

They will also begin to believe that the team can succeed.

Performing Stage:

Effective teams are those that reach this stage.

Members will feel satisfied about their personal contributions, growth, and learning.

They will understand the strengths and weaknesses of other team members, as well as their own, and be more comfortable with the team’s methods.

The team will feel pride in its progress.

Margerison-McCannTeam Management Profile

Enhanced personal effectiveness through self-understanding

Identify preferred roles on the Team Management Wheel

Understand the impact of these roles on others

Maximize strengths at work and pinpoint areas for self-development

Develop career planning skills

Understanding of individual preferences within a team context

Explore the concept of team balanceAppreciate different working styles, plus

areas of possible conflictValue difference, and maximize its

potential for the teamFlex personal style to meet others’ needs

and facilitate better team-workingDevelop mutual understanding and

respect

Better Team Leadership and Lateral Management Skills

Appreciate the unique contribution made by each role

Understand how team management roles influence leadership and communication styles

Incorporate work preferences into empowerment and delegation strategies

Enhance the ability to successfully influence interactions

Higher Levels of Organizational Achievement

Optimize the balance between information and action, people and tasks

Sustain a dual focus on the ‘big picture’ and attention to detail

Introduce a conceptual framework which provides for planning and decision- making strategies

Maximize organizational effectiveness by aligning individual preferences and expectations with corporate objectives

Geographically Dispersed Teams

The increasing availability of information and communication technologies (ICTs) opens up the possibility that teams can function well, even when the members live in a different location, and even different time zones.

Square Map of Groupware Options

What is a “digital workspace”?

The term “digital workspace” is used to refer to a web-based work environment that allows individuals to communicate, collaborate and share information regardless of their geographic location.

The technology that supports such digital work environments is commonly referred to as “instant groupware”

What is a “digital workspace”?

There are a number of instant groupware products on the market.

The names of some capture the notion of a virtual office – a cyber work place. eRoom is an example.

The names of others, such as eProject and Project.net, emphasize the work performed in a digital workspace – namely, project-oriented work.

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