understanding how teams work

7/31/2019 Understanding How Teams Work

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Matching Team To Task

Formal Teams : Cross functional executiveteam.

Informal Teams: formed on adhoc basis

Temporary Project Club etc. Decide early on what style of team is

appropriate for your objectives.

Try to form strong bonds with other teammembers of formal & informal teams.

Find a sponsor a senior individual who

can promote the teams work.


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Matching Team To Task 2..

Remind members that they are all teamparticipants.

Fix goals that are measurable to keep yourteam focused.

Make use of the great power of friendship to

strengthen a team.


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Analyzing Team Roles

Assessing Leadership Qualities

Always choose Leaders on merit regardless of otherconsiderations.

Look for strong team commitment from a Leader.

Leading a Team

Facilitate Inspire Implement

Always reward merit; but never let errors go unnoticed.

Dividing up Roles Team Leader, Critic, Implementor,External Contact Co-ordinator, Idea Person, Inspector.

Remember that everyone in a team thinks in a differentway.


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Balancing Skills within a Team

Finding the Right Balance of Skills

Maintaining the Right Balance of Skills When recruiting people for a team, look for

their growth potential.

Pay close attention to lack of relevantexperience in group members.

Take people out of the team if they do not

perform. Find people with a good level of personal

skills, and help develop them.


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Setting Goals General & Specific

Building a Consensus

Set challenging goals that are still realisticin view of your deadlines.

Analyzing Goals

Consider the aims of individual teammembers when vetting targets.

Harnessing Motivation Do not let failure of one part of a project

jeopardize its overall success.


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Providing Support for a Team

Providing Basic Support

Providing Support from within an organisation:

Sales, Administration, Accounts, Specialisedhelp and support of management.

Insist on having IT support that gives you exactlywhat you want.

Setting up Links with Management

Treat external consultants as team membersKeep your team sponsor informed of progress


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Establishing Team Trust

Learning to Delegate Keep tasks to yourself only if you know

that no one else can do them.

Do not delegate any unnecessary workscrap it.

Give your team the freedom to make itsown decisions.

Encourage positive contributions fromteam members encouraging ideas.

Reorganise Interdependence.


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Maximising Performance.

Ensuring Peak Performance Ensure that allimprovements & new targets are maintained.

Being flexible

-- Acknowledge, Publicise & Celebrate all teamsuccesses.

-- Find an easily assessable way of displaying team

progress daily. Combine Tasks, Team & Individual into a Unifying

Performing Team.

Sharing Responsibility

Awarding Responsibility

Tell each member of a team whichmeasurements set the standards


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Improving Team Efficiency

Encouraging Team Work-- Help your team find a way to changeobstructive group behaviour. Never makepersonal attacks on individuals during reviews.

Understanding Team Development

-- Look for ways to use conflict constructively

-- Remember that relationships will change

overtime.-- Avoid the trap of minimising or ignoring badnews.


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Improving Team Efficiency2..Dealing with stages in the life of a Team:

Forming Storming Norming Performing


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Using Managing Tactics Always conduct a through, open analysis when

projects go wrong. Have an open door policy if you want to be

accessible.

Ask people who bring you problems to bring

solutions.Resolving Conflict

Meet informally as well as formally to discussyour teams progress.

Use dispassionate fact finding as the bestmethod of defusing conflict.

Use your counseling skills in resolving conflicts.


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Communicating effectivelyEnsuring Accessibility Keep the team members in close proximity to

ease communication. Set aside areas in which people can meet and

talk informally.

Communication Methods Encourage the free flow of communication

between colleagues.Invest in the most appropriate technology, and

keep it up-to-date.E-mail, software packages, video-conferences,

video-links, a good telephone system with facilityfor conferences etc.


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Running Team Meetings Change the Chairperson at each meeting to

involve everybody. -- Matrix type of Team

Try to delegate as much as possible to othermembers of the team.

Distribute agendas in advance of the meetingto give your team time to prepare.

Meeting types: Team Meetings, FocusGroup, Progress Meeting, One to One,Workout Meeting, Reporting Meeting.


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Networking a Team

Understanding the need for support

Finding sponsors Removing Work-Related Problems

Dealing with Problem Individuals

-- Cultivate all relationships that may be useful tothe team.

-- Try to keep all team relationships on evenkeel.

-- Make sure that good news is heard & clearlyunderstood by all the relevant people.

-- If trouble is brewing in any team relationships,deal with it quickly.


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Sharing Information outside a team

Communicating from Inside

-- Arrange social contacts with other parts ofthe organisation.

Maintaining Contact

-- Keep a record of contacts with valuablepeople you meet outside the team or office.

Cascading Information-- Passing Information down the line is the cascade.

More the layers the greater the chance ofdistortion, lack of comprehension andperception.

Hold large meetings, if necessary to avoid this.


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Thinking Creatively

Encourage Creativity

-- Generating New Ideas

-- Look for the good points in an idea & nevercriticise ideas in public.

-- Look for people with experience when seekingproblem solves.

-- Never dismiss brainstormed ideas out of handthat is disheartening & stops the flow of creativity.

-- Resort to Brain storminggroup action thinking


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Dealing with Problems

Treat everyone in the team equally to avoid

causing any resentment. Regard disruptive team members as innocent

until they are proven guilty. Telling individuals they are doing a good job will

build team morale. Always treat team members with respect, even

those who may be creating problems for you. Avoid direct conflict with team members.

Remember to be tough on the problems, not onthe people. Ensure that the whole team is able to learn from

solving problems.


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Improving Standards in a TeamAny systematic approach to improving

performance needs to change existingb ways ofworking. Improving systems Ensure that team members

know about other roles within the group.Build significant improvement targets into every

budget & every team action plan. A teamwithout stretch goals will under perform one thathas them.

Challenge common AssumptionsQuality

applies only to products. Apply quality to everyservice and process in which your team isinvolved.

Involve everybody in target-setting to fosterteam-work & consensus.


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Training a Team

Training helps to improve the technical skills of

team members & develop the managerial &interpersonal relations within a team.

Find the best & best equipped training facilities.

Use consultants to develop in-house Trainingcourses.

Listen to the feedback given by trainees abouttraining courses.

Despite the expense involved in training, it ischeaper than the cost of persisting without it,which will be damaging to performance.


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Adapting to Change

The pace of change is accelerating as marketsbecome more global & technological innovationincreases.

Ensure that teams adapt to external changes.

Appoint someone to monitor any relevantchanges in the market.

Anticipating change. Be prepared to changeeven the most fundamental elements of a plan.

Remember that some people are afraid ofchange.

Look for team members who can advancechange.


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Rewarding Performance

The object of successful reward system is to

motivate teams to improve their overallperformance. Calculate rewards with care &choose the most appropriate types. Financial &incentive-based-schemes- or a combination ofboth are popular.

Pay rise, Bonus Payment, Profit sharing, ShareOwnership, Recognition-Rewards & CompositeRewards.

Allow your staff to have a say when it comes tosetting reward levels.

Conduct personal career progress appraisals atregular intervals.

understanding how teams work

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