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Project Organised Learning (POL) – 2: Teamwork

Master of Science – 8 Semester (BIT-students)

Lecturer: Lars Peter Jensen

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Teamwork

Content:

• Team building• Co-operation and group standards• Working in subgroups• How to reach consensus faster• Co-operation contracts – both internal and

between the group and the supervisor • Exercise: Make a CoC

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Characteristics for a well functioning group:

• Common goal or objectives• Agreement about group standards• The members ”plays” all the necessary roles• All group members respect the others

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Group standards

• You are not allowed to do more than the rest of us

• You are not allowed to do less than the rest of us• You must not tell anything that can harm the

group• You must not associate with the supervisor• Don't believe that you are more than any of us

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Working together or in subgroups

• Depending on task:– Reading/information seeking– Writing– Problem solving/working

• Depending on goal:– Collecting knowledge– Documentation– Analysing– Design– Implementation– Test

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Size of subgroups ?

• Collecting information/reading• Writing working papers• Writing the final documentation

(chapters)• Analysing• Problem solving• Design• Implementation• Test

1

1-2

1-2 + editor

All or 1-2

2

2

2

2

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How to form subgroups and divide the tasks ?

• By interest

• By knowledge/experience

• By lot

• By voting

• By discussion (consensus ?)

• Combination

?

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Evaluate performance

Each time a task/period is ended, test/discuss:• Performance of each subgroup• Was the size right for the task ?• Was the strategy for subgroup formation and

task division right ?• How can we improve next time ?

Don’t continue working in the same subgroups – change the groups to get more experienced

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How to reach consensus faster

• Do rounds – each group member express her view

• Take a break where all write down a conclusion of the discussion so far

• If the discussion basically is among two persons disagreements let two other persons plead the objectives of the different points of view

• Let the person sitting next to you (everybody) sum up your point of view and guess why you have this opinion

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Team charter or code of conduct

Why ?• Create common expectations • Secure clear agreements

What?• Contract with supervisor• Group contracts:

– Task strategies– Process strategies

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Code of conduct (group contract)– A tool for managing people

• Expectations and ambitions ?• Meetings – How often ? – What if somebody is late ?• Organizing meetings , chairman, referee, use of

blackboard ? • Division of labor ?• What kind of response do you give within the group ?• To what extent will we socialize together, and when ?

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Co-operation contracts between the group and the supervisor

• Regular meetings or when needed?• Preparations of meetings?• Deliverances before meetings?• Who is running the meetings and how?• What kind of input/help do you want from the

supervisor?• What kind of role do you want your supervisor to

play during the project? • What should be dealt with on meetings and what

can do done by e.g.. E-mail?

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Contract with supervisor

• DRAFT Contract between project group XX and supervisor NN

• What I am willing to do (if you want me to)– Help… Meet… Discuss…. Read….

• What I prefer not to do– Meet…. Read….

• What I expect of you– write a memo, send the memo, chair

meetings etc.

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Group contract – an example

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Exercise

• Make a Code of Conduct for your group