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Prabbal Frank

The Team Concept • What’s in a name? Not every ‘team’ is really a

team, and some groups that are called by other names occasionally do phenomenal teamwork.

• A group of people who are united in working towards a common goal.– A common goal is a statement that is agreed upon by

the team. It provides direction and should offer a challenge that is achievable by the team.

Benefits of a team• Improved performance

through broader knowledge and experience base• Greater creativity, wider

perspective and increased effectiveness in tackling problems

“People acing together as a group can accomplish things that

no individual acting alone could ever hope to bring about.”

- Franklin Roosevelt

Benefits of a teamworkFOR EMPLOYEES

• Tasks are completed more quickly• Greater job satisfaction• Work is often more enjoyable –

happier workplace• Ability to draw on other peoples’

experiences and ideas – getting support in the workplace

FOR EMPLOYER• Improved production and

higher staff morale• Reduced staff turnover• Increased profits and product

qualityFOR CUSTOMERS• Better products and customer

service

• The ability of people to provide complementary skills, a willingness to share knowledge and skills and assist other team members to achieve a common goal

In antiquity, Epicurus stated: "...a captain earns his reputation during the storms." When your competition scores big against you, when the money dries up, or when the glamour of success wears off, this is when it is easiest to compromise your commitments. The real test comes when you can hold the line against the easy route of compromise.

Being a good mother does not call for the same qualities as being a good housewife; a dedication to keeping children clean and tidy may override an interest in their separate development as individuals. - Ann Oakley (British sociologist, 1944)

Accepting change. Change can be in project, duties, power, leader.

• Formation of team happens & the team comes together

• Members feel anxious and spend their time finding out about each other

• Individual roles and responsibilities are unclear

• Highly depending on the manager/leader

• Team members come up with ideas through debates on how to proceed with the task - about task priorities; clarity on purpose of the task; roles & responsibilities and processes to follow

• Influence of ideas and power struggles may arise

• Compromises may be required to enable progress

• Team members may challenge the leader & leader coaches

• Work as a team starts• Roles and responsibilities

are clear and accepted• Team begin to exhibit

participative behavior & decision making happens by group agreement

• Commitment, trust and unity increases

• This stage is characterized by high levels of: goal orientation; interpersonal relations; independence, motivation,- knowledge; competence in team members

• Team know what, why & how of the task they are executing

• High level of respect in the communication between team members

• Team expects delegation of task instead of instruction/assistance

• Identify team roles• Select right kind of team

members• Make team goals clear • Establish ground rules

including choosing a decision making process

• Improve communication in the team

Identify team roles• Team leader (shapes)• Team advisor• Facilitator• Process observers or

team members• Scribe or recorder

Select right kind of team members• Contribute a complementary mix of skill sets (project

management skills, financial skills)• Specific problem-solving and decision-making talents • Ask for recommendations from your manager and your

colleagues • Look for individuals who have had team experience• The real important thing become attitude

Make team goals clear

Establish ground rules• All meetings will start and stop on time; • each meeting will have an agenda;• all team members will attend and participate in team meetings; • all criticism must be constructive; differences of opinion will be

recognized and explored; • all members will keep others informed on a need-to-know basis,

using the Team Contact Information Form. • Decision Making processes: Leader decides with team input,

majority decides, small group of experts decide, decision by consensus.

Improve communication in the team• Make sure that the roles and responsibilities are clear• Listen to your team• Review the format for team discussion during meetings • Encourage all members to contribute by

asking their opinions• Deliberately examine opposing points

of view• Encourage the team to talk often

about its goals

• Focus on collective performance (tips at SRP Inn)• Build collaboration out of conflict• Keep the team focused and informed on its goals• Create a positive culture (everyone feels recognized

and comfortable making contributions)• Empower the team (participative decision making,

positive reinforcement)• Take a periodic time-out

• Doer• Visionary• Feeler• Boat Rocker

• Very task-oriented and action-focused. Give him a job and he’s happy. • Good at research, reliable, meets deadlines, and produces good quality

work. He operates by priorities and pushes the team towards higher performance. He can be effective at teaching technical skills.

• Dislikes uncertainty and ambiguity; is impatient; wants results immediately; can be too focused on data; is impulsive; strives for perfection; and tends to avoid risk.

• If the Doer is the leader, he must be must be especially careful of these weaknesses. One major problem can be a lack of trust in the team’s members. Moreover, he must be aware of others’ feelings and work at interpersonal and communication skills.

• Sees the big picture and likes ideas and concepts. She lets the team’s vision and mission be the driver. She doesn’t like getting bogged down in details, leaving these to the Doer. She believes strongly in teamwork and is good at helping others understand where they fit in to the larger picture.

• Strengths: A creative thinker and stimulates others in thinking about the future. She takes a cooperative and flexible approach to working with others.

• Weaknesses: She has a tendency to ignore work in favour of conceptualizing and dreaming about the future. She can get hung up on process instead of results. And she may over-commit the team to setting too many objectives

• Leader: the Visionary has a lot to offer the team, especially in the area of long-term strategic thinking. But she must be aware of her weaknesses.

• A very strong context person, making sure that everyone is on board before proceeding with a task or project. He’s very aware of how others feel and is an excellent listener and facilitator.

• Strengths: He’s skilled at resolving conflicts and won’t let stronger members dominate team discussions.

• Weaknesses: must be careful not to push the soft stuff too hard (i.e., listening and feedback skills) if the team gets bogged down. He believes that interpersonal skills will solve all problems. And he can become a process fanatic, driving the others to distraction.

• Leader: the Feeler creates a participative atmosphere. But his people approach can be over- bearing and he must not lose sight that disputes are normal and healthy for teams.

• Open and direct with the other members of the team. She regularly challenges the team on such issues as methods used, goals, and team values. She won’t hesitate to disagree with the team’s leader or with management. She likes to take calculated risks.

• Weaknesses: However, the Boat Rocker must be careful not to use her style for non-productive use. It’s necessary at times to let an issue drop. Moreover, she shouldn’t push the team to take unnecessary risks.

• Leader: she’s good at promoting an atmosphere of trust and openness; innovation; and continuous learning. However, she needs to watch out for being too argumentative.

• Each of us has a personality preference to how we approach work, establish relationships with co-workers, and engage in collaborative learning.

• In the context of team players, the challenge is for each of us to understand our preferred style and to use it effectively. This means being constantly aware of the shadow (weak) aspects of our preferred style.

• Moreover, we must strive for balance by using all four styles in the appropriate settings.