3. What is a Team
A group of people with a full set of complementary skills
required to complete a task, job, or project.
Team members
(1) operate with a high degree of interdependence,
(2) share authority and responsibility for self-management,
(3) are accountable for the collective performance, and
(4) work toward a common goal and shared rewards(s).
A team becomes more than just a collection of people
when a strong sense of mutual commitment creates
synergy, thus generating performance greater than the sum
of the performance of its individual members.
4. “Talent wins games,
but teamwork and intelligence
wins championships.”
Michael Jordan
5. Characteristics of a Team
Common
Purpose
Exceptiona
l Results
Clear Roles
Accepted
Leadership
Effective
Process
Excellent
Communication
s
Solid
Relationshi
p
6. Successful Team Dynamics
The team member: Successful teams are made up of a collection of effective
individuals. These are people who are experienced, have problem solving ability, are
open to addressing the problem, and are action oriented.
Team relationships: For a team to be successful the members of the team must be
able to give and receive feedback.
Team problem solving: An effective team depends on how focused and clear the
goal of the team is. A relaxed, comfortable and accepting environment and finally,
open and honest communication are required.
Team leadership: Effective team leadership depends on leadership competencies. A
competent leader is: focused on the goal, ensures a collaborative climate, builds
confidence of team members, sets priorities, demonstrates sufficient “know-how” and
manages performance through feedback.
Organizational environment: The climate and culture of the organization must be
conductive to team behavior. Competitiveness should be discouraged and uniformity
should be encouraged - this will eliminate conflict and discord among team members.
7. “The strength of the team is each
individual member.
The strength of each member is
the team.”
Phil Jackson
9. Team Roles & Responsibilities
Imagine a cricket team that assigned players to a different
position everyday.
Consider working in a company where one day you're an
accountant, the next day a security guard, another day,
you're assigned as a salesperson.
Chances are, with both the cricket team and company,
success would not come easy, if at all!
10. Team Leader
Team Leaders may or may not be supervisory/managerial personnel. Most
importantly, team leaders should never "pull rank," or apply undue influence on
the team.
Good team leaders know the lessons learned from experience are stronger and
longer lasting than those learned simply by having a supervisor telling someone
what to do. Being a team leader is a good deal of work. A balance must be
maintained between keeping a team focused on the task and allowing a team
to make its own decisions.
Team
Leader
Keep the Team
On Track and
Focused
Allow Team to
Make their own
Decisions
11. Team Leader
Makes things happen with ease...
Team Lead develop and manage the process for the team, helping them to stay on
track and proceed through ground rules
Helps the team with the process...
Have you ever been a member of a team where only two or three people made all
the decisions? That's not a good process. A good Team Lead help the team through
situations similar to that by neutralizing potentially dominating people. The result is
a process reflecting the group's collective brain power, not simply the ideas of two
or three people!
Helps the Team with the "how" decisions...
Elsewhere in this program are descriptions of several tools and techniques teams
can use to help make decisions. Some of these tools are brainstorming, prioritizing,
and parking lots. Team Leads are skilled at using these tools and helping teams
realize their potential.
12. Team Members – Everyone Else
Team members don't have specific responsibilities, but their participation is critical to the team's
success.
Team members must agree to:
1. Be enthusiastic and committed to the team's purpose.
2. Be honest and keep any confidential information behind closed doors.
3. Share responsibility and help other team members to complete their task.
4. Share knowledge and expertise and not withhold information.
5. Ask questions, even seemingly "dumb" ones. Often the new perspective of "inexperienced"
team members can provide insight.
6. Fulfill duties in between meetings.
7. Respect the opinions and positions of others on the team, even if the person has an
opposing view or different opinion.
13. Team Members – Informal Roles
Teams can have unofficial, informal roles too. Some are helpful and some are
not so helpful. The list below summarizes some common, informal roles in
teams.
Helpful Roles:
The Expert
A knowledgeable subject matter expert who can clarify technical issues.
The Summarizer
Often, a "big picture" person who helps to sum up items.
The Bridge Builder
Experienced negotiators who can help bring opposing views together.
14. Team Members – Informal Roles
Not Always Helpful Roles
The Joker
Always telling jokes to the extent that others can't accomplish their goals.
The Blocker
Hates to make decisions, or reach closure; always looking for more information or
wants to "think things over a little bit."
The Busier Than Thou
Always busier, harder working and has more responsibilities than others.
The Disrupter
If they aren't interrupting for some reason, Disrupters like to hold side conversations
or generally disturb the group.
The Loner
Doesn't like to participate, rarely contributes.
15. “Never give up on someone with a
mental illness.
When "I" is replaced by "We",
illness becomes wellness.”
Shannon L. Alder
17. Stages of Team Building
Working Together
Whether it's on the playing field or in the workplace, teams take time to come
together. There is a natural development process every team progresses
through. It is useful to examine this maturation so that as a team member or
team leader you can be prepared to work effectively with the team.
There are four stages of Team Building:
1. Forming
2. Storming
3. Norming
4. Performing
Forming
Performing
Norming Storming
18. Forming – Getting to Know You…
In the Forming stage, team members are getting to know one another and getting
comfortable with one another. Members will naturally try to understand their own
roles, the roles of the other team members and their purpose in the group. This is
entirely natural and to be expected. People are unsure, suspicious and nervous.
Characteristics of Forming
Look for the following behaviors in the Forming stage:
1. Members trying to define the task.
2. Lofty, conceptual discussions as people try to express who they are.
3. Discussions about what information needs to be gathered.
How to Address the Forming Stage
Help team members get to know one another. Make sure the purpose and task are
clearly defined and share management expectations of the group. Give the team
time to get comfortable with one another, but move the team along as well.
19. Storming – High Winds Predicted…
Once the team works together for a while, they will leave the Forming stage and enter Storming. Politeness
begins to wear off and dissension occurs over basic mission and operating procedures. Control often
becomes the primary issue. Who is going to decide what? Disagreements can be either very obvious or
subtle.
Storming is the most difficult stage for a team to weather, but it is necessary for healthy team
development. When team members begin to trust one another enough to air differences, this
signals readiness to work things out.
Characteristics of Storming
Look for the following behaviors in the storming stage:
1. Members begin to show their true styles.
2. A growing impatience will surface over lack of progress.
3. Members will get into one another's territory, causing irritation.
4. General disagreement over process, task and overall purpose of the team.
How to Address the Storming Stage
Don't ignore the Storming stage. Acknowledge it with the team as a natural developmental
step. Facilitators should surface the conflicts and address them. This is a good time to review
ground rules, revisit the purpose and related administrative matters of the team.
20. Norming – Charting a Course…
When teams recognize their differences and have dealt with them, they move to Norming, the stage when
they ask, "How are we going to accomplish our work?" Beyond the politeness and nervousness of Forming
and past the issues and concerns of Storming, teams will want to review how they are functioning. As team
members learn to work out their differences and emotional conflicts are reduced, they will have more time and
energy to focus on their purpose.
Characteristics of Norming
Look for the following behaviors in the norming stage:
1. Ground rules and formal procedures that may have been overlooked in the beginning are
now taken more seriously.
2. The team will want to discuss items more; less time will be spent on idea generation, and
more on decision making.
3. Members will want to limit agenda items to focus on specific topics.
4. Subgroups may be formed to move along faster.
5. Conflicts are addressed and resolved.
How to Address the Norming Stage
At this stage, the team has PROCESS down fairly well. TASK will take on new significance as
the team will want to accomplish its purpose. Facilitators should keep this in mind and remind
the team of the task. Also, facilitators should be more diligent in adhering to the road map,
providing time for feedback, closure, etc.
21. Performing – The Action Stage…
Forming, Storming, Norming, then Performing, the final stage of team development. Performing teams
are just that, a highly effective, problem-solving unit that can reach solutions quickly and can even
head off issues before they become problems.
Characteristics of Performing
A team in the performing stage will:
Be productive! Tasks will be accomplished, and the team will look for more to do.
Be pro-active, and not necessarily wait for direction from management.
Demonstrate loyalty to the group, and respect individual dissension and
disagreement.
How to Address the Performing Stage
Teams at the performing level are generally self-regulating. Road maps, processes,
decision making and other matters of team management will be handled independently
by the team.
22. “If two men on the same job agree
all the time, then one is useless.
If they disagree all the time, both
are useless.”
Darryl F. Zanuck
24. Demonstrate Reliability
You can count on a reliable team member who
gets work done and does his fair share to work
hard and meet commitments.
He or she follows through on assignments.
Consistency is key. You can count on him or her to
deliver good performance all the time, not just
some of the time.
25. Communicate Constructively
Teams need people who speak up and express
their thoughts and ideas clearly, directly, honestly,
and with respect for others and for the work of the
team.
That's what it means to communicate
constructively.
Such a team member does not shy away from
making a point but makes it in the best way
possible — in a positive, confident, and respectful
manner.
26. Listens Actively
Good listeners are essential for teams to function
effectively. Teams need team players who can
absorb, understand, and consider ideas and points
of view from other people without debating and
arguing every point. Such a team member also
can receive criticism without reacting defensively. .
Most important, for effective communication and
problem solving, team members need the
discipline to listen first and speak second so that
meaningful dialogue results.
27. Functions as an Active Participant
Good team players are active participants. They
come prepared for team meetings and listen and
speak up in discussions. They're fully engaged in
the work of the team and do not sit passively on
the sidelines.
Team members who function as active participants
take the initiative to help make things happen, and
they volunteer for assignments. Their whole
approach is can-do: "What contribution can I make
to help the team achieve success?"
28. Shares openly and willingly
Good team players share. They're willing to share
information, knowledge, and experience. They take the
initiative to keep other team members informed.
Much of the communication within teams takes place
informally. Beyond discussion at organized meetings,
team members need to feel comfortable talking with
one another and passing along important news and
information day-to-day. Good team players are active
in this informal sharing.
They keep other team members in the loop with
information and expertise that helps get the job done
and prevents surprises.
29. Cooperates and pitching in to help
Cooperation is the act of working with others and
acting together to accomplish a job. Effective team
players work this way by second nature.
Good team players, despite differences they may
have with other team members concerning style
and perspective, figure out ways to work together
to solve problems and get work done. They
respond to requests for assistance and take the
initiative to offer help.
30. Exhibits flexibility
Teams often deal with changing conditions — and
often create changes themselves. Good team players
roll with the punches; they adapt to ever-changing
situations. They don't complain or get stressed out
because something new is being tried or some new
direction is being set.
In addition, a flexible team member can consider
different points of views and compromise when
needed. He or she doesn't hold rigidly to a point of
view and argue it to death, especially when the team
needs to move forward to make a decision or get
something done. Strong team players are firm in their
thoughts yet open to what others have to offer —
flexibility at its best.
31. Show Commitment to the Team
Strong team players care about their work, the
team, and the team's work. They show up every
day with this care and commitment up front. They
want to give a good effort, and they want other
team members to do the same.
32. Work as a Problem Solver
Teams, of course, deal with problems. Sometimes, it
appears, that's the whole reason why a team is created —
to address problems. Good team players are willing to deal
with all kinds of problems in a solutions-oriented manner.
They're problem-solvers, not problem-dwellers, problem-blamers,
or problem-avoiders.
They don't simply rehash a problem the way problem-dwellers
do. They don't look for others to fault, as the
blamers do. And they don't put off dealing with issues, the
way avoiders do.
Team players get problems out in the open for discussion
and then collaborate with others to find solutions and form
action plans.
33. Treats others in a respectful and
supportive manner
Team players treat fellow team members with courtesy and
consideration — not just some of the time but consistently. In
addition, they show understanding and the appropriate support
of other team members to help get the job done. They don't
place conditions on when they'll provide assistance, when they'll
choose to listen, and when they'll share information. Good team
players also have a sense of humor and know how to have fun
(and all teams can use a bit of both), but they don't have fun at
someone else's expense. Quite simply, effective team players
deal with other people in a professional manner.
Team players who show commitment don't come in any
particular style or personality. They don't need to be rah-rah,
cheerleader types.
In fact, they may even be soft-spoken, but they aren't passive.
They care about what the team is doing and they contribute to its
success — without needing a push.