2. What exactly is an effective team ?
An effective team has certain characteristics that allow the
team members to function more efficiently and productively.
Why Build an effective team?
Building and maintaining effective teams is a time consuming and
sensitive process particularly in businesses where the pressures
of the moment are often intense.
Strategies of Effective Teams
3. Strategies of Effective Teams
Planning
• Setting objectives.
• What needs to be completed?
• When does the project need to be completed by?
• Communication guidelines.
4. Strategies of Effective Teams
Planning
• Determining strategies.
• How will tasks be assigned?
• How will tasks be completed?
• Who will take on what roles?
• What to do when communication breaks down in a team.
5. Strategies of Effective Teams
Planning
• Determining action plans needed to accomplish goals.
• Developing a team charter.
• How to manage conflict and disagreements.
• How to accommodate for weaknesses within the team.
• What to do when a team member fails to comply with team
charter.
6. Organization
• Organization of teams leads to
team effectiveness.
• Team Members.
• Team Leader.
Strategies of Effective Teams
7. Team Members:
• Appointed by team leader or facilitator.
• Share their knowledge, experience, and
expertise.
• Share the vision of the team.
Strategies of Effective Teams
Organization
8. Team Leader:
• Coordinates team activities.
• Maintains team reports.
• Serves as a communication.
connection between team members.
Strategies of Effective Teams
Organization
9. Strategies of Effective Teams
Assigning Tasks
Implementing Teamwork:
• A team is defined as a small number of people with
complementary skills, who are
committed to a common purpose, performance
goals, and approach for which they hold themselves
mutually accountable (MacNeil, 2004).
10. Strategies of Effective Teams
Assigning Tasks
Teamwork as the Norm:
• The terms, teams and teamwork are fast becoming
organizational buzzwords for the 1990s.
• However, unlike other management ideas that have come
and gone, there is a good reason to believe that
teamwork will be not a brief infatuation but an enduring
relationship between employees and their organizations
(Booth, 1994).
11. Strategies of Effective Teams
Assigning Tasks
Benefits of Teamwork:
•Betty and Brain (1997) reported that teams
have become essential element in problem
solving and in helping businesses to move
forward into the future.
12. Accepting Accountability:
Role clarification:
• Acceptance of a team leader.
• Understand all members’ roles.
• Individual responsibilities.
• Shared responsibilities.
• Clear boundaries.
• Identify and fill gaps.
(DeMeuse, 2009, p.7)
Strategies of Effective Teams
13. Accepting Accountability:
Focusing on Team Basics
• Overcoming this resistance requires that team
members understand, accept, and apply the
“the basics” of team work. (DeMeuse, 2009).
Strategies of Effective Teams
14. Accepting Accountability:
Promoting Accountability and Responsibility
• Realistic workplace preparation requires that
students learn to appreciate the necessity for
accountability and responsibility not only from the
team as a whole, but also from each person on the
team.
Strategies of Effective Teams
15. References:
Betty, C. and Brian, H. R. (1997), How to increase teamwork in organizations. Training for Quality, Vol. 5, Issue 1.
Retrieved from http://ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ijbm/article/download/12082/8561, doi:10.5539/ijbm.v6n9p202
Booth, P. (1994). Embracing the team concept, Canadian Business Review, Vol. 21, Issue. 3. Retrieved from
http://www.businessreviewcanada.ca/
Clark, K. & Wheelwright, S. (1992). Organizing and leading heavyweight development teams. California Management
Review, 34 (3), 9-28. Retrieved from http://cmr.berkeley.edu/
DeMeuse, K. P. (2009). Driving Team Effectiveness-Lominger: A Comparative analysis of the Korn/Ferry T7 Model
with other popular team models. Retrieved from http://www.lominger.com/pdf/teamswhitepaper080409.pdf
Erdem, O., & Polat, S. (2010). Team analysis. Journal of New World Sciences Academy, 5 (3), 398-415. Retrieved from
http://www.newwsa.com/default.asp?d=2
Ganis, M. (2007). Creating Effective Teams. NYLA Conference. Buffalo. New York . Retrieved from
http://webpage.pace.edu/.../Creating%20Effective%20Teams-final-v2l.pdf
Hoevemeyer, V.A. (1993). How Effective Is Your Team?. Training & Development, 47(9), 67. Retrieved from
http://www.astd.org/TD/
Howard, S. A. (1999). Guiding Collaborative Teamwork in the classroom. The Journal of Effective Teaching: an online
journal devoted to teaching excellence, 3(1). Retrieved from http://uncw.edu/cte/ET/
MacNeil, C. M. (2004), Exploring the supervisor role as a facilitator of knowledge sharing in teams, Journal of
European Industrial Training, Vol. 28, Issue 1. Retrieved from www.emeraldinsight.com/0309-0590.htm
Synder, G. (2009). Teaching teams about teamwork: preparation, practice, and performance review. Business
Communication Quarterly, 74-79. doi 10.1177/1080569908330372
Notas do Editor
What exactly is an effective team ?They develop ways to share leadership roles and ways to share accountability for their work products, shifting theemphasis from the individual to several individualswithin. (Ganis, 2007).Why Build an effective team?Most attempts at team building don't work well, simply because managers and staff fail to appreciate the effort that has to beinvested in time and attention to detail. There is little doubt, however, that when done well teamwork contributes considerably togreatly improved productivity and reduced costs. (Ganis, 2007).
Setting objectives at the beginning stages of developing a team environment helps aid in focusing the team on the tasks at hand that need to be done in order to complete the task in an efficient manner (Hoevemeyer, 1993).Understanding when the tasks are due and establishing guidelines in terms of communication are necessary for the team to complete tasks in an effective and efficient manner. Without guidelines and objectives the tasks would not be completed in a timely manner or in completeness.
Depending on the make up of the team, strategies will need to be in place to compensate for the various strengths and weaknesses that are discovered within the team. The strategies that are put in place to accommodate for the weaknesses and strengths of the team will aid in determining how tasks will be assigned and completed, all of which are based on the needs of the team members (Hoevemeyer, 1993). Assigning tasks that best suit the team member will ensure completeness and efficiency of the task being completed. Playing to the team members strengths and assigning tasks that complement the strengths of the team member, foster team participation and trust.Developing an action plan for what to do when communication breaks down in a team will enable the team to have a quick resolve of issues and prevent any bias that may occur because those strict guidelines are in place and agreed upon by the team as a whole.
Determining actions plans needed to accomplish goals will help aid in resolving a variety of issues that can arise in team settings. Action plans to help to resolve conflict issues, communication problems, and lack of participation help provide a basis for the team to resolve the issues that arise and move forward to completing the tasks at hand.Developing a team charter as a team, ensures that everyone is heard and understands the ground rules set by the team. Team charters give team members a document as a guide to developing their action plans and also give team members rules to reference and follow while being a part of the team. The team charter should also have plans stated as to what to do when a team member fails to comply with the team charter (Hoevemeyer, 1993).
To organize a team, task are divided up between all members of the team to ensure that goals are met. It is important that communication is established so that every member knows what they need to do to accomplish their task (Erdem, O. & Polat, S., 2010) . Fostering a good relationship between team members and team leader is pertinent in the successful outcome of the team.
Team members should consider team work a priority. They are expected to contribute to the project, participate in meetings and discussions, keep an open mind, assist the team leader, carry out assignments, and collaborate with members (Synder, 2009).
It is the team leader’s core responsibility to organize the team and motivate team members to complete their task (Clark, K. & Wheelright, S. 1992). An effective team leader focuses on problem solving, keeps members updated to changes, leads and participates in team meetings without being controlling, shares in team work, retains authority as a team leader, and assists the team to resolve its problems.
Everyone shares equally with the same goals in mind. Task assignment is crucial on projects, some co-workers will be better suited for particular assignments than their colleagues.
The model by Rubin, Plovnick, and Fry (1977) is one of the oldest models of team effectiveness. It is sometimes referred to as the “GRPIModel,” which stands for Goals, Roles, Processes, and Interpersonal Relationships. The authors present their model in terms of a pyramidsimilar to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory (1954). However, unlike Maslow’s theory, this model starts at the top of the pyramid. (DeMeuse, 2009).
Katzenbach and Smith (1993) assert most people realize the capabilities of teams, but there is a natural resistance to movingbeyond individual roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities. Individuals do not easily accept responsibility for the performanceof others, or cherish others assuming responsibility for them.
Policies may be set up by teacher directive, by team agreement, or through student-teacher consensus, depending on teacher judgment. Whatever the process for establishing policies, team members must understand that they are responsible for attending all meetings, contributing to project discussions, and completing assigned tasks in a competent, timely manner. (Howard, para. 7)