21 1 EXCEL BOOKS TEAMS AND TEAM WORK

21 -1 EXCEL BOOKS TEAMS AND TEAM WORK

21 -2 ANNOTATED OUTLINE INTRODUCTION A team is a small group of people working together to achieve a common purpose for which they hold themselves collectively accountable. A team generates positive synergy through coordinated effort. Teams And Team Work

21 -3 Features of a team Members v Committed to goals they helped define. v Possess complementary skills. v Support one another willingly. v Hold themselves collectively accountable for results. v Trust and support other members. v Offer suggestions and give feedback to other members. v May disagree but work to resolve differences and reach consensus. v In short, teams create the potential for an organisation to generate greater outputs with no increase in inputs. Teams And Team Work

21 -4 Comparing work group and work teams The differences between a work group and a work team may be summarised thus: Teams And Team Work

21 -5 Types of teams v Problem solving team: a group of 5 to 12 employees from the same department who meet to discuss ways of improving quality, efficiency and the work environment. v Self managing teams: teams that are empowered to make decisions about planning, doing and evaluating their work v Cross functional team: it brings together persons from different functions to work on a common task v Virtual team: it is a team that uses computer technology and groupware so that geographically distant members can collaborate on projects and reach common goals. Teams And Team Work

21 -6 Teamwork occurs when group members work together in ways that utilise their skills well to accomplish a common purpose. Team wok, of course, does not just happen. To create a high performing team, a leader has to: How to create a high performing team? v v v v v Communicate high-performance standards. Set the tone in the first team meeting. Create a sense of urgency. Make sure members have the right skills. Establish clear rules for team behaviour. As a leader, model expected behaviours. Find ways to create early “successes. ” Continually introduce new facts and information. Make sure members spend a lot of time together. Give positive feedback and reward high performance. Teams And Team Work

21 -7 Teambuilding The teambuilding process begins when someone notices that a problem exists which can be solved through collective efforts. Members then gather data concerning the problem analyse the data, plan for improvements and implement the action plans. Every one is expected to participate actively and perform certain specific roles aimed at improving the effectiveness of the team: Teams And Team Work

21 -8 Roles of team members Teams And Team Work

21 -9 Teambuilding v v Behaviours of members v Speak respectfully to one another v Listen attentively v Express feelings honestly v Seek help when needed v Make commitments seriously v Support the team and each other v Focus on problems and solutions Behaviours of leaders v Serve as the team's champion v Demonstrate trust, respect and openness consistently v Share power and information v Help members find answers on their own v Coordinate activities properly v Offer encouragement and support Teams And Team Work

21 -10 Teambuilding v Building trust Trust is a key element in building teamwork. When work group members trust one another, there will be a more active interchange of information, more interpersonal influence and hence greater selfcontrol. To build trust, a leader should v Support work team wholeheartedly v Keep people informed about what is going on v Learn to appreciate and give credit to people v Share your feelings with members v Use interpersonal skills to move closer to the hearts of people Teams And Team Work

21 -11 Team Development How to create and develop effective teams? Team development Tips 1. Create a balanced set of roles. 2. Develop communication and process awareness. 3. Diagnose and manage stress. 4. Understand team preferences. 5. Define team goal. 6. Establish review mechanisms. 7. Share leadership and create equality of contribution. 8. Develop facilitation skills for effective meetings. 9. Confront issues and problems. 10. Decision making based on consensus. Teams And Team Work

21 -12 Team Development To be effective, teams need to be small. Members must have interpersonal and problem solving skills. They must listen and appreciate each other’s point of view. Team leaders should be capable of handling disagreements on goals and responsibilities smoothly, resolving delays and disputes when making decisions and reducing friction and interpersonal conflicts. v Balanced roles v Open communication v Handling stress v Team choices v Team goals v Review mechanisms v Shared leadership v Facilitation skills v Shake off the constraints of the past v Consensus Teams And Team Work