INTRODUCTION TO TEAM & TEAM DYNAMIC Haslinda Sutan Ahmad Nawi Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology Universiti Selangor, Selangor, Malaysia
Introduction to Team Team is a group of people with complementary skills who work together to achieve a common purpose Groups of two or more people who interact and influence each other are mutually accountable for achieving common objectives and perceive themselves as a social entity within an organization Team leader Sets direction Provides guidance and support Coordinates team s activities Ensure each member plays his/her part Promotes learning & development of members Consults with member on issues affecting work Monitors and reviews team performance
Introduction to Team (cont..) Team building takes place when there is a clarification on team s purpose & goals It is to ensure members will work well together There is a need to enhance commitment & confidence There should be removal of externally imposed obstacles There is a creation of opportunities for members to develop skills and competencies
Question to Team Leader Do you think you get a full cooperation of your team members? Did you observe your team members behavior?
Work Groups vs Work Teams
Types of Team SHAPING SOCIETY
1. Self managed team Team based departments Self directed team 2. Problem solving team Types of Team Task forces or Temporary team that investigate a problem in the same department Share ideas or offer suggestions on how work processes and method can be improved 3. Cross functional team Temporary team to coordinate complex projects Form diverse areas (within or between organizations) or using borrowed resources, to develop products or solve problems 4. Virtual Team Team that operate across space, time and organizational boundaries using electronic tech.
Team Effectiveness Model
Team Design Elements 1. Task characteristic Better when task are clear, easy to implement Task interdependence Share common inputs, processes or outcome 2. Team size Smaller teams are better However large enough to accomplish task 3. Team composition Members motivated / competent to perform task in a team environment Team diversity
Tuckman Model of Team Development
Team Formation Stages
Tuckman Model of Team Development: Forming In this stage, most team members are positive and polite. Some are anxious, as they haven't fully understood what work the team will do. Others are simply excited about the task ahead. As leader, you play a dominant role at this stage, because team members' roles and responsibilities aren't clear. This stage can last for some time, as people start to work together, and as they make an effort to get to know their new colleagues.
Tuckman Model of Team Development: Storming People start to push against the boundaries established in the forming stage. This is the stage where many teams fail. Storming often starts where there is a conflict between team members' natural working styles. People may work in different ways for all sorts of reasons, but if differing working styles cause unforeseen problems, they may become frustrated. Storming can also happen in other situations. For example, team members may challenge your authority, or jockey for position as their roles are clarified. Or, if you haven't defined clearly how the team will work, people may feel overwhelmed by their workload, or they could be uncomfortable with the approach you're using. Some may question the worth of the team's goal, and they may resist taking on tasks. Team members who stick with the task at hand may experience stress, particularly as they don't have the support of established processes, or strong relationships with their colleagues.
Tuckman Model of Team Development: Norming Gradually, the team moves into the norming stage. This is when people start to resolve their differences, appreciate colleagues' strengths, and respect your authority as a leader. Now that your team members know one another better, they may socialize together, and they are able to ask each other for help and provide constructive feedback. People develop a stronger commitment to the team goal, and you start to see good progress towards it. There is often a prolonged overlap between storming and norming, because, as new tasks come up, the team may lapse back into behavior from the storming stage.
Tuckman Model of Team Development: Performing The team reaches the performing stage when hard work leads, without friction, to the achievement of the team's goal. The structures and processes that you have set up support this well. As leader, you can delegate much of your work, and you can concentrate on developing team members. It feels easy to be part of the team at this stage, and people who join or leave won't disrupt performance.
Tuckman Model of Team Development: Adjourning Many teams will reach this stage eventually. For example, project teams exist for only a fixed period, and even permanent teams may be disbanded through organizational restructuring. Team members who like routine, or who have developed close working relationships with other team members, may find this stage difficult, particularly if their future now looks uncertain.
Team Norms Informal rules and expectations a team establishes Norms develop through Explicit statements Critical events in team s history Initial team experiences Beliefs / values members bring to the team Changing team norms Introduce norms when performing teams Select members with preferred norms Reward behaviours representing desired norms Disband teams with dysfunctional norms
Conformity to Team Norms
Causes of Team Cohesiveness
Team Cohesiveness
Factors Contributing to Team Effectiveness Interpersonal understanding Accurate interpretation of others concerns, motives and feelings Recognition of their strengths and weaknesses Influence Using appropriate interpersonal styles and logical arguments to convince others to accept ideas or pleas Customer service orientation Demonstrating concern for meeting the needs of internal and external customers
Adaptability Factors Contributing to Team Effectiveness (cont..) Adapting easily to change Teamwork and cooperation Developing collaborative work which generate acceptable solutions Oral communication Expressing ideas in group situations Achievement orientation Setting and meeting challenging objective Organizational commitment Performing work with broader organizational goals in mind
Tips: Successful teams invest much time and effort exploring, shaping and agreeing on a purpose that belongs to them, collectively and individually
Characteristics of Good Team Habits Communication This including open communication. Each team member must be able to communicate with the rest of the group for project updates, questions, ideas and general input. A team that encourages open communication allows everyone to be able to share their ideas and opinions without fear. Respect For a team to be a comfortable and safe place for all members, each person must respect everyone else. Members should respect every aspect of other members, though they may not agree with it: ideas, communication abilities, background, religion, work style and cultural traditions. Because a great team requires open communication, respect can create the trust that will allow members to be vulnerable.
Collaboration Characteristics of Good Team Habits (cont..) Teamwork requires effective collaboration; each person must figure out how her skills and talents fit with those of the other team members. For a team to work, everyone must understand what their role is and how to use it to contribute to the team's success. Depending on the team, the roles might be as simple as providing support and morale; a well functioning team uses each person's complementary skill sets. Each member of the team should understand that everyone's part in the project is equally valid. Problem Solving An effective team must develop its own strategy of problem solving and conflict management. The strategy will differ from team to team based on the situation and the individual members; the individual team must work out the problem solving methods that work best for it. When your team members can work through roadblocks together, the team will be able to work smoothly even during rough times.
Common Goal Characteristics of Good Team Habits (cont..) A shared mission can help a group of people work together and create enthusiasm. When everyone is using their own abilities to work toward a common goal, the result is greater than the efforts of a single person. In a strong team, the good of the common goal comes before the individual preferences and interests of the members. The goal also contributes to a smooth operation; the team can resolve problems and disagreements by determining what is best for the team and the end goal.
1. Concerned with group Features of Team Dynamic Have a strong sense of belonging to the group 2. Changes May produce stress in other person, which can be reduced only by eliminating or allowing the change by bringing about readjustment in the related parts 3. Rigidity or flexibility Arises and functions owing to common motives 4. Continuous process Groups survive by placing the members into functional hierarchy and facilitating the action towards the goals
Elements of Team Dynamic 1. Communication 2. Content vs Process 3. Decision 4. Influence 5. Task vs Relationship 6. Roles 7. Membership 8. Feelings 9. Norms 10.Group atmosphere 11.Group maturity
Tips: It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed. Napoleon Hill
Types of People in Your Team Monopolizer Tangent Talker Devil s Advocate Cynic Fence Sitter Pandora s Box Opener Brown Noser Attacker Joker Robots
Who is he? Types of People in Your Team: Monopolizer Thinks he is the only one with wisdom on various subjects Believes everyone else is there to listen to him speak Don t appreciate other people s opinion Tend to make others shy away from contributing as people feel intimidated How to handle? The facilitator or other participants have to be brave enough to let others speak and stop the Monopolizer from bragging on Remind the Monopolizer that the meeting is not his, other contributions are accepted as well
Who is he? Types of People in Your Team: Tangent Talker Hijacks the topic by discussing off tangent unrelated topics to the issue at hand How to handle? Meeting leader should have the ability to recognize this Tell everybody to refocus to the topic and get back on track Alternatively, park the off topic to a parking lot list as noted and address it later if time permits and if the topic is crucial to the discussion
Types of People in Your Team: Devil s Advocate Opposition party Who is he? Relishes on taking the opposite side Always take the opposing view Believes in the statement just for the sake of argument Every single thing should be argued on How to handle? It make take a while, but the chairman of the meeting should hold on to the agenda and get comfortable Give praises to this Devil because of his ability to raise alternative issues, however the leader must indicate its inappropriateness due to time limit and previously aggred upon issues
A pessimistic Who is he? Types of People in Your Team: Cynic The ultimate naysayer everything is a no Believes in the statements it won t work, can t be done, we tried it once and it was a failure kind of statement Skilled at deflating and defeating whatever motion Who to handle? Coax or challenge the Cynic to think like the Devil s Advocate suppose for a minute that the idea or project could work Ask the Cynic to embrace the other s side s point of view AS IF it were their own then argue that side s position
Who is he? Types of People in Your Team: Fence Sitter Known for their paralysis by analysis Unable to make decisions Conflicted by multiple arguments, and can t pull the trigger when it s time to make decision Afraid of being wrong, disagree with someone else, or being on record can be a monster in the meeting just because the issue can t move forward How to handle? Be nice to them and tell them that they have a vote to the issue and very much invited to use it Assure them that their opinion or decision is very valuable and they won t be reprimanded if the decision taken is incorrect
Who is he? Types of People in Your Team: Pandora s Box Opener Takes pleasure in tackling issues that are emotional, touchy or hot buttons In every meeting, there are topics that are sure to strike a nerve that provoke emotional reaction or put the group in crisis Leads the entire meeting into areas that provoke frustration, animosities and other resentment Would enter discussions on other people s salaries, promotions etc Would reopen issues that have been previously agreed upon / resolved
How to handle Types of People in Your Team: Pandora s Box Opener (cont..) Let s not go there a magic word that will stamp the culprit into oblivion Other statements that can be used: We will cross that bridge when we get there That s a hornets nest we don t need to disturb or any similar meanings that will label a topic as out of bound for the meeting
Types of People in Your Team: Brown Noser A YESMAN bootlicking Who is he? Bends over backwards to ingratiate (suck up) to the boss So busy currying favor with other, he tends to not support certain issues (although actually he does) Seen by others as to be in the pocket of the person he is cowtowing to and seen as predictable and cannot be trusted How to handle? Elicit their ideas and preferences BEFORE asking others
Who is he? Types of People in Your Team: Attacker Like children, he loves to bully Mixes negativity with personal attacks without regard to hurting other people s feelings Very confrontational How to handle? Refocus him to be positive Be gentle, avoid adversarial (confrontational, argumentative) approach All meeting participants are entitled to stop the meeting when attacked personally Criticism is accepted but professionally, not personally personal attacks should never be allowed in a meeting
Who is he? Types of People in Your Team: Joker Everything is a joke to them Can be a meeting monster Constant joking has the effect of diminishing others serious ideas or suggestions How to handle? Designate several minutes at the start or middle of meeting specifically for humor If the Joker still tries to be funny, leader must remind that the time for humor is passed or forthcoming in order to control or contain him
Who ARE they? Types of People in Your Team: Robots Cell phones, pagers, PDA, laptops Distract the human beings (the owners, and the rest of the team) Intrude upon participants attention spans How to handle? Create ground rules turn off the gadgets, don t bring them to meetings etc. Hard to compete with human distractions, let alone with the electronic ones
Tips:
How Should Team Performance be Assessed? The clarity of the team s goals in terms of expectations and priorities How work is allocated to the team How the team is working (its processes) in terms of cohesion, ability to handle internal conflict and pressure, relationships with other teams The extent to which the team is capable of managing itself setting goals and priorities, monitoring performance
How Should Team Performance be Assessed? The quality of leadership even self managed teams need a sense of direction which they cannot necessarily generate by themselves The level and range of skills possessed by individual team members The extent to which team members work flexibly, taking advantage of the multi skilling capabilities of its members The systems and resources support available to the team
Team Performance Review Team performance review is a process to assess the performance of teamwork on organizational performance. It provide information to help the team to improve performance, increase efficiency and define management's expectations Team performance reviews also helps to recognize and value team members, clarify their roles and identify training and development needs. Performance reviews also help the team leader to create a culture of open communication. It also will encourage team self reflection by evaluating their own performance Establishing a performance review process is an essential part of effective business leadership.
Team Performance Review: Example
TIPS: Personal Preferences Affect Communication Needs Introverts like more private communications, while extroverts like to discuss things in public Intuitive people like to understand the big picture, while sensing people need step by step details Thinkers want to know the logic behind decisions, while feeling people want to know how something affects them personally Judging people are driven to meet deadlines, while perceiving people need more help in developing and following plans
What Makes a Good Chair? An understanding of the issues and topics being discussed and keenly listening to the discussions; Being able to prevent discussions wandering, prevent those without anything new to add repeating the same point, being able to move on when a point is discussed as far as possible; Ensuring that all members have an equal opportunity to express their point of view; Showing respect for the views and actions of others Encouraging all members to take equal responsibility for the meeting proceeding smoothly; Being impartial; Being able to sum up the points made in discussions.