Cooperative Teams
Groups of 3: Answer the questions What is the value of teamwork? What is the risk of teamwork? (4 minutes)
Essential Elements of Cooperative Teams-1 Positive interdependence Promotive interaction Individual accountability Learning and practicing interpersonal and group skills Group processing
Positive interdependence all for one and one for all each member of the team contributes to the success of the team each team member needs the contributions of the other team members
Promotive interaction promote each other s success criticize ideas without criticizing people encourage other team members to contribute to the team success
Individual accountability hold group accountable for achieving its goals hold each member accountable for contributing his/her share
Learning and practicing interpersonal and group skills need to learn and practice skills effective leadership decision-making trust-building communication conflict-resolution know how to do it, reflect and refine use, and use automatically
Group processing reflect on how group is functioning what is working what is not working what can be improved improve continuously better quality of work better efficiency better work environment
Guidance Team Guidance Team Oversee and support activities of project teams Guide efforts Evaluates Individual Efforts Before the project identify the project goals prepare a mission statement determine needed resources select team and team leaders assign quality advisor During the project meet regularly with project team develop and improve teams insure changes are made
Team Growth
Stages of Team Growth Forming Storming Norming Performing
Forming Explore the boundaries of acceptable group behavior; test the leader s guidance. Feelings: excitement, optimism, tentative attachment to the team, suspicion, fear, and anxiety. Behaviors: complaints about the organization and barriers to the task, discussion of problems not relevant to the task, impatience with discussions, decisions on what information needs to be gathered.
Storming Most difficult stage; team members realize that the task is different and more difficult than realized; members become testy, blameful, or overzealous. Feelings: resistance to task and quality improvement approaches; sharp fluctuations in attitude about team and project s chance of success. Behaviors: arguing among members even when they agree on real issues; defensiveness and competition, questioning of wisdom of guidance team, leaders; establishing unrealistic goals; concern about excessive work; some disunity, tension and jealousy.
Norming Members reconcile competing responsibilities; they accept the team and the individuality of team members. Feelings: a new ability to express criticism constructively, acceptance of membership in the team, and relief that everything is going to work out. Behaviors: attempt to achieve harmony by avoiding conflict, more friendliness, confiding in each other and sharing of personal problems; team cohesion, common spirit and goals, establishing and maintaining team ground rules and boundaries (norms).
Performing Team has settled its relationships and expectations. They can begin performing-- diagnosing and solving problems-and choosing and implementing changes. All members have discovered and accepted each other s strengths and weaknesses, and learned what their roles are. Feelings: members having insights into personal and group processes, and better understanding of each other s strengths and weaknesses. Behaviors: constructive self-change, ability to prevent or work through group problems and close attachment to team.
Guidelines for Productive Meetings Use agenda Have a facilitator Keep discussion focused Intervene if discussion fragments Tactfully prevent someone from dominating Bring discussions to a close Notify group when allotted time has expired Take minutes Evaluate the meeting Adhere to the 100-mile rule
Team Leader Role of Team Leader calls and facilitates meeting handles and assigns administrative details orchestrates all team activities, and oversees preparations for reports and presentations
Best Practice Rotate task assignments for meetings Recorder writes task assignments, each person signs, and task assignments are emailed within 24 hours of meeting Each task is assigned to 2 people: a primary (who does the task) and a nagger who checks on primary to ensure progress is being made
Team Notebooks One for each team: Graded. There is no predefined format for the notebook. o Meeting records o Email o Individual contributions o Drafts o Task assignments o Team processing documentation to protect you: describes your contribution to the team.
Discussion Skills Necessary for effective team meetings Every meeting should include actions that facilitate discussion. Need to practice these.
Guidelines for Constructive Feedback Acknowledge the need for feedback Give positive and negative feedback Understand the context Know when to give feedback Know how to give feedback Be descriptive Don t use labels Don t exaggerate Don t be judgmental Speak for yourself Help people hear and accept compliments Know how to receive feedback
Discussion, Do s At appropriate times during the meeting, team members should: Ask for clarification When you are unclear about what is being said Ask team members to assist Ask for a repeat using different terms Act as gatekeepers - Encourage and expect equal participation among group members control dominators make openings for less aggressive members
Discussion, More Do s Listen - This is the hard part. Try to understand what is being said before making any comments about it. Don't interrupt or complete sentences. Before commenting on an idea, rephrase it and ensure you understand. Summarize - Occasionally compile what s been said and restate it to the group in summary form. Follow a summary with a question to check for agreement. Contain digression - Do not permit overlong examples or irrelevant discussion.
Discussion Skills Manage time End the discussion Test for consensus Constantly evaluate the meeting process.
Discussion Skills Manage time either accelerate work, postpone some discussion, or reallocate time. Don't let meetings run over by more than a few minutes End the discussion Test for consensus Constantly evaluate the meeting process.
Manage time End the discussion Discussion Skills when there is nothing to be gained Help the team close a discussion and decide the issue. Test for consensus Constantly evaluate the meeting process.
Manage time End the discussion Test for consensus Discussion Skills Summarize the group's position on an issue state the decision that seems to have been made check whether the team agrees with the summary. Constantly evaluate the meeting process.
Discussion Skills Manage time End the discussion Test for consensus Constantly evaluate the meeting process. How can we be more efficient? How can we be more effective?
Brainstorming Give everyone silent time to think. (two minutes?) Invite ideas. The more, the better. Encourage freewheeling. Don't hold back any ideas, even if they seem silly. No discussion during this time. No one may judge or criticize any ideas, even by groan or grimace. Hitch-hiking is encouraged. Take someone else's idea and extend it or build on it. You might add ideas in round-robin form Write all the ideas down.
Brainstorming-2 After the ideas are written, go back and look at the ideas. Keep the promising ones. Toss the poor ones.
Multivote A method to reduce a large number of items to a small list. (Could be used after brainstorming.) Generate the list and number the items, combining if necessary Have all members pick 1/3 of the items (silently). Tally the votes. Toss the items with very few votes (1 or 2 for a group of 5 members). Repeat the process until a few items remain. If it's not possible to eliminate items, discuss them and revote.
Consensus Finding a proposal acceptable enough that all members can support it, and no members oppose it. It is not unanimous or majority, and it may not satisfy everyone. It requires time, active participation of all group members, creative thinking, and communication skills. acknowledge the valid points take time to sort out what you heard