TEAM-BUILDING MANUAL TEAM-BUILDING MANUAL What is a Team What is

Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project TEAM-BUILDING MANUAL TEAM-BUILDING Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project What is a Team? Definition: 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 [Katzenbach and Smith, 1994] A group of people is not a team! 1 Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project What are Teamwork and Team Building? Teamwork: Concept of people working together as a team Team Building: Process of establishing and developing greater sense of collaboration and trust amongst team members Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Benefits to Organisations Increased productivity Improved quality Better morale Better problem solving Enhanced creativity More effective decisions 2 Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Benefits to Individuals Responsibility is shared Rewards and recognitions are shared Members can influence each other Everybody experiences a sense of accomplishment Work is less stressful Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Need for Team Building Joining a new team and immediately expecting to get along is not natural We have evolved to work and live in closely-knit static societies Sudden need to get along causes stress 3 Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project How do Teams Work Best? Teams succeed when members prove: Commitment to common objectives; Defined roles and responsibilities; Effective decision making systems, communication and work procedures; Good personal relationships. Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Good Team Characteristics Everyone participates actively and positively. Team goals are understood by everyone. Individual members think hard about creative solutions to the problem. Members are carefully listened to and receive thoughtful feedback. Everyone takes initiative to get things done. Each team-mate trusts others’judgments. The team is willing to take risks. 4 Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project A Good Team Member… Works for consensus on decisions Shares openly and authentically Involves others in the decision-making process Trusts, supports, and has genuine concern for other team members. "Owns" problems rather than blaming them on others Attempts to hear and interpret communication from other's points of view Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Common Team Problems Overbearing or dominating participants Reluctant participants Unquestioned acceptance of opinions as facts Rush to accomplishment Wanderlust: digression and tangent Feuding members Disconnected members 5 Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Barriers to Team Building Project Leader credibility Unclear Project objectives Changing goals and priorities Lack of team definition and structure Confusion about roles and responsibilities Performance appraisals failing to recognise teamwork Excessive team size Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Team Morale Depends on… Support Resources Communication Personalities 6 Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Team Building Features Trust Participation Shared value Listening to understand Shared reasoning/advocacy Conflict solution Stakeholder input to decision making Cooperative partnership Mutual respect Cooperation Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Team Building Ground Rules… Immediately bring relevant information to team Involve all team members in discussion Clarify decision making process Agree on how to deal with conflict openly and responsively Encourage innovation and risk taking ideas Decide how to deal with ground rule violation 7 Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Team Development Stages Forming Storming Regulating Performing Adjourning Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Forming Team learns of opportunities and challenges, agrees on goals and begins to tackle tasks Team members behave independently. They may be motivated, although they are usually relatively uninformed of team objectives Team members are on their best behaviours but very focused on themselves Supervisors need to be directive 8 Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Storming Ideas compete for consideration Team members open up and confront each other’s ideas Can be contentious and unpleasant Tolerance among team members is required Supervisors direct and guide decision making Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Regulating Members adjust behaviours to make teamwork natural Team agrees on rules, values, professional behaviours, shared methods, and working tools Team members begin to trust each other Motivation grows Team may lose creative edge Supervisors are more participative Team members take responsibility in decisionmaking 9 Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Performing Team functions as a unit to get the job done smoothly and effectively without conflict or supervision Team members become interdependent, motivated and knowledgeable and take decisions without supervision Supervisors participate with team in decision making Changes in leadership may revert to earlier stages Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Adjourning Stage Team Members Become concerned about impending dissolution Feel loss or sadness about ending the project and separating from the team May deny feelings by joking or expressing dissatisfaction May have strong positive feelings on the team’s accomplishments 10 Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Interpersonal Issues Forming Inclusion and trust Willingness to include others in decision making Extent to which team members feel they can trust the Leader Control, power, and conflict Extent to which team members want to follow directions set by others Who influences team’s direction Affection Willingness to express friendly feelings Shift of control focus from Leader to Team Avoidance of “group think” No major issues Loss and separation Feelings of sadness, loss or anger for impending team dissolution Tendency to become less productive Storming Norming Performing Adjourning Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Task Accomplishment Forming Storming Norming Low to moderate Focus on defining goals, tasks and strategies Disrupted by negative feelings Slowly increases as conflicts are addressed Increases Positive feelings facilitate team results Optimal task accomplishment is characterised by team cohesion and pride for team results Members derive satisfaction as their skills, knowledge, and confidence increase Generally decreases Sometimes work activity increases (e.g. deadlines,overcome sense of loss) Performing Adjourning 11 Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Leader Action Strategies/1 Strategies/1 Establish realistic goals Set standards for team interaction Clarify team tasks and team members’ roles and relationships Take decisions and provide directions Monitor and provide feedback on team performance Demonstrate and teach skills Forming Redefine goals, expectations, roles, and relationships Encourage and support interdependence Provide skill development Recognise and accept different opinions Manage conflicts Praise constructive behaviours Storming Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Leader Action Strategies/2 Strategies/2 Involve team in decision making and problem solving Norming Support team in setting goals and standards Encourage and acknowledge team Serve as source for the team Performing Monitor goals and performance in terms of review process Interface between team and organisation Accept own feelings of loss Adjourning Acknowledge feelings of others Enhance directive and supportive behaviours as appropriate 12 Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Conflict and Team “Conflict is a form of interaction “Conflict among parties that differ in interest, perceptions, and preferences.” Kolb, David A., Osland, Joyce S., and Rubin, Irwin M., Organizational behavior: An experiential approach, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 6th Edition. Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Negotiating Conflicts in a Team Separate problem issues from people issues Be soft on people, hard on problem Look for underlying needs and goals of each party rather than specific solutions 13 Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Addressing the Problem State your views in clear non-judgmental language Clarify core issues Listen carefully to each person’s point of view Check understanding by restating core issues Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Why Conflict Management? Teams require both interpersonal and technical competencies Breakdowns in either skills can cause team disruption Therefore, conflict management skills are vital to team harmony and productivity Many projects have been endangered because of feuding team members! 14 Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Constructive (functional) Conflict… Not all conflict is negative Forces members/subgroups to discuss their differing viewpoints Often results in mutual understanding Helps a team achieve its goals Example: Member A wants to use Method I while Member B wants to use Method 2 to design a necessary component Resulting discussion clarifies A & B’s viewpoints and a decision is reached Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Destructive (dysfunctional) Conflict… Negative conflict reduces effectiveness Is a hindrance to team Leads to reduced productivity and morale Should always be addressed and never ignored Example: Member A wants to exclude Member B from future meetings because Member B is often late for meetings Resulting discussion reduces team resources for project completion 15 Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Major Reasons for Conflict Differences in beliefs, values, & expectations are often the main cause for conflict Conflict may arise when: Two members or sub-groups use different sources or interpret the same source differently Members or sub-groups have different or sometimes conflicting objectives There are differing views on how logistics should be managed There is no authority structure or hierarchy The team is experiencing the development “storming” stage Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Conflict Management Styles assertiv e Competition Collaboration Assertiveness Party’s desire to satisfy own concern Compromise unassertive Avoidance uncooperative Accommodation cooperative Style choice will probably vary by situation Cooperativeness Party’s desire to satisfy other’s concern 16 Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project 5 Conflict Management Styles 1. Competing Individual forces his/her way by being aggressive, uncooperative, and autocratic A win-lose situation is created 2. Avoiding Individual ignores the problem rather than negotiating to reach a solution Individual is unassertive and uncooperative A win-lose situation is created Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project 5 Conflict Management Styles 3. Accommodating Individual tries to resolve the conflict by giving into the other member(s) of the team Individual is unassertive and cooperative A win-lose situation is created 4. Compromising Individual tries to resolve the conflict through give and take and making concessions Individual is assertive and cooperative A win-lose or lose-lose situation is created depending on the concessions made 17 Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project 5 Conflict Management Styles 5. Collaborative Individual tries to resolve the conflict with the solution agreeable to all team members Individual is assertive and cooperative This is the only style producing a win-win resolution! Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project For Successful Team Commitment to shared goals and objectives Clear definition of roles and responsibilities Use best skills of each member Allows each member to develop in all areas 18 Italy – Turkey Bilateral Cooperation Project Recipe for Successful Team Effective systems and processes Clear communication Beneficial team behaviours Well-defined decision procedures and ground rules Balanced participation Group process awareness Good personal relationships 19