Teambuilding: How to Turn Uncohesive Groups into Productive Teams PDF

Eric Garner Teambuilding How to turn uncohesive groups into productive teams Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 2 Teambuilding: How to turn uncohesive groups into productive teams © 2012 Eric Garner & Ventus Publishing ApS ISBN 978...

Eric Garner Teambuilding How to turn uncohesive groups into productive teams Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 2 Teambuilding: How to turn uncohesive groups into productive teams © 2012 Eric Garner & Ventus Publishing ApS ISBN 978-87-7681-995-8 Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 3  Teambuilding Contents Contents Preface 10 1 The Nature of Teams 11 1.1 What is a Team? 11 1.2 The Origins of Teams 11 1.3 Successful Teams 11 1.4 The Emergence of the Workplace Team 11 1.5 Teams Are Special 12 1.6 Team Development 12 1.7 The Laws of the Team 12 1.8 Synergy 13 360° 1.9 Sam’s Wagon 13 1.10 Key Points 14 2 2.1 2.2 2.3 Team Development The Natural Life of Teams Forming Storming thinking. 15 15 15 15 2.4 Norming 16 360° thinking. 360°. Please click the advert thinking Discover the truth at www.deloitte.ca/careers D © Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities. Discover the truth at www.deloitte.ca/careers © Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities. Download free ebooks at bookboon.com © Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities. Discover the truth4at www.deloitte.ca/careers © Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities.  Teambuilding Contents 2.5 Performing 16 2.6 Disbandment 16 2.7 Helping Teams Grow 17 2.8 Key Points 17 3 Teamwork 18 3.1 Sharing 18 3.2 Asking for Help 18 3.3 The 3 A’s 18 3.4 Valuing Others 19 3.5 Giving Feedback 19 3.6 Building on Others 20 3.7 Taking Risks 20 3.8 A Friendly Climate 20 3.9 Key Points 21 4 Team Cohesion 22 4.1 Team Type 23 4.2 Team Size 23 4.3 Team Structure 23 4.3 Tall Structures 24 4.5 Team Affinity 24 Increase your impact with MSM Executive Education Please click the advert For almost 60 years Maastricht School of Management has been enhancing the management capacity of professionals and organizations around the world through state-of-the-art management education. Our broad range of Open Enrollment Executive Programs offers you a unique interactive, stimulating and multicultural learning experience. Be prepared for tomorrow’s management challenges and apply today. For more information, visit www.msm.nl or contact us at +31 43 38 70 808 or via [email protected] the globally networked management school For more information, visit www.msm.nl or contact us at +31 43 38 70 808 or via [email protected] Executive Education-170x115-B2.indd 1 Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 18-08-11 15:13 5  Teambuilding Contents 4.6 Team Make-Up 24 4.7 Team Conformity 25 4.8 Team Interaction 26 4.9 Key Points 26 5 Threats to Teamwork 27 5.1 Individualism 27 5.2 Stars 27 5.3 Passengers 28 5.4 Gender 28 5.5 Culture 28 5.6 Cliques 29 5.7 Unresolved Conflict 29 5.8 Lack of Team Rewards 29 5.9 The Route to Expulsion 30 5.10 Key Points 30 6 Team Leaders 31 6.1 Team Leaders 31 6.2 The Task 32 6.3 Task Orientation 32 6.4 The Team 32 See the light! The sooner you realize we are right, the sooner your life will get better! Please click the advert A bit over the top? Yes we know! We are just that sure that we can make your media activities more effective. Get “Bookboon’s Free Media Advice” Email [email protected] Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 6  Teambuilding Contents 6.5 Team Orientation 32 6.6 The Individual 33 6.7 Sacrifices 33 6.8 Balance 33 6.9 Leadership Style 34 6.10 Key Points 35 7 Team Roles 36 7.1 The Co-ordinator 36 7.2 The Go-fer 36 7.3 The Relater 36 7.4 The Maverick 37 7.5 The Observer 37 7.6 The Checker 37 7.7 The Moralist 37 7.8 The Winner 38 7.9 The Leader 38 7.10 Role Fit 38 7.11 Key Points 39 8 Team Meetings 40 8.1 Manage Your Meetings 40 Please click the advert GOT-THE-ENERGY-TO-LEAD.COM We believe that energy suppliers should be renewable, too. We are therefore looking for enthusiastic new colleagues with plenty of ideas who want to join RWE in changing the world. Visit us online to find out what we are offering and how we are working together to ensure the energy of the future. Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 7  Teambuilding Contents 8.2 Vampire Meetings 41 8.3 Leave Your Ego at the Door 41 8.4 Using the Triple A’s 41 8.5 A Good Discussion 42 8.6 “Did I Miss Something?” 42 8.7 Dialogue 42 8.8 Solving Problems 42 8.9 Entrenchment 43 8.10 Groupthink 44 8.11 Complacency 44 8.12 Waigaya 45 8.13 The Talking Stick 45 8.14 When All Else Fails 45 8.15 Key Points 46 9 From Unshared Certainty To Shared Uncertainty 47 9.1 Unshared Certainty 47 9.2 Loose Links 47 9.3 Shared Purpose 48 9.4 Team First 48 9.5 Performing Together 48 9.6 Interdependence 48 Who is your target group? And how can we reach them? At Bookboon, you can segment the exact right Please click the advert audience for your advertising campaign. Our eBooks offer in-book advertising spot to reach the right candidate. Contact us to hear more [email protected] Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 8  Teambuilding Contents 9.7 Shared Uncertainty 48 9.8 Key Points 49 10 Teambuilding Exercises 50 10.1 Icebreakers 50 10.2 The Team Exercise 50 10.3 Team-Building Exercises 50 10.4 Competitive Team Games 51 10.5 Adventure Exercises 51 10.6 Team Projects 51 10.7 Team Performance 51 10.8 Key Points 51 Web Resources on Teambuilding 52 Please click the advert THE BEST MASTER IN THE NETHERLANDS Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 9 Teambuilding Preface Preface Introduction to Teambuilding In organizations where there is no teamwork, one and one will always equal the same: two separate ones or one single two. But in organizations which have discovered the pluses of teamwork, one and one adds up to more. Like Or Or Or 2Or 10The clever word for this is “synergy”. It means getting more for your money than what each part costs. Seen in another way, it’s what you get when Brazilians play football, the Berlin Philharmonic plays Beethoven, or your kids give their all in the school’s nativity play. It’s also what you’ll get when you apply the skills of teambuilding to your team at work. Teambuilding means shaping your people into a productive force. It means encouraging them to work co-operatively for and with each other. It means getting them to share, not just “things” but feelings too, such as each other’s successes and each other’s failures. It means letting them grow beyond your control so that they can develop their own special magic. When you transform a group of people from a group of individuals into a winning team, you create something unique and utterly unforgettable. Profile of Author Eric Garner Eric Garner is an experienced management trainer with a knack for bringing the best out of individuals and teams. Eric founded ManageTrainLearn in 1995 as a corporate training company in the UK specialising in the 20 skills that people need for professional and personal success today. Since 2002, as part of KSA Training Ltd, ManageTrainLearn has been a major player in the e-learning market. Eric has a simple mission: to turn ManageTrainLearn into the best company in the world for producing and delivering quality online management products. Profile of ManageTrainLearn ManageTrainLearn is one of the top companies on the Internet for management training products, materials, and resources. Products range from training course plans to online courses, manuals to teambuilder exercises, mobile management apps to one-page skill summaries and a whole lot more. Whether you’re a manager, trainer, or learner, you’ll find just what you need at ManageTrainLearn to skyrocket your professional and personal success. http://www.managetrainlearn.com Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 10 Teambuilding The Nature of Teams 1 The Nature of Teams Our lives are made up of belonging to groups. We are raised in families; learn at school in classes; and work alongside others in organisations. Group membership helps us define who we are. Here are some of the key aspects of being in a team. 1.1 What is a Team? One of the best definitions of a team comes from John Adair who likened the individuals in a team to the pieces of a puzzle. “A team is a group in which the jobs and skills of each member fit in with those of others as - to take a very mechanical and static analogy - in a jigsaw puzzle, pieces fit together without distortion and together produce some overall pattern.” (B. Babington Smith, as quoted by John Adair) 1.2 The Origins of Teams The drive to be part of a team seems to be instinctive and probably originated when human beings came down from trees to live on the open plains. The challenges early man faced were problems of scale, for example, in facing a threat from a pride of lions, and problems of complexity, primarily in how to handle a range of environmental threats to find food, shelter, warmth, and safety. Leaving everyone to sort things out for themselves had limitations. The answer was to pool resources and co-ordinate what everyone did. The concept of the tribe was born which in due course evolved into the concept of the team. 1.3 Successful Teams A successful team is one in which the team members not only achieve something special and worthwhile, but feel as if they have participated in something special and worthwhile. Unlike a group,... 1. teams create varying levels of deep and meaningful personal relationships 2. teams arouse feelings in their members for what the team stands for 3. teams provide stimulus and motivation to those in them 4. teams provide various forms of synergy 5. teams are always developing 6. teams have purposeful unifying activity 7. teams feel special to those in them. 1.4 The Emergence of the Workplace Team The emergence of the idea of workplace teams owes its origin to the groundbreaking studies at the GEC Hawthorne plant in Chicago by Elton Mayo in the 1920’s and 30’s. Before these studies, the concept of teamwork at work did not really exist. There is, for example, no mention of teamwork in Henri Fayol’s principles of management in the early 20th century. However, as a result of Mayo’s studies, it became clear that the team has a significant effect both on the productivity of people and how they feel about going to work. Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 11 Teambuilding The Nature of Teams 1.5 Teams Are Special The series of experiments conducted by Elton Mayo showed that when a group is made to feel special, through being singled out as a team, it can produce spectacular results. For example, under observation, the assembly room team at Hawthorne was able to produce high output even though the room’s lighting had been reduced to a level equivalent to that of moonlight under observation, the team’s output rose consistently, despite a steady worsening in conditions such as heating, lighting, meal breaks, working hours under observation, the absentee rate of the observed team fell by 20%. 1.5.1 Team Needs Mayo’s experiments at the Hawthorne assembly plant foreshadowed the later work of Abraham Maslow who developed the model of motivational needs. In particular, the experiments showed that people are motivated when part of a group (their social needs) and when being recognized by others (their love needs). Here are 9 further ways in which a team can meet people’s needs: 1. achievement needs: “the team helps me to do more” 2. social needs: “in the team I can make friends” 3. recognition needs: “the team let me know how well I am doing” 4. spiritual needs: “there is a team spirit in our team which is very special to us” 5. learning needs: “I learn more from being in the team” 6. security needs: “safety in numbers” 7. basic needs: “I can earn more money as a member of the team” 8. leadership needs: “I am able to use my leadership skills as a member of the team” 9. freedom needs: “I can be myself when I am part of the team”. 1.6 Team Development While groups remain largely static, repeating what they do at a fixed or standardised level of performance, teams can grow and change and work towards an excellent level of performance. This development has 5 stages: Stage the team is just a collection of people with nothing in common other than nominal membership of the organisation Stage the team is a group of people with loose links, eg sharing a building, meeting occasionally Stage the team come together on work which has a purpose and a goal that the members all share Stage the team start to see themselves as a distinct unit with a life of its own. Stage the team consistently achieve things together and evolve. 1.7 The Laws of the Team Writer John Maxwell says there are a number of laws that are common to all teams. These include communications, shared values, goals, vision, leadership, challenge, investment in the team, feedback, high morale, and knowing one’s value. Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 12 Teambuilding The Nature of Teams Here are the other 7 laws: a) The Law of Significance: one person is too small to achieve greatness b) The Law of the Niche: all players must add their own unique value c) The Law of the Chain: the team is as strong as its weakest link d) The Law of the Catalyst: all teams have players who make things happen e) The Law of the Bad Apple: rotten attitudes ruin a team f) The Law of the Bench: great teams have depth in reserve g) The Law of Accountability: teammates must be able to count on each other when it counts. 1.8 Synergy Synergy is the idea that “whole systems, such as living things, behave in ways that cannot be predicted from the behaviour of their individual parts,” (Buckminster Fuller). In other words, synergy is a natural coming together of “bits” which results in an unexpected and remarkable whole. The human body and the whole of the natural world are examples of synergy at work. Synergy is also: 2 and 2 = 5 sodium and chlorine (both on their own harmful) = salt Lennon and McCartney Hewlett and Packard Gilbert and Sullivan Rolls and Royce Marks and Spencer. 1.9 Sam’s Wagon Sam’s bull pulled his wagon into a rut. Several of the wagons behind Sam stopped and demanded that Sam move his wagon immediately. Sam stepped off his wagon, scratched his chin and yelled “OK Blake!” The bull in front of the wagon didn’t budge. Sam yelled out again “Let her go Alma!” Still no movement. Then he yelled again, “Pull hard, Franklin!”. But still no movement. Then, finally, Sam yelled, “Now get going Hause!” and the bull pulled the wagon out of the rut. Confounded, one of the other wagon drivers turned to Sam and asked him why he didn’t call the bull by the right name in the first place. “Well,” Sam retorted, “if Hause thought he was gonna move that wagon out of that ditch all by himself we’d never have gotten out of here.” Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 13  Teambuilding The Nature of Teams 1.10 Key Points 1. Teams are the building blocks of organisational life. 2. A team is different from a group because it shares a common purpose. 3. In an age of global communications, the team can exist without ever meeting one another face to face. 4. Belonging to a team can satisfy people’s needs at a range of different levels. 5. The informal workplace team may be of more importance to how we work than the formal team. 6. The distinctive feature of teams is that they can grow and develop. Do your employees receive the right training? Bookboon offers an eLibrairy with a wide range of Please click the advert Soft Skill training & Microsoft Office books to keep your staff up to date at all times. Contact us to hear more [email protected] Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 14 Teambuilding Team Development 2 Team Development One of the key distinctions between groups and teams is that groups are static while teams are capable of growth. In a group, people are required to carry out laid-down duties. In a team, they work together and, if managed well, this working together enables them to develop as a social and performing unit. Here are features of how this growth happens. 2.1 The Natural Life of Teams One-off teams are those that are formed in response to special needs, such as a project, an event or a distinct piece of work. They are characterised by having finite life spans and clear objectives. According to research by Bruce Tuckman, one-off teams grow through 5 stages of development: 1. forming: the stage of coming together 2. storming: the stage of working out the team’s identity 3. norming: the stage of agreeing how the team will work 4. performing: the stage of harnessing what the team can do for the benefit of others 5. disbanding: the stage of completion. 2.2 Forming The forming stage of team development is when people come together for the first time. The atmosphere is wintry, cold and formal. Suspicion, distrust, caution and fear may exist. The main direction of interaction is between individuals and the team leader rather than between individuals themselves. Teams can get stuck at the forming stage if trust is low and there is no impetus for development. 2.3 Storming If the group is led to move beyond the forming stage, it enters the storming stage. This is when the group starts to wonder if they can gain something from being in the group. Instinctive feelings may arise about others in the group and there may Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 15  Teambuilding Team Development be differences about exactly how to proceed and whose ideas will dominate. This is the sorting-out stage of the group’s growth and can be characterised by conflict and differences. 2.4 Norming If the group is led to move beyond the storming stage, it enters the norming stage with agreement on strategies, systems, and structures. People start to see a purpose bigger than their own and there are the beginnings of putting others’ needs ahead of one’s own within the framework of mutual gain. The norms may include a blueprint for how the team works together. 2.5 Performing If the group is led to move beyond the norming stage, the group start to see that, in working together, they can achieve something greater than the sum of their individual efforts. The focus now moves from sorting out their own issues to delivering something for the benefit of others, principally their customers or stakeholders. As the performing stage develops, the team become willing to take risks and face challenges that they would never have contemplated before. The team becomes a highly positive, can-do unit. 2.6 Disbandment It is tempting to keep a well-performing team going once it has reached a satisfactory level of performance. After all, this is what it was formed for. However, while some teams manage to prolong their success for some time, it is in the nature of organisational life for complacency and self-satisfaction to creep in once a team reaches a winning level. Then it becomes important to look to the future by disbanding and starting the growth cycle once more. Please click the advert www.job.oticon.dk Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 16 Teambuilding Team Development 2.7 Helping Teams Grow The manager of one-off teams can work with the natural process of team development, intervening only to create the right conditions for growth within the team itself. forming: emphasise the team’s identity and what binds them. Use “we”. Accept the team as a unit that can look after itself with your support. Build their confidence. Intervene only if the mix of individuals is not right. storming: encourage openness. Promote a safe climate. Allow healthy conflict. Avoid rescuing the team. norming: focus on what the team has in common. Link ideas. Seek interaction between the team members. performing: ensure people have the skills to perform. Provide regular feedback. Celebrate success. disbanding: manage change by looking ahead and moving on. If a group develops cohesively with the right mix of people and skills and is able to learn its way through difficult times, the group’s failures will eventually give way to team successes. This process is not a hit-and-miss one but an inevitable one of team development. The only variable is the time it takes to get there. 2.8 Key Points 1. All organisations change: some grow through phases of development, others decline and die. 2. Organisations need leaders to ensure that teams can grow and managers to ensure that teams can survive. 3. As an organisation moves through its phases of development, it requires different styles of managing. 4. One-off teams have similar phases of development as organisations and are also subject to crisis points. 5. A team’s development can be aided if the right interventions are made as it grows. 6. The general direction of team growth is towards interdependence and an outer focus. Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 17 Teambuilding Teamwork 3 Teamwork There’s nothing like being in a great team. It is one of life’s greatest highs and one of the real pleasures of going to work. Unfortunately, though, for many, it is a dream to be longed for rather than a daily reality. In teams that don’t click, the experience is frustrating, painful, and stressful. And for the organization that allows such teams to exist, an unproductive waste of talent. But all that can change. With simple acts of teamwork, teams can change from being the source of our greatest anguish into being the source of our greatest joy. Here’s how. 3.1 Sharing If you want to measure the strength of your team, do a sharing audit. Simply record the number of acts of team sharing in any day. That’s sharing information, sharing ideas, sharing feelings, values and needs. Or simply just sharing being together. Your score will tell you just how together your group is. The most important feature of team sharing is goal sharing. If your people don’t even share the team goal, chances are you have a collection of individuals who happen to work near each other, not a team. When groups have a clear knowledge of the goal they’re working towards, and are committed to it, they become a team. “When xne key xn the typewriter dxesn’t wxrk prxperly, it’s like xne persxn in the team nxt playing their full part. It destrxys the whxle effect.” 3.2 Asking for Help Strong teams are strong because the individuals in it have different but complementary qualities. Sue’s a great detail person. John sees the big picture. Ron gets on with everyone. Jill is a loner. And so on. That means that when anyone has to do something they’re not particularly gifted at, they can turn to someone else in the team for help. In strong teams, you frequently hear people asking for help. In poor teams, it is considered a sign of weakness. 3.3 The 3 A’s Another audit you can do to find out if you have a team or just a bunch of individuals is the 3 A’s Audit. The 3 A’s stand for Appreciating, Accepting, and Acknowledging. They are the features of great teams and stand in contrast to the 3 C’s of poor teams: Criticising, Complaining, and Condemning. Accepting means letting people know they’re valued members of the team. Acknowledging means letting them know they belong. And appreciating means letting them know the team just wouldn’t be the same without them. Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 18  Teambuilding Teamwork 3.3.1 Geese in Flight Geese fly in a V shape to protect members of the flock and to conserve energy. As the bird in front travels forward, it leaves a gap behind it called a vortex. This means that its following teammates have less air resistance to fly against. When the leader gets tired, it moves to the back of the V and all the geese move up the formation so that each of them gets a turn at leading. The formation allows all the geese to keep an eye on each other. This care and the technique of flying means that a flock of geese can cover 70% more distance than a bird flying on its own. Because each bird maximizes its strength, it is also much harder for predators to single out any bird for attack. This ensures the survival of the flock. 3.4 Valuing Others We all need to feel important. When we are valued, we take pride in who we are and what we do. Warren Bennis, professor of business administration at the University of Southern California, describes his campus as “a dry, crack-infested part of LA”. But, he says, every morning is a delight because the grounds of the campus are so fresh and well-kept. He adds: “It makes a big difference to me. But I wonder if anyone has reminded the gardeners of the importance of their work.” Have you told someone in your team lately how much you value them? 3.5 Giving Feedback Strong teams are defined by the amount of interaction there is between team members. When interaction is low, so is team morale. One essential type of interaction in strong teams is feedback. It can take 3 forms: Is your recruitment website still missing a piece? Bookboon can optimize your current traffic. By Please click the advert offering our free eBooks in your look and feel, we build a qualitative database of potential candidates. Contact us to hear more [email protected] Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 19 Teambuilding Teamwork a) positive feedback given by anyone in the team to someone else when they do something that benefits the whole team b) constructive feedback given by anyone in the team to help someone else in the team perform better c) requested feedback from anyone in the team when they want someone to help them with their performance. When there is a constant exchange of these kinds of feedback, given skillfully without criticism and rancour, the team cannot help but grow and develop. 3.6 Building on Others When management consultant Peter Honey explored the differences between teams and groups, he found that one of the key differences was that teams pick up on each others’ ideas and build, whereas groups don’t. This feature is also known as convergent listening. Team members are intently interested in what others have to say. Rather than let it go by without comment, they take something from it and develop it into something worthwhile. 3.6.1 Convergent Thinking In a discussion in which divergent listening predominates, people’s views go off into space and are lost forever. In convergent listening, the team captures everything that is said. They look for and find connections and links between what one person says, what another has said, what has gone before and what might come after. This is because they spend more time listening to others than they do to themselves. Instead of pushing their own viewpoint, as happens in divergent listening, they seek to add to what others say, link it to other viewpoints and so build on it. “That’s an interesting idea, Ann; it ties in with what Jimmy was just saying. It doesn’t go as far as Ron’s point. Maybe we should hear if anyone else can bridge the gap...” 3.7 Taking Risks The team’s unique capacity for support comes to the fore when the team takes risks and navigates its way through change. Risks and change occur in the natural development of teams but are also an unavoidable feature of the modern world of work. Teams can support each other when changes are imposed from outside. The strength of a good team also means that when change is undertaken from within the team, the burden of risk is shared if it all goes wrong. Teams allow us to take greater and bigger risks than we could afford to take alone. 3.8 A Friendly Climate A friendly climate is the result of team morale. Morale is a state of mind that radiates confidence in people. It happens by itself when everyone feels sure of their place in the team. Nobody is anxious to prove themselves to anyone else. Nobody shows off. Nobody seeks to be better than anyone else. When this happens, individual egos disappear, and team spirit emerges. Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 20 Teambuilding Teamwork 3.8.1 Spoonfeeding A rabbi spoke with God about heaven and hell. “I will show you hell,” God said, and they went into a room which had a large pot of stew in the middle. The smell was delicious, but around the pot sat people who were famished and desperate. All were holding spoons with very long handles which reached to the pot, but, because the handles were longer than their arms, it was impossible to get the stew back into their mouths. “Now I will show you heaven,” God said, and they went into an identical room. There was a similar pot of stew, the smell was delicious, and the people had identical spoons, but they were well-nourished and happy. The rabbi looked puzzled. “It’s simple,” God said. “You see, the people here have learned to feed one another.” This isn’t Utopia. It’s reality in workplaces throughout the world. But it does have to be worked for and it does require commitment from everyone in the team. Whether you’re a team member or team leader, the results are worth that commitment. 3.9 Key Points Acts of teamwork are the daily habits that encourage the team to work together and rely on each other. 1. The team’s goal should be simply stated and meaningful. 2. tEambuilders re-state the team’s goal at every available opportunity and in every possible way. 3. Strong teams have a positive direction and self-belief. 4. Teams should share not just goals and visions, but also setbacks and failures. 5. Acknowledging, appreciating and accepting each other are the cornerstones of daily acts of teamwork. Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 21  Teambuilding Team Cohesion 4 Team Cohesion A cohesive team is one which has strong ties of teamwork. In a cohesive team, people have a sense of a common purpose, common aims and goals, and a common way of working together. There are a number of key variables that determine how cohesive a team is likely to be. If you pay attention to these, you will develop a strong, self-supporting team. Turning a challenge into a learning curve. Just another day at the office for a high performer. Accenture Boot Camp – your toughest test yet Choose Accenture for a career where the variety of opportunities and challenges allows you to make a Please click the advert difference every day. A place where you can develop your potential and grow professionally, working alongside talented colleagues. The only place where you can learn from our unrivalled experience, while helping our global clients achieve high performance. If this is your idea of a typical working day, then Accenture is the place to be. It all starts at Boot Camp. It’s 48 hours packed with intellectual challenges and intense learning experience. that will stimulate your mind and and activities designed to let you It could be your toughest test yet, enhance your career prospects. You’ll discover what it really means to be a which is exactly what will make it spend time with other students, top high performer in business. We can’t your biggest opportunity. Accenture Consultants and special tell you everything about Boot Camp, guests. An inspirational two days but expect a fast-paced, exhilarating Find out more and apply online. Visit accenture.com/bootcamp Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 22 Teambuilding Team Cohesion 4.1 Team Type There are three different types of workplace team, each with varying ways in which they bring members together: 1. Formal teams are likely to use rules, procedures and systems to formalise team contact. The objective or end result may not always be clear in a formal team. 2. Ad-hoc teams, such as matrix teams working on projects, are likely to use the special purpose for which they exist as a way of bringing the team together. There is a unity of purpose. 3. Informal teams are the network of friends, colleagues, mentors and role models whom we may only loosely regard as a team. The informal team is likely to have you at the centre of a web of relationships; the members of this team do not have any contact with each other, except via you. 4.2 Team Size There is no definitive view about the ideal size of a workplace team. Lyndall Urwick believed that 6 was the most a supervisor should be responsible for. Meredith Belbin argued that, to encompass all the necessary team roles, it should be 8 or The Japanese, in line with their group-oriented culture, believe a team leader should be able to handle any number between 30 and 10When teams become too large, they become more difficult to manage, less united in purpose and less flexible in their ability to change. 4.2.1 Cyrus’s Army The Romans, Incas and Persians all believed 5 to be the ideal number for a team. According to the Greek writer Xenophon (430-355 BC), this was how the Persian general Cyrus divided up his army: 5 men in a squad under the leadership of a corporal 2 squads in a sergeant’s squad under a sergeant 5 sergeants’ squads in a platoon under a lieutenant 2 platoons in a company under a captain 10 companies in a regiment under a colonel 10 regiments in a brigade under a general. In this way, no individual leader had more than 10 people directly under them even though a brigade was composed of 10,000 men. 4.3 Team Structure A team is likely to be more cohesive when its structure favours close contact. Eric Sundstrom’s research in the 1960’s found that, if the structure of a team allows for close working, as, for example, it does in a physically-close group, or one working on a large piece of work, then it produces better work than if the structure is loose and there is less contact. Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 23 Teambuilding Team Cohesion 4.3 Tall Structures Flat structures are team structures in which there is little hierarchical distance between the team leaders and the team. Teams are likely to be more close-knit in such structures than in tall structures. Tall structures are team structures in which there are many layers throughout the team hierarchy. In the one-time structure of the Devon and Cornwall police force, there were nine levels from top to bottom, comprising: 2154 constables 455 sergeants 135 inspectors 47 chief inspectors 37 superintendents 12 chief superintendents 3 assistant chief constables 1 deputy chief constable 1 chief constable 4.5 Team Affinity Teams whose members like one another are likely to be more cohesive than those where there is personal disliking, ignorance of others or indifference. Affinity is aided by a number of factors including shared interests in the group, democratic styles of leadership and training together in the early days. In Japan, for example, it is standard practice to start all new recruits at the same time so that they can build an affinity with each other that lasts for years to come. 4.5.1 Emotional Interdependency The one thing missing from a group as opposed to a team is any form of emotion or need to rely on each other. In a group, you may like the other people but it is not necessary. The result is that, in a group, experiences are repetitive and functional; whereas in a team you go on a journey. “You should live the journey. You should live it right. You should live it together. You should live it shared. You should try to make one another better. You should get onto one another if somebody’s not doing their fair share. You should hug one another when they are. You should be disappointed in a loss and exhilarated in a win. It’s all about the journey.” (Mike Krzyzewski, coach of the Blue Devils basketball team) 4.6 Team Make-Up Teams whose members have something in common are more cohesive than those where people have little in common. The common bond could be age, gender, status, experience, outside interests, qualifications, education, and ambitions. A study of 31 top 500 Fortune companies in the United States found that there was a higher level of turnover when management teams had a high variation in age, service and tenure. Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 24  Teambuilding Team Cohesion 4.6.1 Lucy to Linus This is taken from a Peanuts cartoon written by Charles Shulz. Lucy to Linus (who is contentedly watching a TV show): “Change the channel!” Linus: “Do what?” Lucy: “CHANGE THE CHANNEL!!” Linus: “What makes you think I should respond just like that?” Lucy: (showing her hand) “You see this? These are just 5 little weak fingers. But when they are rolled together into something called a fist, they become a weapon that is formidable to behold.” Linus: (after contemplating Lucy’s fist, changing the channel and then looking at his own fingers) “Why can’t you guys get organized like that?” 4.7 Team Conformity While a cohesive team encourages and celebrates the diversity and individuality of its members, it also expects strict conformity to the mission, vision and values of the team. The following is the Vision Statement of the Tar Heels women’s soccer team of the University of Carolina: “Let’s begin with this. We don’t whine. We work hard. The truly extraordinary is something we do every day. We choose to be positive. When we don’t play as much as we’d like, we are noble and still support the team and its mission. We don’t freak out over ridiculous issues or create crises where none should exist. We are well-led. We care about each other as team mates and as human beings. We play for each other. We want our lives to be never-ending ascensions.” The Wake the only emission we want to leave behind Please click the advert.QYURGGF'PIKPGU/GFKWOURGGF'PIKPGU6WTDQEJCTIGTU2TQRGNNGTU2TQRWNUKQP2CEMCIGU2TKOG5GTX 6JGFGUKIPQHGEQHTKGPFN[OCTKPGRQYGTCPFRTQRWNUKQPUQNWVKQPUKUETWEKCNHQT/#0&KGUGN6WTDQ 2QYGTEQORGVGPEKGUCTGQHHGTGFYKVJVJGYQTNFoUNCTIGUVGPIKPGRTQITCOOGsJCXKPIQWVRWVUURCPPKPI HTQOVQM9RGTGPIKPG)GVWRHTQPV (KPFQWVOQTGCVYYYOCPFKGUGNVWTDQEQO Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 25 Teambuilding Team Cohesion 4.8 Team Interaction Interaction is the glue that keeps good teams together. In cohesive teams, people are constantly talking to each other. This happens formally and informally; it includes both trivia and important matters; it is about both work and personal concerns; it involves both give and take; it happens when news is both good and bad; it arises out of concern for others; and it takes place both on a one-to-one and group level. The commitment to ongoing, positive, and other-related interaction is what turns each member of a cohesive team into a team leader. Cohesive teams are those which have a distinct identity built around commonly-agreed values, aims, and ways of working. They see themselves as a united whole, can work with and for one another and are strong enough to deal with internal and external threats and grow. 4.9 Key Points 1. A cohesive team is one with strong ties of teamwork. 2. A team should never become so big as to lose its flexibility to respond to change. 3. Teams are more cohesive when people are in daily contact. 4. Tall team structures with many layers and levels are likely to lead to less cohesive teamwork. 5. Teams whose members like one another are likely to be more cohesive than those who do not. 6. Teams whose members have things in common are likely to work more closely than those that don’t. Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 26 Teambuilding Threats to Teamwork 5 Threats to Teamwork Individualism is the hidden threat to teamwork. At any time, the pull towards individualism may outweigh the pull towards teamwork and lead to the break-up of the team. Here are some of the most dangerous threats to teamwork. Learn what they are and, if you care for your team’s survival, act swiftly to slay them. 5.1 Individualism Teams survive and thrive on the individual contributions people make, but unless they are properly channelled into the overall needs of the team, individual effort can become individualism. Individualism means putting one’s own needs ahead of those of the team, even by using the team to advance oneself. In this way, the cohesion of the team can be seriously undermined. A good team allows all its members room to breath and space to grow and be themselves. 5.1.1 Tragedy on Mt Everest In the spring of 1996, dozens of climbers made their way to the top of the world’s tallest mountain, Mt Everest. Most of those on the climb were a mix of the wealthy and adventurous. But they were not teams. On the day they were meant to reach the summit, disaster struck. A blinding whiteout storm caught four groups at the top. 8 climbers died including those leading the groups and their guides. The incident illustrated what can go wrong when individualism comes before teamwork. Each climber was in it for their own pride and glory. There was no team training before the climb. No common bond or experiences. No plan, organization, or sharing. The group members hardly knew each other. As a result, when the leaders were killed, the rest didn’t know what to do. 5.2 Stars Stars are those people whose personal contribution in the team is greater than the rest. Stars exist in all sorts of teams. In teams of dogs pulling sledges across the Arctic, it was found that in the best teams, there was usually one dog that pulled up to 20% more than the rest. As long as stars stay team-focused, they can act as role models to others. When stars become self-focused, however, - what some have called the “prima donna syndrome” - they may use the team to promote themselves into higher positions. Research has shown that when stars receive favours, privileges and rewards not available to the rest of the team, overall team performance declines. 5.2.1 “Me First” Attitudes Here are 10 attitudes that come from the Kindergarten for under 5’s but can equally be applied to non-team players: 1. If I like it, it’s mine. 2. If it’s in my hand, it’s mine. 3. It I can take it from you, it’s mine. 4. If I had it a little while ago, its mine. 5. If it’s mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way. 6. If I’m doing or building something, all of the pieces are mine. Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 27  Teambuilding Threats to Teamwork 7. It it looks like mine, it’s mine. 8. If I saw it first, it’s mine. 9. If you’re playing with something and put it down, it automatically becomes mine. 10. If it’s broken and no use, it’s yours. 5.3 Passengers Passengers are those who use the team for a free ride. Latané found that when individual contributions cannot be assessed, some people believe they can free-ride. He found that for every new member of a tug-of-war team the rest pulled 10% less hard. Passengers can be carried by the team only for so long: in time the rest of the team will find them out. If passengers’ performance is not addressed, others may well follow their example and the team will disintegrate. 5.4 Gender Research into team performance indicates that there are differences in the way men and women view their teams. Men, for example, like clearly defined team roles; women are happier when they are less clear. Men find difficulty in asking for help from others in the team; women don’t. Men feel empowered by rows in the team; women feel diminished. Men enjoy pointing out their teammates’ mistakes; women don’t. 5.5 Culture Western culture has a tendency to promote individualism at the expense of teamwork. We believe in the concept of the self-made man or woman and often justify our personal success by arguing that, by helping ourselves first, we thereby help the rest of society. Brain power By 2020, wind could provide one-tenth of our planet’s electricity needs. Already today, SKF’s innovative know- how is crucial to running a large proportion of the world’s wind turbines. Up to 25 % of the generating costs relate to mainte- nance. These can be reduced dramatically thanks to our systems for on-line condition monitoring and automatic lubrication. We help make it more economical to create Please click the advert cleaner, cheaper energy out of thin air. By sharing our experience, expertise, and creativity, industries can boost performance beyond expectations. Therefore we need the best employees who can meet this challenge! The Power of Knowledge Engineering Plug into The Power of Knowledge Engineering. Visit us at www.skf.com/knowledge Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 28 Teambuilding Threats to Teamwork Other cultures, notably Japan, rate the importance of the team much more highly. This is reflected in how a typical Western office and a typical Japanese office are laid out: in a Japanese office, privacy is unknown, offices are laid out on the touching desk principle and everyone knows what is going on by contrast, the layout of a Western office tends to reflect status, length of service and the pecking order. As a result, the business needs a communication system for the team to speak to each other. 5.6 Cliques A clique is a group within a group, usually formed to pursue their own aims which may be at odds with those of the mother group. The word “clique” is thought to derive from the French word “claquer” meaning “to clap”. A claque was a specially-hired group of people who attended openings of plays and operas and, in return for money, clapped or jeered according to who was paying them. In his research into teams in 1986, Andrew Duchon found a high prevalence of inner and outer cliques, in teamwork. The inner circle, who were often female and senior team members, were more trusted by the team leader and so were given more to do with higher rewards as a result. The outer circle were given less to do and received only ordinary benefits. 5.7 Unresolved Conflict Conflict between people is inevitable when they work closely together. In strong, well-led teams, conflict can be the basis of win-win solutions which can benefit the team. When left unresolved, however, conflict can undermine the team’s morale. The following are signs of unresolved and unhealthy conflict: counter-dependency, in which authority is opposed or resisted domination or power struggling pairing-off and clique-forming blocking, such as timewasting, petty criticisms, pointing out snags, returning to old topics withdrawing from any team involvement, except the bare minimum. 5.8 Lack of Team Rewards It is often thought that the general conditions of the workplace, such as the facilities and amenities that everyone enjoys, are sufficient to act as team rewards. But they are not. People often take these for granted. If an organisation wants its teams to excel, it must therefore make team rewards as valuable to the individual as individual rewards. Team rewards can include acknowledging and praising examples of good teamwork; diverting resources to teams not individuals and giving teams more say. 5.8.1 The Lion and the Bull Aesop tells the following fable of the Lion and the Bull. Four bulls who were great friends always kept near one another and fed together. Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 29 Teambuilding Threats to Teamwork A lion had often watched them and wanted to kill them for his dinner but was afraid to attack all four at once. So he began by telling one of the bulls stories about the others to arouse jealousy and bad feeling among them. In time the bulls started to believe the stories and began to quarrel amongst themselves. Soon they no longer liked each other’s’ company; they separated and roamed alone. Then the artful lion was able to pick them off one by one and devour them for his dinner as he had planned. Moral: United we stand; divided, we fall. 5.9 The Route to Expulsion When a team member does not follow team norms, there is a dangerous unbalancing which is felt to threaten the whole team. John Hunt notes the following five steps that lead to expulsion, either officially or unofficially, from the team: Step 1: Initial tolerance Step 2: Attempts to correct Step 3: Verbal aggression Step 4: Physical aggression Step 5: Rejection When they carry out trials of husky dogs for expeditions across Antarctica, explorers eliminate two kinds of dog: the non-workers and the disruptives. Building great teams isn’t so much about finding some magic recipe that will turn an assorted group of people into a team. The desire to bond is a natural one in all human beings. The issue is: are you prepared to put teamwork before individual work? If you are, you will quickly slay the 7 dragons of individualism and create teams that are out of this world. 5.10 Key Points 1. A strong team recognises the individuality of its team members. 2. Individualism begins the moment the team member puts themselves before the team. 3. Conflict is healthy and productive in strong teams and unhealthy and destructive in weak teams. 4. Strong teams unite against outside threats. 5. Team rewards don’t have to be in monetary form. 6. Stars can motivate the team as well as destroy it. Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 30  Teambuilding Team Leaders 6 Team Leaders As observers of any successful sports team know, the effect of the team leader on the team is the deciding factor in how well the team performs. Unlike managers, leaders do more than just organise and plan and check that work is carried out. They inspire the team at an emotional level, push people to the limits of what they are capable of and create a team that has a reality on an almost spiritual plane. 6.1 Team Leaders Team leaders have 3 functions: a) a. to get the team to perform a given task to the satisfaction of the customer or stakeholder b) b. to allow for individuals to find job satisfaction and sufficient motivation to want to continue in the team c) c. to develop the team so that, with the same people and the same resources, a higher performance can be obtained. The triple concerns of Task, Team and Individuals mean that the team leader is constantly faced with dilemmas and paradoxes: should task come before the team or the other way round? Should the leader meet individuals one-to-one or only relate to the team as a group? Please click the advert Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 31 Teambuilding Team Leaders 6.2 The Task In order for the team leader to get the team to carry out the task efficiently and effectively, the team leader may: set clear overall task objectives, specific team goals and individual targets decide what resources the team needs and provide them establish suitable working conditions for carrying out the task agree a system of working which will produce the best results agree ongoing high standards of workmanship. 6.3 Task Orientation Some of the features of the task-oriented team leader may be to... rule with an iron fist focus on how much should be done ask for sacrifices for the good of the whole team see to it that people are working to their limits stress being ahead of competing work teams decide in detail what needs to be done emphasise deadlines emphasise quality of work. 6.4 The Team In their position of being either slightly outside the team or wholly outside it, team leaders are the best people to see the team objectively as a team. They are able to give the team its shape and reality, making the team more than just a collection of individuals. They can do this by: meeting with the team as a whole, involving the team in discussions and reaching team decisions making selections to the team based on what newcomers can add to the team removing from the team anyone who unbalances or disrupts the team sensing the team’s energy and making the necessary interventions to help it move forward fostering team spirit giving the team its unique identity. 6.5 Team Orientation Some of the features of the team-oriented leader may be to... work on building the team’s morale Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 32 Teambuilding Team Leaders back up his or her deputies express appreciation of good work be easy to understand help with personal problems treat the team as equals put people at ease get the approval of the team before making changes. 6.6 The Individual The route to all effective teamwork lies through managing the individuals in the team. Only through one-to-one contact and management can a team leader develop people who have the skills, motivation and inspiration to fulfil the task needs of the team and develop the team as a unit. The areas a team leader needs to address in managing the individuals in the team include: appointing newcomers to the team building up individual skills and realising personal potential through training, coaching, and mentoring getting to know individuals well enough to be able to make sensible adjustments to who does what in the team individual rewards, pay and conditions personal performance appraisal dealing with individual performance problems through counselling and discipline. 6.7 Sacrifices It is an acknowledged principle of leadership that team comes before self, even if it means sacrificing personal glory. Nowhere is this more true than on the sports field where the captain or team leader may sometimes have to ask an individual to put the team first. John Adair quotes Mike Brearley, former England cricket captain, who was regularly called upon to ask his team to put aside personal glory for the sake of the team: “Cricket is a team game but as such it is unusual in being made up of intensely personal duels. Personal interest may conflict with the team. You may feel exhausted and yet have to bowl; you may be required to sacrifice your wicket going for quick runs. It is the captain’s job to coax the happy blend of self-interest and team interest from his players.” 6.8 Balance In a major study of 62 top UK companies, all in the upper quartile of their sectors, the Department of Trade and Industry’s Innovation Unit looked at the characteristics that created successful teamwork. They discovered that, despite the differences in the companies, - some had as few as 28 employees, others had 60,000, - all Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 33  Teambuilding Team Leaders the successful companies gave out a buzz the minute you walked through the door. What the researchers discovered was a balance between seemingly contradictory opposites: a demanding yet blame-free culture; a structured yet flexible system; empowered yet controlled people. These opposites created balance, a creative tension and forward motion. “Teamwork is like riding a bicycle. You can only move forward if you stay in balance.” 6.9 Leadership Style The three concerns of team leaders for task, team and individuals creates three basic leadership styles: task concerns lead to a directive style, in which instructions, deadlines, and quality of output are emphasised team concerns lead to a consultative style, in which the team are involved in decisions which concern them individual concerns lead to a delegated style, in which the leader will manage the team through devolving tasks and responsibilities to individuals in the team. 360° In his studies of team leadership, Rensis Likert found that productivity and team satisfaction can vary widely according. to the leader’s style. Likert acknowledged that there is no one right style; effective team leadership means using the most thinking suitable style for the needs of the team. The team leader’s concern for balancing task, team and individuals may be likened to the human functions of hand, heart and head. The hand is the technical role, the heart is the emotive role, and the head is the managerial role. When hand, heart and head are all properly cared for, not only is there a whole, but also a healthy balance. 360° thinking. 360°. Please click the advert thinking Discover the truth at www.deloitte.ca/careers D © Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities. Discover the truth at www.deloitte.ca/careers © Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities. Download free ebooks at bookboon.com © Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities. Discover the truth34at www.deloitte.ca/careers © Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities. Teambuilding Team Leaders 6.10 Key Points 1. Managing and leading teams are different but complementary functions. 2. Team leaders need to constantly balance the competing demands of the team’s needs. 3. When the team comes first, it is the team leader who must persuade individuals to give up their own interests. 4. The different needs of the team create different leadership styles in the leader. 5. A team leader may know intuitively what style to use with the team or may use the one he or she is comfortable with. 6. According to research, the best team leaders are those who vary their style to suit the particular make-up of the team and their stage of development. Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 35 Teambuilding Team Roles 7 Team Roles Why is it that some groups of people perform at a phenomenal level and are always on the winner’s stand, while other groups always struggle to make it? The answer lies in how people perform their team roles. When you allocate the right team role to the right team player, and ensure that your players are flexible enough to cover all the roles that the team needs, then winning becomes inevitable. Here are the 9 key team roles that all successful teams need. 7.1 The Co-ordinator Research has shown that all great teams need someone whose main job is to co-ordinate all the team’s activities. This person may or may not be the official team leader. They are like the team’s compass, a quiet point in the middle of activity. People gravitate towards the co-ordinator to get their bearings and re-fuel. 7.2 The Go-fer The team “go-fer” is the person who happily “goes for this” and “goes for that”. He or she is perfectly happy to do all the nitty-gritty jobs that nobody else wants to do and without which things would soon break down. Always highly energetic, the Go-fer doesn’t mind what they have to do. They even enjoy botched jobs just for the pleasure of re-doing them! 7.3 The Relater If you don’t have a Relater on your team, team life quickly becomes cold and formal. The team Relater is the team’s people person. They want everyone in the team to enjoy themselves. With a sixth sense that tells them when someone is not happy, one of their natural gifts is acting as the team matchmaker as they instinctively know who will work well with whom. Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 36  Teambuilding Team Roles 7.4 The Maverick The Maverick is not a natural team player but is still essential to the good health of the team. That’s because the Maverick is the person who is not afraid to swim against the tide. He or she doesn’t care if they are in a minority of one even when everyone else takes a different stand from them. Such a role is an invaluable defence against groupthink, the tendency of the team to think as one. 7.5 The Observer The Observer is the team’s eyes and ears. They see the big picture, know what’s going on, and can foresee problems before they arise. Often team Observers are gatekeepers, possibly receptionists, secretaries, or security personnel. They not only know the official version of events, but the unofficial as well. 7.6 The Checker Checkers are people who like things to be done in an orderly fashion. When others in the team run away with ideas, the Checker will always call them back to cross the I’s and dot the T’s. By nature cautious and suspicious, Checkers always search for the safest route for the team to travel. 7.7 The Moralist Those who fill the “moral” role in teams provide the team with its rules and standards, its musts and shoulds. They are the standard bearers for the right way for the team to proceed. They hate it when others break the rules and insist that the team should act according to plan including a high standard of performance. Increase your impact with MSM Executive Education Please click the advert For almost 60 years Maastricht School of Management has been enhancing the management capacity of professionals and organizations around the world through state-of-the-art management education. Our broad range of Open Enrollment Executive Programs offers you a unique interactive, stimulating and multicultural learning experience. Be prepared for tomorrow’s management challenges and apply today. For more information, visit www.msm.nl or contact us at +31 43 38 70 808 or via [email protected] the globally networked management school For more information, visit www.msm.nl or contact us at +31 43 38 70 808 or via [email protected] Executive Education-170x115-B2.indd 1 Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 18-08-11 15:13 37 Teambuilding Team Roles 7.8 The Winner Winners are the team’s stars. They have an instinct for promoting the team and themselves. When others on the team feel down, Winners gee them up. And when the team face tough assignments, they either put themselves forward as the team’s champion or rally the team to motivate themselves to new heights. 7.9 The Leader The Leader role is not always filled by the official team leader. The Leader is a leader by personality and nature. He or she is often the most dominant person in the group and invariably the most confident and most fearless. They can get others to do anything for them which is why official team leaders need these people on their side and not against them. 7.10 Role Fit The following account of a fictitious team meeting shows how each of the team roles fits in with each other. Christopher (co-ordinator): We need some ideas on where the new computers are to go. It’s been suggested that one stays with Angela and the rest go in the main office. Any thoughts? Richard (leader): I’m strongly against that. Leaving them in the main office is against the whole point of the system. It’s just not fair! Alan (relater): Steady on. Nothing’s been agreed yet. When I spoke to Angela, she didn’t see the need to have one but everyone else I’ve heard thinks she should. Why don’t we talk to the specialists? Ann (go-fer): I can do that this afternoon, if you like. They’ve got this new programme that’s amazing and could be just right for us... Sharon (checker): Hang on, Ann. We don’t have any money for extra programmes. We’d need to check it out with Angela first. Christopher...so it’s back to where to put the terminals. Sue, what do you think? Sue (moralist): The best locations are Mike, Angela and Sharon’s desks. If you think about it, they’re the ones that really will use them most. That’s the right thing to do. Mike (maverick): I’ve an even better idea. Why don’t we convert them into network laptops. Then we can all use them whenever we want. Maureen (observer): I can see what you’re saying, but I know for certain Angela wouldn’t wear that. I know Bill suggested the same idea