Teamwork Handbook PDF

PART 1. INTRODUCTION The purpose of this handbook is to equip you with tools that can help your team work productively and successfully. These techniques will help your team organize information, organize and run effective meetings, and generate useful member contributions. Objectives for You After...

PART 1. INTRODUCTION The purpose of this handbook is to equip you with tools that can help your team work productively and successfully. These techniques will help your team organize information, organize and run effective meetings, and generate useful member contributions. Objectives for You After you read and start using this handbook in your team work, you will be able to: ! Recognize different team player styles and what each contributes to the team. ! Organize a new team with clear ground rules, roles, and responsibilities. ! Organize and run effective team meetings that stay on track. ! Practice project and time planning. ! Follow the Seven Steps of Problem-Solving. ! Apply more qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques solving problems. ! Know when and how to use the appropriate organizational and analysis tools. Teaming Handbook Page 4 WHY SHOULD I LEARN TO TEAM? FACTS: " 81% of Fortune 500 companies are building at least partially teambased organizations, and at least 77% use temporary project teams to perform core work. Lawler, Mohrman, & Benson, 2001. " In 2006, Fortune Magazine devoted an entire issue to teams June 12, 2006. It is clear from the media and research that a growing number of companies are organizing their work around teams. But why? And what does it mean to me? An increasing number of companies are using business teams to respond quickly to changing conditions in an environment of intense global competition and increasing complexity. Changing an organization to compete in a highly volatile business environment usually requires multiple and continuous innovations. Achieving flexibility and innovations requires reorganizing into your work units to improve information flow, optimize synergies, and streamline work. Teaming Handbook Page 5 This is what traditional organizations have looked like – and this is what they are becoming. In the traditionally organized organization, Cole has defined work responsibilities and receives his work instructions from his supervisor. He performs his work duties individually for the most part, and he alone is accountable for his work performance. In the networked organization, Cole’s successful performance depends on his interactions with many of his coworkers. He is a member of a work team expected to achieve excellence by optimizing the value and use of all members’ diverse skills and experiences. Therefore, Cole is both individually and jointly accountable for the team’s work product. Companies are actively recruiting graduates who can work in this type of collaborative environment – people who can work well with others, share responsibility, and get the job done efficiently! Teaming Handbook Page 6 How prepared are you? Do you have the interpersonal skills to work productively on a team? Have you mastered the organizational skills to keep the team on track? Are you confident that you can manage a successful project? Working in student teams gives you the opportunity to acquire and practice the collaborative skills that are essential to your future success. Teaming Handbook Page 7 “Teamwork is an individual skill.” AVERY 2001 Becoming skilled at doing more with others may be the single most important thing you can do to increase your value--regardless of your level of authority. Useem, 2006 Which of the following statements are true? 1. “Since teamwork is a group experience, individuals can’t be responsible for the quality of their team efforts.” 2. “Getting in a good team is mostly a matter of luck.” 3. “If you are in a poorly functioning team, and you are not in charge, there is little you can do but grin and bear it.” If you answered “True” to any of these statements, then chances are that you have had unfavorable team experiences. Past experiences influence how people react when placed on a new team. You learn how to “act” and “interact” through past experiences. The “truth” is that these three statements above are all myths!myths that many people believe in because they confirm their own prior experiences with teams. Teaming Handbook Page 8 The reality is that positive team experiences come from: 1. Using your individual personal abilities to enhance the entire team’s effectiveness. 2. Knowing that being on a good team isn’t random. Rather, it is a function of one’s relationship behavior and what you and others do. 3. Taking personal responsibility for the quality of relationships and team outcomes. This handbook on teamwork is specifically designed to help you learn to use teamwork tools that will give you the collaborative skills you will need to succeed in your career. -----The methods and tools included in this book are those taught by corporate trainers and most commonly used across organizations. Teaming Handbook Page 9 PART 2. TEAMING BASICS Having a basic understanding of how teams work gives members a common way of thinking about teams. It also helps set shared performance expectations and promotes understanding and trust among team members. This section examines four important characteristics of teams: Stages of Team Development Team Players Teamwork Mental Models Teamwork Skills Teaming Handbook Page 10 STAGES OF TEAM DEVELOPMENT Teams Go Through Almost as certain as the sun rises in the east and sets in Multiple Stages of the west, all teams go through stages as they develop. Development What does vary is how long each stage takes. There are four stages of team development, and all teams lie somewhere along that continuum: Forming, Storming, Teamwork Skills Norming and Performing. Help Teams Progress Through Stages Some teams never progress past the second stage, while other teams zip right through to the final stage. Key Points: ! Team members should talk about their current stage. ! All teams go through rough patches at first. PERFORMING NORMING STORMING FORMING Teaming Handbook Page 11 Stage 1: FORMING* This stage is characterized by introductions and Characteristics socializing activities. In some teams, members may be somewhat tentative and may not fully understand the purpose of the team. But in others, they may get right down to identifying what each member can contribute to meeting the objective and planning an agenda. COMMON FEELINGS # Excitement, anticipation, and optimism # Pride in being chosen for the project # Initial, tentative attachment to the team # Suspicion, fear, and anxiety about the job ahead COMMON BEHAVIORS # Attempts to define the mission and decide how it will be accomplished # Attempts to determine acceptable team behavior and how to resolve problems within the team # Discussion of symptoms or problems not relevant to the task; difficulty in identifying relevant problems # Complaints about the organization and barriers to the task RECOMMENDATIONS: ! Discuss team expectations. ! Useful Organizational Tools: Establish Ground Rules (pg 40) Define Team Roles and Responsibilities (pg 37) * Stage descriptions are adapted from Working Together Reference Manual from Rubbermaid, Inc. Teaming Handbook Page 12 Stage 2: STORMING This stage is characterized by individual assertiveness, Characteristics hidden agendas, conflict, and discomfort. Significant role negotiation is the undercurrent. This stage provides a foundation for effective interaction in the next stages. Cliques may form, and a struggle for leadership may take place. Individual members may be dissatisfied with the team’s performance at this stage and may reflect that feeling with derogatory comments about the team. COMMON FEELINGS # Resistance to the mission and to approaches different from those used by each individual member. # Sharp fluctuations in attitude about the team and the project’s chance of success. COMMON BEHAVIORS # Arguing among members even when they agree on the real issue # Defensiveness and competition; factions and “choosing sides” # Establishing unrealistic goals # Expressing concern about excessive work RECOMMENDATION: ! Communicate! Make sure everyone stays in the loop. ! Useful Organizational Tools: Meeting Agendas and Summaries (pg 42 & 45) Project Planning Tools (pg 47) Teaming Handbook Page 13 Stage 3: NORMING The team begins to refocus on their task or objective and Characteristics to develop a team spirit. Leadership may be shared among group members. Problems are addressed as mutual rather than individual. Real progress toward the team’s objective is made. COMMON FEELINGS COMMON BEHAVIORS # A new ability to express criticism constructively # # Acceptance of membership to the team # More friendliness, confiding in each other, and sharing of personal problems; discussion of the team’s dynamics # Relief that it seems everything is going to work out. Attempts to achieve harmony by avoiding conflict # A sense of team cohesion, a common spirit and goals # Establishing and maintain team methods and boundaries (ground rules). RECOMMENDATION: ! Continue using Organizational Tools. ! Follow the Steps of Problem Solving (pg 53). ! Use Appropriate Analysis Tools. Teaming Handbook Page 14 Stage 4: PERFORMING Members feel high morale within the team, loyalty to the Characteristics team, and an identity that may be represented by a logo or name. Members may participate equally. COMMON FEELINGS # Insights into personal and group processes; better understanding of each other’s strengths and weaknesses # Satisfaction at the team’s progress COMMON BEHAVIORS # Ability to prevent or work through team problems # Close attachment to the team # Constructive disagreement used to resolve conflicting issues and ideas RECOMMENDATION: ! Continue using Organizational Tools. ! Follow the Steps of Problem Solving (pg 53). ! Use Appropriate Analysis Tools. Teaming Handbook Page 15 TEAM PLAYERS Every team member has a natural team-player style. All of these styles are important ingredients of successful teams. Contributor This member gets the team to focus on the immediate task. Collaborator This team player emphasizes the overall purpose of the team. Communicator This member encourages positive interpersonal relations and group processes. Challenger This style asks the tough questions and pushes the team to take reasonable risks. It is important for a team to understand the team player styles of its members. This helps to highlight both strengths and weaknesses. And if a player style is missing, then the team can talk about how to fill this gap. Which team player style are you? Teaming Handbook Page 16 Team Player Questionnaire** Purpose The Team-Player Questionnaire will help you identify your style as a team player. The results will lead you to an assessment of your current strengths and provide a basis for a plan to increase your effectiveness as a team player. Teams may use this questionnaire to develop a profile of team strengths and to discuss strategies for increasing team effectiveness. Directions First, this is a questionnaire, and, therefore, there are no right or wrong responses. Please answer each item according to how you honestly feel you function now as a team member rather than how you used to be or how you would like to be. You will be asked to complete eighteen sentences. Each sentence has four possible endings. Please rank the endings in the order in which you feel each one applies to you. Place the number 4 next to the ending which is most applicable to you and continue down to a 1 next to the ending which is least applicable to you. For example: As a team member, I am usually most concerned about: _3__ a. meeting high ethical standards. _4__ b. reaching our goals. _2__ c. meeting my individual responsibilities. _1__ d. how well we are working together as a group. Please do not make ties or use 4, 3, 2, or 1 more than once. It is possible that some of the sentences will have two or more endings that apply to you or will have none that applies to you, but you should assume these are your only choices and rank them accordingly. Each set of endings must be ranked 4, 3, 2, and 1. ** This questionnaire was developed by Glenn Parker and is found in the following book: Parker, G. M. 1996. Team Players and Teamwork. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Teaming Handbook Page 17 TEAM PLAYER QUESTIONNAIRE 1. During team meetings, I usually: ____ a. provide the team with technical data or information. ____ b. keep the team focused on our mission or goal. ____ c. make sure everyone is involved in the discussion. ____ d. raise questions about our goals or methods. 2. In relating to the team leader, I: ____ a. suggest that our work be goal directed. ____ b. try to help him or her build a positive team climate. ____ c. am willing to disagree with him or her when necessary. ____ d. offer advice based upon my area of expertise. 3. Under stress, I sometimes: ____ a. overuse humor and other tension-reducing devices. ____ b. am too direct in communicating with other team members. ____ c. lose patience with the need to get involved in discussions. ____ d. complain to outsiders about problems facing the team. 4. When conflicts arise on the team, I usually: ____ a. press for an honest discussion of the differences. ____ b. provide reasons why one side or the other is correct. ____ c. see the differences as a basis for a possible change in team direction. ____ d. try to break the tension with a supportive or humorous remark. 5. Other team members usually see me as: ____ a. factual. ____ b. flexible. ____ c. encouraging. ____ d. candid. 6. At times, I am: ____ a. too results oriented. ____ b. too laid-back. ____ c. self-righteous. ____ d. shortsighted. 7. When things go wrong on the team, I usually: ____ a. push for increased emphasis on listening, feedback, and participation. ____ b. press for a candid discussion of our problems. ____ c. work hard to provide more and better information. ____ d. suggest that we revisit out basic mission. Teaming Handbook Page 18 8. A risky team contribution for me is to: ____ a. question some aspect of the team’s work. ____ b. push the team to set higher performance standards. ____ c. work outside my defined role or job area. ____ d. provide other team members with feedback on their behavior as team members. 9. Sometimes other team members see me as: ____ a. a perfectionist. ____ b. unwilling to reassess the team’s mission or goals. ____ c. not serious about getting the real job done. ____ d. a nitpicker. 10. I believe team problem solving requires: ____ a. cooperation by all team members. ____ b. high-level listening skills. ____ c. a willingness to ask tough questions. ____ d. good solid data. 11. When a new team is forming, I usually: ____ a. try to meet and get to know other team members. ____ b. ask pointed questions about our goals and methods. ____ c. want to know what is expected of me. ____ d. seek clarity about our basic mission. 12. At times, I make other people feel: ____ a. dishonest because they are not able to be as confrontational as I am. ____ b. guilty because they don’t live up to my standards. ____ c. small-minded because they don’t think long-range. ____ d. heartless because they don’t care about how people relate to each other. 13. I believe the role of the team leader is to: ____ a. ensure the efficient solution of business problems. ____ b. help the team establish long-range goals and short-term objectives. ____ c. create a participatory decision-making climate. ____ d. bring out diverse ideas and challenge assumptions. 14. I believe team decisions should be based on: ____ a. the team’s mission and goals. ____ b. a consensus of team members. ____ c. an open and candid assessment of the issues. ____ d. the weight of the evidence. Teaming Handbook Page 19 15. Sometimes I: ____ a. see team climate as an end in itself. ____ b. play the devil’s advocate far too long. ____ c. fail to see the importance of effective team process. ____ d. overemphasize strategic issues and minimize short-term task accomplishments. 16. People have often described me as: ____ a. independent. ____ b. dependable. ____ c. imaginative. ____ d. participative. 17. Most of the time, I am: ____ a. responsible and hardworking. ____ b. committed and flexible. ____ c. enthusiastic and humorous. ____ d. honest and authentic. 18. In relating to other team members, at times I get annoyed because they don’t: ____ a. revisit team goals or check progress. ____ b. see the importance of working well together. ____ c. object to team action with which they disagree. ____ d. complete their team assignments on time. Teaming Handbook Page 20 TEAM-PLAYER QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS Directions: 1. Please transfer your answers from the questionnaire to this page. 2. Be careful when recording the numbers because the order of letters changes for each question. For example, in question #1, the order is a, b, c, d, but in question #2, the order is d, a, b, c. 3. The totals for the four styles must equal 180. Question 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Contributor a. d. c. b. a. d. c. b. a. d. c. b. a. d. c. b. a. d. TOTALS _____ Collaborator b. a. d. c. b. a. d. c. b. a. d. c. b. a. d. c. b. a. + _____ Communicator c. b. a. d. c. b. a. d. c. b. a. d. c. b. a. d. c. b. + _____ + Challenger d. c. b. a. d. c. b. a. d. c. b. a. d. c. b. a. d. c. _____ = 180 The highest number designates your primary team-player style. If your highest numbers are the same or within three points of each other, consider them both as your primary style. The lowest total indicates your least active team-player style. Your primary team-player style defines a set of behaviors that you use most often as a member of a team. It does not mean that it is the only style you use. All of us have the capacity to use any one of the four styles. We simply use one style!our primary style!most often. Teaming Handbook Page 21 Are you a Contributor? Enjoys providing good technical information and data. Pushes for high performance standards. Helps the team use its time and resources. Freely shares all relevant information with the team. Dependable Responsible Organized Efficient Pragmatic Clear Teaming Handbook Systematic Page 22 Are you a Collaborator? Helps the team establish goals and clarify tasks. Sees the “Big Picture.” Reminds the team to stay on track and focused on the target. Pitches in to help out other team members when needed. Flexible and open to new ideas. Imaginative Confident Cooperative Flexible Visionary Forward-looking Accommodating Teaming Handbook Page 23 Are you a Communicator? Emphasizes team process. Believes in an interpersonal “glue”. Listens well and periodically summarizes discussion. Encourages everyone to participate. Helps team members relax and have fun. Relaxed Encouraging Tactful Supportive Considerate Friendly Teaming Handbook Helpful Page 24 Are you a Challenger? Questions goals and methods. Willing to disagree with the leader. Encourages the team to take well-conceived risks. Honest about progress and problems. Asks “why?” and ‘how?” and other relevant questions. Candid Brave Adventurous Questioning Principled Outspoken Teaming Handbook Honest Page 25 Styles Working Together You probably discovered you have a primary and a secondary team player style. These are the styles you usually use when on a team. You may have scored closely on more than one player style. You might have even scored closely on all four styles. That is okay! This just means that you are versatile and will tend to draw on the personality traits as needed. The GOAL is to have a good mix of team player styles on the team. All FOUR styles are needed to have a really great team. -----EVERYONE has valuable skills to bring to the table! Teaming Handbook Page 26 Too much of a good thing . . . Teams with members who have similar styles may sometimes have trouble reaching their goals. If a team has only . . . . . . contributors, it may be data-bound, shortsighted, perfectionist, and may have trouble completing the whole task. . . . collaborators, it tends to become overcommitted, too global, and overly ambitious, and it does not know when to stop. . . . communicators, it focuses on the team processes and may set these as an end in itself, with the project goals taking second place. . . . challengers, it spends a great deal of time in non-constructive conflict, constantly questioning the goals and mission, and finds it difficult to complete the project tasks. Teaming Handbook Page 27 What if the team doesn’t have an even mix? What if the team is missing a style? HINT: TALK about the team’s strengths and limitations! ! What qualities and skills is the team missing? ! How can the team adjust? Recognizing and talking about weaknesses can be your team’s BIGGEST strength! Teaming Handbook Page 28 TEAMWORK MENTAL MODELS A “teamwork mental model” is an individual member’s understanding about what is needed for a team to be successful. Each team member comes to a team with a pre-determined model (or picture) of how teams work that is influenced by prior experiences. Team members come to the first team meeting with The Sooner You Develop Good Teamwork Skills, the Better Your College Team Experience Will Be different mental models of team processes. When members have similar team-related knowledge of processes, then they are better able to coordinate their work and achieve higher performance. They can anticipate the actions and information needs of their teammates. Your experiences with teams contribute to the the teamwork mental model that you will take with you to your first job. -----Positive experiences will generate a positive attitude and energy as you develop collaborations during your career. Teaming Handbook Page 29 TEAMWORK SKILLS Experienced team members develop two distinct but related sets of skills: Interpersonal Skills Meeting Management Skills Interpersonal skills involve the ability to interact in a positive and effective manner with other team members. Effective Communication and Collaborative DecisionMaking are two important interpersonal skills. They enable a team member to communicate openly and supportively. Four Guidelines for Effective Communication 1. Focus on the behavior or problem, not on the person. People become defensive when criticized personally. Keep the discussion focused on the task and the issues. 2. Make sure what you say and what you do are the giving the same message. In other words, keep your verbal and nonverbal language on the same page. This limits confusion. 3. Validate others’ contributions. Compliment team members on good ideas and suggestions. This makes them feel a part of the team and encourages future participation. 4. Make sure everyone has a chance to speak. Encourage team members to express opinions and share ideas. Don’t let specific team members dominate the conversation. Ideas are lost this way. Teaming Handbook Page 30 Collaborative Decision-Making Decisions made by multiple individuals who openly share data, Why do opinions, and experiences are almost always better, more companies use teams to solve innovative, longer lasting decisions that those made my a problems? single individual. It’s because of the diversity of experiences and opinions! Sometimes the process is harder because people see things differently. But if everyone thought the same way, then the decision would not be very innovative at all! Imagine what team members thought when someone said for the first time, “Let’s give free flights to people who fly frequently.” (Maginn 1994) Probably some people thought: “No one will buy this!” “We’ll lose money!” “What a crazy idea!” “We’ll get fired if we suggest this!” But as the team members began to talk about it, they began to see new possibilities. Now it doesn’t seem like such a crazy idea after all, does it? Teaming Handbook Page 31 Once upon a time . . . In his book, Shadows of the Neanderthal, David Hutchens tells the story of two cavemen who went outside the cave to see what the world was like. Each one went in a different direction, climbed a tall tower and looked out over the world he could see. Then each one came back to the cave to report what he had seen to the rest of the tribe. Caveman #1 said, “We must build spears so we can hunt for our food if we are to survive.” Caveman #2 screamed, “No! We must build tools so we can plant and grow our food. Only then can we survive.” What did each one see from each of their towers? This is what Caveman #1 saw: But this is what Caveman #2 saw from his tower. Who is right? Should the tribe build spears or hoes? The answer, of course, is that they are BOTH right! But they would have to listen to each other to understand why their viewpoints were different. Teaming Handbook Page 32 Compromise versus Consensus A compromise is one way of arriving at a decision that What is a everyone involved can accept. The benefit to compromising Compromise? is that it is expedient and allows the team to move on to the next task. In some situations, this is exactly what is needed. Synonyms for The problem with compromising is that the outcome doesn’t compromise: meet anyone’s expectations. Still, some people are happier Settlement with it than are others. As a result, not everyone is 100% Concession Arrangement committed to the solution, so not everyone will work towards implementing the decision. When decisions are determined by majority or authority, those who dissent lose their commitment. In a consensus, the various points of view of each member of the team are considered, discussed, compared, and What is a Consensus? discussed again until everyone sees all ”views from the tower.” They may not all agree, but it is important that their opinions are all heard. Synonyms for Why is building consensus important? consensus: The benefit to building consensus Agreement when making a decision is that Accord everyone buys into the solution. This Harmony means that all team members will work Union towards making that solution work. Teaming Handbook Page 33 Sometimes people in the minority may not feel comfortable jumping in and expressing their own opinion. How do you get them to offer their ideas and reasons? The key to consensus building is steering the discussion away from “right versus wrong” arguments. -----Instead, seek different opinions and . . . listen! “How can we change this proposal so it works for you?” Avery, 2001 Nominal Decision Making (pg 63) is one way of sorting all everyone’s opinions. When it looks like most people agree with one plan of action, you can check for consensus by asking team members which of the statements on the continuum below is closest to what they think (Avery 2001). Now, you can ask team members who don’t agree with one plan of action what their reservations are all about. Unqualified yes. Move forward. 1 2 I can live with the decision of the group. I think more work is needed before deciding. Move forward. Do not move forward. 3 4 5 6 The point of this exercise is to include those who disagree. Inclusion gives dissenters a voice, which is always better than no voice at all! Perfectly acceptable. I trust the group and will not block this decision, but I need to register my disagreement. I do not agree and feel the need to stand in the way of adopting this decision. Move forward. Move forward. Do not move forward. Teaming Handbook Page 34 Meeting Management Skills Meeting Management skills are critical for a team to achieve its goals. The ability to plan and run a productive meeting is one that is learned through practice and by using appropriate management tools. Mastering organizational and analysis tools will help your team to: ! Hold productive meetings that start and end on time. ! Come to meetings prepared with materials and information. ! Maintain good communication and records so everyone knows what the team is doing. ! Hold team members accountable for their assigned Text Text tasks. ! Share the workload evenly. ! Plan your project assignment. ! Organize information to make it useful. ! Gauge the team’s progress towards completing the assignment. AND . . . ! Have a GREAT team experience! Teaming Handbook CM178 Week 2A reading ends here Page 35