Successful Strategies for Teams PDF

Successful Strategies for Teams Team Member Handbook by Frances A. Kennedy, Ph.D. Associate Professor, School of Accountancy and Legal Studies with Linda B. Nilson, Ph.D. Director, Office of Teaching Effectiveness and Innovation Becoming skilled at doing more with others may be the single most impo...

Successful Strategies for Teams Team Member Handbook by Frances A. Kennedy, Ph.D. Associate Professor, School of Accountancy and Legal Studies with Linda B. Nilson, Ph.D. Director, Office of Teaching Effectiveness and Innovation 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, Fortune 2006 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Published!by!the!Office!of!Teaching!Effectiveness!and!Innovation!! Clemson!University! !! ©!Frances!A.!Kennedy,!2008! !! Teaming Handbook Page 2 Table of Contents PART 1: Introduction....................................................................... 4 Why Should I Learn to Team? PART 2: Teaming Basics.............................................................. 10 Stages of Development Team Players Teamwork Mental Models Teamwork Skills PART 3: Organizational Tools ...................................................... 36 PART 4: Problem-Solving Framework .......................................... 53 PART 5: Analysis Tools ................................................................ 58 PART 6: When Something Goes Wrong ...................................... 78 PART 7: References ..................................................................... 88 Whenever you see this box, you can find a template to help you with the tool! Download this Excel template at: www.clemson.edu/OT EI/Resources Teaming Handbook Page 3 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 Reading beyond this point is optional PART 3. ORGANIZATIONAL TOOLS Effective team meetings are perhaps the single most important ingredient in team success. While individuals contribute much, their meeting together as a synergistic team produces even more. A well-run meeting not only accomplishes its task goal but motivates and excites team members. A meeting that is not productive due to poor planning or conflict has just the opposite effect on team members. They lose confidence in their ability to succeed, and many choose to participate only minimally. In order for meetings to be productive, it is important to create and maintain a focus on both the team members and the task. Organizational tools help keep the team on task and elicit member participation. Teams should use some tools when first organizing: ! Establishing Roles and Responsibilities ! Establishing Ground Rules. Teams should use other tools at every meeting to maintain focus and effectiveness: ! Meeting Agenda ! Meeting Summary. Teams should use still other tools as needed to keep projects on track: ! Project Plan ! Gap Analysis ! Milestone Chart. The following sections explain these tools. Teaming Handbook Page 36 ESTABLISH ROLES Discussing Roles and Responsibilities Establishes Common Expectations It is important for every team member to actively participate in the teaming process. Only in this way can diverse skills and opinions contribute to the best outcome. At times, some team members come to meetings but don’t participate in discussions or volunteer for tasks. These are “passive” members who may want to contribute but need encouragement. Discussing team member roles in the first meeting helps to better define the manner in which all members can contribute and, therefore, become ”active” members. Teams should always determine three critical roles: facilitator (or leader), recorder, and participant. Facilitator: This role’s responsibility is to help the team organize its efforts, stay task-focused, and hear out all member contributions. The facilitator should not be taking notes but should be free to focus on guiding the team through a productive discussion and task completion. Recorder: The team recorder takes notes on the actions and decisions of the team, maintains the team’s permanent record, writes up and distributes the meeting summaries. Teaming Handbook Page 37 Participant: Often overlooked, the participant is the most critical role on the team. While the facilitator and recorder focus on running and documenting the meeting, it is the Discussing the Importance of the Participants’ Role Reinforces Everyone’s Responsibility rest of the team that generates the ideas and solutions. Participants’ responsibilities include regularly attending and actively participating in team meetings. They must accept responsibility and accountability for assigned tasks and complete those tasks in a timely fashion. They must also support the team in its decisions and constructively handle disagreements and conflicts. Permanent or Rotating Roles? The team must decide whether the facilitator and/or recorder roles should be permanent or should rotate among members. Several considerations influence this decision. On the one hand, the skills of a team facilitator improve with practice, so permanent roles usually result in smoother and more efficient meetings. On the other hand, longer-lived teams may benefit from rotating roles in order to share the workload and to afford multiple members the opportunity to learn and practice these skills. So members should consider the life span of their team in deciding between permanent and rotating roles. Teaming Handbook Page 38 If rotating roles is the team’s preference, members should decide how frequently to change the role. For example, they may decide to rotate positions every three meetings. Scheduling the rotation ahead of time helps prevent confusion or hurt feelings later on. Key Points: ! Document roles and responsibilities. ! Don’t assume that every team member has the same understanding. Teaming Handbook Page 39 ESTABLISH GROUND RULES Establishing Agreement on Acceptable Behavior Reduces the Occurrence of “Non-Acceptable” Behavior Establishing a set of ground rules, also referred to as “norms,” is the second step to be accomplished in the first team meeting. Norms constitute an agreement among members on the types of behavior that are acceptable and unacceptable. Being Specific Ground rules should be as specific as possible, as diverse Eliminates expectations can foster misunderstandings and disruptive Confusion conflicts. For example, prompt completion and delivery of the meeting summary may mean “the next day” to one team member and “within a week” to another. A third member may feel delivery is “timely” if provided before the next meeting. If, however, the team develops ground rules in its first meeting, members can all expect to receive the meeting summary within two days of the meeting. This way, potential conflicts are avoided. HINT: Discuss the following questions in your first meeting. #1. Think of the BEST team experience you have had: # What made the team work? #2. Now think of the WORST team experience you have had: # What made it the worst? #3. What can we do to make this team experience one of the BEST experiences for all of us? Teaming Handbook Page 40 EXAMPLE: GROUND RULES GROUND RULES 1. Attend each team meeting. (Notify team facilitator in advance if unable to attend.) 2. Start and finish meetings on time. 3. Meetings will last no longer than one hour. 4. Listen to each other completely, without interrupting. 5. Actively participate in meetings. 6. Complete assigned tasks on time. 7. Ask for help with tasks as needed. 8. Raise potential problems at the meeting. 9. The recorder will distribute meeting summary within two days of the meeting. 10. At the end of each meeting, the team will set the date and agenda of the next meeting. Key Points: ! Agree on ground rules at the first meeting. ! Be as specific as possible. Teaming Handbook Page 41 MEETING AGENDAS An effective team meeting agenda distributed well in advance of the meeting is essential to ensure that members come prepared and motivated to the upcoming meeting. It also helps to keep the team on track as it tackles its assignment. In addition, an effective agenda eliminates word-of-mouth misinformation and holds members accountable for their responsibilities. It also provides an anchor to which members can always return in order to keep the meeting on track. Make up the Agenda for the Next Meeting as a Team BEFORE Adjourning the Current Meeting An important and often overlooked agenda item is to decide on the agenda for the next meeting. This item is absolutely key because, when finishing one meeting, all members are focused on the project and aware of what was accomplished and what is left to do. Setting the agenda for the next meeting at the current meeting ensures continuity and a common understanding of team progress. If instead the facilitator or recorder makes up the agenda individually at some point after the meeting, he or she may forget and leave off important items on the new agenda. A meeting is a process, and it can always be improved. Take a minute at the end of the meeting and review what happened. How could it have been improved? The purpose of reflecting on what went right and what went wrong is to make the next meeting even better. Teaming Handbook Page 42 The meeting agenda should contain six elements: 1. Meeting Logistics – Date, time, place, duration and main subject. 2. Team Members Contact Information – For easy reference and communication between meetings. 3. Purpose – Brief statement (1-2 sentences) of the goal of the meeting. 4. Products – List of what the team will accomplish during the meeting. Use outcome-oriented nouns, such as lists of options or causes, a decision, and/or an action plan. 5. Preparation Required – Tasks for which team members are responsible prior to the meeting, such as reading or data collection, and a list of what items to bring to the meeting. 6. Process – Steps the team will take during the meeting to reach their expected outcome (product) for that meeting. Begin these statements with verbs, such as “Brainstorm problem causes.” Each process step should also designate a team member responsible for that step and an estimated time allotment. Teaming Handbook Page 43 Download this Excel template at: www.clemson.edu/O TEI/Resources MEETING AGENDA 1 2 MEETING INFORMATION DATE 4/9/2008 TIME 3:30 DURATION Approx. 1'30" PLACE Sirrine Conference CONTACT INFORMATION Karen [email protected] Tom [email protected] Helen [email protected] Pat [email protected] Bob [email protected] 3 PURPOSE 5 PREP To synthesize our findings into our proposed executive summary and PowerPoint presentation Finalize your area information and send any information to be included in presentation to Tom. AGENDA ITEMS KEY! 1. Develop executive summary 2. Develop PowerPoint presentation 3. Determine next steps and milestone progress 4. Plan next meeting and write agenda Your findings/proposals and any other information to be included in presentation or summary. 4 BRING 6 PERSONS RESPONSIBLE PROCESS TIME All Consensus ~ 30" All Consensus ~ 30" All Open Discussion ~ 10" All Consensus ~ 10" MEETING SUMMARY Keep Everyone Having the recorder promptly write and distribute a Informed by summary of a meeting is the best way to keep everyone Summarizing the Meeting Promptly on the same page with a common understanding of the team’s progress. While a meeting summary does not document all the discussion, it describes what was accomplished in the meeting. It also includes the decisions made, the action items agreed upon, and the team members accountable for their completion. Finally, the meeting summary gives the day, time, place, and agenda of the next meeting. Summarizing A well-written, promptly distributed Promptly meeting summary Eliminates Confusion increases the probability that team members will follow up on the action items and reduces the likelihood of word-of-mouth misinformation and confusion. Remember that team reflection is a key component of learning. Make your next meeting better by asking: “What could we have done better at this meeting?” MEETING SUMMARY MEETING INFORMATION 4/2/2003 DATE PREPARED Pat FACILITATOR Jerry Barron PLACE Sirrine Conference Room SUMMARY Download this Excel template at: www.clemson.edu/OT EI/Resources TEAM MEMBERS ATTENDING Karen Tom Helen Pat Bob x x x x To present our findings and proposed future states to Dr. Scott and determine next steps for report and presentation. DECISIONS and AGREEMENTS After getting some feedback from Dr. Scott, the group has decided to base our future state on the design of the system using the budget forms that Helen presented. It will be further discussed and adjusted to meet the needs of the facility manager ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN BY WHOM? WHEN? 1. Document meeting with area contacts and submit those to Helen All 9-Apr Area team scribes Area teams Area teams Continuo us 2. Area teams should be sure to meet before next meeting and establish risk considerations for executive summary. 3. Submit any information that you would like included in the PowerPoint presentation to Tom before next meeting. 4. The next meeting will be held in the library conference room 101 on April 9th. Teaming Handbook 9-Apr 9-Apr Page 46 PROJECT PLAN Develop a Project planning is a very important process. It helps Broad Overall team members to systematically visualize the eventual Project Plan outcome and to broadly outline how to reach it. First, define the outcome or goal to ensure that all action steps make progress towards the same goal. Second, list key action steps that it will take to achieve the goal. Third, anticipate potential problems and when they may be encountered. Fourth, discuss and record possible actions that can prevent or overcome potential problems. An overall project plan is a way to gauge progress. The team should use this document periodically to assess where they are, to determine if they are still on plan, or to identify changes in plan due to new information. Teaming Handbook Page 47 EXAMPLE: Project Plan Download this Excel template at: www.clemson.edu/OT EI/Resources PROJECT PLAN ASSIGNMENT GOAL: Develop presentation concerning the costs of poor quality for Pizza Pizzaz Company Key Action Steps Potential Problems Preventive Actions Research Juran's COPQ framework. None anticipated Research how pizza is made. We may not be able to find resources that provide enough detail to be useful. Team may have to interview a manager at a local pizza parlor. Make a list of potential quality problems. We might not have a good handle on what quality means in the pizza business. Team will need to carefully outline the analysis tools necessary to determine the root cause of problems. Develop a list of solutions. We might jump to the obvious solutions and not determine the root cause of the problems. We must closely monitor our progress and adjust the action plan to allow enough lead time for presentation development. Develop a presentation. We may not have enough time to develop; someone may be sick that day. Team can assign a back-up presenter for each part of the presentation. Key Points: Teaming Handbook ! Develop a common vision of the final product. ! Anticipate potential problems AND preventive actions BEFORE problems can occur. Page 48 GAP ANALYSIS Visualize the Another useful way to plan how to accomplish a Future State project is through Gap Analysis. In Gap Analysis, the team identifies the current state of a project, visualizes its future state, and lays out the process for bridging the gap. This type of analysis ensures that team members have a common vision and plan of action for reaching the future state. Quantifying the current and future states, when possible, makes it easier to set targets and measure progress toward the future state. Setting dates by which team members will complete “necessary actions” establishes a timeline for completion. Identify the Actions Necessary to Bridge the Gap Teaming Handbook Page 49 EXAMPLE: Gap Analysis Download this Excel template at: www.clemson.edu/OT EI/Resources GAP ANALYSIS Cost of Produce Spoilage Pizza Pizzaz CURRENT STATE FUTURE STATE May 2008 November 2008 6% of Purchases 2% of Purchases GAP NECESSARY ACTIONS 4% Reduction Team to analyze receiving and storage processes Recommendation by June 1, 2008 HINT: ALWAYS begin by visualizing the final product! # Ensures all team members have a common vision. # Increases the probability of the team’s achieving its goal. Teaming Handbook Page 50 MILESTONE CHART Designating Responsibility After the team has visualized the project Makes Individual Team Members outcome and has established the basic Accountable steps to achieve it through a Project Plan and/or Gap Analysis, it should fill in the detail with a Milestone Chart. A Milestone Chart differs from the two prior planning tools in its level of detail. The action plan is broken down into “action steps.” Each step is a specific task with a team member designated as responsible and a target date for completion. Using the chart, the team can track its progress to the project outcome. Key Points: # Use the Milestone Chart to review progress at each meeting. # Check to see if unexpected problems have occurred. Teaming Handbook Page 51 EXAMPLE: Milestone Chart Download this Excel template at: www.clemson.edu/OT EI/Resources MILESTONE CHART Team Name: Goal: Project Due Date: COPQ Team Develop presentation explaining the costs of poor quality for Pizza Pizzaz 12/01/2008 Key Action Steps 1. Research Juran’s Frameworks. Who is Responsible? Completion Date Tracking Results (completed, problems, actions) Karen & Laurie 10/15/2008 Completed by 10/14/08. 2. Research pizza business. Jaime & John Completed search by 10/18/08 not enough; scheduled visit to 10/15/2008 pizza parlor 10/22/08. 3. List potential quality problems. Team 10/24/2008 4. Assign to cost categories. Team 11/1/2008 5. Determine solutions. Team 11/17/2008 6. Plan presentation detail. Team 11/15/2008 Teaming Handbook Page 52 PART 4. PROBLEM-SOLVING FRAMEWORK There are many reasons to form teams and many potential outcomes, but all the reasons boil down to one primary purpose: to solve a problem. Problems come in many forms. It could be a research question, such as “Why do people push elevator buttons when the light indicates they have already been pushed?” Or it could be a case study requiring a critical analysis of a problematic situation and recommendations for actions. Regardless of the form of the problem, teams commonly do not know where to begin or how to proceed to solve it. Consequently, through trial and error—a little stumbling here and there—they may try different approaches until something works—or it doesn’t. Having Defined In organizations problem-solving is a daily activity, and Steps Help Teams teams are the most effective problem-solvers. A to Start AND to Finish methodology that teams in companies frequently use is the Seven Steps of Problem Solving. This framework helps a team figure out not only where to start but also where to touch base whenever it encounters an obstacle. The staircase on the next page illustrates the steps and lists the questions related to each step. Teaming Handbook Page 53 The Seven Steps of Problem-Solving * These seven steps help keep your team focused on task. If your team struggles to come up with a good solution in Step 4, go back to check whether the team did a thorough job of identifying the root cause in Step 3. * Adapted from The Problem Solving Memory Jogger 2000 and Corporate Training Manuals. Teaming Handbook Page 54 Refer to these seven steps to guide your team through a sound process in solving problems. To progress through the steps, your team needs the help of some additional tools!specifically, tools for problem “analysis.” You may already be familiar with some of these tools, as they are useful in learning as well as problem solving. The rest of this teamwork handbook defines and illustrates the use of these helpful analysis tools. These tools include: Brainstorming Affinity Diagram Nominal Group Technique Pareto Charts Flowcharting Interrelationship Digraph Cause-and-Effect Diagram Data Collection Teaming Handbook Page 55 This chart identifies the most appropriate tools for each step. Note that most of the tools help teams through multiple steps. Steps 6 and 7. Review, Evaluate, and Reflect Step 5. Implement and Monitor the Solution Step 4. Develop a Solution and Action Plan Step 3. Identify the Root Cause(s) of the Problem Step 2. Describe the Current Process Step 1. Define the Problem Tools (purpose) Brainstorming (generate lists of ideas) ! ! ! Affinity Diagram (organize into categories) ! ! Nominal Group Technique (prioritizes) ! ! ! Pareto Chart (organizes and presents) ! ! ! Flowchart (document process steps) ! ! ! Interrelationship Digraph (identify root causes) ! ! ! Cause-and-Effect Diagram (identify root causes) Data Collection (e.g., check sheets, run chart) Teaming Handbook ! ! ! ! ! Page 56 NEXT QUESTION: How do you use each tool? This is what the section of the handbook is all about. Teaming Handbook Page 57 PART 5. ANALYSIS TOOLS The Seven Steps of Problem Solving maps out how your team should plan how to accomplish its tasks in a logical, efficient process. Below you can learn how each analysis tool can help your team proceed through the steps. Generate and Brainstorming is used to generate as many ideas Organize Ideas and solutions as possible. Once all ideas are on the (steps 1 and 4) table, Affinity Diagramming helps organize the ideas into meaningful categories. Prioritize and Select Deciding which idea or problem to work on among Ideas and Solutions multiple options can sometimes be difficult in a team. (steps 1 and 4) The Nominal Group Technique can help, and results can be summarized in a Pareto Chart. Understand the Current Some projects require that team members Process and Visualize thoroughly understanding how a process works. the Future Process Flowcharting is a good way to document a process (steps 2 and 5) visually so everyone can understand. Determine the Root Interrelationship Digraphs and Cause-and-Effect Cause of Problems Diagrams are methodical techniques to help find the (step 3) source of problems. Monitor the Solution Once a team determines and implements a solution, (steps 6 & 7) it must “test it out” by monitoring the impact of the change. To do so requires collecting and examining quantitative data. Teaming Handbook Page 58 BRAINSTORMING Brainstorming is a method of idea generation Criticizing or Sighing used in teams to “storm” a topic with brain Discourages Team Members power, resulting in many new and different from Sharing Ideas—called “Shell-Tapping” ideas. The term “brainstorming” is very common, and we tend to use it correctly as a way to come up with new ideas. However, it can generate even more creative ideas if a team follows some Shell-Tapping Looses Ideas specific guidelines for making an especially Forever!! safe environment for people to contribute. Guidelines for Effective Brainstorming 1. Clearly identify the topic to brainstorm. 2. Select a team member to record all ideas. 3. Set a time period to collect ideas (e.g., 3 minutes). 4. Establish ground rules: # All ideas are accepted. # No criticism, discussion, or evaluation allowed. # Everyone participates. 5. Begin generating ideas. 6. Record all ideas, even duplicates. 7. Brainstorm until the team exhausts all ideas or goes over the allotted time. Teaming Handbook Page 59 EXAMPLE: Brainstorming TOPIC: Uses of a 10-gallon Storage Container Example A: List by hand To Store: Tools Potatoes Picnic supplies Fertilizer Pack for trip Painting supplies Old clothes Cleaning supplies Fishing gear Drinks Baby clothes Tools Newspapers for recycling Toys Kindling wood Things for car trunk Shoes Baby Supplies Example B: Using Microsoft Visio Dotted lines should link similar ideas. Newspapers for recycling Baby supplies Old clothes Painting supplies Baby clothes Picnic supplies Kindling wood Gardening tools Uses for 10-gallon storage container Pototoes Cleaning supplies Tools Stuff for car trunk Fertilizer Fishing gear Pack for trip Toys Shoes Drinks Don’t be surprised if your list is over 30 items long! Teaming Handbook Page 60 Team Practice -- Brainstorming Why do you think brainstorming, if performed correctly, is so successful when generating ideas? Step 1 Each team member writes down as many uses of a marshmallow as possible in two minutes. Step 2 Review the rules for good brainstorming. Step 3 As a team, brainstorm the many uses of a marshmallow. COMPARE: Step 4 Teaming Handbook # How many uses did you come up with by yourself? # How many uses did you brainstorm as a team? Page 61 AFFINITY DIAGRAM Affinity Diagramming is a simple way of organizing the long, disorganized list of brainstormed ideas. The team develops category names that describe most of the items and places each idea in the appropriate category. During this process, the team also deletes duplicate ideas. EXAMPLE: Affinity Diagram This example uses the Organization Chart tool in Microsoft Visio. ----You can do the same thing on paper by hand. ----You can download an Excel template at: www.clemson.edu/OTEI/ Resources Now, instead of 18 items, you have 4 meaningful categories. You have turned a disorganized list of ideas into a few “concepts.” It is easier to discuss and remember concepts than it is “items.” Teaming Handbook Page 62 NOMINAL GROUP TECHNIQUE Often a team faces more than one problem. Not all problems are necessarily equal, and sometimes a team has data showing t that one or two of the problems are more important or more urgent than the others. In this case, the team has to prioritize the most important or most urgent problems to tackle first. The Nominal Group Technique can help a team prioritize problems. . In the following example, the team is prioritizing five problems with pizza quality. Steps for Nominal Group Technique ! Select a team member to list the five problems. ! Each team member takes a moment to prioritize them on his or her own paper. This technique includes everyone’s opinion. ! The member does this by ranking each item 1-5, with 5 being the most important. ! Each team member tells the recorder his or her ranking for each problem. ! The recorder adds the rankings across members. ! The highest score is the weighted opinion of the team. Teaming Handbook Page 63 EXAMPLE: Nominal Group Technique Download this Excel template at: www.clemson.edu/OT EI/Resources Problem with Pizza Quality Kara Tom Steve Mark Sally Henry TOTALS Not Enough Toppings 3 4 1 4 4 3 19 Overcooked 2 2 5 2 2 4 17 Not Cooked Long Enough 5 3 4 3 5 5 25 Wrong Toppings 4 5 3 5 1 2 20 Too Much Cheese 1 1 2 1 3 1 9 It is very clear which pizza quality problem is most important to the team as a whole. It is equally clear which problem is the least significant. What about close scores? Sometimes this technique ends in a tie or with two items too close to identify a clear priority. In this case, the team may try eliminating the items with the lowest scores and repeat the technique on the reduced number. This usually yields one high score. PARETO CHART Teaming Handbook Page 64 PARETO CHART Displays Relative A Pareto Chart is a bar graph that summarizes Importance of Categories quantifiable information. It is used to compare quantities. Visual Information is The Pareto Chart below visually displays the Easy for Everyone to results of the Nominal Group Technique on Understand problems with pizza quality. EXAMPLE: Results from Nominal Group Technique Pizza Quality Problems 30 25 25 20 20 19 17 15 9 10 5 0 Not Cooked Long Enough Wrong Toppings Not Enough Toppings Overcooked Too much Cheese ! Order bars from greatest to least. ! Use Pareto Charts to summarize actual data as well. o For example, a team could track the number of pizzas sent back to the kitchen due to different quality problems and summarize the results in a Pareto Chart. Download this Excel template at: www.clemson.edu/OT EI/Resources Teaming Handbook Page 65 FLOWCHARTING Flowcharts highlight A Flowchart is a pictorial representation of all redundancies, inefficiencies, the steps, activities, and tasks in a process. or other needs for change. Organizations often use flowcharts to find ways to improve or streamline a process by combining, reordering, or deleting steps It is easy to miss steps, so be careful to include all of them. On the next pages are examples of a singleprocess flowchart and a cross-functional flowchart. It is VERY important to identify and include ALL steps in the process. Teaming Handbook Page 66 EXAMPLE A: SINGLE-PROCESS FLOWCHART Start PROCESS: Getting up and leaving for school Turn off alarm School Day? NO Ovals show the start and end of the process Go back to sleep YES Boxes show the steps Go to bathroom; brush teeth End Decision Point asks a question and has two answers: YES and NO NO Time to exercise? YES Put on exercise clothes Run? Aerobics? Bike? Run Workout Tape Exercycle A Sub-processes charted on another page NO Hungry? YES A Prepare breakfast Detail is important! Eat breakfast B If you leave out steps, you will not consider them in developing a new and better process. Get dressed Collect school supplies Have everything ? NO Hunt for missing items YES Leave for school End Teaming Handbook You can draw a flowchart by hand, or you can create it on computer using any one of many programs including Word and Excel. This flowchart is drawn with Microsoft Visio. Page 67 EXAMPLE B: CROSS-FUNCTIONAL FLOWCHART PROCESS: Developing a Business Plan A cross-functional flowchart is a great tool to show how information travels back and forth across department lines. Teaming Handbook Page 68 Download this Excel template at: www.clemson.edu/OT EI/Resources INTERRELATIONSHIP DIGRAPH Examines complex The Interrelationship Digraph explores the causal relationships relationships among groups of ideas. This tool is useful when more than one cause exists for one or more outcomes—a common situation in the complex real world. Creating this graphic involves five steps. EXAMPLE: INTERRELATIONSHIP DIGRAPH TOPIC: What are the issues related to reducing litter? Unnecessary packaging Lack of respect for others Step 1: List the ideas or concepts. Lack of awareness if inpact Not enough recepticles In this example, the team identifies five issues related to litter. Inadequate penalties Teaming Handbook Page 69 Unnecessary packaging Lack of respect for others Step 2: Relate each pair of ideas. For every pair of ideas, ask “Is there a relationship?” Lack of awareness if inpact Not enough recepticles If the answer is yes, then ask, “Which comes first?” Then draw an arrow showing the direction. Inadequate penalties Bottleneck Lack of respect for others Bottleneck B ttl k 2 IN; 1 OUT Catalyst Unnecessary packaging Step 3: Count the arrows. 1 IN; 2 OUT For every idea, count how many arrows point to it and how many arrows come out from it. Lack of awareness if inpact Not enough