Team building

Editor's Notes

• #8: According to Bob Mendonsa and Associates’ web page http://www. trainingplus.com on Team building : Team Building is a process and not an event. Team Building is about both willingness and ability. Sometimes teams problems occur because team members lack important skills. Sometimes there are trust issues. Team Building must address individual and group issues. People do not “disappear” when they choose to belong to a group. Any team building effort must address the strengths and development needs of individual team members that impact the group as a whole. Of course the corollary is true and groups or teams fail when they: Think differently Have poor leadership Have communications difficulties Have competition between members
• #11: As the team matures, members gradually learn to cope with each other and the pressures that they face. As a result, the team goes through the fairly predictable stages noted on the slide.
• #12: To help the students adapt to their team, it might be wise to have them to simple activities to build trust and establish communication between the members. However, in the context of the computational science project many of the forming actions are undertaken as the team determines what their project topic will be and narrows the focus to reach their project goal. Teachers can help students as they "form" their teams by making sure that they understand the process they will go through to get their topic. You may want to include some activities to illustrate trust and/or communication skills in a team.
• #16: Team members need to understand and appreciate the other individuals or personality types in their group. History of “type” In 1921, Carl Jung a psychoanalyst and disciple of Sigmund Freud realized that behavior that seemed unpredictable could be anticipated if one understood the underlying mental functions and attitudes people preferred and published his theory in a book called Psychological Types. In 1923, Katharine Briggs read Jung’s book, adopted his model and interested her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers in the theory. Myers and Briggs built on Jung’s work, expanded it and gave it a practical application. They determined that there were four personality preference scales and 16 distinct personality types. They developed and began giving their Myer-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test instrument in the 1940s. The four scales are listed on the slide and the definitions of each end of a dimension is: Extraverts – focus their attention and energy on the world outside of themselves; need to experience the world to understand it. Introverts – focus their attention and energy on the world inside of themselves; need to understand world before experiencing it. Sensors – Concentrate on what can be seen, heard, felt, smelled and tasted; focus on what is real and concrete iNtuitives – interested in meanings, relationships, and possibilities based on facts; focus on implications and inferences Thinkers – prefer decisions that make sense logically; make decisions by analyzing and weighing the evidence Feelers – make decisions on how much they care or what they feel is right; view themselves as empathetic and compassionate Judgers – seek to regulate and control life; like to have issues resolved Perceivers – seek to understand life rather than controlling it; like to stay open to all kinds of possibilities.
• #17: To be an effective team member: Extraverts should Be prepared to stop before you fall into redundancy and overkill Control your tendency to speak Make a special effort to listen carefully, avoid interrupting Stop, Look and Listen Introverts: Share more quickly and spontaneously thoughts and ideas Rule out nothing as being too trivial and meaningless Don’t hold others to the first words out of their mouths. Push for meaning and clarity
• #18: To be an effective team member: iNtuitive’s should: Use your imagination to show others Keep as many alternatives on the table as possible Don’t let facts stifle your creativity Sensor’s should: Express the problem in real, tangible and specific terms. Demand that terms be defined and described accurately and quoted facts are real Continue to push for common sense
• #19: In order to be an effective team member: Thinker’s should: Help others sort out where and when they become too attached to the problem. Continue to push for precision. Redefine and rephrase the idea Feeler’s should: Admit when your personal values are clouding an issue Make sure everyone gets a chance to speak, is listened to and is affirmed in their ideas, but don’t overemphasize harmony.
• #20: To be an effective team member: Judger’s should: Keep the process or task oriented Help bring definition to the process Make sure that the goals are turned into action Perceiver’s should: Help keep everyone from going with the first solution Play the devil’s advocate Don’t keep offering new ideas once the group has defined a solution
• #21: There are several online tests that the participants can take to help them identify their personalities. If time permits you may want to pause here and have the participants take one of the tests and discuss the results Its these personality types that individuals bring to their team during the forming stage. Helping understanding the different types will help the individuals begin to work together.
• #22: This is probably the most difficult stage for the team. They may be floundering trying to find a project topic that is narrow enough to study or a mentor to help them. They begin to realize that this project is different than other ones that they have done in the past. Teachers can help students through this stage by encouraging members to use their individual skills and assume more responsibilities. Understanding how personality types interact can ease some of the tensions in the storming stage.
• #23: As a teacher, you can help your students when they are in the “storming” stage, by focusing their attention on the questions above. The students may want to answer the first question both in general terms and more specifically, in conjunction with their project goals.
• #24: See The Team Book by Peter R. Scholtes, Brian L. Joiner and Barbara Streibel for more background on the various ways people or teams deal with conflict . Avoiding Conflict – you must avoid both the issues likely to lead to conflict and the people with whom you are likely to conflict with Smooth the conflict – minimizing conflict so that group relationships aren’t strained. Forcing the conflict – attempts to overpower others and force them to accept your position. Compromising – tries to get others to give up some of what they want in exchange for giving up some of what you want. Sounds good, but this can be lose-lose strategy because no one achieves their goals. Underlying assumption: everyone should accept less than they want because that is the best that they can hope for. (Should be tried after problem solving hasn’t worked) Problem Solving – Win-win approach. Personal goals and group relationships are highly valued. Purpose to find a path forward that meets everyone’s goals and preserves group relationships. Continued on next slide
• #25: Problem solving includes strategies aimed at taking diverse viewpoints into account, clarifying the issues, clearing the air constructively and enabling everyone to move forward together. You can clarify core issues by sorting out areas of agreement from areas of disagreement When listening to each person’s point of view – Accept that they believe/want this even if you don’t!! Look for the reasons (maybe something would be good for both)
• #26: During this stage, team members begin to work out their differences and now have more time and energy to spend on their work. Thus they are able to start making significant progress. In the context of the computational science project, the students have probably found a mentor who is helping them and have narrowed their project focus.
• #27: During this stage, you should encourage team members to: do detailed planning develop criteria for completion of goals build on positive norms and change unhealthy norms encourage continued team spirit Now that the team is working well, it is important for team members to learn to communicate with each other including how to constructively criticize when necessary.
• #28: Be descriptive -- relate what you saw or heard the other person do. Give specific recent examples Don’t use labels -- Be specific and unambiguous. Don’t use words like immature, unprofessional, irresponsible which are labels attached to behavior. For example, say “ You missed the deadline we had agreed to meet rather than, “You’re being irresponsible and I want to know what you are going to do about it. Don’t exaggerate. Be exact. To say, “You’re always late for deadlines” is probably untrue and unfair. It invites the receiver to argue with exaggeration rather than respond to real issue Don’t be judgmental. Don’t use words like good, better, bad, worst or should which place you in the role of controlling parent. This invites the receiver to respond as a child. Speak for yourself. Don’t refer to absent, anonymous people. Avoid references like “A lot of people here don’t like it when you…” Encourage others to speak for themselves
• #29: Talk first about yourself, not about the other person. Use a statement with with “I” as the subject not “you”. People are more likely to remain open to your message when an “I” statement is used. Phrase the issue as a statement, not a question. “I” statements allows the receiver to see what effect the behavior had on you. Restrict your feedback. Don’t present your opinions as facts. Help people hear and receive positive feedback. Many people fell awkward when told good things about themselves. It may be important to reinforce the positive feedback and help the person hear it, acknowledge it and accept it.
• #30: Listen carefully. Don’t interrupt. Don’t discourage the feedback-giver. Ask questions for clarity. You have the right to receive clear feedback. Ask for specific examples. Acknowledge the feedback. Paraphrase the message in your own words to let the person know what you have heard and understood what was said. Acknowledge the valid points. Agree with what is true. Agree with what is possible. Acknowledge the other person’s point of view and try to understand their reaction. Agreeing with what’s true or possible doesn’t mean you agree to change your behavior or mean agreeing with any value judgment about you. You can agree that your reports are late with out thereby agreeing that your are irresponsible Take time to sort out what you heard. You may need time for sorting out or checking with others before responding to feedback. It is reasonable to ask the feedback-giver for time to think about what was said and how you feel about it. Don’t use this time as an excuse to avoid the issue.
• #31: During the performing stage, the team is now an effective and cohesive unit. As a team, the emphasize quality work; utilize each member’s talents; meet deadlines; and continue to work on team commitment. Examples of the results of good team work can be seen on the Video tapes and CDs from the National Expos. The presentation itself is an example of team work. The duration and intensity of these stages vary from team to team. Sometimes Stage 4 is achieved in a meeting or two; other times it takes months. Understanding the stages of growth will keep you from overreacting to normal problems and setting unrealistic expectations. Don’t panic. With patience and effort the assembly of independent individuals will grow into a team.
• #32: To summarize, even though these points are addressing teams in the workplace, they are applicable in the classroom setting. They can also form part of the rubric to evaluate the team’s performance. Clarity in team goals: has a clear vision and can progress steadily toward its goals. A work plan: helps team determine what advice, assistance, and other resources they need from teachers, mentors or research Clearly defined role: Uses each member’s talents and involves everyone in team activities so no one feels left out.
• #33: Clear communication: Speak with clarity and be succinct. Listen actively; explore rather than debate each speaker’s ideas. Avoid interrupting. Beneficial team behaviors: Should encourage all members to use the skills and practices that make discussions and meetings more effective; suggest procedures for meeting goals, clarify or elaborate on ideas; keep the discussion from digressing Well-defined decision procedures: discuss how decisions will be made; use data as a basis of decisions; explore important issues by polling Balanced participation: Everyone should participate in discussions and decisions, share commitment to the project’s success and contribute their talents Established ground rules: Establish ground rules for what will and will not be tolerated in the team Awareness of group process: Be sensitive to nonverbal communication; be aware of the group process and how the team works together Use the scientific approach: Of course this is the underlying assumption in a project development, but in team building it helps members avoid team problems and disagreements. Opinions must be supported by data