TEAM FORMATION AND TEAM CONTRACTS.ppt

TEAM FORMATION AND TEAM CONTRACTS
• Importance of a team
According to André Latz (2016),
• The whole is more than the sum of its parts, and more successful than lone
rangers. If human beings appreciate themselves in their diversity, they
work excellent together and are consequently able to rise above
themselves. As a result, a team is more than the sum of its parts. If all
human beings would have the same opinion, there wouldn’t be innovation.
Within a team, different individuals work together. Therefore, different,
often contrarian, opinions and interests come together.
The great potential of teamwork is rooted in many things: Only in the
community, we grow beyond ourselves. Because the strengths of the
individual people complement within the team and the individual
weaknesses are fielded in the team. Of course, we all take different roles in
teams depending on different context: Sharpen the skills to work in teams
and develop efficiency and innovation in your company or department.

THE TEAM, MEMBERS AND TEAM DEVELOPMENT
PROCESS
• A team - group of individuals, all working together for a common
purpose.
• Individuals comprising a team should have:
- common goals,
- common objectives and
- more or less think on the same lines.
• A group is not necessarily a team. A group can have individuals with
varied interests, attitude as well as thought processes e.g. in politics.

Team members
• Must complement each other.
• The team size depends on the complexity of the task
to be accomplished. Ideally a team should consist of
7-10 members.
• Team development creates a captivating atmosphere
by encouraging co-operation, teamwork,
interdependence and by building trust among team
members.
• It is not always that we require a team. Teams should
be formed when the task is a little complicated.

Five stages of team development
Five stages of team development
The Five Stages of Team Development (Coutersy of Bruce Tuckman)

Stage 1: Forming
• Group members anxious and adopt wait-and-
see attitude.
• Formal towards each other.
• No clear idea of goals or expectations.
• May not be sure why they are there.
• This is the stage where the team needs to write
its own charter or mission statement as well as
clarify goals.
• The most important thing here is that goals
must have a personal buy-in. By doing this the
team will be able to establish boundaries as
well as determine what is expected. Team
members will get to know each other doing
non-conflict laden task. This builds the
commitment towards one larger goal.
Team members are in process of knowing each
other.

Stage 2: Storming
• Team members are eager to get going.
• Conflict can arise as people tend to bring
different ideas of how to accomplish goals.
• At this time, they notice differences rather
than similarities.
• This leads to some members dropping out
mentally or physically. At this stage,
communication is important.
• Tensions will increase. So, recognizing and
publicly acknowledging accomplishments
also become important. It becomes
important to participate in meetings and
diversity needs to be valued.
Team members begin showing their actual
styles, impatience, probing into each other’s
area, leading to irritation and frustration.
Control becomes the key concern.

Stage 3: Norming
• People begin to recognize ways in which
they are alike.
• Realize that they are in this together.
• Tend to get more social and may forget
their focus in favour of having a good
time.
• Time to help with training if applicable.
Encourage them in order to feel
comfortable with each other and with
systems.
• Group needs to stay focused on goal.
There is conflict resolution. There is greater
involvement of team members. There is a
greater “we” feeling rather than “I” feeling.

Stage 4: Performing
• Team members are trained, competent, as
well as able to do their own problem-
solving.
• Team is mature now.
• Members understand their roles and
responsibilities.
• Members would be self-motivated as well
as self-trained. Thus, their efforts need to
be recognised. Growth has to be
encouraged. This is done by giving new
challenges to the team.
Teams at are self-controlling, practical, loyal
as well as productive. Focus is there on both
performance as well as production.

Stage 5: Adjourning
 Team emphasis is on wrapping up final
tasks and documenting the effort and
results.
 Work load is diminished, individual
members may be reassigned to other
teams, and the team disbands.
 There may be regret as the team ends, so
a ceremonial acknowledgement of the
work and success of the team can be
helpful.
 If the team is a standing committee with
ongoing responsibility, members may be
replaced by new people and the team can
go back to a forming or storming stage
and repeat the development process.

EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF A TEAM
• General approach to forming a successful work team.
• Success is usually hinged on taking all of the steps needed.
• Choosing a team - instead of organizing a pre-formed team,
look for a team of people with a variety of strengths.
• In case of a team that is already in place, organizing can be
more subtle. Like, all the workgroups can be called together
in order to discuss what goals you want to accomplish and
how everybody can help.
• Imposing goals on people doesn’t work nearly as well as
having them tell you as to what goals they will strive for.

Team Management - Meaning and Concept
• Individuals ideally think more or less on the same lines
and have similar interests and objective.
• Team management refers to the various activities
which bind a team together by bringing the team
members closer to achieve the set targets.
• For the team members, their team must be their
priority and everything else should take a back seat.
They should be very focused on their goals.

Effective Team Management Skills
• For effective team management, it is important that the team leader
is more of a mentor to his team members rather than just being a
strict boss.
• Ensure that each and every team member willingly participates in
team discussions. Everyone should be aware of his roles and
responsibilities in the team.
• Communication among the team members must be clear and
transparent for an effective team management.
• The team members must not pass on any information to anyone
outside the team
• The team members must be motivated on a regular basis.
• Loose talks, blame games, dirty politics should find no place in the
team.

Characteristics of a Good/Effective Team
• A clear, elevating goal: This is a goal which has been communicated to all.
• A results-driven structure: The goal has been jointly decided by all the team members.
They are fully committed towards achieving it.
• Competent members: Each team member has the required skill set in order to achieve
the team objectives.
• Unified commitment: There is nothing happening in silos. With the total commitment
from team members, achieving organizational goals becomes easier.
• A collaborative climate: Commitment from team members and a good leadership leads
to a collaborative team with a productive work environment.
• Standards of excellence: Quality orientation is vital to the success of any organization.
• External support and recognition: Appreciation as well as appraisal is required to keep
the morale of the team high.
• Principled leadership: Leadership defines a team. An able-bodied leadership can chart
the team’s path to success.
• Each team member participates actively and positively in meetings as well as projects.
This shows a person’s commitment as well as understanding towards a project.
• Team goals are clearly understood by all: Communication is vital for achieving successful
completion of any project.

Characteristics of a Good/Effective Team
• Individual members have thought about creative solutions to the team’s
problem. Thinking out of the box is vital in today’s economic scenario.
• Members are listened to carefully as well as given a thoughtful feedback.
• Everyone takes the initiative in order to get things done.
• Each team member trusts the judgment of others
• The team has to be willing to take risks
• Everyone has to be supportive of the project as well as of others.
• There is ample communication between the team members.
• Team decisions are made by using organized as well as logical methods.
• Dissenting opinions are never ignored: In fact, they are always recorded in
order to be revisited in case the future situations dictate so.
• Teams are given realistic deadlines: External support as well as aid is vital
to the success of any team.

TEAM MODELS - DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEAMS
1. The Traditional Model
• This is a group of people with a traditional boss. The
boss also shares some of his/her responsibility as well
as authority.
• How much is being shared by the boss is usually
dependent on the issues under consideration.
• This traditional boss is in charge. But still, on certain
issues, this person may allow his other team members
to take on the leadership role.

TEAM MODELS - DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEAMS..
2. The Team Spirit Model
• This is a group of people who are working for one
boss.
• Team members are very happy and everything seems
to be going well.
• There is team spirit in people. The fact remains that in
reality this is not really a team. This is because there is
one person who calls all the shots.
• Besides, there is no sharing of authority or
responsibility.

3. The Cutting Edge Model
• Group of people managing themselves.
• There is no single person in this group who has the
authority to make any such decisions about the events
which will impact the whole group.
• This is also known as a self-directed work team. This is
because each one has the authority as well as
responsibility for all the decisions that they need to
make.

4. The Task Force Model
• This refers to a group that comes together for a
specific time only.
• Works on a special project or a task.
• Group has traditionally been called a task force or a
committee. This may also include quality circles as are
used in TQM efforts.

5. The Cyber Team
• Members see one another rarely or even, not at all.
• Also known as “cyber” or “virtual” teams.
• Team has to work together in order to accomplish
goals, but they may be meeting only at the beginning
of their project. Post that, they may be interacting
through e-mail, telephone or through video
conferencing only.

TEAM CONTRACTS
• Meant to outline the ground rules for the team. It is important for the
team leader to state what he wants in his team and what he does not
want in his team.
• Team contracts are created as well as monitored by the team. Any
team contract primarily has a Code of Conduct.
• This code of conduct may include:
 The way in which a team will operate. Whether a team will work in a
proactive manner or not.
 Keeping the other team members informed. Communication is vital
to the success of any team.
 Focus on what is best for the team as a whole. The team has to be
bigger than an individual team player.

Ground Rules for Participation
•Each team member needs to be honest as well
as open.
•Encourage a diversity of opinions on all topics.
•Everyone given the opportunity for equal
participation.
•Be open to new approaches as well as listen to
new ideas.

Success Factors for Teams
1. The nature of the leadership of the team along with a shared vision
and sense of purpose
• Team is as good as its leader and a leader is as good as the team.
2. The collaborative nature of the team
• Often, people mistake collaboration for competition. Whereas the
former results in a win-win situation for the team, the latter results in
a win-lose situation which is detrimental to the overall success of the
team.
3. The way in which the team members are empowered to the extent
that they proactively participate in the team’s success.
• Successful teams are those where the individual members act
independently and without taking authorization for each and every
change and take decisions accordingly.

Factors for Strained Relationships in a Team
1. Prevalence of personality clashes
2. Uncooperative attitude among the team members
3. Games of one-upmanship that team members play
with each other

Team Failures and how to overcome them
•Environmental Influences
•Goals
•Roles
•Processes
•Relationships

Guidelines for Writing Team Contract
• A team contract is generated to establish procedures and roles in order to
move the team more quickly into the performing stage.
• This process of generating a team contract can actually help jump-start a
group's collaborative efforts by immediately focusing the team members
on a definite task. The group members must communicate and negotiate
in order to identify the quality of work they all wish to achieve, and the
level of group participation and individual accountability they all feel
comfortable with.
• Successful team performance depends on personal individual
accountability. In a team environment, individuals are usually effectively
motivated to maximize their own rewards and minimize their own costs.
• However, conflicts can arise when individualistic motives or behaviors
disrupt team-oriented goals e.g. an unequal division of resources.
• When team members believe they are receiving too little for what they are
giving, they sometimes reduce their effort and turn in work of lower
quality. With a well-formulated team contract, such obstacles can usually
be avoided.

TEAM CONTRACT TEMPLATE AND EXAMPLE –
P167- NOTES
- Team procedures
- Team expectations
- Consequences for Failing to Follow
Procedures and Fulfill Expectations

Team procedures
• Day, time, and place for regular team meetings:
• Preferred method of communication (e.g., e-mail, cell phone, wired phone,
Blackboard Discussion Board, face-to-face, in a certain class) in order to
inform each other of team meetings, announcement, updates, reminders,
problems:
• Decision-making policy (by consensus? by majority vote?):
• Method for setting and following meeting agendas (Who will set each
agenda? When? How will team members be notified/reminded? Who will
be responsible for the team following the agenda during a team meeting?
What will be done to keep the team on track during a meeting?):
• Method of record keeping (Who will be responsible for recording &
disseminating minutes? How & when will the minutes be disseminated?
Where will all agendas & minutes be kept?):

Team expectations
• Work Quality
1. Project standards (What is a realistic level of quality for team presentations, collaborative
writing, individual research, preparation of drafts, peer reviews, etc.?):
2. Strategies to fulfill these standards:
• Team Participation
1. Strategies to ensure cooperation and equal distribution of tasks:
2. Strategies for encouraging/including ideas from all team members (team maintenance):
3. Strategies for keeping on task (task maintenance):
4. Preferences for leadership (informal, formal, individual, shared):
• Personal Accountability
• Expected individual attendance, punctuality, and participation at all team meetings:
• Expected level of responsibility for fulfilling team assignments, timelines, and deadlines:
• Expected level of communication with other team members:
• Expected level of commitment to team decisions and tasks.

Consequences for Failing to Follow Procedures and Fulfill
Expectations
1.Describe, as a group, you would handle infractions of any of the obligations of this team
contract:
2.Describe what your team will do if the infractions continue:
**********************************************************
a)I participated in formulating the standards, roles, and procedures as stated in this
contract.
b)I understand that I am obligated to abide by these terms and conditions.
c)I understand that if I do not abide by these terms and conditions, I will suffer the
consequences as stated in this contract.
1) ___________________________________________________date__________________
2) ___________________________________________________date__________________
3) ___________________________________________________date__________________

Managing Team Project Communications
• Communication plays a key role in allowing a group of
people to function as a team with a common goal.
• To be effective, teams must share information by
documenting plans, activities, and decisions (e.g.,
meeting notes, project schedules, or team
agreements); or resolving problems and conflicts (e.g.,
writing emails or verbal communication).

Team Meeting Notes
• Accurately document team meetings—the logistics (where and when they
occurred, who was in attendance) and also the content (topics of
discussion and decisions).
• Provides a record of project activities and documenting decisions and
responsibilities
• Meeting notes might also be provided to an external audience (supervisor,
client, or instructor) to show that the team is making progress and fully
engaged. Note that they may be required as part of a Progress Report.
• The practice and policy of documenting decisions and discussion in
meetings will follow you into the workplace. Meeting notes should be
written during and immediately after the meeting takes place. They will not
be as accurate or useful if they are written too long after the event.
• The notes should be informative of what the team discussed and what
needs to be completed.

Elements of Team meeting notes
• Header—date, time, method (e.g. physical location or Skype call), full
names of the members who attended
• Objective statement—1-2 sentences that establish the goal or purpose of
the meeting (e.g., to share findings and progress, to decide on a design, or
to brainstorm)
• Completed tasks from previous week or last meeting, including:
• Bulleted list of tasks
• Person(s) assigned to each task (“task owner”)
• Short summary of status (e.g., completed and submitted on Carmen or in progress or
pending group review)
• Tasks to be completed for the upcoming week, including:
• Bulleted list of tasks
• Person(s) assigned to the task (“task owner”)
• Project timeline (may be presented as a Gantt chart) indicating major
milestones and deadlines
• Decisions made by group with key information about how the decisions
were made (e.g., group consensus, decided by project manager)

Project Schedule
• Helps the team stay on task and allocate enough time for tasks.
• Also allows the instructor or supervisor to see what the team has
completed or needs to complete.
• Schedule should include the task that needs to be completed, start
and finish dates, when the task is due, the teammates working on the
task, and its percent completed at the end of due date.
• Note, not all percent completion may be 100 percent. The team may
have been unable to complete some tasks and will carry them
forward. Occasionally, tasks will take longer than expected.
• Two common methods for displaying the schedule are a task list and
a Gantt chart.

TEAM FORMATION AND TEAM CONTRACTS.ppt

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TEAM FORMATION AND TEAM CONTRACTS.ppt