Collaboration Toolbox || MODULE 1 > Introduction to Team Building


			Introduction to Team Building Preparation for Forming a Team is Understanding Yourself and Others Team building preparation begins with an understanding of how people work individually. Explaining personal working styles to the other members of a team is the first step in preparing to become a member of a team. Individual team members have to know themselves well enough to articulate how they will behave in the team. People do not always agree, work in the same way, learn in the same way, or have the same values. Personal work styles, values and learning styles affect communication. Being a successful member of a team begins with learning how to collaborate. To collaborate, one must learn to identify team members’ thinking, learning, and working patterns. Team members may have different working styles. Different working styles can be a source of conflict. Collaborating successfully includes separating these differences in working style and viewing the differences as an opportunity to learn and adapt both styles. Differences in values and thinking not acknowledged could create interpersonal problems between team members, which can lead to performance problems for a team. Successful collaboration requires creation of a system for the team to deal with conflict and negotiation. Dealing with conflict in a team setting is different than dealing with conflict in a personal relationship. This is partly because the rules for trusting others in a work setting are different. In a personal relationship trust is developed through experience and emotion, while in a work setting, trust is developed by establishing rules that govern how a person will trust another. Successful teams honestly discuss past team experiences identifying their success and developing systems to deal with the problems they have encountered. These discussions establish the foundation for establishing rules to facilitate developing trust within the team. Behavior is situation specific. Your leadership, conflict, working, learning, thinking, and negotiating styles are also situation specific, and learning how to adapt them to a specific situation is a skill. You develop these interpersonal competencies as you do your technical competencies. Identifying the use of these different styles in specific situations requires knowledge and focus. Identifying the use of the appropriate style for the appropriate situation, adapting the style, and practicing these skills in a highly organized environment necessitates a high level of competency. To effectively organize a project, scientists and engineers need to be competent at both the team and task process. Bringing all your skills and abilities to bear upon a problem, creates a successful dynamic environment for team members that is satisfying and harmonious. Relax and enjoy learning the information. Team building is a growth experience. "While you still have time and resources to maneuver anticipate upcoming limiting forces, which are small now, but which will increase as time goes on. You cannot eliminate the limits. You, can however, work with them more effectively, and incorporate them into your next wave of expansion." (Senge, 1994, The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook) Collaborating can be very complex and hard to manage in large teams. Mastering high performance in a small team is a good beginning for collaborating in a larger team. Team Formation Projects begin with team formation. In order to form a successful team, there are basic concepts team members need to understand. Definition and Differences Between Team and Task Process What is a Team? Team Life Cycle Mission Statement and how to create one Time Management Plan Conflict Management Development of a team culture Forming a team has two essential steps: When a team is being formed it is important for members to get to know each other quickly. Team members need to discuss each other's similarities and differences in small group interactive sessions. In forming a team, trusting each other is a major component to attaining high performance. It is essential to "Break the Ice" and support new team members in developing trust and openly discussing skills and abilities. Teams must create an organizational structure that defines team roles, ground rules for communicating with each other and people outside the team, and an organizational plan for the project. Competent team members view their team as a series of integrated systems that clearly define how the team and task will be managed; this is the team culture. There are certain organizational behaviors that are called competencies that support a competent organizational structure and support effective team membership. These competencies support planning and executing a task. The ability to influence others, understanding how to practice individual and mutual accountability, creating a bias for action, skill in collaborating with others, effective communication skills, being directive and flexible, interpersonal understanding, the ability to network, having organizational awareness, being able to self-regulate, utilizing leadership skills are all skills that are utilized in forming a successful team. Definition and Differences Between Team and Task Process There are two processes happening simultaneously when people collaborate on a project, the task process and the team process. The task process concerns all activities in direct support of the project objective, including: defining the problem, performing literature searches, designing equipment, and performing experiments. The team process relates to all activities intended to improve the effectiveness and productivity of your team, including: developing systems that support effective communication, establishing ground rules, and developing a team culture that provides an environment for planning the task. Both processes are of equal importance and must be maintained simultaneously. Team and task processes are composed of maintenance behaviors and competencies. The processes are structured hierarchically and then maintained simultaneously. The first structure in the hierarchy is the team process. Team Process The team process establishes effective interpersonal relationship behaviors amongst team members. Once structured properly and agreed upon these behaviors allow the team to effectively communicate, manage conflict, make decisions, and problem solve. Team maintenance behaviors focus on the interaction between individuals while they are accomplishing tasks. Team maintenance skills and activities include the following: Active Listening Facilitating Discussions Establishing a Team Culture Recognizing and Appreciating Others Managing Morale Managing Conflict Preparing Negotiations Coaching and Supporting Others Assessing Individual Styles of Behavior Team members can increase their effectiveness by utilizing their full level of competence in relevant skills and behaviors. Some team process competencies a person should cultivate when becoming a member of a team are described below (MIT, Competencies Dictionary, 2000): Ability to Influence is the ability to move others to act in a desired way. Competency in influencing others requires being open to others’ ideas and listening actively before directing others to act in a desired way. Accountability is the ability to establish a commitment to achieving results in other team members by making them answerable to other team members and other persons interested in the task. Bias for Action is the ability to think a problem over before taking action and then appropriately and consistently make decisions concerning when to act and when to delay. Collaborating with Others is the willingness and ability to work with others to achieve shared success at any time. Communication is the ability to actively listen to others and to develop a mode of communicating that includes skillful conversation (where all members share in the decision making and understanding of how the task will be accomplished). Part of the communication process is to utilize multiple communication modes and channels. A competent team member utilizes all technology available to keep the team high performing and increases resources by being trained in the latest communication technology and the art of effective communication. Directiveness is the ability to lead by setting firm standards of behavior and accountability through coaching and team building. Flexibility is the ability to adapt and work effectively within a variety of situations with team members and other individuals. It requires the ability to understand and manage different perspectives on an issue, while understanding and using situation specific skills to manage the team. Interpersonal Understanding is the ability to commit to understanding other team members by assessing their behavioral competencies. Learning and developing expertise in the use of assessment tools elevate competency on a student team. Networking Ability is the ability to build relationships that support the accomplishment of your goals and objectives. Organizational Awareness is an ability to understand the organizational culture and manage the organizational influences to achieve objectives. Self-Regulation is the ability to regulate personal own behavior and use emotional intelligence in times of conflict or stress. Competency in this area includes being aware of different conflict styles and knowing how to appropriately apply them to different situations. Team Leadership is the ability to use different leadership styles that are situation specific to achieve high performance by the team. Competency level on a student team is being trained in situational and shared leadership skills. Teamwork is the ability to lead teams and be a team member who can share work and leadership and be individually and mutually accountable for the equitable distribution of work. Task Process Once the team formation is established, the task process is planned. The goal is to apply the information and procedures learned in the initial stages of the team process to facilitate the execution of the task. The beginning of the task process for most teams should include the following activities: Establishing a Mission Statement Creating a Scope Statement Defining the Objectives for the Team Project Creating Goals that can be decomposed into Activities for the Team Understanding the Competencies Necessary for Executing the Task Time Management Plans that Create Functional Systems for the Team (i.e. creating problem statements) Some Task Competencies are defined below: Achievement Orientation is the desire to do well, to work to a high standard and to ask what is expected of oneself. Analytical Thinking is the ability to make formal and logical deductions using models, formulas, and scientific solutions. Competency in this area involves setting priorities on a rational basis, identifying time sequences and causal relationships, and consistently using formal and logical deductions successfully. Applying Expertise is the ability to gain, apply, and disseminate knowledge to oneself, team members, and others. Conceptual Thinking is the ability to think of new ways to look at problems by using your knowledge and skill to become innovative. Dedication is the ability to meet objectives under increasingly challenging circumstances and to thrive with some stress. Strategic Orientation is the ability to link long-range visions and concepts to daily work by using time management to keep the team high performing. This includes the ability to manage other people and create action plans for the team to follow. Technical Expertise is the specific knowledge, skills, qualifications, or experience required to carry out the objectives of your team project. Technical Skill Development is the ability to develop new skills and knowledge as required. This also entails assessing technical skills in other team members and using them effectively to accomplish the task. (adapted from the MIT Competency Dictionary, Human Resources Department, Hays & Company, 1999) What is a Team? Most of the skills and abilities needed to function on a team are already familiar concepts. The goal is to organize these skills into efficient and effective strategies. The basic skills of team building begin with learning the difference between a team and a work group. A Work Group has the following distinguishing characteristics: Strong Clearly Focused Leader Individual Accountability Task and Group Process Rigidly Controlled by Leader Individual Work Products Directive and Inflexible Meetings Goal Accomplishment Measured by Leader Leader Directs Problem-Solving Discussions, Decisions and Delegation Many engineering students have been exposed to work groups and consider them teams. A team actually has the following characteristics: Shared Leadership Roles with Shared Authority Collaborative Task Activities Individual and Mutual Accountability Collective Work Product Encouragement of Open Ended Discussions Specific Problem-Solving Meetings Performance Measured by Assessing Collective Work Product Discussions and Decisions about Problem Solving _{(adapted from Katzenbach, J. R. & Smith D. K., 1993).} Teams develop and move through stages. They have an agreed upon defined structure that is equally maintained by team members. Teams can develop more flexibility than a work group by allowing the team members to become mutually and individually accountable to the team as an entity unto itself. To create this mutual and individual accountability a team needs structural, behavioral, and communication models that provide rules and acceptable modes of behavior. Team members should get to know each other, and learn about each team member's personal competencies, needs, mindsets, and negotiation and conflict management skills. Teams function in organizational environments that are always changing. Providing team members with the proper tools and structure to make the team into a distinct entity with its own culture assures that the team can effectively communicate their accomplishments with others in the organization. Teams are defined by the purpose the members wish to accomplish, their structure, culture, and environment. As an engineer you will be asked to manage or be a member of three types of teams: work teams, knowledge teams, and cross-functional teams, which includes research and development teams. A self managed work team is defined as a team that takes the responsibility to learn how to manage themselves, using shared leadership, structured decision-making, and formal weekly meetings as part of their structure. A knowledge team utilizes the formation of team boundaries, shared team leadership, team training and development, participative goal setting, enhanced flexibility, conflict management skills, enhanced creativity, decision-making, and written and clearly defined participative action plans utilizing technical communication. Knowledge teams require a strong project manager who can effectively keep open communication with customers and organizational priorities and make the team accountable for their results (Romig & Olson, 1995). A cross-functional team is a team whose participants are from different departments or disciplines and who work together in a team to reach a common goal. Shared leadership is very important in cross-functional teams because, as the action plans for the team develop, different team members lead the team through their area of expertise. Finding a common language and understanding differences in perspective are most important in cross-functional teams. Complex and dynamic work environments require creativity, innovation, effective strategic planning, and the ability to define goals and objectives, and strong decision-making. Teams have become an integral part of these environments. Organizations understand that teams can provide rapid consensus across departments, allowing effective prioritization, enhancing creativity, and providing companies with a competitive advantage. Go to What is a Team Exercise » Team Life Cycle Stages All teams go through growing pains. Successful teams grow and evolve from a collection of individuals into an effective team. Some teams never grow beyond communicating about their interpersonal problems with each other. It is generally agreed that there are five stages of team development in a team life cycle. These stages are: formation, criticism, synthesis, accomplishment, and completion. Understanding these stages is critical because teams progress and regress through these stages of development. When a high performing team looses or gains a new team member, the team is pushed back into the formation stage of development while the new member is integrated into the team culture. Equipment failure or unexpected problems can cause a team that is in the accomplishment a stage to be pushed back into the criticism stage. Understanding the progress and regression of stage development is useful in these circumstances because different sets of tasks need to be accomplished when a team is in a particular stage in order for the team to effectively maintain the team and task processes. To understand team stage development, there are mitigating factors that must be kept in mind when collaborating with others. All team members have personal agendas that they wish to maintain while working collaboratively. These are the outside pressures that team members feel in a team. Part of each person’s personal agenda includes the desire to work and be viewed as competent. Assessment of yourself and other team members helps to structure each member’s competencies to support the performance of a team. Team Life Cycles STAGE 1 FORMATION "Honeymoon " period Excitement, anticipation, and optimism Initial, tentative commitment to the team Suspicion, fear and anxiety about ability to accomplish the task Skepticism about what role team member will play on team Idealistic discussion of concepts and issues Impatience about having to discuss the process Complaints about barriers to the task Resistance to building team, focus on task Team members strengths and weaknesses are discussed but not accepted Ground Rules are established STAGE 2 CRITICISM Ground rules are ignored Near panic sets in over the realization of how much work lies ahead Resistance to the task Sharp fluctuations in attitude about the team Skepticism about the project’s chances of success Argument begins amongst team members, although there is agreement on the real issues Defensiveness Competition Doubt over the competence of superiors who chose the project STAGE 3 SYNTHESIS Team members learn to work together successfully Resistance fades Collaborative efforts are initiated Team members begin to give each other positive criticism Members begin to reestablish a harmonious team culture Commitment to the task Realistic planning takes place Conflict management is established and agreed upon The team’s mission is beginning to be realized Team and personal goals are discussed and implemented Ground rules are implemented Maintenance of team is established Discussion begins on how to maintain the team culture Beliefs, assumptions, and values are acknowledged Progress on the task is significant STAGE 4 ACCOMPLISHMENT Members skillfully discuss their strengths and weaknesses Members use knowledge of strengths and weaknesses to accomplish their task Team members understand their roles on the team Team members are satisfied with the team’s progress Members are committed to the team’s goals Team as a unit can implement change Members are effective at problem-solving and decision-making Dialogue amongst team members is established STAGE 5 COMPLETION Team members assess if team reached their goals, both collectively and personally Members emotionally accept situations where their expectations were not met on the team Members acknowledge the personal goals they did not attain Member acknowledge the personal goals they attained Team members openly discuss changes they would make the next time they are on a team Members say good-bye to each other Archival materials are stored and given to proper authorities Communication systems used by the team are closed down The Team Formation Model The following elements are essential for effective team building: Exchange of schedules, phone numbers, e-mail addresses which are recorded on a team calendar. Choice of roles that can be rotated amongst team members or remain static, i.e. team leader, recorder, time keeper, and/or oral presenter. The appropriate roles depend upon the nature of your project and may be determined by the instructor. Exchange of interpersonal and technical information about strengths and weaknesses concerning the team and task process. This includes a discussion and record of each individual team members’ strengths and weaknesses in the areas that will be utilized in the team and task processes. Creation of a mission statement that can be utilized to make a time management plan. Creation of ground rules. Discussion of the team life cycle and what tasks are associated with each cycle to maintain the team’s effectiveness. Creation of a time management plan to develop action plans. These can be expanded into flexible weekly and daily activity lists for the team. Development of a system for communicating the team’s activities to other interested parties, i.e. faculty, other team members, and teaching assistants. Arrangement of planned weekly team meetings, including preparation of agendas and minutes. Meetings can be formal or take place by e-mail. The focus for team meetings is on preparation, planning, and reporting activities.