Communication in Teams

Communication Model

VERBAL/NON-VERBAL

CHANNELSLINGUISTIC BARRIERS

"SENDER"                      "RECEIVER"

PHYSICAL PSYCHOLOGICAL/

BARRIERS CULTURAL BARRIERS

VERBAL/NON-VERBAL

CHANNELS(Source: Bess, A. C. & Henry, K., 1996. Effective Negotiation Workshop, Harvard University/OUDA, Cairo, Egypt.)

System Thinking

Your team is what you think. Systems Thinking is a large body of methods, tools, and principles that look into how forces are related to see them as part of a common process. Systems Thinking incorporates every facet of the team. It is the structure or pattern of interrelationships, which includes, work ethic, work values, condition of equipment, time available, learning style, technical skill, attitudes, and perceptions. Systems Thinking is uncovering a person's competencies. It is a system of inquiry.

In teams, structures are built consciously and reviewed frequently because of the interdependency of the team members. Every element in the team structure is affected when one thing or another changes. When making a decision in a team, each member must be aware of the ramifications and tradeoffs of their decision. These may not always be visible. Using the Planning and Executing your Project Workbook many of the hidden ramifications can be built into the team's overall action plan. Once your action plans are in place, they need to be continually reviewed.

Using Systems Thinking can be frustrating because you are being asked to give up your old way of thinking about your assignments and develop a more collaborative, creative way of thinking. You can start to develop your thinking system by telling each other your story. While you are listening to these stories, train yourself to assess what is being told to you by the sender. An example is asking yourself: Are there areas of this story that lead me to believe that this person is highly trained in data analysis? What are those factors?