Effective teams Flashcards
What is a team?
A team is a group of people who have been specially formed for a particular purpose to achieve a common goal.
Effective teamwork can bring great benefits to the workplace and employers and managers often form teams to undertake projects or specific pieces of work. Teamworking creates opportunities for employees to pool their knowledge and skills by working alongside others to achieve a common goal.
What makes an effective team?
shared goals - effective teams have a common purpose and work towards shared goals or targets.
team size - an effective team will normally consists of around 4 to 6 team members. if a team has too many members, sub-groups may form and the team becomes less cohesive. if a team is too small, there is a risk of one person dominating.
team composition - effective teams usually have a range of skills and personalities, this allows for specialisation and skill sharing, when forming a team, careful consideration should be given to factors such as personality, interests, age and background to ensure that the team can draw on a range of ideas, knowledge and skills.
commitment - everyone in the team needs to believe in the task or challenge to be undertaken, the clearer the task the more involved the members feel, the more effectively the team will work together.
communication - all members are encouraged to contribute their ideas, to share their views and play a meaningful role in problem solving and decision making.
What makes an effective team member?
Being supportive of other team members/team goal.
Able to listen to other members’ ideas and views with an open mind.
Able to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Positive, enthusiastic and encouraging towards others.
Being willing to take on additional tasks and responsibility.
Able to minimise and resolve conflict between team members.
Belbin’s Team Roles
motivator - person that drives the team forward by encouraging and motivating others.
implementer - person that gets tasks started and who turns ideas into practical actions.
checker - person that monitors progress and ensures that tasks have been carried out correctly.
finisher - person that ensures tasks are completed on time and thoroughly implemented.
go-getter - person with contacts to support the team and who can seek out resources.
specialist - someone who has specialised or technical knowledge and skills needed to get the job done.
Forming
The team relies on their leader for guidance and direction and are unsure of their individual roles and responsibilities. The team leader provides guidance to team members and allocates roles, also directing the team on the task or goal ahead. The team leader will make most decisions for the group during the forming phase.
Storming
Team members adjust to their roles and their position within the team. Some conflict may arise, so the leader needs to exercise strong guidance and discipline. Some members may challenge the leadership of the team. During the storming phase, the group still needs to focus on its overall goals and clarify team roles.
Norming
The team members begin to agree with each other and to support each other in their defined roles. They accept the leader of the team and challenges to this leadership are rare. Decisions are made by the team as opposed to the team leader. Commitment is forming within the team, and they begin to share common purposes and aims.
Performing
The team knows its purpose and has a shared vision. It can operate effectively with little participation from the leader. Any disagreements within the team are resolved quickly and amicably. The team work effectively towards achieving the goal, and members are able to maintain their relationship and values as a team. The team accepts delegated tasks from the leader but does not need to be instructed or assisted with these tasks.
Skills of Team members
Leadership
Delegation
Communication
Listening
Conflict resolution
Leadership skills
Effective teams usually benefit from strong and effective leadership.
A good leader sets a clear vision and identifies goals or targets for the team.
Effective leaders foster a sense of team ownership and commitment to the task.
Good leaders influence and motivate others towards the achievement of team goals.
Good leaders create a positive working environment and acknowledge the efforts of the team.
A good leader ensures that communication is open and constructive, and that conflict is kept to a minimum.
Delegation skills
A team is more likely to be effective if tasks are allocated equitably and reflect the particular strengths of team members.
It is often the team leader who decides which tasks are to be delegated and to which team members. However, a strong team can make such decisions as a group. Where a team member has too much work, they can delegate a task upwards to the team leader.
Some group members may take on too much work, creating the risk of missed deadlines or poor quality of work. In such situations, delegating tasks to other team members improves the performance of the team.
When making decisions about delegation, factors to be considered include experience, knowledge and skills, and aptitude.
Communication skills
Effective teams communicate well - both within the team and externally with other departments, teams, customers, etc.
Team members should be able to express their views clearly for everyone to understand, both verbally and in writing.
Team members are kept up to date with information at meetings or by other methods.
Listening skills
Team members should be able to listen actively to each other’s ideas and points of view.
Active listening means fully concentrating on what the speaker says, rather than passively ‘hearing’ them.
Listening skills include asking thoughtful questions and giving the speaker feedback.
Listening actively is also about patience and not interrupting a speaker.
Conflict resolution
Although conflict resolution is often the role of the team leader, high performing teams are built on mutual respect, so team members are able to settle disputes or disagreements without disrupting the performance of the team.
Issues or disagreements should be discussed openly and respectfully, without attributing blame or pointing the finger.
How employees benefit from teamworking
Increased morale and motivation Being part of a team gives employees a greater sense of involvement and responsibility, which leads to increased motivation and job satisfaction.
Shared knowledge and skills: Employees benefit greatly from sharing ideas and knowledge within a team. Learning from others helps develop an individual’s knowledge and skills, potentially increasing their prospects of promotion.
Risk-taking: Individuals working in teams are able to share risks and responsibilities. This encourages them to try new ideas that they might not have attempted as individuals.
Feeling valued and recognised: Individuals working as part of a team may feel more valued within the organisation and experience a greater sense of belonging. Feeling recognised increases an employee’s level of motivation and commitment.
