Team Building & Teamwork Chapter 10 Team Building & Teamwork

Objectives After reading the chapter and reviewing the materials presented the students will be able to: Build teams and make them work. Reward team and individual performance. Recognize teamwork and team players. Lead multicultural teams.

What is a team? A team is a group of people with a common collective goal. Rationale for Teams: Teams satisfy the human social need to belong. The whole (team) can be greater than the sum of its parts (individual members). People in teams get to know each other, build trust, and as a result, want to help each other.

When Do Groups Become Teams? A group of people becomes a team when: All members understand and agree on the mission. Members adhere to team ground rules. Teams work best when responsibility and authority are shared and team members are treated as equals. People in teams should help each other adapt to change in a positive way.

Responsibilities of team leaders The team should select its own leader. The responsibilities of the team leader are: The team leader serves as the official contact between the team and the rest of the organization. Serve as the official record keeper of the team. Implement team recommendations that fall within team authority. Work with upper management to implement those that fall outside the team authority.

Characteristics of a Good Team Mission Statement A mission statement is written in terms that are broad enough to encompass all the team will be expected to do but specific enough that progress can easily be measured. A sample mission statement: The purpose of this team is to reduce the time between when an order is taken and when it is filled, while simultaneously improving the quality of the products shipped.

Developing Collegial Relationships Competence, trust, communication and mutual support are the foundation on which effective teamwork is built. Help team members understand the importance of honesty, reliability, and trustworthiness. Help team members develop mutual confidence in their work ability. It is important for team members to be supportive of peers as they deal with the stresses of the job.

Promoting Diversity in Teams Strategies: Continually assess circumstances: Do minorities and non minorities with comparable jobs earn comparable wages. Factors that might undermine harmonious team work should be anticipated, identified, and handled. Give team members opportunities to learn: Education and training aimed at promoting sensitivity to and appreciation of human differences should be provided. Diverse employees, properly managed and trained, can make high performance, world class teams.

Institutionalized Bias Institutionalized bias happens when the demographics of a team change but its habits, traditions, procedures, and work environment do not. An effective way to eliminate institutional bias is to circulate a blank notebook and ask team members to record - without attribution – instances and examples of institutional bias. By collecting input directly from team members and acting on it promptly, coaches can ensure that discrimination and inertia is not creating or perpetuating quiet but debilitating resentment. After the initial circulation repeat the process periodically.

Structural Inhibitors of Teamwork Unit structure: Teams work best in a cross functional environment. Failing to change the traditional unit structure can inhibit teamwork. Accountability: In a traditional organization, employees feel accountable to management. Teams work best when they feel accountable to customers. Unit goals: Traditional organizations are task oriented. Teams work best when they focus on overall process effectiveness rather than individual tasks. Responsibility: In traditional organizations, employees are responsible for their individual performance. Teams work best when individual employees are held responsible for the performance of their team. Compensation and recognition: Traditional organizations recognize individual achievements. Teams work best when both team and individual achievements are recognized and compensated. Planning and Control: In a traditional organization, managers and supervisors plan and control the work. Teams work best when managers and teams work together to plan and control the work.

Nonmonetary Rewards Widely used non monetary rewards that have proven to be effective include: movie tickets, gift certificates, time off, event tickets, free attendance at seminars, getaway week end for two, airline tickets, and prizes such as electronics or household products. A good rule of thumb to apply when selecting nonmonetary incentives is “Do not assume – ask.”

Summary A team is a group of people with a common collective goal. A group of people becomes a team when: All members understand and agree on the mission. Rationale for Teams: Teams satisfy the human social need to belong. The whole (team) can be greater than the sum of its parts (individual members). People in teams get to know each other, build trust, and as a result, want to help each other. The team should select its own leader. The responsibilities of the team leader are: The team leader serves as the official contact between the team and the rest of the organization. Serve as the official record keeper of the team. Implement team recommendations that fall within team authority. Work with upper management to implement those that fall outside the team authority. A mission statement is written in terms that are broad enough to encompass all the team will be expected to do but specific enough that progress can easily be measured. Promoting Diversity in Teams: Continually assess circumstances: Do minorities and non minorities with comparable jobs earn comparable wages. Factors that might undermine harmonious team work should be anticipated, identified, and handled. Structural Inhibitors of Teamwork: Teams work best in a cross functional environment. Failing to change the traditional unit structure can inhibit teamwork. Institutionalized bias happens when the demographics of a team change but its habits, traditions, procedures, and work environment do not.

Home Work Answer Questions 1, 3, on page 163. 1. What is a team, and why are teams important? 3. Explain the strategies for being an effective team leader.