BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS, BS 110 Karyn Cichoski Patricia Elliot Amy Glavan Tamara Jandro Importance of Teamwork in Community Organizations

LEARNING HOW COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS USE TEAMS IN EVERYDAY FUNCTIONS BY CONDUCTING INTERVIEWS FOCUS AREAS: JOB DUTIES NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION LISTENING SKILLS CONFLICT RESOLUTION ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES DIVERSITY Purpose

Organizations and Contacts McDonald’s Restaurant Paula Gust, Store Manager McDonald’s Restaurant Paula Gust, Store Manager Opportunity Manor Group Home Andrea Masbo, Program Coordinator Opportunity Manor Group Home Andrea Masbo, Program Coordinator Fleet Farm Retail Store Chuck, Lawn and Garden Department Head Fleet Farm Retail Store Chuck, Lawn and Garden Department Head Glencoe Regional Hospital Michelle Eggers, Delivery RN Glencoe Regional Hospital Michelle Eggers, Delivery RN

Interview Questions 1) What are your job duties that require teamwork? 2) How does nonverbal communication determine team success? 3) How do listening skills determine team success? 4) How are conflicts handled at your organization? 5) What is the greatest advantage of teamwork? 6) What is the greatest disadvantage of teamwork? 7) How diverse is your team?

MCDONALD’S RESTAURANT FLEET FARM RETAIL STORE Restaurant/Store Interview Results

McDonald’s: Paula Gust, Store Manager Job duties requiring teamwork  Interacting with owner, employees, customers Nonverbal communication importance  Gesturing: “Actions speak louder than words” Listening skills importance  Preventing communication breakdown Conflict management techniques  Resolving privately and informally

McDonald’s Continued Teamwork advantage  Building employee morale Teamwork disadvantage  Decreasing employee morale Team diversity  Hiring 14+, novice crew - experienced managers

Fleet Farm: Chuck, Lawn and Garden Department Head Job duties requiring teamwork  Overseeing work, leading, encouraging Nonverbal communication importance  Anticipating others’ moods and behaviors Listening skills importance  Making things clear with feedback Conflict management techniques  Talking individually and as a group

Fleet Farm Continued Teamwork advantage  Making things easier, faster Teamwork disadvantage  Lacking equal contribution Team diversity  Employing three different generations

OPPORTUNITY MANOR GROUP HOME GLENCOE REGIONAL HOSPITAL Healthcare Interview Results

Opportunity Manor: Andrea Masbo, Group Home Program Coordinator Job duties requiring teamwork  Scheduling, performance reviews, committee meetings Nonverbal communication importance  Signaling stress level to group members Listening skills importance  Ensuring proper training by feedback Conflict management techniques  Setting aside time for group meetings

Opportunity Manor Continued Teamwork advantage  Preventing burnout Teamwork disadvantage  Lacking consistency in large groups Team diversity  Ranging from novice CNAs – experienced RNs

Glencoe Regional Hospital: Michelle Eggers, Delivery RN Job duties requiring teamwork  Caring for patients before, during, and after delivery Nonverbal communication importance  Signaling patients’ or coworkers’ needs Listening skills importance  Making care flow smoother with feedback Conflict management techniques  Handling immediately and one-on-one

Glencoe Regional Hospital, Continued Teamwork advantage  Improving patient healthcare Teamwork disadvantage  Neglecting patient care sometimes Team diversity  Including male and female nurses, 2 year degree – Master’s

WHAT CAN BE LEARNED ABOUT TEAMWORK FROM THESE INTERVIEWS? Summary/Discussion/Analysis

Learning Points 1 and 2 1) Knowing individual job duties within the team is vital.  Individual tasks contribute to team goal  Cooperate instead of competing 2) Nonverbal communication of individual group members reflects positively or negatively on the team.  Gestures speak louder than words  Nonverbal messages often believed over verbal

Learning Points 3 and 4 3) Listening skills prevent miscommunication.  Feedback in the form of questions  Summarize what a speaker is saying 4) Dealing with conflict correctly keeps the team on track.  Conflict should be resolved promptly  Conflict can be resolved one-on-one or in a group

Learning Points 5 and 6 5) Every team has advantages and disadvantages.  Teamwork requires a positive “can do” attitude  Members’ personalities complement or complicate team goals 6) Diversity within a team keeps the team open minded.  Multi-generational  Multi-cultural  Multi-national

Conclusion Teamwork in a business or organization depends on several focus areas:  Applying nonverbal skills  Developing listening skills  Using conflict resolution skills  Knowing team strengths and weaknesses  Having a diverse team background Teams that are aware of these focus areas are likely to be cohesive and successful.