Teamwork IE491 October 17, 2005

Teamwork thoughts What do you think of when I say teamwork? How many of you have participated in a team-oriented activity? How many of you have participated in team projects at UB?

Your evaluation Rate your overall experience Hated It Didn’t Care for It OKLoved It 1234

Team vs. Individual Let’s take basketball – Would you like to play a team of five by yourself?

Skilled vs. unskilled More basketball – Would you like to play a team of highly skilled individuals with four of your friends?

Strengths and Weaknesses Strengths 1. S1 2. S2 3. S3 4. S4 5. S5 Weaknesses 1. W1 2. W2 3. W3 4. W4 5. W5

Team prevalence A recent survey of U.S. industries – 82% of businesses with 100 or more employees used teams in one way or another to accomplish their objectives.

Possible benefits Become a better, more knowledgeable team member Be a more effective team leader Have some ability with team design Develop ability to troubleshoot/correct

Team definition A distinguishable set of two or more people who interact, dynamically, interdependently, and adaptively toward a common and valued goal/objective/mission, who have been assigned specific roles or functions to perform …

Need for teams? 1. Advances in technology have resulted in more complex systems that often require contributions from physically dispersed teams members. 2. Team-based organizations have advantages in terms of employee motivation and involvement. 3. Teams can often accomplish more than individuals and provide the redundancy required in high-risk environments.

Three characteristics Team members must work toward a common goal Team members work interdependently toward their common goal Team members must coordinate their activities

Factors affecting team performance Individual TM Characteristics Task skills Interpersonal skills Attitudes Personality characteristics Team characteristics Team size Collective attitudes Team member homogeneity

Factors affecting team performance - continues Work characteristics Work structure Communication structure/modality Organization and situational characteristics Organizational support Supervision and reward

Team competencies Knowledge competencies – what team members need to know to be effective Skill competencies – what teams members must do to be effective Attitude competencies –what team members must feel to be effective

Knowledge competencies Members must have knowledge about their Mission Roles Responsibilities

Knowledge competencies - continued Members must also have knowledge about Teamwork skills Task sequencing Relationship to larger organization

Knowledge competencies - continued Pre-existing When members have a rich understanding of the task and its demands, and of the strengths, weaknesses, preferences, knowledge requirements and tendencies of team mates – they are better able to coordinate their activities  Particularly important in high workload situations  Rely on an “implicit coordination”

Knowledge competencies - continued Constructed dynamically during the team’s performance Must understand well how particular task cues are related to specific team strategies – sometimes referred to as “shared situational awareness”

Skill competencies Dimensions; 1 to 4 Adaptability – adjust team strategies Shared situational awareness – common understanding of task and situation Performance monitoring and feedback – accurately monitor each other’s performance and correct errors Leadership – provides the ability to direct, focus and coordinate activities

Skill competencies – continued Dimensions; 5 to 8 Interpersonal skills – effectively resolve conflicts and motivate each other Coordination skills – organize and use all resources available Communication skills – facilitates exchange of information Decision-making skills – gather and integrate info to execute task

Attitude competencies Examples of attitudes relevant to teams: Attitude toward teamwork Mutual trust Collective orientation

Good teams Well trained teams with high ability are – A pleasure to observe Fun to be part of Necessary for complex problems Usually winner!

Info source “Team Effectiveness and Competencies,” Cannon – Bowers and Salas, W. Karwowski (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Ergonomics and Human Factors. Hants, UK:Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 2001, pp “Team Performance,” Bowers, Jentsch and Morgan, W. Karwowski (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Ergonomics and Human Factors. Hants, UK:Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 2001, pp “Team Training,” Salas, Cannon – Bowers and Smith - Jentsch W. Karwowski (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Ergonomics and Human Factors. Hants, UK:Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 2001, pp

Other Next week – Ethics Tuesday, October 18 – Honors Employment Dinner Wednesday, October 19 – Tech Fair, 3:00 to 6:00 pm, Alumni Arena Question – what is your objective – career, temporary?? Suggestion – use some teamwork and share your resumes with each other