6-1 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Managerial Problem Solving by Wood Slides prepared by Robert Wood, Julie Cogin and Jens Beckmann Managerial Problem Solving Frameworks, Tools, Techniques Robert Wood Julie Cogin Jens Beckmann

6-2 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Managerial Problem Solving by Wood Slides prepared by Robert Wood, Julie Cogin and Jens Beckmann Chapter 6 Team Processes

6-3 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Managerial Problem Solving by Wood Slides prepared by Robert Wood, Julie Cogin and Jens Beckmann Team Roles Plan a structured approach to team work Spend time during initial problem-solving meeting to address several planning questions: What are the individual’s goals and expectations for the outcomes of the problem-solving process? Uncover the members’ capabilities (past experience, knowledge or skills) to effectively utilise the team’s full potential Delegate team roles and rotation Delegate tasks

6-4 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Managerial Problem Solving by Wood Slides prepared by Robert Wood, Julie Cogin and Jens Beckmann Team Processes Awareness and management of team processes help facilitate team problem-solving processes Two kinds of processes: Task processes – refer to problem-solving tasks Social processes – refer to the interaction between team members and their personal feelings, motivations and contributions during those interactions

6-5 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Managerial Problem Solving by Wood Slides prepared by Robert Wood, Julie Cogin and Jens Beckmann Team Processes Process gains occur when the performance of the team adds up to more than the sum of the individual contribution due to effective task and social processes Process losses occur when the interactions between team members detract value from the contribution of individual members, produce conflict and waste time. These are caused by the poor management of task and social processes

6-6 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Managerial Problem Solving by Wood Slides prepared by Robert Wood, Julie Cogin and Jens Beckmann Team Culture Potential source of process losses or process gains Good cultures include respect for other members, open communication, strong analytical processes and commitment to the team Creating and maintaining a productive team culture is a good investment for problem-solving teams Dysfunctional team problem-solving norms contribute to unproductive team cultures. They lead to process losses that include: Disagreeing with or criticising any new or different ideas Failure to take into account the inputs of all members Focusing on opinions and not using data when analysing problems

6-7 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Managerial Problem Solving by Wood Slides prepared by Robert Wood, Julie Cogin and Jens Beckmann Nominal Group Technique (NGT) When to Use A nominal group consists of several people who are prepared to work as a team to resolve a problem. The sharing of anonymously submitted ideas promotes a sense of involvement and motivation within the team NGT can be used in the solution generation and evaluation stages. It provides a structure for interaction that can dramatically improve the quality of the ideas produced NGT overcomes problems like lack of participation or unequal power relationships in the team

6-8 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Managerial Problem Solving by Wood Slides prepared by Robert Wood, Julie Cogin and Jens Beckmann Nominal Group Technique (NGT) Simple Steps Step 1: Preparation Define issues or questions to be addressed Appoint a team leader State importance of task and unique contribution each member can make Discuss overall goal of NGT and how results will be used Step 2: Silent writing Stop talking and write silently to address the question/issue

6-9 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Managerial Problem Solving by Wood Slides prepared by Robert Wood, Julie Cogin and Jens Beckmann Nominal Group Technique (NGT) Simple Steps Step 3: Round robin recording of ideas Share sentences from the list in a succinct manner Encourage members to “piggyback’”on ideas Record all items on flip charts Step 4: Clarification of ideas by serial discussion Read each item and invite questions, aim for understanding rather than discussion or debate Step 5: Voting Rank or vote the five most important ideas

6-10 Copyright  2009 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Managerial Problem Solving by Wood Slides prepared by Robert Wood, Julie Cogin and Jens Beckmann Nominal Group Technique (NGT) Limitations Advantages Voting is anonymous Opportunities for equal participation Distractions (communication “noise”) inherent in other methods are minimised Disadvantages Opinions may not converge in the voting process Cross-fertilisation of ideas may be constrained Process may appear to be too mechanical