Fall 2015ECEn 4901 Team work and Team Building

Fall 2015 ECEn Lecture 1 review Did you find the class website? Have you met with your team? Have you met with your adviser? Have you downloaded the “Design Team Process Worksheet”?

Fall 2015 ECEn EE 490 Team Exercise The Assignment Your team has been given the assignment to build a tower. The tower will be constructed out of paper and each team can only use 10 sheets in the final structure. You also have a roll of tape to assist in the construction. The Winning team will receive an award for their outstanding effort.

Fall 2015 ECEn EE 490 Team Exercise The Materials Your construction kit consists of 20 sheets of paper, a roll of tape and scissors. The Preparation You will have 10 minutes to develop your plan for constructing your tower. At the end of the 10 minutes, you will all put away any practice materials, and prepare for the actual construction.

Fall 2015 ECEn The Build You will have 2 1/2 minutes to build your actual tower. You must start with 10 new sheets of paper, no materials from the planning stage can be used. You can cut strips of tape for the construction process. The Goal: Build the tallest tower!! The tallest free-standing tower will be the winner. (can’t be attached to the floor) Good luck. Prof Clifford EE 490 Team Exercise

Fall 2015 ECEn What leadership roles did you notice in your team? How were the roles decided? What other roles did team members assume? How were decisions made in your team? What did your team do well? What should your team do differently? What activities would ensure the best results for the team? Discussion on Team Dynamics

Fall 2015 ECEn The Productivity of Teams Productivity 1+1=123+ Inefficient Teams Poor cooperation Waiting for team to decide. Little or nor work outside team meetings. Assignments poorly coordinated. Hidden agendas Bickering among team members. Duplicated efforts Lack of front end planning Independent teams Good cooperation among team members. Tasks are well defined Team members work independently Little or no sharing of roles and responsibilities. Team members motivated by individual success. Super Teams High degree of collaboration on assignments Ideas build on each other. Team members challenge each other. Team is motivated to win as a team. High degree of honest, open communications.

Fall 2015 ECEn The top five Keys to effective teams 1.Learn the importance of discussion and agreement on team decisions. 2.Understand team roles and relationships. 3.Learn to prepare for team activities, then reflect on the results and assess team performance 4.Learn the importance of documenting decisions and results. 5.Learn the importance of communications among team members.

Fall 2015 ECEn Some suggestions for your Project teams –Decide what roles will be required to complete your project. –Identify who will take the lead in each role identified above. –Develop a written description of the role. –Decide on a regular time for having team meetings. –Keep written notes of team activities. –Each team member should keep a lab record to capture ideas and results.

Fall 2015 ECEn Each team will have a designated team leader. The team leader will be responsible for most of the communication with Brother Clifford. They must have active , and be willing to distribute messages to all team members. The leader will also be responsible to see that all assignments are completed and submitted on time. The team leader is responsible to see that the team meetings are held, action items are completed, and that team meeting notes are recorded. The team leader is responsible to see that design reviews are held with the class instructors. Role of the Team Leader

Fall 2015 ECEn How will you choose a team leader? The role of the team leader is no more important than any other role on the team. It is just a different role. Choose a team leader who has the interest and desire in developing some of his/her leadership skills. Don’t make the choice of the team leader a popularity contest. Chose someone who you can support. Make sure the leader has the time and interest to take on this role. Others on the team should take leadership roles in various assignments during the semester.

Fall 2015 ECEn Importance of Team Meetings Coordinate efforts Identify problems Make team decisions Keep the team on track Motivate and encourage team members. Provide accountability for assignments. But don’t wait for the meeting if you have an important issue

Fall 2015 ECEn Team Meeting Suggestions Have regular agenda items –Review current Schedule –Open discussion of issues and problems –Review completed assignments Get a status report from each team member Ask each team member to submit agenda items in advance

Fall 2015 ECEn Potential Team Meeting Problems Meetings don’t cover all important topics –Provide an agenda with critical issues identified. Meetings take too long –Establish time limits on the agenda. Meeting too infrequently –Have a regularly scheduled time. Decisions don’t stick. Have to make the same decision multiple times. –Prepare a written statement of all major decisions. Problem team member(s) –One-on-one discussion with individual(s) with ideas for improvement.

Fall 2015 ECEn Team Member Expectations Not all team members have the same expectations Individual expectations shape behavior Teams will function better if expectations are discussed openly

Fall 2015 ECEn Homework Assignments There will usually be a short assignment given at the end of most lectures pertaining to the material covered in the class and in the text. In general these questions are designed to simulate some group discussion in your team meetings. The assignment is to be discussed as a team and a single team response is expected. All assignments are due by 9 a.m. of the next class period.

Fall 2015 ECEn Homework –Read Chapter 2, Development Processes and Organizations, or the notes for Lecture 3 on the website. –Decide on a team management site. (It doesn’t need to be in a final form) –Complete the “Design Team Process Worksheet”. a copy to me at –List three things your team learned from the “build the tower” experience. me with your responses.

Fall 2015 ECEn Extra material The following slides illustrate some of the more common leadership styles. Look for these in your team.

Fall 2015 ECEn Team Decision Making and Leadership Processes King King for a day DemocracyConsensusAnarchy

Fall 2015 ECEn King Team leader makes most decisions (with or without discussion) Advantages –Rapid decisions –Usually coordinated decisions Disadvantages –Decisions constrained by king’s knowledge –Less than full support of some team members

Fall 2015 ECEn King for a Day Same as King, except different team members decides based on topic, time, etc Advantages –Rapid decisions –Decision made by more knowledgeable person Disadvantages –Decisions constrained by king’s knowledge –Less than full support of some team members –Some decisions may not get made

Fall 2015 ECEn Democracy Discussion, majority vote rules Advantages –Collects knowledge from entire team –Entire team will be engaged Disadvantages –May split team into factions –May create “underground” opposition –Decisions may influenced by non relevant factors

Fall 2015 ECEn Consensus Discussion of alternatives, pros and cons Improving of proposals Elimination of objections and buy in Advantages –Excellent at gathering all team knowledge –Full team support of decision Disadvantages –Takes a long time –Sometimes it never converges

Fall 2015 ECEn Anarchy Please avoid this at all costs!! Team member make decisions independent of team No coordination or communication Leads to –Duplication of effort –Omitted tasks –Harsh Feelings

Fall 2015 ECEn Team Communication Frequency Separation Distance (meters) Probability of Communicating at Least Once per Week (%)