Team-Building/Maintenance AERSP 401A

Team-Building Behaviors Confronting: insisting that the team deal with issues that it appears to want to avoid Gatekeeping: providing opportunities for all members of the team to contribute Mediating: intervening to clarify the respective positions of two or more disputants Harmonizing: finding areas of agreement in the arguments of two or more team members Supporting: reinforcing the right of each team member to speak or to have his/her opinion discussed Process-observing: paying attention to, and commenting on, what goes on in the team

Obstructing Roles in Teams Shutting off: silencing a member by interrupting, changing the subject, or putting down Analyzing: putting labels on or suggesting motives for another’s behavior Dominating: taking over a meeting and preventing others from contributing Yes-butting: seeming to agree or respect another’s position before arguing against its validity Naysaying: being negative about ideas or suggestions before they are really considered

Arriving at a Consensus Encourage all participants to have a full say Emphasize positives Find out how serious the negatives are Keep summing up the areas of agreement

Stages in a Team’s Development Forming –still just a group if individuals –getting acquainted –learning each other’s strengths –starting to develop communications and decision-making skills for this team

Stages (cont’d) Storming –disagreeing –struggling for power –confused about team’s functioning Acknowledge conflict as normal Work on communications/decision-making Focus on team’s mission

Stages (cont’d) Norming –now becoming a team –improving interaction –depending upon each other’s strengths Continue using team-building skills (especially process-observing)

Stages (cont’d) Performing –producing results –dealing with conflict routinely –supporting each other Continue using team-building skills Various events may return team to earlier stage