Developing Team Skills Dr. Martha Reavley Odette School of Business

Introduction n Why organizations need teams n group exercise

Topics of Discussion n Affinity for Teams: self-assessment quiz 4-1 n Types of teams - by function; by level of performance n Approaches to building team performance n Stages of team development n Team members roles: Self assessment quiz 4-3

Affinity for Teams n exercise n commitment to improvement

Functional and Activity-based Teams n Self-managing teams n Cross-functional n Virtual

How do SDWT’s Work? n Who has them and where? n Titles n Size n Multi-skilling n Support n Committees

Cross-Functional Teams n Used for various purposes n Bring together people at same level from different functional areas n Important for integration

Virtual Teams n Facilitated by computer technology n Can collaborate on global basis n Used quite a bit for research teams

Types of Teams as determined by the stage of development n Working group n pseudo-team n Potential team n Real team n High-performance team

Approaches to Team Development n Preparing for teams n Selection n Training n Building strong teams

Preparing for Teams n Roles for: u senior management u steering committee u design team

Senior Management n Works on implementing a new vision n decides whether teams are compatible with new vision n guidance to steering committee and design team n define roles of teams n appoints steering committee

Steering Committee n Composed of upper and middle mgmt., union reps., team leaders and sometimes prospective team members n oversees design efforts n are champions of team concept and often select team characteristics and provide link between teams and organization n protect design process from negative influences

The Design Team n Composed of members of: steering committee,supervisors, HR, union, teams n plans the implementation strategy: u pilot areas u phase-in by developing a plan to roll out teams sequentially u total immersion - favoured by start-ups n champions the team concept

Selection Low success ratio 20/1 n Tools: n Cognitive and Technical ability tests n Interviews n Assessment centres: F problem solving simulations F manufacturing simulation F group-discussion simulation

Training n Lack of training is major barrier to successful team implementation n What they need: u job-specific skills u team/interactive skills (eg. conflict resolution) u quality action training (identifying improvement opportunities, developing and selecting solutions) u continuous improvement (career-long learning) at “teachable moments”

Building Strong Teams n Effective teams exhibit: u Commitment - identify with team and are committed to goals u Trust - believe in each other and are willing to uphold commitment to team u Purpose - see how they fit into organization and believe they can make a difference u Communication - communicate among selves as well as with others outside the team u Involvement - each member has a role. Decisions are made by consensus u Process orientation - uses planning and problem solving tools to attain goals

Stages of Team Development

Team Member Roles n Knowledge contributor n Process observer n Collaborator n People supporter n Challenger n Listener n Mediator n Gatekeeper

Team Player Role Assessment n Complete Self-Assessment 4-3 page 71

What This Means n Most of us work in some type of team n We must commit to being an effective team member

Leading Teams n Are you prepared? n Complete “Assessing Your Team Leadership Skills” activity

Next Steps n Continue with your diary n Group problem solving and decision making