1. Group work and time management – Comp 1205 Hugh Davis

2. Understand how knowledge of individual Character Strengths can give insight into Group Culture Use knowledge of Character Strengths to develop group roles in preparation for preparing & delivering the group presentation Introduction to the concept of peer assessment of contribution to group work See how time management techniques can help you remain “in control” Objectives of this session

3. ‘Team-work is a group of individuals working together towards some common purpose and, in so doing, achieving more than they could alone’ (Bell, L 1992) The nature of teamwork

4. Basis of teamwork Shared perceptions A common purpose Agreed procedures Commitment Co-operation Resolving disagreements openly by discussion

5. Developing and evidencing effective team working skills will: Help you to create a professional profile / CV valued by prospective employers Help you to learn through discussion and collaboration Contribute in a wide range of ‘ real life ’ situations Team working skills

6. The development of a team The stages: Forming - getting to know Storming- different opinions Norming- finding common ground Reforming- sorting out best ways Performing- working together efficiently TuckmanTuckman, 1965

7. Factors that affect groups Size Roles Norms Goals GROUP Structure Cohesiveness Payne, E and Whittaker, L (2000) Developing Essential Study Skills

8. RolesRoles for effective teamwork Teams are made up of individuals playing different roles. The kind of roles will depend on the nature and purpose of the team Implementer- translates ideas into practice Co-ordinator- controls and co-ordinates Shaper - pushes to get the job done Innovator/plant- advances new ideas Resource Investigator - identifies ideas and resources from outside the team Monitor evaluator - critical thinker; analyses ideas, reviews the team Team worker- promotes harmony Completer finisher- drives for task completion Specialist- has specialist skills and knowledge Belbin, R. Meredith Management Teams: Why they Succeed or Fail, (2003). 2 nd Edn. Butterworth Heinemann,

9. 1.Ideas 2.Information gathering 3.Decision making 4.Implementation 5.Influencing 6.Energy management 7.Relationship management 7 Key Teamwork functions

10. 10 Advice for effective teamwork Come to a common understanding of the nature of the task or goal Adopt complementary roles Agree targets, and strategies for meeting them Review progress and communicate openly Lead when appropriate Respect everyone ’ s contribution and give constructive feedback Accept that groups go through phases Celebrate achievement

11. 11 Positive contributions initiating - suggesting new ideas or a changed way of looking at a task info. seeking - asking for relevant facts info. giving - providing relevant facts or relating personal experience pertinent to the task opinion giving - stating a relevant belief/opinion clarifying - probing for meaning and understanding

12. 12 continued….. elaborating – building on previous comment co-ordinating – showing or clarifying the relationships between various ideas, pulling ideas and suggestions together orientating – defining progress testing – checking with the team to see if it is ready to take action summarising – reviewing progress

13. 13 Communicating effectively Language you use Tone of voice Turn-taking Expressing yourself clearly in speech and in writing Listening carefully Aspects of body language such as: facial expression where you sit or stand in relation to others engaged posture to show that you are interested When working as a team, think about:

14. 14 Hindering teamwork blocking– interfering with team progress aggressing– criticising or blaming others seeking recognition – attempting to call attention to oneself withdrawing– being indifferent or passive, resorting to excessive formality, whispering dominating– trying to assert authority in manipulating the group, interrupting

15. 15 Suggested ground rules Turn up to meetings Agree on agenda for meetings Nobody to speak for longer than 3 minutes at a time No interrupting No putting others down: criticise the idea not the process Encourage everyone to speak Start and end meetings on time Set deadlines and stick to them Everyone to do what they agree

16. 16 Dealing with difficulties ProblemPossible solution Uneven workloadAgree who does what at the start and write it down. Ask why work isn ’ t being done and explain the effect on the group. Too much work involvedRevisit task. Are their more effective approaches? Resources not availablePlan for this at the start. ConfusionDiscuss goals as a group and revisit. Quiet group membersAsk their views – encourage comment (be positive). Disruptive group membersAsk ‘ talkatives ’ to let somebody else speak – be assertive.

17. 17 Group goals What do you want to achieve as a group? What do you personally need/want to achieve? eg related to the task or how you work together eg learning something, a good grade.

18. At different times, everybody will exhibit all 24 Character Strengths to a greater or lesser degree Some Strengths are easier and more natural for an individual to express (their Signature Strengths), Other strengths arise in particular situations where they are needed i.e. you can call upon them but they don’t necessarily come naturally (Phasic Strengths), And other strengths are expressed to a lesser degree or with lesser frequency (Lesser Strengths). What are your top five ‘signature’ Character Strengths? Re-cap on Character Strengths

19. Use the Excel spreadsheet to each add in your top 5 ‘signature’ strengths http://www.edshare.soton.ac.uk/10608/ to gain insight into your Group Culture http://www.edshare.soton.ac.uk/10608/ Questions to reflect upon in your Group Which Character Strengths best define the group’s culture? Which Character Strengths are under-represented? And how might this have a potentially negative impact on developing & delivering the group presentation Group / team culture

20. 7 key team functions 1.Ideas 2.Information gathering 3.Decision making 4.Implementation 5.Influencing 6.Energy management 7.Relationship management Useful Character Strengths Creativity; teamwork; bravery; appreciation of beauty & excellence; curiosity Love of learning; perseverance; curiosity Etc etc Aligning Character Strengths with Team Functions Full mapping of Character Strengths available from Edshare http://www.edshare.soton.ac.uk/10608/ http://www.edshare.soton.ac.uk/10608/

22. Mapping Your team skills

23. Allows every group member to recognise individual contributions to group work Marked by students, the people who actually know … Each student receives an adjusted mark WebPA Peer Assessment

24. WebPA – Peer Assessment

25. Time Management Hugh Davis/Su White

26. 26 What does planning buy you? If you articulate the objectives you have then you are more likely to achieve them Helps you differentiate the important from the urgent Helps to stop procrastination A plan gives you just one thing you should be doing – rather than trying to decide which of many things to tackle. Leaves you in control which reduces anxiety

27. 27 How Good a Planner are you? 1.Do you have a diary with important deadlines? 2.Do you put daily plans on paper, to allocate time for your deadlines? 3.Do you allow flexibility in your plans? 4.How often do you accomplish all you plan for a given day? 5.How often do you plan time for what matters most to you? 6.How often is your daily plan destroyed by interruptions? Score 1= never 2=seldom 3 = sometimes 4 = often 5 = always Adapted from Quiz written for USA WEEKEND by time management expert Hyrum Smith, chairman of the Franklin Covey Co.

28. 28 Results 6-10: Terrible Life just happens to you. And it often goes wrong. 11-15: Below average planner. More effective planning will help to reduce the stress and lack of control you feel in your life. 16-20: Average planner. Not bad. But may need help focusing on priorities and dealing with urgent interruptions. 21-25: Good planner. You are in control of your life 26-30: Excellent planner--or obsessive compulsive? Make sure you’re in control of your planning rather than letting it control you.

29. 29 Time Management Technique Articulate your aims in life Work, play, financial, esteem, family etc. Set Goals to achieve these aims for this year, three years, ten years? Identify things you can do to achieve these goals Identify deadlines and other time constraints E.g. coursework deadlines, time to start revising for exams, time to apply for the summer holiday job, deadline for the entry form for the sailing regatta etc. Allocate time in a daily planner to meet the deadlines Prioritise the important Allow time for the things that matter Know yourself; only allocate the time you will actually spend.

30. 30 Time Management Technique - example Articulate your aims in life I want to have a professional job and salary Set Goals to achieve these aims I want to get a degree in computing Identify things you can do to achieve these goals Make sure I pass the modules/years Identify deadlines and other time constraints For COMP1205I have coursework3 deadline… Allocate time in a daily planner to meet the deadlines

31. Get Things Done commonly abbreviated as GTD action management method created by David Allen a person needs to move tasks out of the mind by recording them externally To free them from the job of remembering everything that needs to be done To concentrate on actually performing those tasks.

32. GTD See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_Things_ Done http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_Things_ Done 5 phases 1.Collect 2.Process 3.Organize 4.Review 5.Do 6 levels of focus 1. Current actions 2. Current projects 3. Areas of responsibility 4. Yearly goals 5. 5 year vision 6. Life goals Unless you are a very tidy person this is probably overkill for a student: Probably all you need is A diary An ordered ToDo list

33. Software Support Can use Outlook – gives sync to mobile devices Can use any number of RIAs e.g.

34. 34 Some things in student life that need scheduling Lectures, tutorials etc. Time to do courseworks Time to understand lecture notes (pre and post reading), and do examples Time to revise for exams Time for exercise Time for recreational activities Employment? Time to do things needed for longer term goals (write CV’s, job applications, attend meetings etc.) And don’t forget time to reflect on progress and to re- schedule things!