1. Teaming Skills for Success
Don Heer
10/8/08
Adapted from Terri Fiez, Director, School of EECS

2. Outline Why Teams? Get to Know Yourself & Your Teammates
Life Cycles of Teams
Team Roles and Responsibilities
Team Meetings

3. Why Teams?

4. Teams Can Outperform Individuals
Complex tasks
Creativity needed
Path forward unclear
More efficient use of resources needed
Fast learning required
Task/process cross functional

5. Learning from the Geese Analogy
When each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in a V formation, the whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.

6. Goose Falls Out of Formation
When goose falls out to seek more favorable conditions  rest of flock leaves space open as encouragement.
If a more favorable conditions are found, flock reforms around the “loner”.
If not, the flock slows its pace to allow the “loner” back into position.

7. “Loner” Stays Out No effort is made to return, flock closes ranks.
Loner either tires from drag/resistance and tag onto end of “V” or will be lost to flock.

8. Goose Rotation
When a goose gets tired, it rotates back in the flock and another goose takes over the point.
Geese honk from behind to encourage those in front to keep up their speed.
Honk, honk

9. Sick/Wounded Goose
Two other geese fall out to follow and protect sick/wounded goose.
Stay with goose until recovers or can not longer continue.
Then launch out on their own or with another formation to catch up with their flock.

10. Get to Know Yourself & Your Teammates

11. Knowing Yourself & Your Teammates
Personality styles: Myers-Briggs
Social Styles
Why? Aids in improving communication with peers and supervisors
How does it help? Influences how you act on what you say or do and your effectiveness in communication.
What it is not… Innermost workings of your personality or beliefs or values!!!

12. Behavioral Dimensions & Strengths of 4 Basic Social Styles
Task Oriented
Analytical
(Strengths: Logical,
Thorough, Serious,
Systematic, Critical,
Precise, Prudent)
Driver
(Strengths: Independent,
Candid, Decisive,
Pragmatic, Determined,
Efficient, Objective)
Reflective
Assertive
Amiable
(Strengths: Cooperative,
Loyal, Supportive,
Diplomatic, Patient,
Easygoing, Respectful)
Expressive
(Strengths: Imaginative,
Friendly, Enthusiastic,
Outgoing, Excitable,
Persuasive, Spontaneous)
People Oriented
Key here: No single social style works best
Flexibility in working with others of other social styles is important for success

13. Teams Often Require 4 Types
The people person (Amiable)
The thought person (Analytical)
The action person (Driver)
The front person (Expressive)

14. Weaknesses of Social Styles
Strengths
Weaknesses
Amiable
(Stretch)
Supportive
Easygoing
Conforming
Permissive
Analytical
(Decide)
Precise
Systematic
Exacting
Inflexible
Driver
(Listen)
Determined
Objective
Dominating
Insensitive
Expressive
(Restrain)
Enthusiastic
Imaginative
Undisciplined
Unrealistic

15. Basic Social Styles & Communication Orientation
Analytical
(Process-Oriented)
Communicates about:
Facts & Figures
Policies & Organization
Planning & Forecasting
Analysis & Control
Driver
(Action-Oriented)
Communicates about:
Getting Things Done
Objectives & Results
Performance & Productivity
Efficiency & Moving Ahead
Decisions & Achievements
Amiable
(People-Oriented)
Communicates about:
Needs & Motivations
Teamwork & Team Spirit
Feelings & Beliefs
Values & self-Devleopment
Expressive
(Idea-Oriented)
Communicates about:
Innovation & Change
New Ways of Doing Things
Creativity & Possibilities
Alternatives or Options

16. Flexing to Different Social Styles
Flexing to Amiables
Flexing to Analyticals
Flexing to Drivers
Flexing to Expressives
Be relaxed & moderately paced, have comfortable posture, speak softly, avoid harshness in voice
Make person-to-person contact when possible. Be genuine. Don’t engage in lengthy “small talk”
Communicate patiently
Mutually agree on goals
Offer personal assurance
Maintain ongoing contact more than with other social styles
Be on time.
Be moderately paced; lean back somewhat; avoid loud voice.
It is better to be more rather than less formal in clothing, speech manners.
Get to business quickly; be prepared, systematic, factual, logical, exact but still keep a human touch.
Show why this approach is best and has relatively little risk. Don’t exaggerate the advantages; these people are turned off by overstatement
When possible, allow them to proceed deliberately, even slowly.
When they are too indecisive, encourage them to make a decision but refrain from making it for them.
Be on time
Be energetic and fast paced; have erect posture and direct eye contact.
Get to business quickly, use time efficiently.
Be specific, clear, and brief. Don’t over explain, ramble, or be disorganized. From the beginning to end, focus on results.
Select the key facts, and use them when making your case. Present them logically and quickly.
Provide a limited number of options so that the Driver can make his or her own choice.
Provide data about the plusses and minuses of the options.
Stay on the topic; keep the pace up; and honor time limits.
If at all appropriate, ask directly for a decision.
Depart quickly buy graciously.
Be energetic and fast paced; have erect but not stiff posture and direct eye contact.
Allow time for socializing. Talk about experiences, opinions, and people. Tell about yourself, too. To a degree, adopt their entertaining, fun-loving behavior.
Expressives like arguments, to a point. Avoid becoming too dogmatic even when they are.
Discover their dreams and intuitions.
In support of your ideas, use testimonials from people they like or see as prominent.
Focus first on the “big picture.” Follow up with action plans and details
Tap their competitive spirit.
Find a way to have fun while achieving the objective.
Paraphrase agreements.
Keep a balance between flowing with the Expressive and getting back on track.

17. Exercise
Break up into design teams and determine what social style each of you are.
Share these styles and discuss how you will work together to complete your project.

18. Life Cycles of Teams

19. Life-Cycles of Teams Four Stages Teams go through
Each stage (and how it is managed) impacts the team’s effectiveness
Forming Storming
Performing Norming

20. Time Life-Cycle Stage Task Forming Storming Norming Performing
Characteristics (Relationship Issues)
Task
Leadership Style
Forming
Testing, Dependence,
Accommodating
Orientation
Directive; Expert
Storming
Intra-team conflict, competing, differentiating
Organization
Selling, Encouraging; coach
Norming
Development of team cohesion; mutuality
Reconciliation
Acceptance
Cohesion
Supportive facilitator (work with “we”)
Performing
Functional role, relatedness, collaborating
Synergistic, Problem solving
Delegation
Consultant

21. Team Life-Cycle: Forming
Feelings
Behaviors
Polite communications
Leader-dependence
Conformance
Attempts to determine how to deal with group problems
Attempts to define the task and potential solutions
Attempts to determine acceptable group behavior
Anxious, excited, fearful, anticipation
Who are the others?
What’s going to happen?
Will I have an influence?
Will I be accepted?
How will we function?
“Members of a team want to know that they have a chance of being successful,
And that someone has a plan and enough information to get them off to a good
Start toward that success.”

22. Leadership Response to Forming
Leadership Strategy: Get team Oriented
Stress personal responsibility for contributing interdependently
Stress assisting others & effective relationships
Positive confrontation
Build trust and role clarity
Provide structure, specificity & next steps
Suggested Tactics
Initiate introduction
Clarify task/goals & product or services
Define general operating procedures
Make assignments
State & give examples of your expectations
Set expectations that integrate with the work, NOT add to it
Reward conformity
Organize the group
Solicit questions & give as much information as necessary to get everyone oriented

23. Team Life-Cycle: Storming
Feelings Behaviors
Why should I conform?
I don’t want to take personal responsibility
I’d rather just keep doing the things I’m confortable doing…Status quo
Resistance to change
Self-centeredness & self-interest
Arguing, positioning
Counterdependence & independence
Challenge authority of leadership
Criticizing
Comparing
Complaining
Competing
Style differences clash, especially on the diagonal
Attempt to differentiate from the group & create autonomy
Defensiveness

24. Leadership Response to Storming Stage
Leadership Strategy: organize, coach, & encourage
Accept storming behaviors as natural
Help members establish their autonomy & individualism
Coach in problem solving & conflict resolution that uses team goals as the denominator
Strive to get team members to commit to each others success
Suggested Tactics
Solicit issues
Confront individual & team issues
Listen, reason & negotiate (win-win)
Use a consistent model for problem solving
Use goals as the basis for solutions
Ensure operating structure & principles are understood
Give members encouragement one-to-one or privately
Clarify roles & contributions of respective members
Coach & model desired approach to problem solving & collaboration

25. Team Life-cycle: Norming
Feelings Behaviors
Sustained optimism
Sense of common purpose
Sense of achievement
Conflict avoidance
Leader-dependence change to member-dependence
Procedures imposed internally
Mutually established
Acceptance of team membership
Constructive criticism
Peacekeeping
Collaboration
Ownership of task
Norms & principles are adhered to & monitored
“Once they’ve got their issues addressed and their roles clear, they need
Opportunities to go to work—collaboratively—and have a few successes.”

26. Leadership Response to Norming
Suggested Tactics:
Create opportunities for collaboration & success
Reward collaboration
Acknowledge in private the growth & efforts of individuals
Solicit ideas from the team
Share decision making as appropriate
Create opportunities for dialogue
Keep activities in the context of the work
Employ mehtodologies that safely force participation & contribution
Pull team into participation in assessing the team’s effectiveness & making improvements
Leadership Strategy: facilitate the work & continue building
Create & facilitate team efforts where appropriate
Move toward greater participation & team operation of the work
Foster & reward collaboration
Strengthen relationships

27. Team Life-Cycle: Performing
Feelings
Personal commitment to each other
High trust, regard, & respect
Ownership of goals & role
Synergy, pride & gratitude
Behaviors
Support & assistance to each other
High dependability
Heightened productivity
Excellent role execution
Effective management of controversy & conflict
Balanced task & relationship concerns
“…Then, get out of the way. An effective targeted team doesn’t
Need a leader meddling in the work; they need a leader who is out ahead
Of them removing barriers, garnering support, touting their
Achievements, and verifying the strategic direction.”

28. Leadership Response to Performing Stage
Leadership Strategy: Provide organization air-cover & be a consultant to the team
Hand-off more of the ownership & operations to the team
Maintain effectiveness & productivity of the team
Provide organization “air-cover”
Act as consultant on major issues
Promote the team’s capabilities & achievements
Suggested Tactics
Delegation
Create opportunities for team to dialogue
Share leadership
Effective use of team members’ compensating strengths & expertise to your own
Eliminate impending barriers for the team
Obtain support & resource for the team
Publicize team’s accomplishments
Periodic reality checks of strategic directions/efforts

29. Roles & Responsibilities

30. Roles & Responsibilities
Leader/Facilitator
Recorder
Reporter
Reflector

31. Team Leader/Facilitator Responsibilities
Keep meeting focused & moving
Open meeting
Review agenda & move through agenda
Facilitate discussions
Manage participation
Help team use appropriate discussion methods
Close the meeting

32. Skills and Abilities associated with Leaders*
Technical: knowledge about the team’s specific tasks or activities (THINGS)
Interpersonal: knowledge of how to work with others and to help others work with each other (PEOPLE)
Conceptual: knowledge about ideas, concepts, ability to hypothesize (IDEAS)
*Katz (1955), Muford, Zacarro, Harding (2000)

33. Recorder Responsibilities
Capture key points for each agenda item
Highlight decisions and action items
Collect future agenda items
Distribute or post minutes

34. Reporter Responsibilities
Capture the key results from discussion
Present these results to the group when solicited

35. Reflector Responsibilities
Monitor the process the team is using in activity
Present to the group the effectiveness of team activity. Reflect on the process: Areas of strength, rough areas and areas for improvement

36. Group Meetings

37. Setting Team Meeting Ground Rules
Attendance & Lateness
Norms
Participation & Information Sharing
Interruptions
Decision Making
Quality of Work
Others

38. Basic Team Issues Goals – What is the team trying to accomplish?
Roles – What should each member be doing to help the team accomplish its goals?
Interpersonal – How are we going to get along and what are we going to do when we’re not getting along?
Synergy – How can we best learn from each other?
Sanction – How will we handle situations when people are not following the team charter and/or not fulfilling their obligation to the team, including doing their portion of the project?

39. Guidelines for Teams Meet at least weekly Meeting should be used to:
Share results of individuals
Review upcoming activities
Check teams’ progress
Identify specific roles
Prepare, conduct and determine what happens between meetings

40. Meetings Be prepared Come on time Participate End on time
Be prepared to drop a topic
Keep records
Value diversity
Maintain positive group dynamics
Listen and have an open mind
Summarize decisions and future plans before leaving

41. Exercise Get into team State project goals Name your team
Share contact information
Establish timeline and assign tasks
Establish ground rules

42. Evaluation of Group Activities
How did this meeting go?
How was the pace, flow, and tone of the meeting?
Did we handle items in a reasonable sequence? Did we get stuck?
How well did we stay on topic? Discuss information? Respond to other’s questions?
What might we do differently? What should we do that we didn’t do? Do more of? Do less of ? Not do at all?
What was just right and should continue as is?
Other comments, observations, recommendations?
Use round-robin comments, written evaluations, open discussion,
thumbs up, sideways, down.

43. References http://tlt.its.psu.edu/suggestions/teams/
Benefits of Teamwork | Roles on a Team | Organizing Project Work | Team Meetings | Communicating in Teams | Conflict Resolution Tips | Bad Behaviors - Dealing with Unproductive Team Member
Understanding Conflict and Conflict Management
Effective Interpersonal/Intrateam Communication
Understanding Small-group Dynamics
Puzzled about teams…

44. Why Brainstorming?
Builds interpersonal expertise because all students participate
Quiets the loudest talker and prevents quick solutions
Develops a skill that is useful in project management

45. Verbal Brainstorming: Procedure
Present a carefully designed problem
Appoint a facilitator to safeguard the process and a recorder to capture ideas
Recorder copies all suggestions on board/easel as they are named
Take a moment to think about the problem before addressing it verbally
Ground rules: No discussion, no reaction, no judgment

46. Non-Verbal Brainstorming: Why Brainwrite?
Sometimes called “brainwriting” instead of brainstorming
Useful with controversial, emotionally charged topics, or when building upon ideas is more important than creating a wide range of options

47. Brainwriting: Procedure
Pass around sheet of paper with topic to be addressed written at the top. First person WRITES an idea and each other team member builds on, or adds, to ideas noted
Done silently
Cycle paper 3-4 times around group or until people run out of ideas