Building work teams

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Building work teams

• Working collaboratively

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Definition of a TeamA group of people who work
together toward common goals and objectives.
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Organizations use teams to

• Make work more productive.
• Allow work to be undertaken by interdisciplinary
  groups of people.
• Meet the needs of clients in a holistic rather
  than a fragmented way.
• To eliminate harmful effects of organization
  hierarchies and empower staff.

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Stages of Team Development (Perlmutter, Bailey,
Netting, p. 132)

• Stage 1. Dependency on the leader Concerns about
  who is included on the team and the rules for
  team governance.
• Stage 2. Counter dependency and fight. Group
  seeks to free itself from dependency on the
  leader.
• Stage 3. Trust and Structure. Focus on resolving
  conflicts and tasks accomplishment. Cooperation,
  negotiation, and open communication.
• Stage 4. Work and Productivity. Goals are
  achieved.
• Stage 5. Termination. Assessment of the Work
  Accomplished.

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Critical tasks for building effective teams

• Selecting and Orienting Team Members.
• Ensuring Open Communication
• Building Mutual Trust and Support
• Managing Differences

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Bailey (1998) identifies stages, behaviors,
tasks, and skills of team development
Stages Behaviors Leaders Tasks Leaders Skills
Forming Questioning groups purpose Identification as in-group or team members Obeying leader Long periods of silence Provide structure boundaries Setting the direction For the group Solicit opinions Awareness of a personal leadership style Good communication Knowledge of the fit between the teams task and organizational goals
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Stages, Behaviors, Tasks, Skills (continued).
Stages Members Behaviors Leaders Tasks Leaders Skills
Storming Expressing opinions disagreements Developing individual power Challenge leader Form cliques bonds Discuss process Model self awareness Provide resources to finish tasks Develop Group norms Manage differences Be aware of strengths/ weaknesses Use process content
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Problems with Team Functioning

• Team members may have incompatible goals or
  levels of commitment
• Team members may have hidden agendas that
  interfere with the process.
• Someone may not be a team player
• Team may lack a clear direction or a sense of
  purpose.
• The leader may not be focused on the task or not
  be concerned about outcomes or group functioning.
• Inexperience with teams may hinder the process.
• The organization may not give full support to the
  team.
• Unappreciated and unsupported teams may
  disintegrate.

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References

• Bailey, D. (1998). Designing sustain meaningful
  teams. In Edwards, Yankey, Altpeter. Skills for
  effective management of nonprofit organizations.
• Perlmutter, F., Bailey, D., Netting, E. (2001).
  New York Oxford University Press.