What will you cover ?

1.0 Know Your Organization

There are signs that both the nature of organizations and self-concept of the individuals who make them up are changing in fundamental ways. Some basic shifts are underway. For example, organizations are evolving from pyramid to fishnet structures, as hierarchies collapse and partnerships and mergers become the order of the day.

From your analysis of your own organization, can you identify some of these shifts that are happening? If so, what impact is this having on your organization? We show you how you should know your own organization.

2.0 Identify Types of Your Team

A team is not always a team. So many groups are called teams these days that the world “team” has almost lost its meaning. There may be an executive team, a quality team, a service team or a sales team. However, just calling a group a team doesn’t make it so.

Into which model does your team fit? Why do you feel that way? Knowing the type of team you are in can help you to choose how to plan your work and what you expect as outcomes.

There are several modern classifications of team :

• The Traditional Model
  
  This refers to a group who have a traditional boss but whom also share of his/her responsibility and authority. How much is sharing is usually dependent on the topic under discussion. A person is in charge but on various issues that the person may allow other team members to take the leadership role.


• The Team Spirit Model
  
  This is a group of people who are happy working for one boss, and everything seems to be going well. These people have team spirit, but they aren’t a team because one person calls all the shots, with no sharing authority or responsibility.


• The Cutting Edge Model
  
  This is a group of people who manage themselves. No one person in the group has the authority to make all the decision about the events that impact the group. This is referred to as a self – directed work team because everyone has authority and responsibility and responsibility for all the decision they have to make.


• The Task Force Model
  
  This is a group that comes together for a specific time to work on a special project or task. This group has traditionally been called a task force or committee and may include quality circles (as used in TQM efforts).


• The Cyber Team
  
  In this team model, members see one another infrequently or not at all. These are called cyber or virtual teams. What makes teams different is that they have work together to accomplish goals, but they may meet only at the beginning of their project and thereafter interact through e-mail, webs and telephone. They can also fit any of the four models listed above

3.0 Build Your Team Norms

All of your teams, whether you know or not, have norm, rules, or guidelines that guide the behavior of team members. In most cases they are not written down; they are simply understood because that’s the way the team always operated.

We ask each person to describe their best experience as a team member (formal, informal, work related, or off-the job team). We want them to describe what happened and what made it special.

Norms can be positive and thus help the team be an effective organization. For example, all team members show up on time for team meeting. Norms can also can be counterproductive as when excessive joking and side conversations prevent a meeting from being productive.

4.0 Towers

The TORI Model is what you need in your team.

• T is for Trust: interpersonal confidence and absence of fear.
• O is for Openness: free flow of information, perceptions and feelings
• R for Realization: self-determination, bring role free, doing what you want to do.
• I for Interdependence: reciprocal influence, shared responsibility, and leadership.

 

5.0 Develop Your Team in Stages

There are four stages to develop your team – Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing. You will learn their characteristics and how to help them.

Forming

Characteristics :

• Group member may be anxious, be formal
• No clear idea of goals or expectations
• Not sure why they are there

How we help

• Creating a comfortable atmosphere and a climate of trust
• Help team to establish boundaries
• Know what to expect; communicate and reassure
• Others

 

Storming

Characteristics :

• Team members eager to get going
• May be impatient with delay
• Conflict can arise as people bring different ideas of how to accomplish goals, notice differences

How we help

• Avoiding “I told you so”
• Communicate
• Recognizing tensions increases as normal
• Others

 

Norming

Characteristics :

• People begin to recognize ways they are alike
• They realize we’re in this together
• Get more social; may forget their focus in favor of having a good time

How we help:

• Recognize how they are alike
• Encourage
• Help group stay focused on goal
• Others

 

Performing

Characteristics :

• Mature
• Understand their roles and responsibilities
• Self-motivated and self-trained

How we help:

• Recognizing efforts
• Encouraging growth
• Giving new challenges

 

6.0 Good Communication Skills

Objective

You should have an end result or objective clearly in mind before communicating. Examine your purpose. What specific do you want to receiver to understand or to do, as a result of the communication?

Method

What’s the best method for achieving your objective? Obviously, some communication methods or channels are better than others for a given objective. Weigh the alternatives – written or oral, group or individual, formal or informal – before selecting a specific method such as a letter, memo, meeting, telephone call, email etc.

Structure

How you organize and construct your communication is very important to its success. There are many considerations: How much or how little to cover? What is the best way to organize the message? How can you keep it simple and concise, yet complete? How can you gear to your audience’s needs?

Feedback

In order to ensure that your message has been understood and to evaluate the emotions of your receiver (how does he/she feel about it?), you should encourage frequent responses.

 

7.0 Twelve Characteristics of Effective Team

• Clear Purpose
• Informality
• Participation
• Listening
• Civilized Disagreement
• Consensus Decisions
• Open Communication
• Clear Roles and Work Assignment
• Shared Leadership
• External Relationships
• Style Diversity
• Self-Assessment

 

8.0 The Six Thinking Hats

• White: virgin white, pure facts, figures, and information
• Red Hat: seeing red, emotions and feelings, also hunch and intuition
• Black Hat: devil’s advocate, negative judgment, asks why it will not work.
• Yello Hat: sunshine, brightness and optimism, positive, constructive, opportunity.
• Green Hat: fertile, creative, plants spring from seeds, movement, provocation
• Blue Hat: cool and in control, orchestra conductor, thinking about thinking.