15000 words for bussiness managements assignments

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leadership6.pptx

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Leadership for SMEs

LD9616

Week Six

Teamwork

Objectives

To understand different views of groups and teams at work

To understand why groups and teams are considered important for organisations

To explore some of the issues surrounding effective team working

To identify and explore the different roles in effective teams

What is a group?

“Two or more people in face-to-face interaction, each aware of their group membership and interdependence, as they strive to achieve their goals” (Hucznyski & Buchanan 2013 p. 327).

Why study groups?

Groups embody many important cultural values…team-work, cooperation, informality, egalitarianism and even the indispensability of the individual member.

Groups are seen as having a motivating, inspiring influence on the individual, drawing the best out of him or her, enabling to perform feats that would be beyond him or herself as an individual (Hampton 1999 p. 113).

Teamwork and understanding group behaviour is a key competence of all leaders and managers.

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”, (Aristotle)

Group Dynamics

How groups affect the behaviour of the individuals?

Communicate with one another

Co-ordinate their activities

Influence one another

Play roles in the group

And:

What kind of relationships they have

Which members lead and which members follow

How they balance the task with social issues

How they resolve conflicts

Group Versus Team: What’s the Difference?

Group

a collection of persons who share a certain interest, or passion, or belief, or characteristic, or might enjoy each other’s company….they have some form of ‘we’ collective identity.

Team

A collection of persons that has a specific common goal, task, or purpose and who collaborate with each other in an attempt to fulfil it.

Which is the group and which is the team…

Teamwork and Group Behaviour

APEL

It is suggested there are four stages to effective teamworking

Analyse (Theorists often prefer this stage)

Plan (Pragmatists often prefer this stage)

Execute (Activists often prefer this stage)

Learn (Reflectors often prefer this stage)

We will all have different strengths we can bring to a team.

Tuckman’s Four stages of Group Development

Tuckman (1965) identified four (five) stages of group development:

Forming

Storming

Norming

Performing

(Transforming-Adjourning)

Tuckman’s and Jensen (1977) Stages of Group Development

Teamwork and Group Behaviour

Forming – when there is anxiety, dependence on the leader, and testing to find out the nature of the situation and the task, and what behaviour is acceptable.

Storming – where there is conflict, emotional resistance to the demands of the task, resistance to control and even rebellion against the leader.

Norming – when group cohesion is developed, norms emerge, mutual support and co-operation increase, and the group acquires a sense of identity.

Performing – when interpersonal problems are resolved, roles are flexible and function, there are constructive attempts to complete tasks, and energy is available for objective work.

Looking back at your Lost at Sea exercise, which stage did you find more challenging?

Could this relate to your learning style, Belbin preferred style, Personality Traits, or team role?

So a group becomes a team when…

Members of the group have shared goals in relation to their work.

They interact with each other to achieve those shared goals.

All team members have well-defined and interdependent roles.

They have an organisational identity as a team, with a defined organisational function.

(Source: Buelens, Sinding and Waldstrom, 2011)

The importance of teams

“Great things in business are never done by one person, they’re done by a team of people” (Steve Jobs).

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships" (Michael Jordan).

"The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime“ (Babe Ruth).

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success” (Henry Ford).

Characteristics of a successful team

The acronym ALPDEC (Winstanley 2005)

A: Aims of the team must be shared.

L: Leadership of different types is required at different times and not always by one individual.

P: People – their skills and different roles they play are key to the success of the team.

D: Design and Delivery – good performance and key results.

E: Environment – sensitivity to conditions external to the team.

C: Change – reassess aims and objectives continuously. Engage in continuous learning.

Characteristics of a failing team

Asked to undertake an inappropriate activity (team work is not always the best way of doing things).

Unrealistic expectations.

Conflicting team assignments.

Lack of trust (between team members or with external parties) .

Team members have hidden agendas .

Lack of understanding about what the team needs to achieve and why?

Wrong mix of team members.

Unhealthy work environment.

Poor interpersonal skills of team members.

Too much emphasis on results – rather than the process of how the team will work together to achieve their objectives

Teamwork and Group Behaviour Belbin Team Roles

Meredith Belbin (1982) considered a successful team will have individuals with the following characteristics:

Plant

Monitor Evaluator

Specialist

Shaper

Implementer

Completer Finisher

Coordinator

Team Worker

Resource Investigator

PLANT (PL)

FOCUSED ON THINKING

Creative, imaginative, unorthodox

Solves difficult problems