When I worked at Mc Donald's as a crew member everything was wonderful
but as the months went on I became a Crew Trainer then a Shift manager
and that's when the certain relationship went left because certain crew members
felt like I didn't deserve the position. But with the everything that was
happening we still pull together as team when we was transitioning from
cooperate to an franchise with new owners and they had different ideas for
the building. When it was time to present what we had to offer so no one
would be fired we started programs were we interact with our customers such
Mc Teachers night . That's when we invited teacher to come and work with
us and as well with kids in the community and as well Mc Navy night
where retire or current employed Navy Soldiers would come and work with us
and get to know the people in the community which was wonderful because
everyone learn a lot on those nights and it was good to see the people in
community with smiles and excitement and for every to get to know there
neighbors as well. I worked at Golden Corral as a team leader along with
being a hostess. I was appointed one of the team leaders due someone
leaving the job to go on maternity leave. I knew what being on a team
meant. I was scared that I would not do the job correctly and I did not
want to be reprimanded for being too hard. I'm real old fashion so I thought
that I would put some new and old school things that I grew up with and
mix it with some the new school things that it would help. It did not. I
was not the one who got in trouble, it was the district manager that had
gotten into trouble. I got everyone together to work out a plan to keep
everything running swift, but smoothly. We got paid every two weeks. But
while working as a effective team, we as a whole controlled the Restaurant.
The team and I was so proud of ourselves every time we conquered a task.
It has been a every day thing to work as a team even if we were in
different area's of the Restaurant. Every month my property gets over 200
calls served up. Every property receives them, and the amount of calls
depends on how big the property is. There are ten properties in the district I
work for, and I have an average-sized property with 670 units the largest
property in our district has close to 2,000 units and gets about 600 calls
served up every month. On the last day, we had to complete the calls, and
we were down to the last 30 minutes of the day; and I noticed that this
property had over 70 calls left to make. There was no way the calls would
be getting done on time. I called every property and asked each manager to
complete five calls for this property. Every manager was more than willing to
help. One manager completed 16 calls. I completed 12 calls, and with every
other manager completing the calls that they were asked to finish, we were
able to get all of the calls done on time. One of the key factors in how
well we worked together was everyone's willingness to help a neighboring
property. I believe that asking for help rather than telling them to help also
was beneficial to how well we came together and worked as a team. Yes,
my team was highly effective in this situation. We were able to complete all
the calls within the last 30 minutes, so no property had any "late" calls the
next day. One concept I believe was used is problem-solving as well as
effective team management. There was a situation that would have lead to a
problem if we did not address it that same day; Knowing that I would not
be able to complete the calls on my own or even with the help of one
other manager, I chose to call every manager and asked for the help so that
the current situation at hand would not become a problem for the next day, I
would say that I work with others on a daily basis while working in the
retail industry. Once a month I work with a team in order to put new
product out on the sales floor and relocate older merchandise. As a supervisor,
it is my job to assemble a team to execute those moves based off of the
merchandise report. From a business stand point, you want to keep your
higher prices items at the front of the store. I work with a few individuals
who I know will benefit the team by working efficiently and effectively.
Some important factors that influence the team would include good
communication, staying focused on the goal, and accountability. We all need to
know that goal and know the timeframe in which we have to complete that
goal. It is also helpful to give each person a task that they are responsible
for so I can then come in an see if the task was properly handled.
I do consider this floor set team in my example to be effective. We always
set the new product out in a timely and elevated manner before the store
opens. Each member of the team has a project to do and I also give them
a time constraint in order to create urgency and tempo. I feel as though this
produces the best results.
After reading this weeks learning activities, I felt as though my team is a
problem-solving team. Even though I may have a new team each month, we
still work together in an effective way in order to achieve the goal. If there
is a problem or a conflict, we often come together to get multiple opinions
before making a decision. Every day in my professional day, I have to work
with others. As a manager, I have to lead my employees on what needs to
be accomplished and how. If something goes wrong with the system we use, I
need to work with the help desk to get my systems fixed to proceed with our
day's work. The most important factors that influence how well my team works
together are communications and understanding. If they do not understand the
directions given, they will not understand how to accomplish our goals. If they
can not communicate amongst each other, there will be errors, and the tasks
will never get completed.Yes, my team is beneficial. We complete our daily
goals ahead of time and with no errors. We often have time to prepare for
the next day. I monitor my team's efficiency throughout the day. When one
task is getting completed, I realign the team to engage the next piece of the
job to ensure we are always working on something and not falling behind. I
have worked in teams a lot at work, in school , at events , my experience is
a lot better because I think working one team helps you a lot to understand .
Communication: Effective communication is the most important part of teamwork
and involves consistently updating each person and never assuming that everyone
has the same information. Team members who work effectively with one another
have the capacity for increased productivity. Successful teams comprise members
who have an understanding of their own roles in the group as well as their
teammates' roles and responsibilities. Working in a collaborative fashion, effective
teams have the ability to agree on goals and strategic plans, divide work
equitably and work together to develop new ideas and concepts. In this way,
each team makes a contribution to organizational productivity and effectiveness,
the concepts from the learning activity helped me learned so much, because
working in trans are very helpful and gives you more ideas , because working
alone can make you not understand much and it can also make you spend
more time on it . Their are so many times that i have had to work well
with others. From family, kids, and coworkers. I'm excited to say i work with
others quite frequently. One moment that stands out to me the most is when
I was in a previous role as a billing admin. I was hired for a small company
to take care of their billing and on my 2nd day of work the woman they
hired to be their office rep quit. The owner was out of town. The owner and
i had to communicate constantly to make sure all tasks were being completed.
This was a lawn service company, so i did have to make sure all the men
outside were taken care of as well. The situation was hectic and i was very
nervous! The most important factors i feel for us was communication and to
make sure that we focused on what was the bigger picture. Also remaining
selfless and putting on multiple hats was a key factor as well. My team was
very effective because we all got the job done without any huge mishaps! about
2 weeks in we no longer needed to rely on calling the owner every 10
seconds to make sure we were doing things properly. We worked so well as
a team that i was able to get promoted when the owner came back and he
eliminated the role and merged both of my positions. I worked at Starbucks in
downtown Honolulu for 4 years. I have worked in food and retail most of my
life, and it all requires teamwork, but Starbucks was the most structured and
efficient. Flashback ages ago, I practiced super hard and barely made the
basketball team when I was in in seventh grade. Back to when I worked at
starbucks- I would find myself literally thinking of the food and beverages as
a basketball and the end of the bar where the customers get their stuff was
like the basket- 2 points! I would see who was paying attention that I could
pass the sandwich and latte down the line with to get it to the customer
fastest. The most important factors influencing the performance of the team were
1) Attitude- A team mate has to have an attitude of wanting to help, and 2)
Respect- team mates need to show basic human respect toward each other. We
had an effective team at our Starbucks. I filled in at some orher stores, and
the game plan seems to be effective at any location . The attitudes and levels
of respect could vary, and that definitely affected the efficiency of the
teamwork. Starbucks studies and applies concepts of teamwork and an effective
game plan dilligently, keeping the tactics that work and getting rid of the things
that don't. Practice makes it work. At Starbucks, the friendlier, more personable
people will be at the register taking the orders, while the good drink makers,
and the ones good at connecting with eye contact and small talk when they
hand off the beverages and food will be on the bar. While it is good to put
the team members where their skills excel, it is important to rotate and take
turns, too. Somone may be great on the register, but really want to make
drinks, too. Keeping their tasks varied, and letting people alternate tasks makes
for a happier workplace and better attitudes from team members. The tutorial
on teamwork in the learning activities points out the importance of roles for
team members, atritude, and communication. All of those things were in play
on my Starbucks team. I have worked with teams for my entire professional
life since I first finished High School. I spent five years in the Marine Corps
which is quite literally working as a team with many different members to
accomplish a goal and keep everyone safe. I then moved on to law enforcement
as a correctional officer for the state and again, worked constantly with teams
of other officers to ensure the safety of us and the safety of the individuals
under our supervision. Throughout my experiences the number one value in a
team is the ability to communicate effectively. Effective communication means
that everyone understands what their role is in order to accomplish a task. It
also means that if there is something that is unclear, any member of the team
is able to ask questions to clarify things without worrying about how that will
affect the team. An effective team is one that understands all of the strengths
and weaknesses of each individual that makes up the team. I work with others
on a daily basis, handling situations, not much really can be done on my own.
Now that may sound strange because I am a substitute teacher and people think
of you alone in a classroom of kids, but that just really is not what it is all
about. When a classroom really is functional, I am just the team leader and I
have people who support me outside of the classroom who I am the “liaison”
for. The most important factors for my team are communication and organization
or discipline. If my team is not effective, then something has to be rectified
immediately. We do not have the time to make mistakes, education matters, that
is why so much is put in after hours because time is limited with each
student. I would say parents are a part of the team as well. Distant as they
are, they are still a huge part of this team. The fact that they are not “in
house” on the work being done is sometimes a serious challenge. Everything
for them depends on communication, the means of communication are at times
ineffective. If a child is supposed to have something signed, but they lose it
or worse hide it.They do not like teachers calling parents to much because
some react badly to that. Also do not want to encourage people who would
call every day to get a full report of their child, time is a huge factor with
so many students. One of the reasons the programs like Remind is so great,
but not all schools use these communication Apps. A time when I had to
work with others was on a job and we were preparing the facility for an
audit. I had a group of temporary workers that I had to show how to check
inventory. It was slightly a struggle, keeping everyone on task but in the end,
we were prepared and successfully completed our audit. Keeping my team
engaged with the project, making sure they were doing it correctly and being
a team player was the most influential factors. They saw I was no better than
them, I contributed, and that is what helped the team work efficiently. The
effectiveness of the team's outcome came from our team management and
communication skills. The situation I would like to share is a few years ago,
when I worked as a surgery aide, we the aides would as a team all have go
in after the surgeries and clean and disinfect the operating rooms. One of the
most important factors that influenced how well our team worked together is
Before each one of us went into the room, we would discuss which aide would
do what, so we all went in knowing where to start since we only had a
certain amount of time per room. Yes, I do consider the team in my example
effective because we were all able to collaborate and execute a plan before
going into the operating room. The location of my team members influenced its
effectiveness by knowing what each member was doing so there was no back
tracking over each other’s assignment. Effective team management is the concept
from this week’s activities that I feel apply to my team. I have had to work
with others on multiple occasions, especially at work. I am part of a special
task force that focuses on tracking healthcare received by different
communities/races/ethnicities and the barriers they face in getting that care. For
me personally, the most important factor that influences how well we work
together is our communication. If one member of our team isn’t communicating
properly if effects all members and the ability to do their part, which in turn
is a disservice to our community. I believe my team is very strong in the
sense that we are know how to communicate with each other in a clear and
concise manner. We like each other and we all share a common goal. I love
that this discussion topic mentioned the location of team members and how/if it
changes the effectiveness of a team. I feel right now is a good time to talk
about this as I’m sure a lot of people have experienced having to change in-
person team meetings to virtual meetings or no meetings over the last year due
to the current pandemic. I know it has effected my team. We currently meet
monthly via Microsoft Teams but before Covid we would meet in-person once
a week. Not being able to work together in person has definitely changed the
dynamic of our group, but fortunately we haven’t let it effect the work we are
doing. Although, I can see how not being able to actually work in person can
negatively impact the work of a team. After going through this week’s activities,
I think the concepts that apply most to the team I’m in was the sections
regarding virtual teams. My team is now 100% virtual and because it has been
successful, it might forever remain virtual. It will be interesting to see just how
much this pandemic will change life as we know it. Back in high school, I
had a "life skills" class that everyone had to take out sophomore year. One of
the units of the class was team building and working successfully in group
environments. As a result, the teacher had us do a project where he got to
team up with our friends and build a model house. And at the end of the
quarter, we would display the houses in the courtyard for everyone in the
school to judge.My group consisted of 5 of my befriends and myself. Honestly,
this was a terrible decision. We would get together every day to "work on our
project", but all we did was mess around and hang out. It was so bad that a
week before the project was due, everyone had their houses completed and were
just working on the finishing touches, and we hadn't even bought any materials!
We ended up buckling down and sleeping over one of my friends house every
night for the last week, and when it came down to judgement day, we got
first place.In my opinion, I do believe our group was successful and effective.
The reason being, even though we waited till the last minute, when we pulled
together, we got a LOT done in a small amount of time and we did it well.
Honestly, I feel like us being friends both worked for and against us. We were
able to pull together even though we procrastinated so much. Needless to say,
we never worked in groups ever again. I have been blessed to be a part of
many effective teams in my personal and professional life. One that stands out
as especially effective was the gas distribution construction crew I was a part
of. We had to work together to locate gas leaks, dig up and repair gas lines.
This was a dangerous and difficult job, but with teamwork it wasn't only
possible to do it well and safely - it was fun. On one occasion we were in
a deep hole and the gas pipe ruptured. The result was blinding and deafening.
Initial instincts told me to run. But the bond of brotherhood, trust and training
we received told me to stay and help the others. I stayed and kept operating
the valve to turn off the flow on my end - not certain if my counter part
on the other end did the same. As the gas gradually shut off we both knew
the other was there - doing our part. This is just one example of many where
we put our lives in each others hands and worked together to provide for our
families and get home safe. I now have a much safer desk job, but I fondly
remember those days and the trust and friendship we had as a team. I currently
work in the office of a company called Home Pro, on the opposite side of
the building there is another company called Home Craft. Both companies do
roughly the same thing, the only difference between the two is the style of
product they use. I was trained on the Home Craft side before coming over to
Home Pro, so to say the least I know as much as you can about both sides.
Today our team had to go over to the Home Craft side because they were
short staffed. Changing our location and environment to the Home Craft part of
the building today to help them out ended up not working out at at all. It
was so stressful for one of our team members she broke down in tears, this
led to our team going back to our side (Home Pro) and doing the other teams
work from our original office. Once we got back on track in the comfort of
our office the productivity began to sky rocket, we were pushing out positive
numbers and feedback left and right. The concepts that applied to our team
today were helping in dividing the work up, identifying issues, increasing
productivity, and most importantly communication. I consider my team to be
effective when working in a location we are comfortable in, which my theory
was definitely proven today when trying to be moved to another location just
to assist another team with their work. When in our office we divided up and
organized the work according to what each team member excelled in, this is
where communication really mattered. Doing this instead of just going head first
into the work led us to identifying the problems at hand and taking control of
the situation. I used to work in a call center, we had a transition during covid
where our small office was handling all mail for hundreds of thousands of
customer mail. This transition was stressful to say the least, I oversaw
everything, outgoing mail, creating logs, printing documents etc. For the system
to work, our entire office had to work as a team to stay on top of the
workload and stay organized.The most important factor is communication and
clarity. Each plan had completely different instruction from each other, so with
it being so confusing having clear instruction for our team to follow was
essential. Additionally, understanding everyone’s workloads, knowing who has time
to finish and who doesn’t. It would be unfair for someone who has other tasks
to put those off for something less important.I would say it is effective because
we were able to solve a problem but setting up an organized system to
complete tasks and providing some designated time. Providing everyone a less
stressful situation (because it was stressful) goes along way when you work
closely with co-workers.The concept of of improving quality of work life seemed
to be appropriate for this situation. Although mail may not seem that big of a
deal, when you are working with confidential information every single piece of
mail is logged and confirmed before being mailed out, on top of return mail
and updating address. It is a lot of work for just one task, which is why we
used to have a whole department for it… Having an organized efficient system
helps reduce stress in our office, it makes a world of a difference when we
dealt with difficult customers all day. It actually gave us each a time during
the day or week to listen to music and not take phone calls. I work for
Costco as a supervisor and to be honest sometimes it can be challenging. One
of my tasks is supervising a group of individuals that are assigned to me to
monitor and make sure that they are on track when it comes to their work
performances. This means I have to hold them accountable for when they are
late all the time or when they do not show up for work. As a team leader,
I am always understanding of their situation and I try to make sure that I am
listening to the problem and also try to receive feedback to know whether or
not I am doing a good at supervising this group. Just like any other job, there
are goals and criteria that need to meet each week or each day, and depending
on what the goal is how we interact as a team. For instance, signing up
members for a Costco Visa card is not always the easiest target to hit. It all
depends on how well we sell it to a member and if they chose not to
participate then that is all up to them. I believe that working together as a
team is good because even though there are different opinions and perspectives
about a subject but they can also come together and figure out a solution to
the problem. I had to work with others at work. I work for a company that
is a vohab for individuals with DD. We prepare and help them with getting a
community job. With that we have a variety of jobs for them to do and help
them understand what is and is not acceptable at a community job and it takes
a team to work with individuals with DD. You have yourself, their SSA, your
boss, your coworkers, and their staff or guardian. You all work together to
benefit the individuals work life and life in general. The most important facts
that influence how well the team works together is good communication and
good listening. This job can be frustrating in many ways but its the little things
that really help make it a little easier for everyone. I do consider the team in
my example effective. We work well together and give the individuals the best
we can. For my team location is not a big issue because as long as we can
communicate in some way its okay. Team roles and resolving conflicts from
this weeks activities apply to the team I am in. When I worked at my
previous job we had to meet a certain goal as a whole with the other cashiers.
We had to make the experience great for the customers, and meet a certain
number of credit applications. Working together as a team we all remained
positive, and would say congratulations if we got a credit, with us remaining
positive, encouraging, and helping each helped us succeed. Our team was
effective for the most part, there were days that we did not meet our goal,
however we remained positive, and still encouraged each other. Even though we
did not choose our team we still worked together, and tried our best. If we
were trying to get a credit, and the customer said no our managers would
come up and explain the benefits of having the credit card, which was a great
feeling to have that support. In the mornings before our shift starts the
managers hold a huddle meeting, and our current rating, and goals are discussed
before we open the doors for the customers to begin their shopping adventure.
I attended a networking retreat where part of the time we were split up into
groups to work as a team for activities, One of the activities involved us all
coming together, talking about the activity and what we were going to do to
complete the activity. The activity involved working as a team to build a
contraption that will take styrofoam peanuts and put them all at once into a
can utilizing materials given to us. My team got together planned and talked
things out before completing the task. Other teams went right into building the
contraption and attempting to complete the activity without first collaborating on
what they were going to do. My team after building the contraption only took
one try and got all of the stryrofoam peanuts into the container. Touching the
container or styrofoam peanuts were not an option. I feel like by my team
talking it out before diving into the activity showed teamwork because we were
the only team that was able to complete the task on the first try, I had to
engage in teamwork while working at Ford Motor Company. We had to be a
team in order for the line to work efficiently and safely. There were a lot of
moving parts, if one person did not do their job the rest could not either. Our
team had to be effective. There was safety involved in every job and position
on the line. Not only for us employees but also for the customers. The
company had to make sure that the positions were spaced out just right, to
allow the employee time to finish their job before it got to the next station.
I feel as though efficiency, support, and communication applied to our team at
Ford Motor Company. We had to be able to effectively communicate if there
was a problem with our position. If we did not communicate, there could be
serious problems in the near and far future. We also had to support each other.
For example, if the person before me could not drive the bolt and I had the
means I could drive it for them if I had the time. We needed to be efficient
for our other co-workers our leaders and our customers. While there were
different departments such as the final line, which is where I was at on night
shift, there was also a door line and engine line. We still as a whole worked
together to beat cars built and finished compared to the day shift. I remember
working at this one company and at the end of the day we all had a job to
be completed before anyone could leave and one job couldn't be done without
the others. The most important factors that influenced how well we worked
together as a team was cooperation and trusting that each person will complete
their task on time so that we can get off of work on time. I would definitely
consider my team effective because we always got our task completed on time
there may have been maybe once or twice where we fell behind abut 5-10
minutes. Having very good communication skills is what applied to the team I
was in. We always communicated very well as far as letting one another know
if we were going to be behind on our task or when we would be finish our
task. I think communication is very important when it comes to working as a
team. By communicating well you know where everyone Is in their task.
Teamwork is something that I have experienced even in my personal life. I
work full-time at a school district and part time SCO at Walmart, so both of
these jobs are all about team work. I want specifically talk about my job with
the school district. I am Sign Language Interpreter and we at each school level
from elementary to the high school must work together as interpreters to prepare
the students of the deaf and hard of hearing for their next grade level
interpreter. There is nine of us. We get together once a week to discuss a
subject or two that may we all commonly struggle with such as math. We all
decide on a leader of the group and this is important to me, every team must
have a leader with a strong voice and neutral to all persons. We always discuss
problems or problem that may have arise from the teachers we work with and
how to find solutions to those problems. There is a designated person who
reports what or if we need something to the administration. This is where
everything falls into place, that's communication. Open communication and a team
lead are the most effective two things in a group collaboration. I like to believe
my team is effective and achieves our outlining goals. We have fun while in
a our group meetings and clearly express our true concerns and actually help
one another effortlessly. Our location is we meet at a different school every
week, so this actual influence each of us because we get to see each other
work environment, the cons and pros. The two concepts that I feel are applies
to my team are resolving conflicts and team roles. I've had to work with others
on a daily bases, when doing school work and on my job. I work with
account management so I have to consult with my co workers with handling
things for customers or even making sure that things have been taken care of
and done correctly. The most important factors that influence how well my team
works together would be communication. I work from home so communication
is defiantly a key factor. When working from home instead of the office this
is the only way we are able to achieve our work load is by talking to each
other and catching each other up to speed. I consider my team being very
effective. Like I stated before we work from home so we have to be able to
communicate with each other or the work won't get done. We communicate
through Skype or by phone. Communication is the key to working with a team,
I feel like that is the only way the work well run smooth with out running
into problems. A situation I've had to work as a team is my current job. I
work on an assembly line building brakes. Each worker has their own section
of building the brake. Together we build a full brake station by station. We
hit our goal of 35 brakes per hour. I think the most important factors of
working as a team is having a positive attitude and being open minded to
different opinions and ideas. Attitude plays a huge part because no one wants
to work with someone who has a bad attitude and who isn't a team player. I
do consider the team effective. The location of team members is influential
because at a work place it is always key to be a team player. I feel like
communication plays a huge part in the team we are in. If someone can't
communicate then they can't contribute to the group's ideas or to the group's
success. Communication is one of the biggest things in life rather it's work or
friendship. Teamwork makes the dream work. As a member of the US Army,
we are always completing task involving teamwork. Everyone comes from an
entirely different background and upbringing, so getting everyone to be on the
same page can be a daunting task. We have missions that need to be
completed in groups as big as eight or more or groups as small as two people.
One way that we get together and remember the importance of teamwork is
when we compare our situation to being out in war. Who else other than your
team will come to recuse you? No one! Also, most of us have families,
spouses and children included. Therefore, we used those common connections as
ice breakers. Once we became comfortable around each other it was easier to
be open and work together. In my team, good communicators are essential and
crucial to making sure that everyone is safe, and missions are completed to
standard. Leadership is also equally important because the team relies on this
person to lead the team to success. However, everyone in the group should
work as a leader for the most efficient outcome. A situation when I was a
leader and worked under others, I would have to say when I was a C.N.A at
a nursing home. There were many times there was two or more C.N. A’s on
a hall and we would have to effectively split up the workload on how many
residents we had to care for. We all had to work together to make sure our
residents were taken care of and while all the other work was done. So, we
worked together and making a list of how would be responsible for which
resident, we made sure no one had more then the other person. Sometimes they
did we just made it where they did not have as much other work that needed
to be done so it was far to everyone working. The workday would go more
effective since we all had our list of tasks to-do. I found this tutorial to be
very informational to help with this class. Team building skills is a great thing
to implement when it comes to more then one person in any situation. I was
the head coach for my daughters tee-ball team years ago. I originally signed
up to just be an assistant coach as I was not comfortable being the head
coach but the athletic director at her school approached me and basically said
we have no one else who can do it, so you're (me) it.
Some of the most important factors that influenced how well the team (including
the kids parents) worked together was communication and attitude. Communication
as I did my best to make sure everyone always knew what was happening all
the time and I always made sure I was available and approachable with
anything. Attitude as I made sure it was fun and always used positive
reinforcement.We were and effective team because we achieved the goals I set
out to accomplish at the beginning of the season and everyone had such a
great time. The location of the team members were local. We practiced at the
school where the team was originally organized so location was not a
concern.Good communication and positive attitude I feel apply to the team I
was in from what I learned in this weeks learning activities. A situation when
I was a leader and worked with others, I will have to say when I was
teaching and I had two associate teachers under me and a classroom support. I
allowed them to take charge in most cases so that the respect from student to
teachers was the same across the board. The most important factors were that
we ran by each other what we were doing with the class and how so that
our instructions collectively together were the same. My teacher was beyond
effective and we had a great school year due to us having effective
communication skills and just willing to support one another. Communication
between us all is what carried us. The concept that I would add from this
week would be a more eager listener to others and their suggestions. Just
because you’re in charge does not mean that you have to do thing your way
only. I found this tutorial to be informational and helpful for this class. Team
building is a great thing to implement in a social environment. When we work
on teams it’s important that we start off by examining our norms. While
starting with norms may seem strange, it sets the tone for the rest of the
teamwork to follow. You might think of norms as rules or guidelines. At the
University you’ll learn about developing a team charter as the first official task
of a team. The team charter is a written document that establishes the team
norms or guidelines for behavior, and the possible consequences of violating the
norms. The idea is that every team member will have input into and agree to
the team charter at the outset of the project and that agreement is supposed to
help ensure all teammates abide by the norms. Agreement to the team charter
also means the team member is agreeing to the possible consequences of
violating a guideline or norm. Everyone having input into the team charter helps
build commitment. When building the team charter it’s important to keep asking
the team for their input. For example, a teammate may suggest using
checkpoints to help ensure work is not submitted late. Teammates with more
team experience may make more suggestions for the team charter than less
experienced teammates, which is to be expected.
