TEAM AND TEAM WORK

BY

DR JANEFRANCIS I. DURU
B.A, MPA, PhD, MNIM, ACIPM
janeduru@yahoo.com
0803 3210968
 Course Objectives
At the end of the course, participants should
be able to do the following:
• Explain the term team & the types of team.
• Discuss team nature.
• Explain team size, composition and selection.
• Discuss the four elements of a good team
• Discuss the five stages of team development.
 What is a Team?
“A team as a set of people selected to
work together to achieve a common goal
within a specified period”

“A team is a group organized to work

together to accomplish a set of
objectives that cannot be achieved
effectively by individuals”
 What is a Team? (cont)

“No organisation can function without

teams. Even a sole practitioner, with the
exception of a hermit on a desert island, is
dependent on a network of collaborative
relationships.”
- Peter Honey, Teams and Teamwork
 Team Purpose
• The purpose for creating teams is to provide a
framework that will increase the ability of
employees to participate in planning, problem
solving and decision making to better serve
customers.

• In other words, teams are intended to

improve organizational effectiveness.
 Team Purpose(cont)
Team makes for employee involvement and
participation. Increased participation
promotes:
• better understanding of decisions,
• more support for and participation in
implementation plans,
• increased contribution to problem solving and
decision making, and
• more ownership of decisions, processes, and
changes.
 Team Purpose(cont)
• Teams are created for both long term and
short term purposes.
• Long term planning and operational team
include:
- a product development team,
- an executive leadership team,
- a departmental team.
 Team Purpose (cont)
• Short term teams might include:
- a team to develop an employee on boarding
process,
- a team to plan the annual company party,
- a team to respond to a specific customer
problem or complaint.
 Nature of Teams
Teams may be:
• Functional or cross-functional
• Interdependent or independent
• Interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary
 Functional or Cross-functional Team

• Functional or departmental team is

group of people from the same work
area or department who meet on a
regular basis to analyze customer needs,
solve problems, provide members with
support, promote continuous
improvement, and share information.
 Cross-functional or Cross
Departmental Team

• This is a group of people pulled together

from across departments or job
functions to deal with a specific product,
issue, customer, problem, or to improve
a particular process.
 Interdependent Team
• In interdependent team, team members
specialize in different tasks, no significant
task can be accomplished without the
help of others and the success of every
individual is inextricably bound to the
success of the whole team.
 Independent Team
• In independent team, members perform basically
the same actions individually. The success or
failure of a member has no direct effect on the
performance of the other member.
• However, they help each other by offering advice
or practice time, by providing moral support, or
by helping in the background during a busy time,
but each individual's success is primarily due to
each individual's own efforts.
 Interdisciplinary Team

• Interdisciplinary team approach involves all

members of the team working together
towards the same goal. In an interdisciplinary
team approach, there can often be role
blending by members of the core team, who
may take on tasks usually filled by other team
members.
 Multidisciplinary Team
• Multidisciplinary team involve several
professionals who independently treat various
aspects of an issue focusing on the aspects in
which they specialize. The problems that are
being treated may or may not relate to other
aspects being addressed by individual team
members.
 Team Size
The optimal size of teams will vary depending
on the task at hand. We have small, medium
and large teams. There sizes are:
• Small team: 5 -10 members
• Medium: 11 – 20 members
• Large team: 21 – 30 members
 Team Composition
Teams normally have members with
complementary skills and generate
synergy through a coordinated effort
which allows each member to
maximize his or her strengths and
minimize his or her weaknesses.
 Team Composition (cont)
All teams will have an element of
homogeneity and heterogeneity. The
more homogeneous the team, the more
cohesive it will be, the more
heterogeneous the team, the greater the
differences in perspective and increased
potential for creativity, but also the
greater potential for conflict.
 Team Composition (cont)
A well-rounded team includes a mix of people and skills. The team should
include:
• Some individuals who intimately understand the current process (experts
– could be at any level in the organization)
• Some individuals who actively use the process and work closely with
customers (including union involvement when applicable)
• Some technical wizards
• Some individuals who are completely objective toward the process and
outcome (consultants may fall into this category)
• Customers of the process (when possible) and suppliers (those people
who are involved with the process at the boundaries)
• Some individuals who are not familiar with your process (someone who
brings a fresh perspective and outlook to the team)

Source: Prosci
 Selection of Team Members
Selection Criteria:
• Creativity and open-mindedness
• Good team players
• Well Respected among peers, stakeholders,
and other business leaders
• Balance qualifications with commitment to
team philosophy
• Align to team structure and roles
 Types of Teams
There are two major types of team in
the workplace:
• Task or work team
• Self-managed team
 Task or Work Team
A task team is a group of people selected to
achieve a specific purpose, usually for a
defined period of time. Examples of this type
of team are:
• project team
• safety and environmental team,
• reform team,
• virtual team,
• health team, sports team etc.
 Task or Work Team(cont)
• Members of this team might belong to
different groups or department, but receive
assignment on activities for the same task,
thereby allowing outsiders to view them as a
single unit.
• Normally, a manager acts as the team leader
and is responsible for defining the goals,
methods, and functioning of the team.
 Self-managed Team
• A self-managed team is a group of people who
gradually assume responsibility for self-
direction in all aspects of work.

• The main idea of the self-managed team is

that the leader does not operate with
positional authority.
 Self-managed Team(cont)

In self-managed team, the manager

delegates specific responsibility and
decision-making authority to the team
itself, in the hope that the group will
make better decisions than any
individual.
 Self-managed Team(cont)

• Neither a manager nor the team leader makes

independent decisions in the delegated
responsibility area. Decisions are typically
made by consensus or by voting in successful
self-managed teams.
 Five Essential Teams Every
Organization Needs
There are five work teams that every
organization needs . These are:
• Leadership Team
• Safety and Environmental Team.
• Motivation or Employee Morale Team
• Culture and Communication Team
• Employee Wellness Team
 Elements of a Good Team
A good and effective team should have the
following elements:
• Team Identity
• Team Mission Statement
• Team Vision Statement
• Team Success Criteria
 Team Identity

This is a characteristic name that

stands out as representation of the
team’s vision, purpose, and/or
strategic imperatives.
 Team Mission Statement
A team mission statement is a simple
statement of purpose known by every
member of the team. It -
• Provides a "reason for being".
• Provides clarity and focus and makes choices.
• Is clear and concise.
• Is agreed by the wider organisation.
 Team Vision Statement
A team vision statement expresses the
destination of the team in a way that builds
commitment to it. It -
• Creates a sense of desire and builds
commitment.
• Paints the ideal future.
• Is in line with the team's values.
 Team Success Criteria
Team Success Criteria lets the teams know
when they have achieved what they have set
out to do and are -
• Limited in number to those measures which
will drive overall success of the project.
• Specific and measurable - you know when
they have been achieved.
• Challenging, yet achievable. Meeting them
gives a real feeling of achievement.
 Characteristics of an Effective Team
• Purpose: Members proudly share a sense of why the team
exists and are invested in accomplishing its mission and goals.
• Priorities: Members know what needs to be done next, by
whom, and by when to achieve team goals.
• Roles: Members know their roles in getting tasks done and
when to allow a more skillful member to do a certain task.
• Decisions: Authority and decision-making lines are clearly
understood.
• Conflict: Conflict is dealt with openly and is considered
important to decision-making and personal growth.
 Characteristics of an Effective
Team (contd)
• Personal traits: members feel their unique personalities are
appreciated and well utilized.
• Norms: Group norms for working together are set and seen as
standards for every one in the groups.
• Effectiveness: Members find team meetings efficient and
productive and look forward to this time together.
• Success: Members know clearly when the team has met with
success and share in this equally and proudly.
• Training: Opportunities for feedback and updating skills are
provided and taken advantage of by team members.
 Five Stages of Team Development
A team goes through five stages of
development . According to Bruce Tuckman
these are -:
• Forming
• Storming
• Norming
• Performing
• Adjourning/Ending
 Team Development- 1 Stage st

Forming Stage
• The Forming stage involves the introduction of
team members.

• Members are likely to be influenced by the

expectations and desires they bring with
them, and will be keen to understand how the
group will operate.
 Team Development- 2nd Stage
Storming Stage
Team members at this stage will have
different opinions as to how the team should
operate. The group is likely to be showing
signs of conflict and as well as lively debates
and discussions. They will be 'experimenting'
and concerned with how they work together.
Team Development- 2nd Stage (cont)

The storming phase is a difficult one for the

team. However, the best teams will
understand the conflict, actively listen to each
other, and navigate an agreed way forwards.
Other teams may disintegrate as they bolster
their own opinions to weather the storms of
the group.
 Team Development- 3rd Stage
Norming Stage
During this phase, team members are 'settling down'
and starting to feel more comfortable with working
with each other. They are also able to reconcile their
own opinions with the greater needs of the team and
emerge with an agreed method of operating.

Co-operation & collaboration replace the conflict and

mistrust of the previous stage.
 Team Development- 4th Stage
Performing Stage
This is the final phase. The emphasis is now on
reaching the team goals, rather than working
on team process.

Relationships are settled, and team members

are likely to build loyalty towards each other.
The team is able to manage more complex
tasks, and cope with greater change.
 Team Development- 5th Stage
Adjourning Stage
• This is the disbanding stage. It is a test of how well a
team has worked together. If there has been great
camaraderie and the team has produced great
results, the team is likely to feel great sadness and
loss at breaking up.

• Often successful teams once disbanded, keep in

touch afterwards, and certainly feel a bond when
meeting up in the future.
 Team Development (cont)
• Not every team moves through these stages in order
and various activities such as adding a new team
member can send the team back to earlier stages.

• The length of time necessary for progressing through

these stages depends on the experience of the
members, the support the team receives and the
knowledge and skill of the team members.
 Five Characteristics of A Great
Team
A great team will have:
• Members sharing leadership responsibility and rotating other
roles as needed.
• All participating in idea generation, problem solving, and
decision-making.
• Members showing support, respect, and trust for one
another.
• All taking actions and doing work that is necessary to reach
team goals.
• Members managing conflict by confronting issues and
inappropriate behaviors.
 Guidelines for Effective Team
Membership:
• Contribute ideas and solutions
• Recognize and respect differences in others
• Value the ideas and contributions of others
• Listen and share information
• Ask questions and get clarification
• Participate fully and keep your commitments
• Be flexible and respect the partnership created by a
team - strive for the "win-win"
• Have fun and care about the team and the
outcomes.