A team can accomplish more than its individual members working alone. To be effective, however, a team must be able to solve work problems on an ongoing basis. In order to do that, it must be able to identify and remove obstacles that deflect attention and energy away from those problems. Team-building activities can help a team overcome obstcles and work more effectively together. This workshop introduces partnership members to the purposes and techniques of team building. Emphasis is placed on the use of team building to help with reentry problems that may arise when they return to their partnerships.
An effective team can accomplish more than its individual members working alone. However, the team must be able to solve work problems on an ongoing basis. In order to do that, it must be prepared to identify and remove obstacles that deflect attention and energy away from those problems.
Team-building activities can help a team overcome obstacles and work together more effectively.
This workshop introduces partnership members to the purposes and techniques of team building. Emphasis is placed in the use of team building to help with reentry problems when they return to their partnerships.
B. Objectives (PN-1)
Describe the attributes of an effective team member.
Analyze a group interaction by listing the behaviors that helped and hindered group performance.
Identify areas of team functioning that can be addressed by team building.
Identify resources for partnership team building.
Develop ways to include others when the partnership team attending the training returns home.
Trainer Note: Before giving the definitions below, ask the group for some ideas about what a team is. Record responses on newsprint.
Content Points
A. What is a team?
Definitions
"Teams are collections of people who must rely on group collaboration if each member is to experience the optimum of success and goal achievement." (PN-2)
(William Dyer)
"A team is created when a work group has at least one goal that is common to all members and when accomplishment of that goal requires cooperative interdependent behavior on the part of all group members." (PN-3)
(W. Warner Burke)
B. What are the attributes of an effective team member (PN-4)?
The quality of the followers is as important as the quality of the leaders for effective teamwork. If all members are not skilled in being effective team members, the accomplishments of the team will suffer.
An effective team member.
Is committed to team goals;
Is concerned about other members;
Recognizes and deals with conflict constructively;d.Listens to others objectively;
Includes others in the decision-making process;
Recognizes and respects individual differences;
Contributes ideas and solutions;
Values others' ideas and contributions;
Recognizes and rewards team efforts; and
Encourages and appreciates feedback about individual and team performance.
Remind participants of the important role of cooperation and the ability to solve problems in effective team work.
Tell them they will now experience a team-building exercise that will help them to analyze those factors that help or hinder the solving of group problems.
Trainer Note: Before you announce the title of the exercise, ask those who realize that they are already familiar with it to abide by the following: (1) to not identify themselves as having done the exercise until you have explained the rules; (2) to say nothing to other participants about their experience; and (3) to take the role of judge/observer in their groups.
If there are more persons who have done the exercise than there are positions for an observer/judge (for example, if there are 3 teams and 4 people who have done the exercise), the other may participate as regular members of the group but must not say anything about their experience to their group before the exercise.
B. Run the exercise (27 min.).
Form participants into groups of 6 (5 participants plus a judge/observer). If this grouping doesn't work for some reason, you may omit the judge/observer and play the role yourself by circulating among the groups.
Distribute HO-1 and give the following instructions from it (HO-1: Broken Squares Group Instruction Sheet):
"Each of you will receive an envelope that contains pieces of cardboard for forming squares. When I give the signal to begin, the task of your group is to form 5 squares of equal size. The task will not be completed until each individual has before him or her a perfect square of the same size as those in front of the other group members.
"During the exercise, you may not speak. You may not ask another person for a piece or in any way signal that another person is to give you a piece. You may voluntarily give pieces to other members, but you may not place pieces into the center for others to take."
Distribute HO-2 to the observer/judges only. Explain their role. Emphasize that they may speak only in order to enforce the rules, unless you tell them otherwise (HO-2: Broken Squares Observer/Judge Instruction Sheet).
Distribute the broken squares sets. Make certain each member of the group gets an envelope. Tell them not to open the envelope until you give the signal.
Give the signal to begin. Monitor the groups to be certain they are following the rules. (This is especially important if you have not designated observer/judges).
Give the groups, a total of 20 minutes to complete their task. Call time after 15 minutes. If some groups are not finished, tell them to make use of their observer/judge as a consultant to help them in the last 5 minutes. The consultant cannot solve the problem for them, but may respond to questions asked by the group members.
C. Process the exercise (PN-5: Exercise Instructions, 15 min.)
Ask each observer/judge to report briefly on his/her observations.
Give all group members a chance to give their general reactions and vent any frustration they experienced. Ask the following questions:
Discussion Questions
What behaviors helped accomplish the task?
What behaviors hindered the accomplishment of the task?
If there were participants in the group (as opposed to observer/judges) who had done the exercise, ask them "What was it like to know what needed to be done and not be able to get the others to make use of your knowledge?"
Lead a discussion on what was learned that they an apply in their partnership. If the points made in HO-3 are not brought up by the group, make certain you add them.
Content Points (HO-3)
Each individual needs to understand the total problem.
Each individual needs to understand how he/she can contribute toward solving the problem.
Each individual needs to be aware of the potential contributions of other individuals.
One must recognize the problems of other individuals in order to aid them in making their maximum contribution.
Groups that pay attention to their own problem-solving processes are likely to be more effective than groups that do not.
It is such obstacles that team-building exercises are designed to overcome or lessen.
Improve feedback process and techniques;
Improve communication skills;
Assess and clarify roles and tasks;
Assess and improve leadership functions;
Clarify individual and team values;
Build skills in problem solving;
Analyze and improve decision-making approaches;
Improve action planning skills;
Help manage stress;
Clarify and improve team member relations;
Improve the effectiveness of meetings; and
Improve relations with other groups.
C. Resources for Team Building
Directions
Review HO-5.
Magazines. Various organization development and training magazines.
Books. A series called A Handbook of Structured Experiences for Human
Relations Training, Ed. Pfeiffer, J. William, and Jones, John E., University Associates, JaJolla, CA: 1974; and The Encyclopedia of Team-Development Activities and The Encyclopedia of Team-Building Activities Ed. Pfeiffer, J. William, University Associates, San Diego, CA: 1991.
Expert Consultants. Someone from the partnership, someone from the community with group facilitation skills, a professional group facilitator, or organization development specialist.
Ask the group for additional ideas on resources and put them on newsprint.
A. Introduce the exercise (HO-3: Group Problem-Solving Guidelines)
Explain that in some ways the group at the Institute will develop into a team because of the training it is receiving.
Tell them that this team building is a deliberate part of the Institute. While it is important that it occur here, it can create a problem when the participants go back home.
Explain that in this exercise they will have an opportunity to identify some ways in which they can use team building to include those who did not attend the training to become part of an inclusive team.
Encourage participants as they go through this exercise to write down ideas they may use back home with their partnership. They can use HO-6 for this purpose.
B. Run the exercise (Team-Building Exercise, 20 min.).
Divide participants into small groups. If several people are from the same partnership, let them work together.
Ask the groups to brainstorm the ways in which they can encourage those not attending the training to become part of the team when they return home. They are to put their ideas on newsprint.
If members of a group are from different partnerships, tell them it is okay if some of the ideas they record do not apply to everyone in their small group. They are to generate the longest list possible in the time allotted. (5 min.)
C. Process the exercise.
Have each group read its list of possible actions.
Lead a general discussion on the ideas presented.
Discussion Questions
Which of these would be the easiest to implement? Which the hardest?
What resources do you need (HO-5: Team-Building Resources)?
Whose support would you need?
If it hasn't come up in the discussion, point out the disdrepancy with the paradigm shift and empowerment if team members return from the Institute and behave as an exclusive subgroup.
Emphasize the need to plan their reentry with the entire partnership team in mind.
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