EFFECTIVE TEAMS. Higher Administration and IT Administrative Theory and Practice Outcome 1 - Effectiveness of the administrative function

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1 EFFECTIVE TEAMS The learner will be able to: 1 Provide an account of the factors contributing to the effectiveness of the administrative by: 1.1 Describing the characteristics of effective teams Features of effective teams Team formation Skills of team members Benefits of teams to individuals and organisations Definition: A team is a group of people who come together to achieve a common goal. Teams usually have: ü A common goal ü A common leader ü A common identity (name) Page 1

2 Features of Effective Teams Part of your job is likely to include working with other people in a team. As part of your job you may even be in several different teams. The factors which make teams effective (ie work well and achieve their objectives or goals) are detailed below. 1. Belbin s Theory on Teams Team Roles: The best teams will have good leadership and a balance of types of individuals on the team. Management theorist, Meredith Belbin suggested that there are clear team roles and if these are identified when the team is formed, it will be more effective. Belbin s Team Roles are as follows: Team Size According to Belbin, an effective team will normally consist of 4 to 6 team members. ü Too Large a Team o Sub- groups within the team may form and break away Page 2

3 o Quieter members may not speak up or participate ü Too Small a Team o One person may dominate the team o Not enough ideas will be generated o Members may have an insufficient range of skills 2. Other factors which make an effective team ü Clear identity: Strong teams have a clear identity, usually a name but can also include a logo, uniform, colour scheme, venue/meeting place, etc ü Common goal: Team members must all want to achieved a shared end goal and should have a genuine belief in what they are trying to achieve ü Complementary skills: There should be an excellent mix of skills within the team and everyone s skills are recognized valued and used. No one feels redundant. ü Complementary responsibilities There is a balance of key roles, eg Belbin s Specialist, Ideas Person, Motivator and so on. If too many have the same role preference (eg too many Motivators and not enough Specialists), then this may leave gaps and the team will be less effective ü Leadership: Strong teams have clear leadership, which is known and supported by the team and adds value to how the team operates. This may be more than one person and may change to help best achieve the goal. ü Clear responsibilities: Team members need to be very clear on what tasks they are responsible for and they know that they are accountable for the completion of these tasks ü Informal, relaxed and comfortable environment: There are no obvious tensions and there is a working atmosphere in which people are involved and interested ü Open communication: Team members should be encouraged to express their opinions and suggest ideas, but also to compromise when their opinions/ideas are not supported fully by the team ü Clear and agreed ground rules: The team operates within an agreed set of ground rules which helps team discipline. These will include how the team makes decisions and it will deal with conflict within the team ü Celebratory: A strong team celebrates its success. These celebrations are a way of bonding and re- affirming the team s identity. Page 3

4 Team Formation Psychologist Bruce Tuckman believed that in order to be effective and high performing, teams needed to go through various stages forming, storming, norming and performing. He later added a final stage called adjourning (sometimes known as mourning ). Each stage is described below. ü Stage 1 Forming: o Team members are introduced they are positive and polite o Some team members will be anxious as they don t fully understand the work they will be doing. Others are excited about the task ahead o The leader has to take a dominant role as team members roles and responsibilities are not yet clear ü Stage 2 Storming: o People begin to see themselves as part of a team o However they may start challenging each other, and the team leader, about what the team is doing, and how things should be done. o As differences surface, conflict and power struggles can arise o Team members may experience stress, as they do not feel supported or have strong relationships with other team members o There may result be some loss of performance or focus on the task and the team may even fail ü Stage 3 Norming: o Team members start to resolve their differences and appreciate each other s strengths o Team members know who does what and how things are to be done. Ground rules are established. o Team members are more confident about asking each other for help and providing constructive feedback to others o A stronger commitment to the team goal is developed as the team can see progress towards the goal ü Stage 4 Performing: o Hard work leads to achievement of the team s goal o The team can work on its own and make decisions with little interference from the leader o The leader can delegate much of the work and focus on developing team members o Disagreements still occur but they are now settled positively ü Stage 5 Adjourning (or Mourning) o The team is disbanded because the project is finished or the organisation is restructuring o The team can celebrate its success and feel a sense of achievement Page 4

5 o Team members who have enjoyed working on the team and formed strong relationships may feel a sense of loss o Team members may be worried about their future in the organisation or a new role they may be starting Skills of Team Members Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. Henry Ford The qualities of good team players include: i. Demonstrate reliability: o Get the work done and do what they say they are going to do o Can be counted on to deliver good performance all the time, not just sometimes ii. iii. iv. Communicate constructively: o Speak up and expresses their thoughts and ideas clearly and honestly o Communicate in a positive, confident and respectful manner Listen actively: o Can consider ideas and other points of view without arguing every point o Can receive criticism without reacting defensively Function as active participants: o Fully engage in the work of the team and do not just sit quietly on the sidelines o Have a can- do approach to achieving the team s goals v. Share openly and willingly o Happy to share information, knowledge and experience o Keep other team members in the loop to help get the job done and avoid surprises vi. Co- operate and pitches in to help: o Happy to work with others and act together to get the job completed o Use initiative to offer help to others and agree to assist when asked Page 5

6 Benefits of Effective Team Working ü Benefits (advantages) to the individual: o There is a sense of being valued and belonging o Being able to share knowledge and increase skills by learning from others o Increased motivation and morale o More likely to take risks, as these are shared o Individual will benefit from support received from other team members o Greater chance of promotion as a result of gaining greater skills from working within the team There are also some possible costs (disadvantages) to the individual: o If they are not comfortable within the team, individuals could suffer from stress o Conflict can result from personality clashes within the team o Strong personalities in the team may not allow other individuals, who may be quieter, to flourish o The individual may be so focused on working for the overall good of the team that they put their own ideas on the back burner. This lack of innovative thinking may keep the team from moving forward ü Benefits to the organisation o Employees take on more responsibility and need less supervision o Teams will take more risks than individuals, which can hugely benefit the organisation o Teams can generate a wider range of ideas and innovation than individuals o Teams can be a support mechanism which provide mentoring, allowing individuals to grow in self- confidence and work more effectively o Through working in teams, individuals become multi- skilled and more flexible this means that the workforce can adapt to change in the organisation more easily Reasons for Conflict within Teams Reason for Conflict Conflicting goals: Two members of the team want to go in different directions Personal disputes: People do not get on well together Lack of Resources: Not enough money, staff, equipment, etc Changing expectations: Effect on Organisation (or team) The team may achieve very little at all and not meet any of its objectives There may be bad feeling which causes a poor atmosphere and team members become demotivated The team s ideas cannot be put in to action and a compromise decision or change has to be made The changed expectation may no longer be Page 6

7 eg moving deadlines or changing targets realistic and the objectives set no longer achievable Loyalty issues: eg the team members from one department support only each other s ideas the team will not be effective from the start as members will not be open minded or supportive to each other Page 7