EFFECTIVE SKILLS FOR TEAM BUILDING Group Agreements Learning Objectives Definition Resistance to Teams in Organizations Team Development, Behaviors and Performance Effective and Ineffective Teams Team Decision Making and Consensus Building Questions and Comments Today’s Agenda ALL IDEAS AND POINTS OF VIEW HAVE VALUE You may hear something you do not agree with or you think is "silly" or "wrong." Please remember that one of the goals of this meeting is to share ideas. All ideas have value in this setting. Also share YOUR ideas and thoughts and avoid editorials of another colleague’s comments. SAFE SPACE What is shared and discussed with one another should “stay here” – apart from ideas and solutions that will help your own work and agency. USE COMMON CONVERSATIONAL COURTESY Please don't interrupt; use appropriate language, avoid third party/ side bar discussions, etc. Group Agreements HUMOR IS WELCOME BUT humor should never be at someone else's expense. HONOR TIME We have an ambitious agenda, so it will be important to follow the time guidelines for the next two days. CELL PHONE / TEXTING / E-MAIL COURTESY Please turn cell phones, or any other communication item with an on/off switch to “silent. If you need to respond, kindly step outside BE COMFORTABLE Please feel free to take personal breaks as needed ANY OTHERS AGREEMENTS TO ADD? Group Agreements To gain a greater understanding of how teams develop, behave and perform.To utilize this knowledge to develop high performing teams in centers and programs. Learning Objective TEAM BUILDING Group: A collection of two or more interacting individuals with a stable pattern of relationships among them, who share common goals and who perceive themselves as being a group. Essentials of a groupSocial interactionStable structureCommon interestsPerceive themselves as part of group Team: A team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. This definition highlights the essentials of a team or in other words the team basics. Here the focus or emphasis is on three characteristics – small number, complementary skills and commitment. These are what basically differentiates a team from a group and makes a team something much more productive and result oriented than a group. We shall analyze them:Small number – five to ten peopleComplementary skills – appropriate balance or mix of skills and traitsCommitment to a common purpose and performance goals – specific performance goals are an integral part of the purpose.Commitment to a common approach – team members must agree on who will do a particular job & develop a common approach.Mutual accountability – at its core, team accountability is about the sincere promises we make to others & ourselves – commitment & trust. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GROUP AND TEAM GROUPStrong, clearly focus ...

1. EFFECTIVE SKILLS FOR TEAM BUILDING
Group Agreements
Learning Objectives
Definition
Resistance to Teams in Organizations
Team Development, Behaviors and Performance
Effective and Ineffective Teams
Team Decision Making and Consensus Building
Questions and Comments
Today’s Agenda
ALL IDEAS AND POINTS OF VIEW HAVE VALUE
You may hear something you do not agree with or you think is
"silly" or "wrong." Please remember that one of the goals of this
meeting is to share ideas. All ideas have value in this setting.

2. Also share YOUR ideas and thoughts and avoid editorials of
another colleague’s comments.
SAFE SPACE
What is shared and discussed with one another should “stay
here” – apart from ideas and solutions that will help your own
work and agency.
USE COMMON CONVERSATIONAL COURTESY
Please don't interrupt; use appropriate language, avoid third
party/ side bar discussions, etc.
Group Agreements
HUMOR IS WELCOME
BUT humor should never be at someone else's expense.
HONOR TIME
We have an ambitious agenda, so it will be important to follow
the time guidelines for the next two days.
CELL PHONE / TEXTING / E-MAIL COURTESY
Please turn cell phones, or any other communication item with
an on/off switch to “silent. If you need to respond, kindly step
outside
BE COMFORTABLE
Please feel free to take personal breaks as needed
ANY OTHERS AGREEMENTS TO ADD?
Group Agreements
To gain a greater understanding of how teams develop, behave

3. and perform.To utilize this knowledge to develop high
performing teams in centers and programs.
Learning Objective
TEAM BUILDING
Group: A collection of two or more interacting individuals
with a stable pattern of relationships among them, who share
common goals and who perceive themselves as being a group.
Essentials of a groupSocial interactionStable structureCommon
interestsPerceive themselves as part of group
Team: A team is a small number of people with complementary
skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance
goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually
accountable.
This definition highlights the essentials of a team or in other
words the team basics. Here the focus or emphasis is on three
characteristics – small number, complementary skills and
commitment. These are what basically differentiates a team
from a group and makes a team something much more
productive and result oriented than a group. We shall analyze
them:Small number – five to ten peopleComplementary skills –
appropriate balance or mix of skills and traitsCommitment to a
common purpose and performance goals – specific performance
goals are an integral part of the purpose.Commitment to a
common approach – team members must agree on who will do a
particular job & develop a common approach.Mutual
accountability – at its core, team accountability is about the
sincere promises we make to others & ourselves – commitment

4. & trust.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GROUP AND TEAM
GROUPStrong, clearly focused.Individual accountability.The
group’s purpose is the same as the broader organizational
mission.Individual work products.Runs efficient
meetings.Measures performance indirectly by its influence on
others.Discusses, decides, and delegates.
TEAMShared leadership roles.Individual and mutual
accountability.Specific team purpose that the team
delivers.Collective work products.Encourages open-ended
discussions, active problem solving meetings.Measures its
effectiveness direct by collective work products.Discusses,
decides, & does real work together.
TEAM WORK
Very often we use the word team work in our organizational
context without perhaps fully understanding what we mean by
team work. Team work is an abstract concept. It represents a set
of values that:Encourages behaviors such as listening &
responding to view points of others, giving benefit of doubt to
others.Providing support to those who need it.Recognizing the
interests & achievements of others.Also promote performance as
individuals and the performance of the entire organization.
Group Exercise:
“A State Divided or Unified?”

5. RESISTANCE TO TEAMS IN ORGANIZATIONS
Though a very large number of people believe in the
argument for greater focus on teams, yet when it comes to using
the team approach, the people are reluctant to rely on teams.
Three primary sources for people’s reluctance about teams that
stand out are:Lack of conviction: Some people do not believe
that teams, really do perform better than individuals. Others
think that teams are probably useful, from a human relations
point of view, but are hindrance when it comes to work
productivity and decisive action.Personal discomfort & risk:
Many people fear or do not like to work in teams. Most people’s
discomfort with teams, however is because they find the team
approach; too time consuming, too uncertain or too risky.Weak
performance ethics: Some organizations lack compelling
purpose that would appeal rationally and emotionally to their
people. At worst, the environment of internal politics or
external public relationship undermines the mutual trust and
openness upon which teams depend.
TEAM DEVELOPMENT & PERFORMANCE
“Great people don’t equal great teams.” –Tom Peters
Stages of team building:
Stage 1- Forming :Team acquaints & establishes ground rules.
Stage 2 – Storming : Members resist control by group leaders
and show hostility.
Stage 3 – Norming : Members work together developing close
relationships & feelings of camaraderie.
Stage 4 – Performing : Team members work toward getting their
job done.
Stage 5 – Adjourning : Team may disband on achieving their
goals or because members leave.

6. STAGES OF TEAM DEVELOPMENT
BEHAVIORSStageThemeTask -OrientationRelationship-
Orientation1AwarenessCommitmentAcceptance2ConflictClarific
ationBelonging3Co-
operationInvolvementSupport4ResultsAchievementPride5Separa
tionRecognitionSatisfaction
CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE TEAMSTeam members
should feel that their participation is important and personally
beneficial to them.Teams should only remain intact as single
entities so long they are working on a particular
problem.Whenever possible, the team should include some of
the persons who will be responsible for implementing the
decision.Members of a team must possess the appropriate
balance or mix of skills and traits.A team should be around of 5
to 15 members maximum.Members of the teams should have
knowledge and information that is relevant to the problem and
task.It is necessary for the team to select a leader.

7. The influence of members on decisions in teams should be
based on their capacity to contribute ( relevant expertise) and
not on the authority they possess in the organization.Team
decisions should be integrated with the normal or regular
decisions of the departments or units from which the members
are drawn.Conflicts that develop within should be confronted
and resolved with a problem solving approach, instead of being
avoided or smoothed over.
CHARACTERISTICS OF INEFFECTIVE TEAMSYou cannot
easily describe the team’s mission.The meetings are formal,
stuffy, or tense. People do not do their best in an uncomfortable
atmosphere.There is a great deal of participation but little
accomplishment. Some teams exhibit to talk but much
action.There is talk but not much communication. Many teams
are composed of very talented people who enjoy talking but not
listen to the contributions of others.Disagreements are aired in
private conversations.Decisions tend to be made by the formal
leader with little meaningful involvement of other team
members.Members are not open with each other because trust is
low.There is confusion or disagreement about roles or work.
People in other parts of the organization who are critical to the
success of the team are not cooperating. There is rarely a period
in a team’s history when external relations are not
important.The team is over loaded with people who have the
same team player style. Style diversity leads to looking at all
aspects of team effectiveness.The team has been in existence for
at least three months and has never assessed its functioning.
Periodically , teams need to assess progress towards goals and
to evaluate team process.

8. CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE TEAM MEMBERS
Besides seeing the characteristics of an effective team as well
as an ineffective team, it would be prudent to examine the
characteristics of effective team members. It will be observed
that organizational failures often are not a result of poor
leadership but of poor follower ship. An effective team member
is, therefore, on who:
Understands and is committed to group goals.Is friendly,
concerned and interested in others.Acknowledges and confronts
conflict openly.Listens to others with understanding.Includes
others in the decision making process.Recognizes and respects
individual differences.
ACTIVE LISTENING EXAMPLESTo convey interest in what
the other person is saying.To encourage the individual to
expand further on his or her thinking.To help the individual
clarify the problem in his or her own thinking.To get the
individual to hear what he or she has said in the way it sounded
to others.
To pull out the key ideas from a long statement.I see!
Yes, go on or Tell us more.
Then the problem as you see is …….
This is your decision then and the reasons are ….If I understand
you correctly you are saying that we should ...
Your major point is …
You feel that we should ….
To respond to a person’s feelings more than to his or her words.
To summarize specific points of agreement and disagreement as
a basis for further discussion.To express a consensus of group
feeling.You feel strongly that …..
You do not believe that ….

9. We seemed to agreed on the following points….., but we seem
to need further clarification on these points.As a result of this
discussion we as a group seem to feel that
Conflict Resolution.Disagreement is a euphemism for
conflict.Groups have to learn the requisite conflict-resolution
skills.Disagreements are to be encouraged and accepted as a
natural consequence of a dynamic, active organization.Effective
teams create a climate in which people feel free to express their
opinions even when those opinions are at odds with those of
other team members.
ASPECTS OF CONFLICT
DESTRUCTIVEDiverts energy from more important activities
and issue.Destroys the morale of people or reinforces poor self-
concepts.Polarizes differences in values.Deepens differences in
values.Produces irresponsible and regrettable behavior such as
name calling and fighting.
CONSTRUCTIVEOpens up issues of importance resulting in
their clarification.Results in the solution of the
problems.Increases the involvement of individuals and internal
cohesiveness.Causes authentic communication to occur.Serves
as a release for pent up emotion, anxiety and stress.Helps build
cohesiveness among people sharing the conflict, celebrating in
its settlement, and learning about each other.
THANK YOU!