Team Meeting Environment Individual Team Members example essay topic

Team Dynamics Todd Lujan Tuesday, October 21, 2003 Introduction to Team Dynamics The purpose of any team depends on the reason it was formed. Each team has different goals and outcomes. However, the dynamics of each team are generally the same. Regardless of the end goal of the team, the process of team development will follow a recognizable pattern. Teams are valuable and are frequently used because their ability to develop unique workable solutions. The definition of a team is: noun 1.

A group on the same side, as in a game. 2. A group organized to work together. verb 1. To harness together to form a team. 2. To form a team.

[From Old English t am] (American Heritage) There are as many benefits to using a team as there are draw backs. Teams provide enhanced organizational efficiency. This is only true if the team has a solid charter with clear goals and expectations. Thompson, Aranda, and Robbins, discuss a major draw back to groups in Tools For Teams, "Sometimes it is used as a euphemism for suppressing legitimate disagreement with the manager's viewpoints or submitting to the will of others at all costs". (25) One benefit of using a team is to develop the best possible outcome. While the learning curve of a team is flatter than that of the individual, a good team will out perform the individual.

Roles and responsibilities Each team has different needs, and each member may have different roles and responsibilities. Some of the roles will overlap. There are a number of undefined roles that member fill, sometimes with out their conscious knowledge. According to David Boje PHD, the following four roles are essential in having a balanced team: Trouble Shooters are the problem solvers, negotiators; they focus on putting out fires. Traditionalist are rule and policy makers, inspectors, they focus on hierarchy.

Visionaries they are the designers, long range thinkers, they focus on the possibilities. Catalysts seek harmony and cooperation; they focus on people, strong need for positive feedback. (screen 5-6) Obviously there are more formal roles and responsibilities, teams have a leader, recorder, time keeper and members. FORMING-In this stage, an appropriate team is formed in order to complete a project. After appropriate members are located, they begin forming a common ground and begin to interact to get to know one another and figure out what must be accomplished as a team. Team members learn where they fit into the team. Defining the Goals of the Team This is the first stage of team development and the orientation stage of what team members will be best to fit a project.

The team must become comfortable and be able to interact to begin work on a given task or project. They each must come together to fulfill a certain goal. In this stage, these goals may still be undefined and the members are just beginning to form and get to know one another. Information is beginning to get exchanged about the task at hand and that may become the first topic of conversation. Ideas and suggestions are beginning to be thrown about and the main goal is communication and organization, in the forming stage.

A broad topic must be broken down into smaller parts, so the team has an ability to come together to form a larger project. In this stage, it is important that the team begins to come to an understanding about how the project can be divided and that the common goal is understood. Communication and brainstorming occur in order to form individual goals, once the main goal is established. These goals become much clearer after the initial meeting of members. Locating appropriate members It is important that the right people be assigned to a team. In locating members, factors such as expertise and knowledge are taken in to account.

Diversity can be an important factor. Diversity of the members can bring in a broader range of ideas and create a number of angles in completing a project. Each member will represent different stages of a given project; therefore, various professions, expertise, ethnics and genders are most likely to be involved and can be important in the development. There are other considerations that can be considered, depending on the project that is to be accomplished, such as; how big is the project? How many members are needed in order to realistically fulfill the given project? What resources are needed in order to make the project successful?

The roles for the teams's uc cess must be evaluated. Who will be a leader or facilitator of the group? Who will be the one who puts the information together? These issues and other miscellaneous roles may come together over time, after a group has been formed. These roles of the team may change over the course of a project. Trust, participation, sharing knowledge, involving others in making decisions, and encouraging development of others will be important to how the group will interact and be successful.

Preparing a team meeting environment Individual team members will work on most aspects of a project outside of the team meeting, but a lot of work can be done as well, when all members are able to meet together in a given place at a given time. These meetings are definitely important to having a successful project. It is important that all team members be involved in a team meeting. Each person has to know where each other stand.

It is important to come together and see where each member is at, make sure each member understands what their goal is, and have a voice in the overall end result. The team has to communicate what the best time and place is for each member to be involved. The meeting environment should be comfortable and be at a time when all members can meet. They should also occur on a regular basis. STORMING- This is the initial exchange of information and exploring the task at hand.

The Initial Meeting This is a brainstorming session of a broad range of ideas, concepts, and responsibilities of a given project that has been assigned. In the initial meeting, tasks and member roles are still going through the developmental stage. Personalities are being evaluated and members may be discussing what best suits them as far as strengths and weaknesses. There are listeners and talkers and ideas about the responsibilities should be coming together. Team members are elaborating their ideas and preparing to take on certain tasks.

More order is occurring within the team to begin what is to be accompli shed. The goals are more defined and the responsibilities are discussed and outlined for the initial development of the project. Discussing the goals and scope of the team During one of the first few meetings, it is important that the team discuss the goals of the group, and the scope which in intends to encompass. Establishing the goals of the team will help dictate the direction of the meetings to come. If the goals are not clearly established, the team will have difficulty throughout the entire process.

Goals help everyone participating understand what the responsibility and obligations of the group are. In order to be productive, every member of the team must have a clear understanding not only of their own personal responsibilities, but those of the team as well. Understanding the scope of the team's goals enables the participants to understand how the product of the team will effect their environment. In the case of a team organized for a corporate task, the team would have a better understanding of what departments, etc. they will be effecting. Knowing how the end product of the team effects the corporation as a whole will allow them to better understand which departments to consult for advice. Creating a "road map" to goals Creating a road map to the team's goals benefits many aspects of overall productivity.

In order to clearly understand the direction the team needs to take and at what point they should be taking each step, a road map is required. The road map can take many forms, it can include a flow chart of current processes, followed by a flowchart of the new process the group has been commissioned to create. The new process may have a flowchart that includes unclear steps or "go do" items for team members to complete before the process can continue. Knowing in what order the process needs to take place can help reduce needless time expenditure on things that end up not being required. The road map normally contains several short term goals that feed the overall process. It can also help break the overall process down into a series of steps which can then be delegated to the person most appropriate for the task.

Setting short term goals The team should set short term goals shortly after the process begins. Many of these goals should be identified when the road map to goals is created. Short term goals are stepping stones that lead to the ultimate goal of the team. It is important that they be clearly defined and that all the tasks required to meet the short term goals be delegated to the person most appropriate for the task. Ideally once the goals are identified, the team can choose to have its members volunteer for the tasks they are most comfortable with. In some cases, certain tasks may be undesirable to everyone on the team.

In all cases, communication is the key to productivity. The team should discuss why the task is undesirable, suggest ideas that make accomplishing the task less difficult and ultimately agree on a course of action. Agreeing on meeting parameters During the team meetings, after the long and short term goals and scope are identified the parameters of the team should be agreed upon. Some of team's parameters include meeting times, determining and agreeing upon the roles of members of the group and deciding who, if anyone should be consulted outside the team during various aspects of the process. Outside input should be considered prior to consulting those sources when teams cross organizational boundaries and fear of bias is an issue. Due to the variety of teams and their goals, there is no set of parameters which are useful in all situations.

Most of the parameters which require decision making will surface during the first few meetings when short and long term goals are determined. In order to accomplish each task, each member must agree to the parameters of the team. If not, communication and productivity will suffer. Creating Continuity Between Team Members There are a number of ways of promoting continuity for a team. Clear definitions of tasks, assignments, and goals help team members focus on individual as well as team goals. One important method is keeping accurate records of what the team has done and the method used to accomplish those tasks.

This is an effective way to avoid re-inventing the wheel. As teams form more formal defined roles help keep processes flowing. The following is a generic outline of team roles and responsibilities found in every group: Leader: Keeps group focused and on task. Recorder: Records all team meetings and keeps accurate records of all team sessions. Time Keeper: Lets team know how long it is taking to complete tasks, also keeps team up to date on dead lines.

Member: Participates fully in group activities and discussions. It is important for all members to complete projects as assigned in a timely manner. Increased Productivity Teams have a greater potential for productivity than individuals alone. The learning curve on a team is flatter than that of the individual. However, over the long term, teams have an increased capacity for more efficient and comprehensive outcomes. There are several road blocks that can hinder a team's in productivity, they include social loafing, and same time different place syndromes.

Team members can become complacent, and may not be sufficiently challenged in their goals or tasks. Extensive overview of subject One of the greatest advantages of team work is diversity. Having selected team members from various aspects of the business at hand as well as various educational backgrounds allows for an all-encompassing view of the subject. When the team completes its task, the results it produces will display the diversity of its members. The more viewpoints and ideas are presented, the more comprehensive the results.

A well rounded product produces results that are best for a larger population of the group from which the team was formed. Ultimately, properly executed team dynamics creates a product which is far superior to that of an individual. Resources (The American Heritage (R) Concise Dictionary, Third Edition, (c) 1994 by Houghton Mifflin Company) Web Paper Title: 'Myers Briggs, XYZ Leadership, and Team Roles' Author David M. Boje, Ph. D. January 21, 2001- David Boje, Inside the Leadership Box Section: Figure Five: Team Roles that Count Title Tools For Teams Authors Leigh Thompson, Stephen Robbins, Eileen Aranda, others.