Saturday, March 14, 2009
What is the Team Work?
-“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”
Henry Ford
Five Characteristics of a Winning Team
Shared Values
Team members are looking for a "values fit" with their team. Without it, they won't give the team their best. Team members should participate in establishing shared values and values-based common goals if you wish them to live these values, be committed to these goals, and have a feeling of interdependence and ownership for their jobs and unit.
Shared values become also your team's code of behavior as they define what is and isn't acceptable...
Mutual Trust
Mutual trust is a shared belief that you can depend on each other to achieve a common purpose.
In a team, members work in a climate of trust. They are encouraged to openly express opinions, feelings, and doubts. Team members share important information and ideas. They are fair, willing to be influenced and fulfill their promises. Trust also fosters enthusiasm, ensuring the best performance from everyone...
Inspiring Vision and Strategic Alignment
An inspiring vision has two functions: it provides direction and motivates.
In any socio-technical system the people in the system work better when they understand how they fit into the system as a whole. To meet and exceed customer satisfaction, the business team needs to be inspired by the corporate vision and to follow an overall organizational strategy ...
Rewards
The only way the team members will fulfill your dream is to share in the dream. Reward systems are the mechanisms that make this happen.
The greatest team management principle is that the things that get rewarded get done. You get what you reward. Rewards include doing the things people enjoy doing, recognition, and money. By rewarding collective achievements you inspire and promote teamwork.
And you can take full courses through http://www.acesegypt.com/
Team roles and responsibilities
As an effective team member you should be able to:
• List the fundamental roles required in a team.
• Recognize that team roles are specific and defined, but connected to one another as well.
• Determine some of the informal roles in teams.
• Recognize that not all roles are filled all the time.
• Respect and value the function and purpose of each team member.
In a way, every person on a team is a leader and will demonstrate leadership at different times. Among other things, every person in a team has a responsibility to:
· Improve quality
· Instill pride of workmanship
· Increase output
· Find better ways of working and make continuous improvements
· Remove the causes of failure
· Provide training
· Help others do a better job with less effort
· Make it possible for everyone to do a better job with greater satisfaction
• List the fundamental roles required in a team.
• Recognize that team roles are specific and defined, but connected to one another as well.
• Determine some of the informal roles in teams.
• Recognize that not all roles are filled all the time.
• Respect and value the function and purpose of each team member.
In a way, every person on a team is a leader and will demonstrate leadership at different times. Among other things, every person in a team has a responsibility to:
· Improve quality
· Instill pride of workmanship
· Increase output
· Find better ways of working and make continuous improvements
· Remove the causes of failure
· Provide training
· Help others do a better job with less effort
· Make it possible for everyone to do a better job with greater satisfaction
Team Meetings: How to have a team meeting?
In order to make a successful team meetings:
· Set goals
· Discuss what does the team need to achieve together that can't be done individually or through e-mail.
· Make the decision process explicit.
o Will one person make the decision based on team input?
o Majority rules?
o Consensus required?
· Set a time limit
· Take notes during the meeting
· If a resolution isn't reached by the time limit, then decide on a strategy for reaching a resolution at the next meeting (more information, alternate procedure, new team member ...)
· When the meeting adjourns, everyone should have explicit tasks and goals. Review these goals before everyone leaves. Be sure you all agree on what each person will do and what he/she will bring to the next meeting.
· Distribute the meeting notes to everyone in the team within one day of the meeting.
· Set goals
· Discuss what does the team need to achieve together that can't be done individually or through e-mail.
· Make the decision process explicit.
o Will one person make the decision based on team input?
o Majority rules?
o Consensus required?
· Set a time limit
· Take notes during the meeting
· If a resolution isn't reached by the time limit, then decide on a strategy for reaching a resolution at the next meeting (more information, alternate procedure, new team member ...)
· When the meeting adjourns, everyone should have explicit tasks and goals. Review these goals before everyone leaves. Be sure you all agree on what each person will do and what he/she will bring to the next meeting.
· Distribute the meeting notes to everyone in the team within one day of the meeting.
How to be effective team leader
Coach, Don't Demonstrate
When you're under a time crunch, it's tempting to demonstrate a task rather than to provide supportive directions. When you say "Let me show you how" your motivation is probably just to get the work done rather than help the team member learn. This can be devastating to that team member's skill development and makes him dependent on you. In the long run, the individual to whom you've demonstrated skills will require guidance for just about everything. Since you've done everything for him, he may be hesitant to make decisions or take action without checking with you first.
Provide Constructive Criticism
If you're providing feedback, be sure to communicate the bad and the good. It's always hard to hear criticism, but if you highlight the good things too it makes taking the bad a little easier. Also, provide clear suggestions on how your team members can improve. You don't have to give them all of the solutions, instead guide the group by sharing your knowledge and experience.
Back Off
Perhaps you've assigned a project to a team member that's of particular interest to you. Initially, you should provide some guidance and communicate that it's an open door policy for additional questions that may come up along the way. Now, it's important to back off! It may be tempting to get overly involved, but try and bite your tongue unless the individual comes to you for input or guidance. As a team leader, you must prove to your group members that you believe in their abilities and talents. By staying out of the picture, this shows team members they'll get a fair chance to demonstrate what they can do without interference.
Try To Be Positive
Enthusiasm is contagious… if you're excited about your group's project, it's likely they'll feel a reason to be also. As a leader, your team members look to you for direction. If you notice that the group's motivation and output levels are in a slump, this is your wake-up call! Have a meeting to discuss what needs to be changed, and really listen to what your team has to say. If you think they may have a difficult time admitting this, get them to write their comments on paper instead. It's important to stay in tune with your group. You may be surprised by what they have to say – it could be a dramatically different perspective from your own.
Value Your Team's Ideas
Don't discount your group's ideas. Avoid phrases like "Yeah, but…" or "We've already tried that". If a suggested idea was attempted in the past but failed, consider that it may not have been executed properly or that it simply wasn't the best time. Consider each and every idea that your group members generate and encourage them to communicate their insights on a regular basis. If you're overly critical of ideas or immediately discount the ideas of others, your group will hesitate sharing anything. After all, for every twenty mediocre suggestions, there's bound to be at least one stellar idea.
When you're under a time crunch, it's tempting to demonstrate a task rather than to provide supportive directions. When you say "Let me show you how" your motivation is probably just to get the work done rather than help the team member learn. This can be devastating to that team member's skill development and makes him dependent on you. In the long run, the individual to whom you've demonstrated skills will require guidance for just about everything. Since you've done everything for him, he may be hesitant to make decisions or take action without checking with you first.
Provide Constructive Criticism
If you're providing feedback, be sure to communicate the bad and the good. It's always hard to hear criticism, but if you highlight the good things too it makes taking the bad a little easier. Also, provide clear suggestions on how your team members can improve. You don't have to give them all of the solutions, instead guide the group by sharing your knowledge and experience.
Back Off
Perhaps you've assigned a project to a team member that's of particular interest to you. Initially, you should provide some guidance and communicate that it's an open door policy for additional questions that may come up along the way. Now, it's important to back off! It may be tempting to get overly involved, but try and bite your tongue unless the individual comes to you for input or guidance. As a team leader, you must prove to your group members that you believe in their abilities and talents. By staying out of the picture, this shows team members they'll get a fair chance to demonstrate what they can do without interference.
Try To Be Positive
Enthusiasm is contagious… if you're excited about your group's project, it's likely they'll feel a reason to be also. As a leader, your team members look to you for direction. If you notice that the group's motivation and output levels are in a slump, this is your wake-up call! Have a meeting to discuss what needs to be changed, and really listen to what your team has to say. If you think they may have a difficult time admitting this, get them to write their comments on paper instead. It's important to stay in tune with your group. You may be surprised by what they have to say – it could be a dramatically different perspective from your own.
Value Your Team's Ideas
Don't discount your group's ideas. Avoid phrases like "Yeah, but…" or "We've already tried that". If a suggested idea was attempted in the past but failed, consider that it may not have been executed properly or that it simply wasn't the best time. Consider each and every idea that your group members generate and encourage them to communicate their insights on a regular basis. If you're overly critical of ideas or immediately discount the ideas of others, your group will hesitate sharing anything. After all, for every twenty mediocre suggestions, there's bound to be at least one stellar idea.
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