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  • Contents

    1. The difference between groups and teams
    2. Stages of group and team development
    3. Roles and routines in groups and teams
    4. Threats to successful teamwork

  • What are employers looking for? (CBI, Future Fit, 2009)

    Team working skills:

    Are you assertive within a team environment?
    Do you respect and listen to other people’s point of view?
    Are you tolerant of other people’s mistakes?
    Can you persuade and negotiate with others?
    Can you contribute to discussions?
    Can you deal with constructive criticism?

    Additional Information

    Many organisations say that people are their most important assets. People can determine the success/failure of the projects . Employers are increasingly looking for their employees to have good team working skills since most projects will involve teams of people working together.

  • Successful teamwork is “the cornerstone of progressive management for the foreseeable future” (Buelens, 2006: 372)

    “Successful organisations are good at building teams and exploiting teamwork. People need to be able to work in teams, they need to subordinate their own agenda to the well-being of the group….successful organisations foster diversity, which entails respect for the individual and makes group decision making more creative...” (Manfred Kets de Vries in: Financial Times, October 2000, quoted in Buelens, 2006, p.371)

    1996: 90% of Americans worked in teams every day only 50% had received team work training (Brooks, 2003, p.84)

    Additional Information

    As an engineer, you will be required to work in a team to produce a result e.g. a piece of software or upgrade to a system. Increasingly many large companies organise their employees into project teams. Most project managers state that managing people effectively can be very challenging especially managing teams. Within project management there is a topic called project human resource management which includes selecting the team, developing the team (training and team building) and also managing the team (observations, performance appraisals, conflict management, issue logs etc)

  • Advantages of team based working in organisations

    Teams can:

    develop and deliver products and services quickly and cost effectively and therefore increase their competitive edge
    enable organisations to learn effectively and continuously
    promote innovation through cross-fertilisation of ideas (through interdepartmental contact)
    process and integrate information in ways that individuals cannot
    help to improve productivity
    resolve conflict

    Additional Information

    Many large companies have project teams
    Work is increasingly conducted in teams
    Rapidly changing conditions face many organisations in todays economic climate and they must be ready to meet the challenge.
    Many have fewer layers of management in an organisation and more emphasis on teams

  • What is a group?

    A group is any number of people who

    interact with one another
    are psychologically aware of each other
    perceive themselves to be a group

    Becoming a group member “implies a psychological process of affiliating to others and interaction with each other.” (Brown, 1971 in: Brooks, 2003, p. 84)

    Not all groups are teams.

    Additional Information

    The first three definitions are a bit limited when considering the usefulness of groups in an organisation.
    A better definition is the second last point since interaction must come into play and also the importance of awareness
    Last point - Not all groups are teams – for example, a newly formed sales team that has not met each other but communicates by email.

  • What is a team?

    A team is a small number of people

    who have complimentary skills
    are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach
    hold themselves mutually accountable for achieving these goals.

    (Katzenbach and Smith, 1993 in: Brooks, 2003, p.84)

    Additional Information

    Often talk about groups and group work – but organisations are interested in teams and effective teamworking.
    Organisations now need to consider employees as resources (instead of costs)
    Some researchers argue that is impossible to distinguish between groups and teams in a work environment

  • Rationale – why have teams?

    Volume of work
    Range of Skills
    Solve problems
    Collective decisions
    Riskier decisions
    Motivation
    Support

    (Burke 2013, p382)

    An effective team has...

    a clear understanding of team’s objectives
    a sense of commitment to the group
    a range of skills and know-how needed to deal with the team’s task
    a membership of different team types
    team members who have respect and trust for each other
    some form of team reward or bonus system as an incentive

    The most successful teams are self-directed and self managed; i.e. allocated to an overall task and given freedom over how work is to be done.

    Additional Information

    Large global companies have staked their future competitiveness on teams and team work.

    'How to assess your team working skills

  • Click on the diagram to show information

    We can identify how teams can grow, develop, mature and change. The Tuckman model of team development identifies the following stages: forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning. All teams have to go through these stages.

    💡 Additional Information - Storming Stage
    💡 Additional Information - Forming Stage
    💡 Additional Information - Norming, Performing and Adjourning Stage

    Additional Information

    Few if any group rules exist. Ambiguity and confusions reign over the group, everybody is busy finding out who the other people are. Little work gets done at this stage.

    Additional Information

    Storming stage – this can be a period of disagreements and frustration at the lack of progress and there may be confrontations in the group. Every group must go through this stage. Groups must remember that conflict can be positive.

    This stage raises the energy and activity level of the group and can lead to significant changes in creativity and innovation.

    Additional Information

    Norming stage: group norms and behaviours are developed and established in this stage - management should intervene if this stage is not going well.

    Performing stage: structure and cohesiveness is apparent which means the team is working well - The project manager wants the team to remain in this stage.

    Adjourning – disbanding the team and reflecting on what went well and what didn’t go so well

  • Roles and routines in groups and teams:

    Belbin’s ream roles (1981 and 1993)

    Belbin: “No one is perfect but a team can be.” (quoted in Mullins, 2005, p.556)

    Teams should not be composed entirely of people with similar personalities.
    Complementing strengths and weaknesses make a team more successful.
    The most successful groups comprise members with a range of roles
    Creative teams require a balance of these roles.

    Additional Information

    There has been a number of attempts to categorise team roles. This is widely used in team development and team building. There are questionnaires based on this. Taking the questionnaire can be a starting point. Balance and diversity are important in teams.

  • Belbin’s team roles

    Team-Role Type Contributions Weaknesses
    Plant Creative, imaginative, unorthodox. Solves difficult problems Tires of routine and conformity, can be pushy and uncontrolled
    Coordinator Mature, confident, a good chairperson. Clarifies goals, promotes decision-making, delegates well Can often be seen as manipulative. Off loads personal work
    Monitor evaluator Analytical and logical. Sees all options. Judges accurately. Lacks drive and ability to inspire others. Seldom shows feelings.
    Implementer Turns ideas into practical actions. Keen to ensure that team does not diverge from objectives. Somewhat inflexible. Slow to respond to new possibilities.
    Completer Finisher Perfectionist, conscientious, anxious. Searches out errors and omissions. Delivers on time. Inclined to worry unduly. Reluctant to delegate.
    Resource Investigator The group’s ‘Mr. Fix-it’. Extrovert, enthusiastic, communicative. Develops contacts. Explores opportunities. Over - optimistic. Loses interest once initial enthusiasm has passed. Little self-criticism.
    Shaper Has strong opinions, wants to influence events. Challenges inertia, good at finding ways around obstacles. Prone to provocation. Offends people's feelings. Easily frustrated, quick tempered.
    Teamworker Co-operative, mild, perceptive and diplomatic. Listens, builds, averts friction. Indecisive in crunch situations. Not assertive enough.
    Specialist Provides knowledge and skills in rare supply. Prefers to work with facts. Contributes only on a narrow front. Dwells on technicalities.

    Additional Information

    Belbin argues that the team needs to fulfil these roles – 9 roles in total. A self assessment questionnaire could be used to identify which roles a person is most suited to.

    For example – the plant role is good at generating ideas and solutions to problems. The monitor evaluator roles is good at evaluating ideas and potential solutions and helping to select the right one.

    The completer finisher role is concerned with finishing tasks. The resource investigator role is good at finding resources (physical resources, information etc.)

    The shaper role helps to direct the teams attention to important issues. The teamworker role is good at creating a good working environment and jollying people along.

  • Critique of Belbin

    Little empirical evidence: Hard to say that a team succeeded because it possessed all nine roles or failed because it lacked them.
    Questionnaire is based on self-reporting
    Theory takes excessively psychological perspective on role, neglecting social dimension of power structure
    Does not take enough account of type of task
    Underplays impact of wider, environmental factors (e.g. limited company resources) (Buchanan, 2004, p.340)

    Additional Information

    Belbin’s team roles can be used as a good starting point and can help identify and profile teams and also identify weaknesses in a team. However, it is not enough for a team simply to have a range of skill. The team has to mesh together and achieve the goals and objectives.

  • Threats to successful teamwork

    1. Conformity: The Asch effect
    2. Group think
    3. Social loafing
    4. Personality clashes

    Additional Information

    There are a number of identified threats to successful teamworking.

  • The Asch effect

    Asch Effect Diagram

    lab experiments
    7-9 volunteers
    all but one were actors
    asked to look at pair of cards:
    Which of three lines on right card is the same length as line on left card?
    actors instructed to lie about which line was correct
    subject was asked last
    7 rounds
    123 people tested in 12 trials

    80% conformed at least once
    58% gave in twice
    20% never conformed
    5% conformed all the time

    Three others are enough to create pressure of conformity.
    Asch effect: giving in to a unanimous but wrong opposition (Buelens, 2006, p.353)

  • Group think

    coined by Yale university’s Irving Janis (1972)
    a group’s desire for unanimity is so strong that they are unwilling to consider alternative views
    happens in friendly, tight-knit groups
    opponents are ridiculed and stereotyped as stupid and weak
    self- censorship takes place
    silence is taken as consent

    Additional Information

    This is a mode of thinking which can occur in highly cohesive groups. The need to conform overrides the appraisal of alternatives.

  • Social loafing

    Individual effort decreases as group size increases

    Why?

    Equity of effort:
    “Nobody else does anything. Why should I ?”

    Loss of personal accountability:
    “I am lost in the crowd, so who cares?”

    Sharing rewards leads to loss in motivation: “Why should I work harder if everybody else gets the same?”

    Additional Information

    Social loafing describes the tendency of individuals to put forth less effort when they are part of a group. Because all members of the group are pooling their effort to achieve a common goal, each member of the group contributes less than they would if they were individually responsible.

    Teams: Common Dysfunctions

    Lack of Trust
    Fear of Conflict
    Lack of Commitment
    Avoidance of Accountability
    Inattention to Results

    Challenges

    We have to give up our independence
    We have to put up with free riders!
    Teams are sometimes dysfunctional

    Additional Information

    ‘free riders’ – doesn't turn up/doesn't respond
    ‘Couch potato’ – turns up but doesn’t contribute

  • Implications for managers

    (Brooks, 2003: 112)

    Effective teams do not just occur. They need to be built consciously by selecting the right combination of team roles.

    “The principles of team working may be easily understood, but the task of installing it can be quite daunting…Every team working application is different. Each organisation, department and individual group is faced with unique problems.” (Wilson,1998 , quoted in Mullins, 2005, p.576)

    Group norms cannot be completely controlled but they can be influenced.

    “The whole is greater than its parts.” Group decisions can be time consuming but they are often more accurate, creative and acceptable.

    Teamworking may not be the “magical panacea for all organisations”. (Brooks, 2003, p.114)

  • Ten ways to motivate your team

    (Mullins, 2005: 576)

    ● Be clear about your own goals
    ● Inform everyone of theirs
    ● Give the right training
    ● Coach and encourage
    ● Listen to team members
    ● Get to know individuals
    ● Incentivise everyone
    ● Be tough when necessary
    ● Give people space to grow
    ● Let the team get on with it

  • Task 1

    refer to the handouts (Making Groups Work, A List of Things that can Influence the Functioning of Groups and Tips and Techniques for Managing more Assertively)

    Using your prior knowledge and experience discuss the benefits and challenges of teamwork

    Task 2

    Discuss the following two scenarios:

    Scenario 1

    A group of business students is given a business case study which describes the financial difficulties of a small engineering company. They are asked to discuss the situation to give a brief presentation to outline three possible solutions to the difficulties for the managers. The group of students have an hour to prepare their presentation. Ella is one of the students and though her ideas are helpful, she just holds the floor and will not let the others get a word in.

    ● What is going wrong in this team?
    ● Why might Ella be behaving in such a way?
    ● What would you do to improve the situation?

    Scenario 2

    A group of level 3 sport science students on work experience at a leisure centre is asked to provide a programme of sporting activities for five wheelchair users during two afternoon sessions at the centre. Pete has worked in this leisure centre before, but is ill when the first meeting of the group is held. At the second meeting which is the day before the sessions are held, he completely disagrees with the decision made by the four other students about the kinds of activities that they would like to set up. He tells them that they are wrong in their choice and that the chair users will not like the activities that they have chosen. The others listen to Pete but stick to their decisions. Pete walks out - and the others later hear that he has e-mailed the tutor concerned and has told them that the group are not co-operating and that he (Pete) is concerned that they are probably going to provide a poor session for the wheelchair users in the centre. He says he is concerned because he knows this group of chair users and what they like and do not like.

    ● What is going wrong in this team?
    ● Why did the other team members reject Pete’s ideas?
    ● How should the tutor react to Pete’s e-mail?
    ● What action should the team take to resolve the situation?

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  • refer to the handouts (Making Groups Work, A List of Things that can Influence the Functioning of Groups and Tips and Techniques for Managing more Assertively)

    Read the following scenario and answer the questions

    (Scenario adapted from: Moon J. (2009) Making groups work:improving work through the principles of academic assertiveness in higher education and professional development, ESCALATE, Higher Education Academy Subject centre for Education)

    Scenario

    A tutor, Dr Richard Crombie, supervises a group of biology students doing some research on a project involving the production of genetically modified potatoes. The project involves research on the internet and on hard copy and an outcome in written format as well as a presentation. The students are at level 2. The group members were chosen by Richard Crombie and there was no choice about who would work with whom. The group consists of:

    Mat – who is fairly quiet and tries but he is dyslexic and this means that he finds reading hard and he is slow in written work. He tends to be embarrassed about his difficulties as he has had a long history of people around him assuming that is he just not very clever.

    Jake – who tends to dominate groups. He is quite loud and he is ambitious. He is somewhat fed up to find himself in the same group as Mat because he feels that the work will be spoiled by Mat’s slowness and his other difficulties. Jake does not like working in groups because he feels that they hold him back.

    Ellie – is somewhat in awe of Jake – and she likes to please him and is really pleased to be in the same group as him – maybe eventually he will ask her out. She is reasonably able but tends not to be very independent in her studies.

    Sal – is fairly quiet and works reasonably hard and does well. She is quite friendly with Mat. She worries about the way in which the project is going and does not feel comfortable with the tensions in the group.

    Tone – seems to care for his social life as a priority. He will settle to work when he has to but usually at the last minute. He does well if he can get the materials easily, but does not put a great deal of effort into his work. He likes to be admired by everyone.

    The work will involve the group in splitting up the different aspects of the topic and each student researching one or more aspects, they then need to bring the material together and use it to make a judgement about whether Spud and Mash (Market Growers) Ltd should consider growing genetically modified (GM) potatoes when the regulations are relaxed. The group will need also to create and deliver a presentation. The mark for the work will be jointly attributed on the assumption that students have contributed reasonably equally to the project. The work is set over a period of four weeks with the presentation in the fifth week.

    Richard Crombie has not run group projects such as this before and the students are not sure if he is aware of Mat’s dyslexia and how it might affect the group. Mat would prefer not to tell him.

    In the first meeting of the group, the members try to share out the areas of research – though it is Jake who largely splits up the topic and allocates the parts to the group members. Sal is not pleased to be given the theoretical genetics to research but does not say anything to Jake or the others. She feels quite fed up with the group. There is no talk of leadership or taking roles or the processes of the group.

    It is Tuesday. The work was given two weeks ago and this is the second meeting of the group. There is some pressure of time now. The group is meeting in the union bar round a small table. It is crowded and Sal is seated on the outside of the circle and can only just hear what is going on. Tone comes in late. They waited for him. When he gets there, he disruptively pushes himself into the middle of the group and, seeming to assume that everyone is pleased to see him. He starts to tell them his news. Jake takes control again and seems to assume that, like himself, the others have done the research that is required – and that they want to get on. He tries to get everyone to say where they have got to.

    Jake has completed his area of research. He chose the area he wanted to research (environmental issues), though, as he tells them, he decided to look at a specific aspect of it because it was particularly interesting to him. He is somewhat tetchy when he realises how little progress the others have made.

    Mat has spent probably as much time as Jake on his work but has made little progress in his research. He knows that he needs some help but does not want to admit it.

    Ellie has made some progress. When she describes her progress, she looks only at Jake as if he is the key figure in the group. She says that there are areas that she does not understand.

    Sal has spent time helping Mat and has somewhat neglected her own area of work. She now expresses concern that the group is not making sufficient progress and tries to talk about the tensions that are arising. However the others do not seem to want to listen to her. Tone says ‘Cool it Sal, it’ll be fine – just get your bit done and we’ll slam it all together and get Jake to talk about it in a presentation. It’ll be all right’.

    Tone says that there is plenty of time for the work he has to do and that he has been too busy with other things to make a start on it – other than sorting out sources of information. He is going to get on with it this week. Sal tells him that the sources he has chosen are actually not much good because she happened to look at them.

    1. There is obviously more than one problem in this group. What is going wrong?
    2. How would you suggest that the group should have gone about this task in the first place?
    3. What needs to be done now to get this task achieved?
    4. What advice might you give to the tutor, Richard Crombie, about managing this group?

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