Teams

Question 1

Characteristics of Succesful Teams

Answer 1

-The characteristics of High performing teams can be summed into an acronym such as PERFORM.

• Purpose
• Empowerment
• Relationships & communication
• Flexibility
• Optimal performance
• Recognition & appreciation
• Morale

PURPOSE:

1. Members committed to a purpose.
2. Goals are clear, challenging & relevant to purpose.
3. Strategies to achieve goals are clear.

EMPOWERMENT:

1. Members feel a personal & collective sense of power.
2. Mutual respect within team and willingness to help each other.
3. Members have access to necessary skills & resources.

RELATIONSHIP & COMMUNICATION:

1. Members express themselves openly and honestly.
2. Members listen actively to each other.
3. Differences of opinion & perspective valued.

FLEXIBILITY:

1. members perform different roles and functions needed.
2. Members share responsibility for team leadership & team development.
3. Members adaptable to changing demands.

OPTIMAL PRODUCTIVITY:

1. High output
2. Quality is excellent
3. Decision making effective

RECOGNITION & APPRECIATION:

1. Individual contributions are recognised and appreciated by leader and other team members.
2. Team accomplishments are recognised by members.
3. Group members feel respected.

MORALE:

1. Individuals are confident and motivated
2. There is strong cohesion and team spirit.
3. Individuals feel good about their membership on the team.

Question 2

Team Roles

Answer 2

• PLANT -
• Positives: Creative, innovative, independent, original;
• Negatives: prefer working alone, introverts, have trouble communicating and react strongly to praise or criticism.
• RESOURCE INVESTIGATORS-
• Positives: Enthusiastic, inquisitive, extroverts. Adept at exploring new opportunities and developing contacts. Good communicators.
• Negatives: Need constant simulation to keep enthusiasm from fading.
• MONITOR EVALUATORS-
• Positives: Serious minded, prudent, able to think critically.
• Negatives: Slow in making decisions. Capacity for shrewd judgements. May appear boring or over critical.

CO-ORDINATORS (Chairmen):

Positives: Mature, trusting, confident. Able to delegate tasks and tackle problems.

Negatives: Inclined to clash with shapers because of differenht management styles.

• SHAPERS -
• Positives: Aggressive extroverts with a great need for achievement. Highly motivated with lots of nervous energy. Strong desire to win. Headstrong and assertive, single minded and argumentative. Can rise above problems. Thrive under pressure.

IMPLEMENTERS:

• Positives: Self controlled & disciplined. Work hard & tackle problems systematically. Reliable, efficient, with a capacity for application.
• Negatives: May lack spontaneity & flexibility.
• TEAM WORKERS:
• Positives: Mild, sociable, Perceptive, diplomatic, good listeners.
• Negatives: May be indecisive in a crisis.
• COMPLETE FINISHERS:
• Positives: Capacity for precision, follow throufh attential to detail, good concentration and meet schedules.
• Negatives: Anxious internally, yet outwardly unruffled. Not keen on delegating, prefer to do everything themselves.

SPECIALISTS:-

Positives: Keen to acquire technical skills and specialist knowledge. Take pride in their own subject but lack interest in those of other people. Dedicated to maintaining professional standards.

Question 3

6 Key Factors that will influence the success of a team

Answer 3

1. The person in the chair whose profile closely matches that of a good co-ordinator.
2. Only one plant in the team but a strong one.
3. A good spread of mental abilities.
4. A spread in personal characteristics giving a wide coverage of team roles.
5. A good match between members’ attributes and their responsibilities.
6. Recognition of imbalance in the team & ability to adjust to it.

Question 4

Team Development Stages

Answer 4

.ORIENTATION (Forming):

• Team will be eager to begin this stage with high expectation and anxiety on how they fit as a team.
• Inexperience as a team in this stage leads to low productivity but high morale.

.DISSATISFACTION (Storming):

• Essential for the development of the team into full maturity.
• Frustration, confusion and impotence may come in at this stage..
• Team strengthened if this stage is managed properly.

. RESOLUTION (Norming):

• Team begins to work together & form a cohesive & confiden team.
• Group no longer requires high level of direction though continues to reap the rewards of support & encouragement of team leader.

. PRODUCTION (Performing):

• Morale is high and team is working efficiently and effectively
• Team functions with minimal interference from leader.
• Responsibility is more placed on the team now.