Teamwork
Synergy – Action Plan
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Define the problem
Their Way
My Way
Brainstorm
High Way
Making Groups Work
Your Guide To College Success – by Santrock & Halonen
• The Stages of Effective Groups
– Planning the Task
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Introduce group members and purpose of meeting
Agree on goals and objectives
Create a plan for working together efficiently
Set criteria for success
– Complete the Task (of the day)
• Deal with conflict as it arises
– Evaluating the Results
• Schedule more meetings or how to contact each other
Common Problems in Groups
Your Guide To College Success – by Santrock & Halonen
• Failing to do the
groundwork
– Establish ground rules
• Failing to involve all
members
– Specify useful roles
• Tolerating off task
behavior
– Ask for concentrated
effort
• Coping with coasters
– Clarify expectations
• Running out of time
– Plan a process calendar
• Avoiding conflict
– Legitimize difference of
opinion
– Play devil’s advocate
Turning a Group Into a Team
Communicating in Small Groups 7th ed. By Beebe & Masterson
• “All teams are small groups, but not all groups operate
as a team”
• Teams:
– Have clearly defined team member responsibilities
– The rules and expectations of how the team
operates are clearly spelled out
– Goals are explicitly clear and specific
– Usually develop a clear way of coordinating their
efforts; teams discuss and practice how to work
together
Characteristics of an Effective Team
Communicating in Small Groups 7th ed. By Beebe & Masterson
• A clear, important, interesting goal that inspires
• Results driven structure that doesn’t tolerate
ineffective meetings or busywork
• Competent team members that know what they
are supposed to do and how to do it
• Unified commitment
• Collaborative climate
• Has high standards
• Effective leadership (not necessarily 1 leader)
Characteristics of Effective Team
Members
Communicating in Small Groups 7th ed. By Beebe & Masterson
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Experience
Problem solving ability
Openness
Supportiveness
Action oriented
Positive personal style
– Motivated, patient, enthusiastic, friendly, and well
liked
Important Skills for Group and Team
Members
Communicating in Small Groups 7th ed. By Beebe & Masterson
• Listen effectively
• Be sensitive to people
with different cultural
• Understand roles and
background
responsibilities
• Actively contribute to the • Use clear, concise,
accurate, and
group
professional language
• Ask clear questions
• Give clear and accurate
• Establish and maintain
instructions
rapport with others
• Help resolve conflicts
Group Problem Solving
Competencies
Communicating in Small Groups 7th ed. By Beebe & Masterson
• Problem Oriented Competencies
– Define the problem
– analyze the problem
• Solution Oriented Competencies
– Identify criteria for acceptable solutions
– Generate solutions (brainstorming)
– Evaluate solutions
Group Problem Solving
Competencies
Communicating in Small Groups 7th ed. By Beebe & Masterson
• Discussion Management Competencies
– Maintain task focus
– Manage interactions (don’t monopolize
conversations, and draw the quieter members into
the discussion)
• Relational Competencies
– Manage conflict (focus on issues, information, and
evidence rather than personalities)
– Maintain climate (support and encourage)
Roles
Communicating in Small Groups 7th ed. By Beebe & Masterson
• Roles in the group may depend on what is being
done at that moment. Is the group working on
a task, brainstorming, etc.
• People can assume several roles during a group
discussion
• Roles change between groups as they are worked
out jointly between you and the group
Group Task Roles
Communicating in Small Groups 7th ed. By Beebe & Masterson
Initiator –
Contributor
Information
Seeker
Opinion
Seeker
Elaborator
Proposes new ideas or approaches
Asks for clarification of suggestions, facts
or other info that may help
Asks for clarification of values and opinions
Provides examples based on experience on
how an idea would work
Coordinator Tries to clarify and note relationships
between ideas and suggestions
Group Task Roles
Communicating in Small Groups 7th ed. By Beebe & Masterson
Orienter
Attempts to summarize what has occurred
and tries to keep group on task
Evaluator - Makes an effort to judge the evidence and
Critic
conclusions that the group suggests
Energizer Tries to spur the group into action
Procedural Helps the group achieve its goals by doing
technician tasks like handing out papers, rearranging
seating, running errands
Recorder
Writes down suggestions and ideas of
others, makes a record of group progress
Group Task Roles
Communicating in Small Groups 7th ed. By Beebe & Masterson
Encourager
Harmonizer
Compromiser
Offers praise, understanding, and
acceptance of others’ ideas and
suggestions
Mediates disagreements among group
members
Attempts to resolve conflicts by trying
to find an acceptable solution
Gatekeeper and Encourages less talkative group
Expediter
members to participate and tries to limit
lengthy contributions of other members
Group Task Roles
Communicating in Small Groups 7th ed. By Beebe & Masterson
Standard Setter
Helps set standards and goals for the
group
Group Observer Keeps records of group’s process and
uses the info to evaluate group
procedures
Follower
Goes along with the suggestions and
ideas of other group members; serves
as audience in group discussion and
decision making
Individual Roles (the anti-help)
Communicating in Small Groups 7th ed. By Beebe & Masterson
Aggressor
Blocker
Destroys or deflates the status of
other group members; may try to
take credit for other members work
Is generally negative, stubborn, and
disagreeable without apparent reason
Recognition seeker Seeks the spotlight by boasting and
reporting on his or her personal
achievements
Self-confessor
Uses the group as an audience to
report personal feelings, insights, and
observations
Individual Roles (the anti-help)
Communicating in Small Groups 7th ed. By Beebe & Masterson
Joker
Reflects a lack of involvement in the group’s
process by telling jokes and stories that
don’t help the group
Dominator Makes an effort to assert authority by
manipulating group members or attempting
to take over entire group
Help
Tries to gain sympathy from others; often
Seeker
expresses insecurity or feelings of low self
worth
Special
Works to serve an individual need; speaks
interest
for a special group that best fit his or her
pleader
own biases
Roles That Hurt The Group
• If you find that a group member is taking on a
role that hurts the productivity of the group, it
needs to be addressed with that person.
Conflict Management
• Type of Conflict - Misunderstandings
– Ask others what they mean by terms or phrases they
use
– Make sure environment is supportive if
misunderstandings occur
– Seek first to understand then be understood (active
listening)
Conflict Management
• Type of Conflict - Disagreement
– Keep discussion focused on issue, not personalities
– Use facts to support your point, not opinions or
emotional arguments
– Use a problem solving approach
• Define the issue, analyze, brainstorm solutions, evaluation
solutions and then finally pick the best one
– If appropriate is there a way to compromise?
– If there are several issues tackle one at a time
– If possible postpone a decision until research can be
done.
Conflict Management
• Type of Conflict – Personality Clash
– Encourage active listening
– Return discussion to key issues
– Try to turn the discussion into a problem that has to
be solved instead of a conflict someone has to win
– Lower your voice and speak more calmly, but not
patronizingly
– Develop rules or procedures that permit differences
of opinion
Keep in Mind for Community
Service Paper
• What roles have you been playing in the groups
this quarter?
• What Individual Roles were at play in groups
you’ve been in and how were they dealt with so
that work could still be accomplished?
• What characteristics of an effective team did
your group have? What characteristics of an
effective team member that you had?
• When conflict arose in the group, how did you
and your group deal with it?