Team-Based Design
Some Topics:
Introduction to
Teaming
Processes of Effective Teams
Nature of Individual Commitment
Diversity and Teamwork
Guidelines for Effective Feedback
Dealing with Common Team Problems
ECE 480 -- Goodman
Introduction to Teaming
Prominence of teams in workplace
Self-directed teams
CQI teams
Participative management
Cross-functional design teams 
(OURS)
ECE 480 -- Goodman
Nature of Teams
Members
depend on each other in some way
Members must share at least SOME goals
Collective efforts yield high performance
ECE 480 -- Goodman
Advantages of Teams
Motivation –
spirit
Sharing/delegation of workload
Fast response to change in requirements
High creativity, good decision-making
Better cross-functional communication/ find
problems
Lots of learning from each other
ECE 480 -- Goodman
Problems with Teaming
Meetings and consensus-building take
time
Poor leadership  ineffectiveness
Many
people aren’t skilled as team members
Differences in effort/commitment  conflict,
resentment
Hard to communicate between disciplines
Too much cohesion  screen out relevant
info
ECE 480 -- Goodman
Learning about Teaming
Employers really care
about your ability to
work in teams
You will gain experience with a team
You SHOULD reflect on the team process you
are participating in, see how YOU can improve
your skills
ECE 480 -- Goodman
Principles for Effective Teaming
 Collective
decision making
 Collaboration & interchangeability (pitching in with
each other)
 Appreciation of conflict/differences – try to
RESOLVE them, not bury them
 Balance of effort
 Focus
 Open communication
 Mutual support
 Team spirit
ECE 480 -- Goodman
Individual Commitment to Team
Willingness to:
Commit time, effort
Work hard
Identify with team
Prioritize team
goals relative to your own
ECE 480 -- Goodman
Diversity in Teams
It’s a
benefit – more views/expertise available
It’s a curse – harder to communicate/feel
cohesive
Ideally, want a BALANCE
ECE 480 -- Goodman
Feedback to Your Team Members
 Most
people don’t like to do, if not positive, duh!
 Fear hurting feelings/making enemies
 Even when requested, most may not want to hear it
BUT:
 If ACCURATE and HELPFUL, may be valued, and can
help individual and team
they can’t change it, don’t mention it
 Make it descriptive, not judgmental – “it makes ME
feel”, not “you are such a …”
 If
ECE 480 -- Goodman
Protocol for Feedback Session
 Decide on subject for feedback (scope)--”Let’s talk
about
how we …”
 Start positive, what they should KEEP doing
 Mention what you’d like to see people do more or less of
 Teammates should clarify, gently reinforce, avoid
ganging up
 Continue feedback to rest of team – all get a chance to
give, receive
 Some things are best left UNSAID – you need to keep
working with your teammates!
ECE 480 -- Goodman
For RECEIVING Feedback
Evaluate your
performance yourself, first – if
they tell you what you know, don’t blame them!
Relax, breathe while listening – no one will hit!
Listen carefully, without interrupting
Ask for examples, but don’t dispute
Acknowledge valid points / their viewpoints
Sort it out later – it’s just INPUT to you, NOT
revealed truth
ECE 480 -- Goodman
“Normal” Problems –
They CAN be Handled
 Floundering –
recognize and adapt/decide
 Monopolizing – recognize, feed back, correct -- “Hang
on, let’s see what xx and yy think…”
 Personalizing – don’t blame people for problems outside
their control – attack the problem, not the person
 Power struggles – recognize, resolve – when WINNING
matters, not resolving the issue, it’s a problem
 Externalizing – don’t blame the “powers that be” for the
troubles of the group
ECE 480 -- Goodman