Step
Step
by
Guide to Effective
Team Projects
forming your “team”,
creating the contract,
ensuring effective
team meetings
strategies for success
&
Franky Chernin
Student Academic Support Initiatives
Robert Malowany
Counselling
Resources/Adapted from:
Roderick Stuart, Team Development Games for Trainers (Gower 1998)
North Island Distance Education School
http://nides.bc.ca/resources/pbl_mini/page10.html
Clarke, Theresa. “Group Contract.” Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching.
MERLOT, 21 Feb 2006. Web. 30 May 2011. <http://
www.merlot.org>.
Gibbs, Graham. “Making Group Contracts.” University
of Waterloo. University of Waterloo, n.d. Web. 30 May
2011. <http://cte.uwaterloo.ca/teaching_resources/
tips/making_group_Contracts.html>.
Levin, Peter. Successful Teamwork. Open University
Press,2006
The Teal Trust, http://www.teal.org.uk/et/teampro.htm
BScN Program, George Brown College
Design & Layout by: Natasha James
table of
contents
Step
one
Getting Started
1
Step
two
Forming
3
Storming
13
Step
four
Norming
20
Step
five
Performing
21
Adjourning
22
Leadership
Developing Relationships
Creating the Contract
Step
three
The Team Process
Step
six
Moving On
Getting it Done
Reflection
Step
one
Getting Started
Leadership
Accepting the Leadership Role
Lack of leadership will almost always lead to poor
performance. Strong leadership is often a major factor in why teams succeed.
Identify one or more team members who will act as
the leader/co-ordinator and ensure all team members recognize the difference between being a leader and becoming the “boss”.
The following will help in understanding the difference.
The boss drives his/her team; the leader coaches them.
The boss depends upon authority; the leader depends
upon good will.
The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm.
The boss says, “I”; the leader says “WE.”
The boss assigns the tasks; the leader sets the pace.
The boss says, “Get here on time”; the leader begins on time.
The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader
fixes the breakdown.
The boss knows how it is done; the leader shows how it is done.
The boss makes work drudgery; the leader makes it a game.
The boss says, “GO”; the leader says, “LET’S GO.”
Author Unknown
As the team leader(s), how can you inspire
enthusiasm in your team?
If naming the role “Co-ordinator” would work better for
your team, please substitute for “Leader” throughout.
1
Step
one
Getting Started
Leadership
Bruce Tuckman’s stages of team development
outlines a natural process for all teams. In most cases,
your team will have a leader/ co-ordinator. Having
co-leaders/co-ordinators is also a good idea. The
team will initially be driven by the leader(s) and the
process of developing your team may look something
like the chart below.
Forming
Process is driven by leaders. Some
people are reluctant to contribute
openly. Developing relationships &
direction will aid the process.
Storming
Process likely to break down
until conflict is resolved.
Re-evaluation of team(vs. Individual)
goals will move the process forward.
Norming
The core process should operate
smoothly, although there is a danger
of focusing on smaller process issues
rather than core team work. Identify
what is working.
Performing
Process functions well and is
adjusted as necessary. Leadership
is shared by all and tasks delegated.
2
Step
two
Forming
Developing Relationships
Getting to know each other
i. Determine each team members strengths and
weaknesses related to the project (e.g. who is
good at creating PowerPoints, who is weak or
shy at presenting, etc.).
ii. Determine potential future conflicts (e.g. class
and exam schedules, inability to meet due
to personal reasons, or living too far away to
schedule 8am meetings, etc.).
iii.Doing something fun together helps to break the
ice (e.g. go bowling, see a movie, have coffee
together, etc.).
Develop a Creative Team Name
Come up with your team name.
It is a great ice breaker and you all will get to know
each other through the participation.
3
Step
two
Forming
Developing Relationships
Create Your Mission Statement
Develop one or two sentences that exemplify what you
want to happen and how you want to work together.
Contract Process
To help your team be successful, develop a Contract.
Take this TEAM Contract seriously. Spend time with
your team determining responsibilities, expectations,
meeting times and how you plan to handle potential
conflicts. A thoughtful, collaborative and proactive
Contract will help to avoid common team pitfalls.
A fillable pdf Contract available at www.georgebrown.ca/saffairs/index.aspx. You can print but you need Adobe Acrobat if
you want to save the completed Contract. A MS Word version is
also available at the PAL Centres.
4
Step
two
Forming
Creating the Contract
Strategies for Effective Communication
Create a Meeting Schedule.
Commit to the exact days/times/locations for team
meetings so you don’t have to negotiate this later in
the semester.
Specify your decision to meet daily, weekly or biweekly.
Decide what can be done online and what requires
face-to-face interaction.
Where possible, specify exact dates of any special
meetings (e.g. two days before the project is due).
Here are some questions that may help:
How long will your meetings last?
(no longer than 90 mins. is recommended)
Where will you meet?
What other expectations are there for
group meetings?
What is your group’s expectation
for attendance?
5
Step
two
Forming
Creating the Contract
Develop Team Expectations.
Set up ground rules and team expectations that all
team members can agree with. They should relate to
the Contract and might include:
Be on time
Participate actively (Individual evaluation) pg. 18
Submit work on time (Work back schedule) pg. 10
Submit quality work (Tasks outlined in Contract)
Practice win/win (Group evaluation) pg. 19
Respect others’ ideas/opinions
Commit to team goals
(Sign Contract)
Be sure to be specific in your Contract. Different people might interpret vague wording differently. Be sure
to include as much information as you can to prevent
confusion later.
For example, “participate actively”; what does that
mean? Choose specific items from the individual
evaluation. (page 18)
6
Step
two
Forming
Creating the Contract
Determine how your team will make decisions.
This is a necessary component of team work.
Decisions may be made by:
Consensus
All members of team agree on a decision.
Majority vote
Issues decided by the larger number of team members;
method is often employed when it is not possible to
reach consensus.
Minority decision
May be formulated by a self-delegated subgroup
appointed as a subcommittee to explore a situation in
greater depth and reach a decision.
A Note About Confidentiality
To promote trust-building, some rules regarding
confidentiality should be established.
Decisions about what will and will not be shared
outside the team are necessary.
Members should be responsible to the team for
maintaining the confidentiality of the team.
Need Help? Consult a Counsellor or
PAL Centre Co-ordinator.
7
Step
two
Forming
Creating the Contract
Preparing for Conflict Resolution
It is important to take the time to get to know each
other, to learn about and appreciate what each
member brings to the team and come to agreement
on how conflict will be resolved.
It is normal for a storming stage or conflict to occur.
Think about what process you can engage in if the
contract is not being followed. For example, members do not complete assigned tasks, miss meetings,
do not participate. What steps will the team take to
effectively resolve the situation in the case of “team
slacker” or other issues?
How we plan for and approach the conflict will be
determined by our underlying feelings about team
members.
Will we look for ways to understand and support team
members or ways to blame them? Will we view it as a
team problem or the individual’s problem?
Are we willing to come together as a team and make
the necessary adjustments?
Develop a list of appropriate measures. They should
be reasonable, and agreed to by all. For example,
Code Red Meeting (see pg. 17), reassessment of Action Plan, Work -back Schedule.
Being prepared and being able to adjust and adapt tasks
and plans is an essential component of effective teams.
8
Step
two
Forming
Creating the Contract
Discuss How You Will Share Your Files.
This section addresses how your team prefers to share
files with each other. List the method that your team
will utilize.
Some examples:
Google Docs - A free web-based platform, which allows
you share and collaborate online.
See http://docs.google.com/support to learn how to
use Google Docs.
Facebook Group
Other (specify)
9
Step
two
Forming
Creating the Contract
Create a Work-back Schedule.
A work-back schedule has you start by visualizing the
end product and working backward in your schedule
until you arrive at today.
Follow these steps:
1. Make a list of what needs to be in place to
complete a successful project.
2. Take each item on the list and break it down to
what needs to happen to complete that item
(tasks):
i.
What needs to be learned?
ii.
What needs to be accomplished?
iii.
Break it down into steps.
3. Once each item has been broken down into steps,
decide which of the items need to occur first
and start placing the steps into your work-back
schedule (Calendar), starting at the end and
working back to today ( Enter on your Contract).
10
Step
two
Forming
Creating the Contract
Develop an Action Plan.
Address how you will split the workload. Work
on this as a group in order to provide equal learning
opportunities and create the best project possible.
You do not have to address every bullet point below,
rather make some decisions regarding what feels right
to your team. You may wish to include issues such as:
Who will be responsible for typing/creating the final
deliverables?
How will you divide the work to ensure it is equitable?
How will you record what transpired at each meeting?
Will someone be designated as the team secretary or
will you rotate this duty?
How and when will you evaluate each other’s work
before it is placed into the final report/ presentation?
Will you work on all sections of the project individually
and then discuss your results at team meetings, or will
you do all work at team meetings?
Will you make all of your decisions and have all discussions at the team meetings? Will some decisions and
discussions be conducted electronically?
What is your proposed schedule to tackle the individual components of this project?
How will you go about resolving team conflicts?
11
Step
two
Forming
Creating the Contract
Collect Team Contact Information
List the names and complete contact information
for each group member (home phone, work phone,
cell phone, e-mail, fax, pagers, instant messaging, etc.).
Put an asterisk ( * ) next to the contact method most
preferred by each member of the group.
Commit to the Contract
In order to be valid, all group members must provide
their written signature and the date on the final Group
Contract. Do not forget to provide a signed copy of
the Contract to each person in your group.
Signed:
12
Step
three
Storming
The Team Process
Your contact is signed and in place.
When all is not going according to plan, team
members can become frustrated, angry, or can
behave differently – you are now in the Storming
stage. How do you move forward?
You may be feeling that you are doing all the work,
that some of the team members just don’t care; the
Work-back Schedule may be a vague memory; team
meetings have become confrontational with no positive
outcome.
These are common problems for teams and have
various causes. It is normal for teams to experience
these challenges.
13
Step
three
Storming
The Team Process
A Common issue is the “Free Rider” – a team member
is taking advantage of the fact that he/she will get
the same grade even if he/she doesn’t contribute to
the work. He/she doesn’t contribute in meetings or
follow the Work-back Schedule. Other team members
are angry about the unfairness.
There are many possible reasons and it is good idea
for one team member to approach this person, rather
than at a team meeting. Try to engage the person
and find out what is going on. After the discussion, there may
be some legitimate issues that need to be brought to
the whole team for resolution (e.g. unforeseen external
pressures, initially unrealistic about ability to complete
task and now doesn’t know how to bring forward).
Need ADVICE?
Meet with a Counsellor
Research confirms that “if one person doesn’t
care about the project or working as part of the
team, the attitude can quickly spread…often
people don’t see how what they are doing affects others. Sometimes just telling a ‘bad apple’
how others perceive them can be enough to
make them more aware.”
Wallace Immen, There is no shrink in teamwork, Globe and
Mail, September 30, 2011
14
Step
three
Storming
The Team Process
If there is evidence that the person is a ‘free rider’,
the team needs to go back to their Contract. Was this
discussed? If necessary the team may need to consult
their professor or counsellor for advice if a process is
not already in place.
Other reasons for dysfunctional teams might include:
Team members may not feel that their contribution is
valued. Conversely, team member(s) may feel that
some are not committed to the team – do not take
the Contract seriously;
Or
“Social Loafing” – people working in a group
sometimes put less effort than if they were doing it
alone because everyone is doing the same thing or
members are getting in each other’s way; 15
Step
three
Storming
The Team Process
Or
One or two people have taken charge and others feel
shut out;
Or
A team member is putting in more time and effort
than the agreed contract and is having unfair expectations of other team members.
Remember that Storming is an expected and normal
stage of team process.
16
Step
three
Storming
The Team Process
Here are some tips for navigating your way:
Call a meeting. You may want to build into the contact a ‘Code Red’. Any team member may send out
a ‘code red’ once over the course of the project.
Code Red means the next meeting is mandatory for
all members.
Pointing fingers or accusing a team member will often
add to the conflict. Instead, understand the conflict,
actively listen to each other.
Remember what positive quality you initially identified
about each team member and what insight you have
developed about their motivation. Discuss barriers to
positive team effort.
Complete the individual and team evaluations pg. 18,19.
Reflect upon your personal accountability and identify
what is and is not happening within the team.
Share your feelings, do not judge others’ feelings.
Find areas of agreement. You have a shared goal:
getting the project completed and getting a good
grade. Go back to your Mission Statement.
Renegotiate the contract, identifying and addressing conflict areas, (e.g. roles, expectations, meeting
schedule).
Re-evaluate your Work Back schedule.
17
Step
three
Storming
The Team Process
Evaluation – Individual
Complete ASAP after each team meeting during the
Forming and Storming stages.
How did you operate as a team member at this team meeting?
I was on timeyesno
I was preparedyesno
(Work Back Schedule)
I know that I am important to the team’s success.
yes
no
If no, what would it take to make that happen?
Rate your level of participation and cooperation.
1 = never
2 = rarely
3 = sometimes
4 = mostly
5 = always
I shared my knowledge and opinions.
I “actively” listened to other team members.
I encouraged others to participate.
What can I do at the next team meeting to move it up
one number?
18
Step
three
Storming
The Team Process
Evaluation - Group
During the Forming and Storming stages, leave 10 minutes
at the end of each team meeting to complete.
Do individually first and then as a group. Discuss where
evaluation differs and where items need to be addressed.
1 = never
2 = rarely
3 = sometimes
4 = mostly
We all took part in deciding how
work should be allocated.
We acknowledged good contributions
from team members.
We handled disagreements and
conflicts constructively within the team.
We were good at making sure that
everyone knows what’s going on.
When one of us was under pressure,
others offered to help them.
We trusted each other.
We referred to our Contract and
reviewed it when necessary.
19
5 = always
Step
four
Norming
Moving On
To ensure that you get to Norming, share leadership.
All successful teams need good leaders but nobody
can do it alone.
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence
wins championships.” Michael Jordan
Accept roles, create mutual respect.
Reconcile opinions with the greater needs of the team.
The Work- back Schedule becomes the driver at this point
(pg. 10).
20
Step
five
Performing
Getting it Done
Emphasize reaching the team goals, rather than
working on team process.
Build loyalty towards each other.
Acknowledge behaviours that promote collaboration.
Focus on clear communication instead of
making assumptions.
Support team members who appear to be
struggling with their tasks.
Regularly assess your team’s progress.
Let your Work Back schedule guide team activity.
21
Step
six
Adjourning
Reflection
1. What specific strength did each of my team
members bring to the project?
2. I would give our team a grade of ____ for Team
Performance? ( A – F)
3. What is something I have learned about myself
as a team player?
4. What specific strengths did I bring to the team?
5. What was most difficult for me?
6. What can I do to change that with my next team?
22
Notes:
23