Building Teams
Building Teams
Objectives
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Understanding the purpose of teams
Considering models of teams
Mindfulness about keeping people on board
Overcoming resistance
The stages of a team
The 9 roles in effective teams
Awareness of team member’s emotions
The Pareto Principle
Considering commitment levels
Actions to take
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What is a Team?
A team comprises a group of people linked in a common purpose. Teams
are especially appropriate for conducting tasks that are high in
complexity and have many interdependent subtasks.
A group in itself does not necessarily
constitute a team.
With thanks to Wikipedia
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Why is team building so important in
Connecting Classrooms?
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To engage a diversity of cultures, working
practices and languages
To share strengths, responsibilities and
resources
To overcome obstacles together
Partners are dispersed and may feel
isolated
Meetings are infrequent & intensive
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Q1. Model A
1. Why have we called this a “ME” team?
2. Who in the team you are thinking about forms the little circle of three
arrows all on their own and not actively supporting the team?
3. Is their in fact a few individuals all on their own as on the left hand
side? Are any of them supporting you? How would you describe
them?
4. Who’s the powerful person in green heading in the ‘wrong’ direction?
5. Who are you?
6. Where is the team heading?
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Q2. Model B
1.
2.
3.
4.
Why have we called this the “WE” team?
Who’s the long red person? Are they waiting for retirement?
Who’s the green MBA student (for example)?
Who’s the short red person squeezed and constrained?
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Q3. Model C
1. Why have we called this the “US” team?
2. Reflecting now on the three models what are the views of the
participants about these and do they see them in their schools?
3. What sort of model would they like to have for the CC team?
4. What are the challenges for the CC team?
5. How can these challenges be overcome?
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How do we keep people on board as we go on
the journey?
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Q4. Leading on the train journey
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How do we as leaders alert staff to “tunnels” and empathise with
them as they enter the tunnels?
How do we ensure that we don’t become too blasé about the
challenges?
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Resistance
Gaining acceptance goes through the process below, starting with
those who are most likely to accept change - innovators - until finally the
laggards are won over - or leave. Use the innovators as Ambassadors of
Progress.
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Q5. Resistance
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Does the graph look familiar to the
reaction you have observed when
bringing about changes in your
school?
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How have you managed this in the
past?
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Will you experience something like
this with the CC project?
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The Stages of a Team
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Q6. The stages of a team
Take a moment to reflect on the stages of a team.
•Have you observed this cycle in teams you have been in or formed
yourself?
•How can you use this information in terms of the CC team you have
formed or are forming?
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Forming a Dream Team
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The nine Belbin roles
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The resource investigator
The implementer
The chair (coordinator)
The monitor/evaluator
The innovator (plant)
The team worker
The completer/finisher
The specialist
The shape
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Activity 1
Match these titles to the descriptors in your PRM
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The nine Belbin roles
Role
The chair (coordinator)
The shaper
The implementer
The completer/finisher
The innovator (plant)
The monitor/evaluator
Description
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I try to coordinate my students and teaching colleagues efforts
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I like to identify people’s strengths and put them to good use
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I often give (delegate) tasks to the best person for the job
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I really want my team to succeed
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I focus my team on our objectives and priorities
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I try to keep the team focused on the activity
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I like to turn ideas and plans into practical tasks
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I often take on tasks others won’t do
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I usually get things done on time
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I like to check details carefully so there are no mistakes
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I often keep an eye on time, deadlines and accuracy
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I worry about details (maybe too much, sometimes)
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I like to suggest new ideas and creative solutions
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I often identify new opportunities
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I usually see problems as opportunities
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I try to evaluate ideas objectively to see if they are realistic
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I like to interpret and evaluate complex issues logically
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I like to consider all available options to reach the right conclusion
The resource investigator
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I like to keep the team in touch with what is happening outside the team
I enjoy learning about ideas, information, developments in the outside world
I will happily ‘steal’ or copy good ideas from others
The team worker
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I like to encourages others e.g. my students
I try to helps others e.g. my colleagues
I feel I am sensitive to people’s needs and feelings
I have specialist knowledge or experience which I feel I can contribute
If I don’t know the answer, I will try and find out
I love telling others about things I have learnt about
The specialist
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Q7. Considering the Belbin roles…..
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Which role(s) do you perform in the team you are thinking about
within their school?
Do you have someone to fill each of these roles in this team?
Depending on how far you have got with your CC team can you see
people fulfilling the different roles so far?
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Activity 2. Another view of the Belbin roles
Try to spilt the 9 Belbin roles into these categories below.
Overall
Leading
Doing
Thinking
Socializing
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Belbin role
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2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
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Another view of the Belbin roles
Roles into categories
Overall
Leading
Doing
Thinking
Socializing
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Belbin role
Coordinator
Shaper
Implementer
Completer/finisher
Monitor/Evaluator
Plant
Specialist
Resource/investigator
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The Kubler-Ross Grief Cycle
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Q8. Considering the Kubler-Ross Grief Cycle…..
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Have you ever experienced this cycle yourself? (Some people, in fact
most of us, will have gone through difficult times in our lives and will
relate to this). Some of the CC countries will have experienced this
on a very large national scale.
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The cycle can happen for some people in schools when big changes
are taking place. Have you ever observed this in some colleagues?
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How can we support colleagues when they are going through this
cycler? Things that happen outside of school will significantly impact
on their effectiveness in school.
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The Pareto Principle
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The Pareto Principle
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The Pareto Principle
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Q9. Considering the Pareto Principle …
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What sort of team will produce the greatest synergy?
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Have you got great synergy in the teams in your school?
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How will you create great synergy in the CC team?
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How does this relate back to the Belbin roles?
Also:
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Where else do you see the Pareto Principle (the 80-20 rule) at work
in your school?
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Commitment levels
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Commitment level
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2 or below : forget it!
4 or above : success
3 : needs work
Successful project
management moves the
project from the bottom
left to the top right.
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Activity 3. Considering commitment levels ...
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Considering the CC project how would you assess the staff
commitment to it and the leadership commitment (you and your
leadership team) to it?
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Be realistic. From this you can decide whether you are a 1, 2, 3, 4 or
5.
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So the task with the CC project is to move up to the top right – the
level 4 or level 5. Then there will be success. How will you go about
doing this?
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Plenary
This unit has covered a lot of
issues. As the leader (“director”)
of the CC project what three
actions will you now take as a
consequence of what has been
looked at?
(You may wish to try to ensure
that you don’t put anyone’s
“nose out” by these actions!)
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