Teamwork and
Communications
Exploring Business
Chapter 8
Tuesday 9/15/11
Team
“…a group of people with complementary
skills who work together to achieve a specific
goal.”
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Group v. Team
Group- members work independently and
come together primarily to share
information
Teams- common goals and empowered to
make decisions
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Team Characteristics
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Accountable for specific goals
Function interdependently
Are stable
Have authority
Operate in social context
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Authority v. Responsibility
Authority. Permission. Right to exercise powers; to
implement and enforce; to command; to have control;
Often synonymous with power. The power delegated
by a manager to his subordinates.
Responsibility. The state of being answerable for an
obligation, and includes judgment, skill, ability and
capacity.
Authority v. Responsibility
in a Corporate Environment
Authority can be delegated, responsibility cannot.
A member of the Board of Directors can assign authority
to a committee or company management to take an
action, but he/she is still ultimately responsible for
ensuring that the job gets done properly.
Because the ultimate responsibility lies with the Board,
delegation of authority always entails the creation of
accountability.
External and Internal Factors
Affecting Teams
External
1)
1)Self-confidence of the delegator to delegate
2)Ability of the delegator to give up control
3)Foresight of the delegator to do what’s in
the best short and long-term interest of the
organization
Internal
1) Elevation of team/personal perceived value
to the organization
2) Opportunity to distinguish oneself
Why Have Teams?
30 - 40% more productive
Reduce errors 13%
However, one study
showed a 50 – 70% fail rate
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Effect on
Workplace Performance
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Types of Teams
o Manager-Led
o Self-Managing
o Cross-Functional
o Virtual
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Characteristics of a Manager-Led Team
Manager is in charge of:
1)Setting realistic team goals and timelines for
achievement
1)Assigning tasks
2)Monitoring team’s performance vis’-a vis’
milestones
3)Taking necessary corrective action steps to
assure team’s success in meeting goals and
timetables.
Characteristics of a Self-Managed Team
Self-managed teams usually have a team leader
and considerable autonomy to:
1) Determine overall goals (usually by directive
from a supervisor)
2) Control the activities needed to achieve the
goals [planning, scheduling work, sharing
tasks, meeting quality standards, etc.]
Characteristics of Cross-Functional Teams
Cross-functional teams draw from the expertise
of functional areas within a company to:
1) Enhance product development [from both
inside and outside the company]
2) Analyze and make recommendations toward
solving specific problems within the
organization
Characteristics of Virtual Teams
Virtual teams are the way of the future and
enable entities to function across
organizational boundaries in a time-effective
manner to:
1) Achieve a goal
2) Solve a problem
Virtual teams may be manager-led, self-managed,
and/or cross-functional
Effective Teamwork Factors
 Depend on each other
 Trust one another
 Work better together than individually synergistic results
 Become boosters
 Enjoy being on the team
 Leadership rotates
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Group
Cohesiveness- Attractiveness
Size
Similarity
Success
Exclusiveness
Competition
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Why Teams Fail
Unwillingness to cooperate
Lack of managerial support
Failure to delegate authority
Failure to acknowledge team roles,
authority, and responsibilities
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What Causes High-Potential Leadership
Candidates to Fail?
 60% = Inability to work in teams
 9% = Lack of technical ability
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Team Skills Needed
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
Ability to identify key issues
Prioritize
Decision-making
Problem-solving
Interpersonal
Communicative
Present and defend results
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Team Member Roles
A.
–
–
B.
–
–
–
C.
Task-Facilitating
Monitoring
Enforcing
Relationship-Building
Confronting
Empathizing
Consensus Building
Blocking
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Class Team Projects
1.
Dream up team
charter
2.
Contribute ideas
3.
Never miss a
meeting
4.
Be considerate of
each other
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5. Create process for
resolving conflict
6. Use strengths of
each team member
7. Don’t do all the
work yourself
8. Set deadlines
What Does It
Take to Lead Team?
•Demonstrate integrity
•Be clear & concise
•Generate positive
energy
•Be collaborative
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•Acknowledge
common points of
view
•Manage agreement &
disagreement
•Encourage/coach
•Share information
Teamwork and Communication
1)Communications is the process of transferring
information from a sender to a receiver
2) Effective communications requires good
listening skills. 80% rated listening as the most
important skill in getting things done.
[80/20 rule ?]
3) Let people finish a thought or idea. Don’t
assume you know what they are going to say
or where they are going with a particular
thought. Don’t finish their sentence!
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Need for Good Communication Skills
oConvincing decisions &
faster solutions
oSmooth workflow &
increased productivity
oStronger group
relationships
oPersuasive marketing
oProfessional image
enhanced
oTeam satisfaction level
up
Note: Non-verbal messages communicated
through facial expressions, posture, gestures
and tone of voice
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Prepare/Deliver Presentations
Plan- for your audience
Present
• Knowledge level
• Dress
• Interest
• Arrive early
Prepare
• Connect
• Opening
• Take time
• Body
• Act natural
• Close
• Main point
Practice
• Avoid reading
Visual Aids
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Tips for Writing E-Mails
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Formal/Informal
Meaningful subject
line
Keep message
focused & readable
Avoid attachments –
if you can, put
content in body of
email
ID yourself
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6.
7.
8.
Be kind
Proofread
Don’t assume
privacy
9. Respond promptly
10. Show respect &
restraint
11. Don’t put Sender
information until
other key elements
are complete
Guidelines to an Effective Memo
Follow format- guide headings
Paragraphs short & to point
Accent/highlight major point
Short headings
Title
Key points
Exhibits = attachments
Staple
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