Team-Based Design

1
Team-Based Design

• Introduction to Teaming
• Processes of Effective Teams
• Individual Commitment
• Diversity and Teamwork
• Guidelines for Effective Feedback
• Dealing with Common Team Problems

2
Introduction to Teaming

• Prominence of teams in workplace
• Self-directed teams
• CQI (continuous quality improvement) teams
• Participative management
• Cross-functional design teams ? (OURS)

3
What is a Team?

• Task Group
• Members depend on each other in some way
• Members must share at least SOME goals
• Collective efforts yield high performance
• Cooperation vs Competition
• Synergism
• Productivity (a b) gt Prod (a) Prod (b)

4
Advantages of Teams

• Motivation team spirit
• Sharing/delegation of workload
• Fast response to change in requirements
• High creativity, good decision-making
• Better cross-functional communication/ find
  problems
• Learning from each other

5
Problems with Teaming

• Meetings and consensus-building take time
• Poor leadership ? ineffectiveness
• Many people are not good team players
• Differences in effort/commitment ? conflict,
  resentment
• Hard to communicate between disciplines
• Too much cohesion ? screen out relevant info

6
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
• Tolerance

7
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

8
Individual Commitment to Team

• A good team member must be willing to
• Commit time, effort
• Work hard
• Identify with team
• Prioritize team goals relative to your own

9
Diversity in Teams

• Its a benefit more views/expertise available
• Innovative solutions
• Its a curse harder to communicate/feel
  cohesive
• Conflicts in style, preferences, etc.
• Ideally, want a BALANCE

10
Feedback to Team Members

• Most people dont like to provide feedback, if
  not positive
• 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
• If you cant change things, dont mention it
• Make it descriptive, not judgmental it makes
  ME feel, not you are such a

11
Protocol for Feedback Session

• Decide on subject for feedback (scope)--Lets
  talk about how we
• Start positive, what they should KEEP doing
• Mention what youd 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!

12
For RECEIVING Feedback

• Evaluate your performance yourself, first if
  they tell you what you know, dont blame them!
• Relax, breathe while listening no one will hit!
• Listen carefully, without interrupting
• Ask for examples, but dont dispute
• Acknowledge valid points / their viewpoints
• Sort it out later its just INPUT to you, NOT
  revealed truth

13
Normal Problems They CAN be Handled

• Floundering recognize and adapt/decide
• Monopolizing recognize, feed back, correct --
  Hang on, lets see what xx and yy think
• Personalizing dont blame people for problems
  outside their control attack the problem, not
  the person
• Power struggles recognize, resolve when
  WINNING matters, not resolving the issue, its a
  problem
• Externalizing dont blame the powers that be
  for the troubles of the group