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Building your new team - 10 steps to team success

managements


BUILDING YOUR NEW TEAM



10 STEPS TO TEAM SUCCESS!

Step 1 Preparation

Step 2 The meeting

Step 3 Meeting ground rules

Step 4 Team focus

Step 5 Code of conduct

Step 6 Team interests

Step 7 Team vision

Step 8 Team mission

Step 9 Team work plan

Step 10 Closure

This guide has been developed for new Team Leaders who have taken over as the Manager of a team or for Team Leaders who have been appointed to the leadership of a new team. The aim of this guide is to assist you to define the team's purpose and direction and create a healthy foundation of trust and communication within the team.

The guide aims to provide you and the team with some clear milestones including:

Ground rules

Roles and responsibilities

The Team's Code of Conduct

A shared vision and some common goals

A mission statement

A simple work plan

As you follow this simple process team members begin to share and communicate thus creating trust and developing a team focus within the team members. Using consensus decision making the team makes decisions on how it will operate and learns how to function as a team as the process unfolds.

This process can be facilitated by an external facilitator and the team leader or by the team leader alone. If a facilitator is used it will allow the team leader to develop their leadership skills with the assistance of an experienced facilitator to call on for guidance. The facilitator will play the part of role model and encourage the team to work together as a team. As such this person can be a paid facilitator or simply a more experienced team leader from within the same organization.

This process may appear very structured at first, however with time and experience the team will vary the process to suit the culture and focus of the team.

STEP 1 PREPARATION

The team leader and facilitator should carefully review the contents of this process and make sure they understand what the outcomes and objectives of the 10 Step Process are. It is important to identify any barriers either known or imagined that may hinder the process so that the team leader and facilitator can prepare adequately for any eventuality.

Facilitator:

Prepare by asking for clarification of major outcomes.

Identify problem or difficult team members

Identify the scope of the team project or function

What is the style of the team leader?

What is the team leader's level of confidence?

Team Leader:

Review the teambuilding process in full

Clarify agenda points

Clarify methodology, tools and materials needed

Discuss ground rules for working with the facilitator

With appropriate preparation the process will run smoothly and provide no unexpected surprises. If collaborating with a facilitator it is important that both the team leader and facilitator have established their roles for the duration of the process.

Resources:

The team meeting should be held in a room separate from the workplace to ensure there are no interruptions as the process unfolds. A training or meeting room big enough to seat all team members comfortably would be ideal. Following a is a list of materials that may be useful to have in the room.

Any documentation relating to the team's focus or formation. This could include memos or papers relating to the task focus of the team.

Flipchart paper and marker pens.

Flipcharts or Blue Tac to hold paper for display.

Depending on the size of the team you may need to also plan to have additional break out rooms available for smaller group work.

STEP 2 THE MEETING

Welcome and Introductions:

At this stage the Team Leader would introduce themselves and welcome the team members and other participants as necessary. Other participants could include the facilitator and the Boss or team sponsor/line manager above the team.

The purpose of the introductions is more than finding out people's names, it is about understanding the personalities within the team.

Team Leader

You could include some information about how you came to be appointed to this role, your background, your vision for the team and the outcomes you hope to achieve as a team.

Facilitator

The facilitator could include information about their background and experience so that the team is comfortable they are dealing with a suitably competent person. The facilitator will then outline the process and goals for the day. And explain their role in the proceedings for the day.

'The Boss'

This is an opportunity for the team to meet 'The Boss'. Typically this person would be the sponsor of the team or the Line Manager whom the Team Leader would report to in the normal course of business. The Boss may outline their vision for the team and the outcomes they hope the team will achieve and how these outcomes contribute to the Corporate Plan.

The Boss could also answer any questions team members might have about the project or the team. Finally they can let the team know the process for communication with them as the project unfolds, including frequency and whether that be through the team leader or by some other means.

Team Members

Team members then have an opportunity to introduce themselves. Each person in turn will share some information about themselves. An example of suitable information is as follows:

Name & where you have worked previously in this organization.

Your hobby or favorite recreational activity outside of work.

Something that no one else in the room would know about you.

This information sharing is about finding out about the person rather than their role within the team. Sharing information like this builds common ground and allows people to share information which may not normally come forward during the day to day work situation. It also provides information for future reference and discussion back in the workplace.

Housekeeping

After the introductions are complete the team leader or facilitator should go over the basic housekeeping items. These may vary but generally would include:

Health & Safety information including location of Fire Exits

Timing of the breaks and location for breaks

Location of Toilets

Location of other break out rooms

Mobile phone policy - Either switch off or switch to silent mode.

Relevant Venue Information

Reference material team members should have

STEP 3 MEETING GROUNDRULES

The team leader or facilitator would explain that the meeting will operate under certain ground rules for the day. These ground rules can be formulated by the team or can simply be prescribed by the team leader or facilitator. To enable a speedy start it is sometimes quicker to prescribe some simple rules like:

One person to speak at a time

All team members have a chance to contribute on all topics

The team leader or facilitator will manage the meeting unless otherwise agreed

Every idea is worthy of consideration

Respect other people's ideas and suggestions even if you disagree

Be prompt returning from breaks and meals

Listen actively

Avoid micro group discussion during proceedings

Agreements will be made using consensus decision making

Consensus Decision Making

Consensus decision making is a good skill and habit for the team to adopt as early as possible in the team's life. This methodology ensures that everyone has a part in the decision making process and that all issues are examined before any decisions are made. It also creates greater ownership of team decisions as all team members have been involved in making those decisions.

To effectively build consensus, one must learn to separate the task (what is to get done) from the process (how to get it done). Here is a process and some tips for moving a team toward consensus.

Process

Though the process isn't linear, it does help to have a sense of how to get at the problem. It is like learning to drive a car; once you have the basics, there are many ways to get there. Thus the steps listed below are a basic approach.

Clearly state and write the problem.

Get the data from everyone.

Set the criteria for a good decision.

Hear form everyone on their feelings and experience.

Generate alternative solutions.

Narrow the alternatives.

Have a conversation about what it will take to make remaining alternatives acceptable.

Tips

To help a team move to consensus, here are some tips or ground rules:

Everyone participates verbally.

Be clear on overall mission and goals.

Focus on eliciting individual experience and perspective first.

Concentrate on what's most important

Conduct occasional polling in the conversation to find out how many agree, disagree or have no opinion.

Explain how consensus decision making will be used throughout the process and answer any questions or concerns about this process.

The Fridge Door

The 'fridge door' is a concept of capturing and storing information for later use. Most household fridges these days host a wealth of messages held in place by fridge magnets. These can be both decorative and practical. Often this is the central message keeping place for a busy family household. This same concept can be used during group discussions to store messages for future discussion or action.

Simply designate a piece of flipchart paper as the 'Fridge Door', you can even get creative and draw a door if you wish. Use this fridge door to post important items for future action. Recordings can be as simple as writing on the fridge door or attaching 'Post it' notes to the door.

Issues suitable of recording could include questions or concerns for people outside the room, ideas or potential solutions for issues or problems not currently under review by the team.

STEP 4 TEAM FOCUS

What are we here for?

This step is used to begin the real work of the team, identifying the essential ideas, information and opinions of the team. This will assist the team to develop a clear code of conduct, identify roles and responsibilities, team vision, mission and its first work plan.

Post the following eleven questions around the room on flipchart paper. The focus of each question is in brackets after the question. There is no need to reveal these to the team members.

I expect the team will complete the task in ____ months from commencement. (Mission/Procedures)

I believe the team has been formed to ( Mission )

It's important for the team to succeed because(Interest)

In the meeting today I hope we will (Agenda)

I agreed to be part of this team because (Commitment/Interest)

The skills, and capabilities I bring to this team are.include your name (Tasks/Work Plan)

During meetings I get really annoyed when (Code of Conduct)

I'll know we have achieved success as a team when I see, hear or feel(Vision)

The best part about being involved with this team is(Agenda/Interests)

I have concern about the following tasks(Interests)

Tasks I prefer to perform in a team include(Tasks)

Each team member is requested to take a pen and answer each question in turn by writing their response directly onto the flipchart paper. Encourage people to avoid discussing the questions with each other. It is better if people just circulate and write leaving discussion for later.

If a response similar to or the same as the response they were going to write has already been recorded simply ask them to place a large tick at the start of the line to signify more than one person holds the same opinion.

If you fear people may be reluctant to get up and move around, simply assign each person to a chart to begin with and ask them to record their response there first and circulate around the room from there.

As people circulate encourage them to read the responses of others. Once all questions have been answered ask the team to resume their seats.

Debrief the process by reviewing the information collected. Starting at one flipchart ask,” What is the theme among these responses? What is clear from the information recorded here? Are there common themes occurring across several of the flipchart papers?'

Record any themes and avoid giving your opinion. If key issues have been missed perhaps ask, 'It seems to me that issue X has been raised on several sheets. How will this impact on the work of the team?'

The focus of the exercise is to identify areas of common viewpoints and interests. Of course it will also identify potential areas of conflict or points of disagreement. It is important to discuss these areas as fully as the areas of common interest. In fact the discussion around areas of disagreement may be more vigorous than the areas of agreement!

Make sure to focus on question four, 'In the meeting today I hope we will.' to ensure that expectations are met and to perhaps list items for the fridge door if they aren't appropriate for discussion today.

STEP 5 CODE OF CONDUCT

The Australian SAS (Special Air Service) an elite fighting force within the Australian Army operate with a strict code of conduct. Given the nature of the work these troops carry out, operating deep behind enemy lines and managing counter terrorism activities within Australia it is important for the troops to operate within a strong code of conduct. The success of this force as a team is in part based around the adherence to their code of conduct, as well as rigorous training and discipline.

Teams within any organization can have a code of conduct which will set out clear rules for the team to base their activities around. If it breaks the code, it won't happen; if it falls within the code of conduct it is welcomed.

Modern teams develop a code of conduct to detail ground rules and operating procedures for the team. At this point it would be useful to draft a team code of conduct. To establish the code begin with Question No 7 'During meetings I get really annoyed when.'

Ask the team to focus on ways of preventing these occurrences and devise a set of statements/rules that will prevent these from happening in the team. You can also ask 'What team rules have you found useful in the past?'

Make sure you use consensus decision making here and ensure that each team member understands the issue and the proposed solution for prevention.

Some issues to focus on:

How often will the whole team meet?

How long will the meetings last?

Who will chair the meetings?

Who will record the minutes?

What behaviors will team members demonstrate?

How will a difference of opinion be handled?

Listen actively

Give feedback honestly and with respect

Make sure that consensus is reached on each item. It is usually easier to attend to each item separately rather than go for consensus on the whole list. Once the list is complete, post it on a separate flipchart paper. Encourage this to be displayed at future team meetings.

STEP 6 TEAM INTERESTS

Establish what is important to the team members by establishing their interests and moving them beyond taking positions. Interests define the issue or problem, for example what someone wants is their position. Why someone wants it, is their interest. For every interest there are several positions that could fulfil that interest. Often behind positions lie shared interests as well as conflicting ones.

Identifying Interests - A 7 Step Process

Step 1 Review responses

Review the team responses to Questions 3, 5, 9 and 10. These questions pin point interests from within the team.

3 It's important for the team to succeed because (Interest)

5 I agreed to be part of this team because (Commitment/Interest)

9 The best part about being involved with this team is (Agenda/Interests)

10 I have concern about the following tasks (Interests)

Step 2 Discuss Ideas

Encourage discussion and brainstorm to generate more ideas. Prepare questions to ask. These could include:

Why is this work important to you?

What are your worst fears about this project?

What are your concerns about this team?

Step 3 Clarify Ideas

Clarify the ideas developed through the brainstorming session. Make sure that they are understood by all team members.

Step 4 Combine Similar Ideas

Combine any similar or duplicated ideas. Be ruthless and eliminate similar ideas if they can be joined together.

Step 5 Discuss Groupings

Discuss the groupings so that all team members have the same understanding of the listed item or issue. Make sure issues are discussed fully, then list the interests of the team. Once again if there are common or similar themes, you may want to combine these, with the groups permission.

Step 6 Rank Interests by Importance

Allocate each team member with ten votes which can be allocated to items of importance for team members. If they feel very strongly about one or more item, they can allocate more than one vote up to their limit of ten votes.

Tally the votes and identify the priority items based on numbers of votes attached.

Step 7 Identify the Top Ten

Develop a 'Top Ten' list to identify the ten most important interests for the team. Make sure that you check for consensus as you tally List. Sometimes teams get to this stage and change their mind about the order or importance of a particular interest when they see it compared with it neighbors on the list.

This Top Ten can then be displayed at future team meetings.

STEP 7 TEAM VISION

When a team has a vision it has direction, a focus and purpose. A vision is a clear statement that identifies where the team is going, a desired future state. Visions are large and often stretch the team to grow and strive hard to reach the vision. The vision provides a pulling force that draws the team toward new possibilities. Team visions provide motivation to people to work harder by capturing their imagination.

Begin to create the team vision by examining the responses to Question 8 'I'll know we have achieved success as a team when I see, hear or feel.'

Discuss with the team what their responses mean. Generate additional ideas by asking questions such as the following:

If we were awarded the prize for the best team, what would we have done?

If we are successful in our efforts, what will people be saying about our team in twelve months time?

If we made the front page of Business Review Weekly for our outstanding work, what would the banner headline say?

If we were declared the most successful industry team and were studied by a university research team, what three key findings would they note about our team?

Make notes on flipchart paper as responses are shared. As the ideas are drying up, move to summarise the sentiment of the group. This could form the raw vision statement or act as the basis for further discussion.

STEP 8 TEAM MISSION

The team's purpose is articulated in the mission statement. The mission statement enables the team to create boundaries around the scope of the project they are undertaking.

The following questions are typically used in developing a mission statement:

What is the team's purpose?

What is the scope of our team?

What will we do or not do?

What time frames will we work in for the duration of this project?

What milestones will we set for the team in terms of reporting?

What resources will be needed?

If the team is successful, what will we see, hear, and feel?

Discuss these questions and have the team agree on their expectations around completion dates for the project.

Have the team individually develop a mission statement for the team. Ask them to write their final version on a sheet of flipchart paper. Display and review all papers. Clarify any questions team members may have about each others work. Move to develop a statement which reflects the combined view of the team. Perhaps choose one statement which has most of the characteristics of the majority of the individual statements.

Work on this one statement to develop a final draft for the complete team. Remember to use consensus decision making.

Once a mission statement has been completed and agreed to by all, ask the team to display it prominently in the office or at least at future team meetings.

Drafting the mission statement may take longer than one session. Be prepared to assign the final drafting of a mission to a chosen representative group. This group can work on drafting the statement and reconvene with the full team at a later date.

STEP 9 TEAM WORK PLAN

A draft work plan can now be developed with attention paid to the tasks that need to be carried out by the team in the short term and into the medium term. This plan assigns responsibilities for tasks and schedules a time frame for tasks. As the team develops a more detailed plan can be developed. In the initial stages though it is a useful process to examine what needs to be done and seek everyone's input into forming a plan of attack.

A simple and easy method to use is the Fishbone Diagram. Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa, a Japanese quality control statistician, invented the fishbone diagram. Therefore, it may sometimes be referred to as the Ishikawa diagram. The fishbone diagram is an analysis tool that provides a systematic way of looking at effects and the causes that create or contribute to those effects. Because of the function of the fishbone diagram, it may be referred to as a cause-and-effect diagram. The design of the diagram looks much like the skeleton of a fish. Therefore, it is often referred to as the fishbone diagram.

Whatever name you choose, remember that the value of the fishbone diagram is to assist teams in planning and problem solving.

Brainstorm what task and activities would appear on a work plan. This list could include, reports to management, information gathering, scheduling regular meetings, piloting solutions or recommendations. Clarify all proposed inclusions and delete any duplication.

On a large flipchart (you may need to join two or three together) draw the bones of a fish. Place one task on the end of each bone of the fish. Clarify what other tasks will need to be completed for each category filling in the fishbone as ideas are suggested. When the diagram is complete, request volunteers or assign tasks to individuals to further develop the work plan for the next team meeting.

A sample fishbone plan is set out below.

Fishbone Diagram

STEP 10 CLOSURE

Next Meeting

The next team meeting should be scheduled at this stage. The date, time and place noted for all to attend.

Meeting Review

At the conclusion of each meeting a review of the meeting can be conducted to measure the quality of the meeting. The team can be asked the following questions:

What did we do well?

What did we not do so well?

What do we need to do more of?

What do we need to do less of?

Review the responses and make changes according to the feedback for future meetings.

Closure

Congratulate the team and sum up major achievements of today's meeting. Remind the team to display the flipchart paper recording the Team's Vision Interests and Mission at future team meetings.


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