Chap 2 - Engineering Success & Teamwork

PREP004 – Introduction to Applied Engineering

College of Engineering - University of Hail

Fall 2010

Think for a minute . . .

What does success mean to you?

Success?

Which description most closely represents your idea of success?

A. Rich and famous

B. Achieved your desired goal

C. A job with decent pay

D. Respected by colleagues

E. A real leader - inspired others

Success means something different to each of us

What kind of success are we talking about today?

To be successful professionally.

To become a successful engineer.

To have a successful engineering career.

Success: Achievement of a Goal

What makes a Successful Engineer?

Form groups of 4 or 5 (you may have to

turn around in your seat) One person serve as recorder Answer these questions:

- What are the attributes of a successful

engineer? - You want to be a successful engineer. How do you get

there?

1. Master technical knowledge in your field.

2. Develop soft skills : Communication, teamwork, leadership, social skills, interpersonal skills, professionalism, sense of responsibility, dependability, maturity, confidence, positive attitude…..

I want to be a successful engineer. How do I get there?

Technical knowledge vs. Soft skillsWhich one is more important ?

Soft Skills!!* Technical knowledge is a minimum

requirement.

JKA_ 2009 8

Engineering

Success

Team

wor

kComm

unication Ethics

Cre

ativ

ity

Organization

ResponsibilityT

echn

ical

Pride i

n Work

Always Learning

Listening

Per

sist

ence

Leadership

Cooperation

“Teamwork” - Dictionary definitions

Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision.

It is the ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives.

It is the spark that allows common people to attain uncommon results.

"Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success." , -  Henry Ford

Team Work

A team A team is a group of persons who are grouped together to :

accomplish a common goal, who are dependent on one

another for results, and who are equally accountable

for the quality of the resultsmaketeamworkhappen.com

Characteristics of an Effective Team

Clear understanding of purpose and objectives .

Mutual respect, trust, and support .

Open, honest, and frequent communication .

Appreciation of and productive use of individual differences .

Ability to accept leadership authority and to manage conflict.

Team Roles

Team Leader

Keeps Team on Target Resolves Conflict Arranges Logistics Communicates to

Stakeholders

Team Member

Focuses on Team Goals Listens Keenly Participates Fully Keeps Commitments Values Different Ideas

Tip:

The Team Leader is also a Team Member, and all Team Members Share Equal Responsibility for the Outcome.

The Benefits of Working in Teams

1. Accomplish more and better Results in quality , quantity and .

2. Generate more solutions/brainstorming ideas.3. Gain exposure to various points of view.4. Develop/use “critical thinking” and “evaluation”

skills.5. Improve conflict resolution skills6. Improve communication skills

TEAM = Together Every one Accomplishes Mores

Teamwork Enhances Learning

Teamwork provides the opportunity for collaborative learning.

Teamwork keeps members motivated. People (students, engineering

colleagues) are the best motivators of other people.

Teaching others is the deepest form of learning.

Teamwork helps speed up the solution process.

IT IS how engineering professionals work and learn.

So if teamwork is so great ...

Why do I hate team projects?

(or maybe you don’t)

Turn to your small group and discuss this

Persuading

RespectingHelping

Sharing

QuestioningListening

Participating

Team Skills

1. Listening: Listen to other people's ideas. When people are allowed to freely express their ideas, these initial ideas will produce other ideas.

2. Questioning: Ask questions, interact, and discuss the objectives of the team.

3. Persuading: Individuals are encouraged to exchange, defend, and then to ultimately rethink their ideas.

4. Respecting: Treat others with respect and support their ideas.

5. Helping: Help one's coworkers, which is the general theme of teamwork.

6. Sharing: Share with the team to create an environment of teamwork.

7. Participating: All members of the team are encouraged to participate in the team. (OSU)

Running a Meeting

Plan the meeting – objectives & agenda Inform the team – when, where, information

they need, what they need to prepare Conduct effectively – follow agenda, one

item at a time, manage discussion, maintain focus and pace

Summarize meeting – summarize decisions and action items, send notes out to team

Team Dynamics

Full Participation – All team members contribute their time and

energy to the project. More importantly, all team members participate in the decision making process.

– Having a dominant leader may work for the very short term, but will eventually lead to morale problems.

Team Dynamics

Trust – Members trust that each member will add

value to the project– Members work to ensure that everybody

does contribute and that appreciation is expressed for different contributions.

Keep in mind that:

Team Work needs team skills. Team skills need practice and development. A team’s success is measured by the

achievement of the team as a whole.

Industry values teamwork more than an Industry values teamwork more than an individual’s ability to contribute.individual’s ability to contribute.

Real Life Scenario (Test 1)

A bunch of things have come up and you aren’t going to be able to complete the task you were assigned before tomorrow’s team meeting. What should you do?

A. Skip the team meeting because you have nothing to present.

B. Send an email to everyone and tell them you won’t meet the deadline.

C. Go to the meeting and pretend you have it done but left it at home.

D. Figure out when you will be able to complete it and discuss this with group.

E. B & D .

Real Life Scenario (Test 2)

One of your team members is not good about answering email. He has missed a meeting and you are waiting for a product from him. What should you do?

A. Discuss team operations at a team meeting. Reiterate/create the team operating rules.

B. Go tell the administrator. You want him off the team!

C. Send him a nasty email telling him he is spoiling it for everyone.

D. Call him and find out what is going on

E. A &D

Acknowledgement

This presentation is adopted from Lectures of

Prof. J Athanasiou, Prof. T. Anagnos, & Prof. K. Youssefi

San Jose State University College of Engineering

Further Readings

http://www.soton.ac.uk/~pw/teach/skills/intro.htm

http://www.careerdevelopmentplan.net/WT_Chapter6_a_Effective_Team_Skills.html

http://www.careerdevelopmentplan.net/7-habits-of-highly-effective-people.html