ALL CONTENTS COPYRIGHT © 2004-2008 H&H ASSOCIATES WEDNESDAY, 05 NOVEMBER 2008

Management Centre

Teambuilding

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Contents Team Building .................................................................................................. 1

Purpose ..................................................................................................... 1

Introduction ................................................................................................ 1

Ideas for Team Building ............................................................................. 3

Outdoor/indoor pursuits ............................................................................. 3

Workshops ................................................................................................. 3

Social events ............................................................................................. 4

Charitable work .......................................................................................... 4

Changes to work practices ........................................................................ 4

Training and Development ........................................................................ 5

Summary ................................................................................................... 5

Team Learning Reviews - Introduction...................................................... 5

The Learning Organization ........................................................................ 5

What is Team Learning? ........................................................................... 6

Questioning ................................................................................................ 6

Valuing Diversity ........................................................................................ 8

Communicating ........................................................................................ 10

Learning Review ...................................................................................... 11

Conclusion ............................................................................................... 11

Team Communication -What does it take? ............................................. 12

Overview .................................................................................................. 12

Why communication is important & necessary….................................... 12

Characteristics of Open Communication ................................................. 13

Guidelines to Team Communication ....................................................... 14

Responsibilities of Team Members ......................................................... 14

Appendix – Definitions & Resources .............................................................20

Resources................................................................................................ 20

Definitions ................................................................................................ 21

Team Building

Week1 – Day 3

Purpose

The purpose of this lecture is to present the importance of teambuilding and developing a team.

Introduction

Competencies emerged in the 1980s as a response to organisational changes and to wider changes in society. In 1982 the US academic, Richard Boyatzis wrote “The competent manager: a model for effective performance”. This book proved to have considerable influence on the profession and, over the following two decades, competency frameworks became an increasingly accepted part of modern HR practice. The use of competencies was featured as a special area of investigation in our 2007 Learning and development survey.

ARE You An 'Emotionally Intelligent' Leader Or A Dimwit?

Posted by Marianne Kolbasuk McGee, Jul 2, 2008 02:40 PM

Recession or no recession, dot-com boom or bust, bull or bear market, it doesn't seem to matter. For as long as I've been covering tech career trends (about 15 years,) employers have complained about shortages of IT professionals who have the right balance of "people skills" and tech-skills du jour. However, now there's a new skill shortage developing--a

scarcity of "emotionally intelligent" IT leaders. Have you tapped into your emotional intelligence today?

In case you missed it, the term "emotional intelligence" first popped up on book shelves and newsstands in 1995 with the release of Daniel Goleman's book called, well, Emotional Intelligence (Bantam Books).

That tome, and a number of follow-up books and articles, outlined how one's ability (or inability) to identify and understand one's own emotions--and those of others--influences that person's knack for leading, motivating or alienating others.

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For instance, like on deadline day when your multi-million dollar IT project is due to go live, and your team has been working weeks of 18-hour days to fix a big glitch, but then Joe, VP of marketing, walks by your office asking if you can help him program his new iPhone--do you:

a) Bite your tongue and help Joe

b) Hastily pawn off Joe to one of your frazzled staff

c) Tell Joe to get lost

d) Ask Joe how he's feeling

Even if you haven't read the book (which I admittedly haven't,) you get the idea. Recognizing, for instance, when you--or others--are about to pop, but knowing how to tap and channel those emotions for a more productive (and civil) outcome are admirable and useful skills for anyone, but especially leaders.

Ok, Goleman's book came out 13 years ago. So why is emotional intelligence suddenly so important (and apparently in shortage) for IT leaders now? Surely, there have always been shortages of "emotionally intelligent" leaders of all kinds--from executives to politicians, teachers to camp counselors--even before the book was published. (How did Noah coax the mules onto that ark, anyhow?)

The problem now, however, is that there's a new melting pot of generation gaps stewing in today's workplace. You've probably heard that too. Baby boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, Millenials--everyone is trying to work together like one big, happy, dysfunctional family.

However, you've probably also heard (or maybe even participated in) examples of how grumpy Baby Boomer managers don't have a clue (or the patience) to motivate coddled Millenials, the 20-somethings who grew up in the self-esteem-aware era where everyone's a winner.

Those same newbies also have a penchant for making the world greener, balancing life and work, and are "very goal and metric driven," says Shelly Funderburg, a VP at Right Management, the human capital consulting services arm of staffing firm Manpower.

So, as a leader, knowing how to tap into what makes those youngsters (as well as the old timers) tick--and learning how to modify your style to cultivate the very best work out of these people (and retain those employees), well, that's a big ingredient in the recipe for success for your own career, as well as your organization, Funderburg says.

Emotional intelligence skills are sort of a next level in "soft-skills," or interpersonal, communication skills, she says. "It boils down to how the emotion is infused in interpersonal relationships, how do you communicate when you or others are under stress," she says.

"There's a lot of change happening in the workplace, higher levels of stress," says Funderburg, whose company offers coaching for leaders to develop emotional intelligence skills.

"Everyone is different, people derail for different reasons," she says. Coaching can help individuals diagnose what's likely to derail them, and how to develop a "toolkit" to deal with that--as well as effectively lead and motivate others in challenging, stressful situations.

A recent Right Management survey of 656 HR managers in North America found that only 23% of organizations provide new leaders (or those individuals who recently advanced to supervising others) with any sort of coaching to assist their development in that career transition. That's where the potential shortage of emotionally intelligent IT leaders of the future comes in.

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How's your emotional intelligence coming along?

Ideas for Team Building

There are many different types of team building activities that you can consider doing in your team, falling into the categories of:

Outdoor/Indoor Pursuits

Workshops

Social Events

Community Service or Charitable Work

Changes to Work Practices

Individual Training/Development

Outdoor/indoor pursuits

There are a wide variety of pursuits available, from conventional ones such as canoeing or rock climbing, to more unusual ones, such as blind-four-wheel-driving or sheep-driving. We can't list them all here, because there are so many, but there is a selection on our outdoor team building activities page. These pursuits are often expensive (typically starting in excess of �100/person). If physical activity is a problem for some members of the group, then there are some outdoor pursuits that are less active, such as:

treasure hunt

making a video

hot air ballooning

cooking

If those are too active, you could then try indoor pursuits, such as:

10-pin bowling

Quasar

Casino games

Workshops

Workshops (preferably offsite) enables a group to focus on a particular topic without interruption. In many situations, the most effective type of workshop is one that involves everyone in forming collective goals or developing strategic or tactical plans. This engenders ownership amongst all members, and is one of the most powerful team building activities you can use. Other types of workshops can help to develop better relationships, mutual understanding or solve particular business issues:

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Group games and exercises (that have learning points)

Psychometrics or personality questionnaires (to develop better interpersonal understanding)

Business problem solving, or information exchange

Customer interaction forums (eg: ask customers to provide feedback on the service, or what they want from you in the future

Technology exchange (invite leading figures from the industry to present their vision of the future)

Social events

These are often the most cost-effective form of team building activities, because they are low cost and high impact. It is often important to make sure that people mixes, especially with larger groups, otherwise people just stick with their friends. Here are some ideas for social events:

Lunchtime drink

Evening meal/BBQ

Family picnic

Quiz nights

Social events can be organised for very little cost and are like the oil in an engine: they can help keep the heat down and things running smoothly.

Charitable work

Why not choose to do something that has a benefit to the community? Achieving something worthwhile can help to unite the group even more, providing it is not too difficult a task and does not create too much pressure.

Changes to work practices

Having a day offsite or doing something that is fun may have a short term impact, but to improve communication, co-operation, etc. in the long term, you may need to introduce new work practices, such as:

Team meetings/Cascade briefings

Job swapping

Team newsletter (for larger teams)

Open door policy

MBWA (Management By Walk About), for all staff, not just management

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Training and Development

It can be beneficial to combine team building activities with individual training. That is, the group receives training, but does so as a group. This has the dual benefit of developing the individuals whilst going through the experience collectively. Such courses could include:

Communications

Persuasion

Negotiation

Technical training

Summary

Some of the options we have outlined above are very effective and don't cost a lot of money. Social events are particularly valuable because they can be arranged to suit most people's diaries/tastes, are relatively cheap, and have a big impact. However, the best approach is often to have a "mixed portfolio" and do something in all the above areas.

Team Learning Reviews - Introduction

Many organizations have tried to focus on teams. Self-managed teams offer the potential for downsizing organizations and the prospect of improving productivity. How many organizations can claim to have really succeeded in their attempt? Meeting people from all around the world, I hear the same comment, "Oh, teams, yes we tried that but it didn't work." It is not possible to wave a magic wand and create a high-performing, self-managed team overnight. A self-managed team needs to develop a culture of lifelong, individual and team learning.

The Learning Organization

A 'buzz' word often talked about is The Learning Organization. This concept is the synthesis of a number of ideas about managerial learning brought together and popularized by Peter Senge and others in their books about the Fifth Discipline. Five disciplines comprise the learning organization concept. They are:

Systems Thinking

Personal Mastery

Mental Models

Shared Vision

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Team Learning Many people I talk with are impressed by these five disciplines and want to introduce them to their organization 'overnight'. The question they always ask me is, 'Where do I start?' My answer is, 'Start with Team Learning. It is a process you can commence tomorrow and it just may help you prevent your self-managed team strategy from failing.'

What is Team Learning?

Team Learning is an adaptation of action-learning originally proposed in the UK by Reg Revans many years ago and recently rediscovered by organizational development consultants in the USA. It focuses on providing solutions to business problems by developing an open approach to questioning. As Reg Revans himself once said, "The mark of a leader is not the answers he gives but the questions he asks." The business world is changing at such a pace that the solutions to problems are not found in books or journals, nor in the mind of 'the expert'. They are found by team members themselves, who, through the process of Team Learning, identify the key questions to be addressed. They then seek to use their resources to find the answers, often through trial and error. The concepts of Team Learning can be broken down into four key components:

1. Questioning 2. Valuing Diversity 3. Communicating 4. Learning Review

Questioning

When faced with a problem, a new project or an opportunity, it is a good idea to focus on the nine key success factors which make the difference between a high-performing team and a low-performing team. These factors are arranged in a model of team tasks, known as the Types of Work Wheel. This Wheel describes nine essential team activities as:

Advising - Gathering and reporting information

Innovating - Creating and experimenting with ideas

Promoting - Exploring and presenting opportunities

Developing - Assessing and testing the applicability of new approaches

Organizing - Establishing and implementing ways of making things work

Producing - Concluding and delivering outputs

Inspecting - Controlling and auditing the working of systems

Maintaining - Upholding and safeguarding standards and processes

Linking - Coordinating and integrating the work of others These factors form the basis for a methodology of questioning.

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When faced with a difficult problem, the starting point for team discussion is advising. What information do we need? Why? Where will we get it? Who will get it? When do we need it? How will we get it? This ensures that all currently available data is gathered for consideration. The Innovating sector ensures that the team will spend time discussing ideas around the problems being faced. Most successful innovating sessions follow a procedure designed to ensure an open and diverging discussion. Such sessions should be free from any commitment to make a decision. That comes later. Promoting has two aspects to it. Each team member needs to learn how to present ideas and solutions in a way that will influence other team members. Equally important is a focus on the key stakeholders outside the team. Who outside the team needs to be persuaded if the idea is to proceed? Many ideas are impracticable and can never be implemented, due to organizational and cultural constraints. Developing sessions focus on which ideas are likely to work and how can they be tested for verification. Organizing is action-oriented and ensures that the team will implement agreed solutions and assign accountabilities and responsibilities. It is predictably coloured red - the colour of action. Producing addresses the output aspects of any decision. What are we producing? To what quality levels? To what standards? When? Producing defines the bottom-line on which many teams are evaluated. How many ideas fail because the detailed aspects were not thought through? Unforeseen contractual problems arise, financial difficulties occur, security issues eventuate, computer errors appear. Many of these Inspecting problems can be eliminated by focusing discussion on this aqua-blue aspect of work. Blue is the colour of cool, clear, detailed thinking. Maintaining the agreed decisions and the team processes will ensure that the team stays together and learns together. Your car will fail if it doesn't have a regular 10,000km service. Your team will fail if it is not maintained. Maintenance involves regularly reviewing mistakes in a non-recriminatory way and establishing guidelines to prevent them from reoccurring. Linking is in the middle of the model because it is a shared responsibility of every team member. Each person working on a team task must undertake to link with other team members so that everyone is fully informed. This model should be the basis for any Team Learning processes established in your organization. It provides a structure and a language to ensure that the essential activities for excellence in teamwork are continually implemented.

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Many successful learning teams structure their meetings into four basic sessions, rather than attempting to cover everything in one sitting. Green meetings focus on information; yellow meetings concentrate on opportunities, red meetings implement plans and blue meetings check details and review progress.

Valuing Diversity

Diversity of thinking is one of the hallmarks of learning teams. Problems need to be viewed from different angles if the best solutions are to be generated. If everyone looks at problems in the same way then group think can occur. If diversity is allowed and encouraged, then better solutions will result. However the downside of diversity is conflict. Different viewpoints will inevitably lead to disagreement and it is only the committed learning team that can use the diversity of views in a positive way. Many of the work content issues of diversity can be addressed through a preference model like the Team Management Wheel. This model highlights the different ways that team members like to approach work situations. The model is summarized below:

Reporter-Advisers enjoy gathering information and putting it together in a way that makes it easily understood. Usually they are patient people who prefer to have all the information before they take action.

Creator-Innovators enjoy thinking up new ideas and new ways of doing things. Usually they are very independent and will pursue their ideas regardless of existing systems and methods.

Explorer-Promoters like to take ideas and promote them to others, both inside and outside the organization. They are often advocates of change and are highly energized, active people who like to have several projects on the go at once.

Assessor-Developers usually display a strong analytical approach and are at their best where several different possibilities need to be analyzed and developed. They are often sociable, outgoing people who enjoy looking for new markets or opportunities.

Thruster-Organizers are people who enjoy making things happen. They are analytical decision-makers, always doing what is best for the task, even if their actions sometimes upset others. Their great ability is to get things done, and for this reason they are often found working in project management positions.

Concluder-Producers are practical people who can be counted on to carry things through to the end. Their strength is in setting up plans and

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standard systems so that outputs can be achieved on a regular basis, in an orderly and controlled fashion.

Controller-Inspectors are quiet, reflective people who enjoy the detailed side of work, such as dealing with facts and figures. They are usually careful and meticulous and can spend long periods of time on a particular task, working quietly on their own.

Upholder-Maintainers are people with strong personal values and principles which are of prime importance in their decision-making. Usually they have a high concern for people and will be strongly supportive of those who share the same ideals and values as they do.

The Linker role is a shared role that is held in conjunction with the other roles. It comprises key skills focusing on the linking of people, linking of tasks and leadership linking.

It is immediately obvious that this model is related to the Types of Work Wheel.

Someone with a preference towards being a Reporter-Adviser will most likely

enjoy Advising work and can be assigned responsibility for the information

processes. Someone with a preference to be a Thruster-Organizer will most

likely prefer to work in the sharp end of the team, organizing and making things

happen.

The Wheel highlights the diversity problem in a team. The Explorer-Promoter, for

example, will look at situations totally differently to a Controller-Inspector, which

may cause frustration or conflict.

However, once team members understand their individual work preferences, they

have a language for discussing potential problems that might occur. It helps

everyone understand, for example, why the Thruster-Organizers in the team may

get impatient when too much time is spent in green or yellow meetings.

Team Management Wheel role preferences are measured by the Team

Management Profile Questionnaire - a 60 item profile questionnaire focusing on

Relationships, Information, Decision-Making, and Organization. Feedback is a

4000 word report on individual work patterns.

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Communicating

Communication is the essential process that links a team together. In Senge's

books the authors talk about dialog or skillful discussion. In Team Management

Systems, we prefer to talk about the seven key influencing skills that ensure

team processes are at an optimum.

The Strategic Communication Model can help achieve this.

Pacing, Inquiry and Identifying are shown on the model as Information-Focused

skills while Leading, Proposing and Closure are Solution-Focused skills as they

are commonly used to move discussions towards solutions. Reviewing is in the

middle as it can be used in either situation. Communicating within the team

learning discipline is a dynamic process which constantly moves through all

seven skills.

Pacing is the technique of varying your communication style to match that

of other people. When dealing with a Controller-Inspector, for example,

you may need to focus on the details, slow down your rate of speaking

and make the connections between the past and the future. With an

Explorer-Promoter you need to be future oriented, enthusiastic and full of

ideas. Pacing establishes a rapport with the other person, enabling an

open and honest dialogue to take place.

Inquiry is listening carefully to what people are saying and asking

questions to fill in the gaps. Knowing when to use closed-ended inquiry or

open-ended inquiry and when to focus on the facts or the feelings are the

skills associated with this sector.

A joint Identifying of the root cause of a problem is essential before any

discussion on solutions is attempted. Many a team implements a solution

to the problem they think they have, rather than to the problem they

actually have!

When team discussions are complex and long, everyone will lose track of

the important points. Reviewing is therefore essential to ensure that

everyone has the same understanding.

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Leading is one of the most critical solution-centered skills as it can focus

the conversation on the important issues. It is a process of transmitting

information in a way that leads people to talk about possible solutions

rather than your imposing solutions upon them. Leading can be done

overtly (simple leading) or covertly (complex leading) and can involve

advanced techniques like storytelling.

Proposing involves presenting possible solutions as a choice of options.

The number of choices will often depend upon the various role

preferences of the team.

Closure is where the conversation is brought to an end, or 'closed', with an

agreed action between the two conversing parties.

Learning Review

Learning is an iterative process that takes place through feedback. We are all

used to performance reviews and individual feedback, but rarely do we

experience team feedback.

At the end of each team meeting (or at the start of the next), it is a good idea to

review how the meeting went. Was the questioning process adequate? Did we

value diversity? How well did we communicate?

If conflicts did arise in the meeting everyone should be encouraged to personally

review what went on. A useful technique here is the three position process.

Review how the interaction seemed from your position, replaying the scene with

dialog. Now transpose yourself into the body of the other person, listening and

feeling the interaction from their perspective. Finally 'zoom' out and take a

position outside the group and observe the interaction from a distance. Notice

how it would seem and feel to an observer. These three positions will give you

valuable information on how the discussion should have perhaps gone.

Conclusion

Team Learning is fundamental to the performance of a team. Without it, a team

can never achieve its potential. Team members can attend strategic planning

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sessions, learn techniques of quality assurance or learn how to run a meeting,

but unless the principles of Team Learning are fully implemented, improvements

will be short-lived.

Team Communication -What does it take?

Overview

Why it is important & necessary

Creating Team Communication

Characteristics of Open Communication

Guidelines to Team Communication

Responsibilities of Team Members

Getting Your Message Across

Other issues

Tools

Questions

Why communication is important & necessary…

In a team you are ALL working towards a same goal.

You need to define and ensure that the goal is shared by all the members.

If there are questions/issues about the goal those need to be resolved quickly in order for the team to move forward.

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When decisions need to be made the team has to be made aware of the decision that is at hand.

EVERYONE NEEDS TO BE ON BOARD

If communication keeps the team members informed, therefore a team working towards the same goal can be more effective and efficient.

Information is shared within team.

Team members have knowledge

Knowledge is power

Sense of power gives members sense of belonging and dedication

Dedicated members will contribute more and feel valuable to the team.

Creating team communication

Ensure that goals are clearly defined.

Interaction is aimed at solving problems and achieving team goals.

Ensure team members trust each other by having open communication.

Characteristics of Open Communication

Members are encouraged to solicit input from others.

Disagreement is invited and dealt with as a vital part of making sound decisions.

Team members share responsibility for communicating effectively.

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Everyone is pro-active to understand team goals.

Guidelines to Team Communication

Be specific: include facts and details to avoid being vague

Be accurate: as much as possible be sure that the information you are giving is true and reliable.

Be honest: be truthful with those you are communicating with and do not use questionable information.

Be logical: make sure messages are easy to follow

Be complete: give all needed information in regards to your ideas.

Be concise: be brief- not unnecessarily wordy.

Be relevant: stay on task and give information that is needed.

Ask for feedback: have recipients give comments on information.

Responsibilities of Team Members

Open minded

Listen to what is being said

Give feedback to what is being said

Make sure all team members have a chance to communicate their ideas.

If decisions need to be made discuss pros and cons, and decide best option for TEAM.

Take ownership for what you say.

Take responsibility for making sure you are heard and understood.

Use terminology and examples that your audience understands.

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Be aware of body language.

Always work to maintain the trust and confidence of those with whom you are communicating/working.

Getting Your Message Across

State the purpose of your message.

Communicate your message.

Listen to the response of others.

Clear up any misunderstandings.

Summarize and move to action.

Other Issues

Team members who are not participating: Ensure they know goal and are on board towards working for the same goal

If there are other reasons why team member is not participating then try to find out before team meets.

If argument is valid then convey message of understanding to team without breaking confidence.

If message is not valid then try to find help through your peers, or other people. Try to find ways of motivation for the team and ways team member will feel motivated to participate.

Poor communication can lead to:

1. Wasted time and/or energy

2. Lack of trust

3. Misunderstandings

4. Deadlines are not met

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5. Lack of change for the better

Therefore make sure team is exercising good communication.

Tools

Recognize team members strengths and weaknesses

Open discussion

Response cards

Subgroup discussion

Partners

Fishbowl

Team Gutters

Stress exercise (stress demonstration, ice-breaker, and teambuilding)

This is a helpful and non-threatening way to show the effects of stress and

confusion, especially in teams, and by implication the effects of stress on

productivity, organisational performance and healthy working.

Ideally for teams of eight to ten people. Split larger groups into teams of 8-10 and

establish facilitation and review as appropriate, appointing and briefing facilitators

since each team requires facilitation.

You will need for each team about five balls of various sizes, compositions,

weights, shapes, etc., depending on team size and the team's ball-handling skills.

Five balls is probably adequate for most teams of eight people.

Using very different balls makes the exercise work better (for example a tennis

ball, a beach ball, a rugby ball, a ping-pong ball, etc - use your imagination).

Form each team into a circle.

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The aim is to throw and catch the ball (each ball represents a work

task/objective) between team members - any order or direction.

The ball must be kept moving (the facilitator can equate this to the processing of

a task within the work situation).

Allow the team to develop their own methods/pattern for throwing the ball

between members if they find this helpful.

A dropped ball equates to a failed task (which the facilitator can equate to a

specific relevant objective). A held ball equates to a delayed task.

When the team can satisfactorily manage the first ball, the facilitator should then

introduce a second ball to be thrown and caught while the first ball remains in

circulation.

Equate the second ball to an additional task, or a typical work complication, like a

holiday, or an extra customer requirement.

Continue to introduce more balls one by one - not too fast - each time equating

them to work situations and complications.

Obviously before not too long the team is unable to manage all the balls, and

chaos ensues.

Avoid creating chaos too early by introducing too many balls too soon.

Allow the sense of increasing stress and confusion to build, according to the ball-

handling capability of the team. Introducing balls too quickly will not allow the

stress to build.

Points for review:

Relate the experiences of the game to the work situation, especially effective team working and communications.

What does too much pressure and failure feel like?

Are these feelings the same for everyone?

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Do we know how others are feeling and can best deal with stress and confusion, unless we ask?

How can we anticipate, manage and avoid these effects at work? (Not easy, especially if the pressure is from above, which often it will be - nevertheless understanding the causes and effects of stressful confusion is the first step to resolving them).

What helps us handle these pressures and what makes things worse?

Relate this learning to work situations, and then to possible improvements and changes.

Picture pieces game (teamwork, departmental/individual inputs towards a

common goal)

This exercise is a simple team-working idea, adaptable for any group size, and

any ages.

Duration is half an hour, or longer if you increase the complexity for big groups,

and/or increase the size of the work.

Choose a well known picture (or diagram or cartoon) - ideally one well-known

and full of detail.

Cut the picture (retaining a copy) into as many pieces - ideally equal squares or

oblongs - as there are participants for the exercise.

Issue each person a piece of the picture.

Instruct people to create a copy of their piece of the picture exactly (for example)

ten times bigger. Magnification level (ten-times, five-times, twenty-times, etc) is

up to you - the more then the longer the activity takes, and the bigger the final

result.

Issue pencils/drawing/colouring equipment and paper and make rulers available

for measuring.

You will probably need to clarify what 'ten-times bigger' actually means, or

different interpretations of this could spoil the result (which is a lesson in itself

about consistency of planning and communications, etc).

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Give a time limit (5-20 minutes depending on complexity of the work and the

magnification level you specify).

When all the enlargements are completed ask people to assemble them into a

giant copy of the original picture - on the table, or onto a wall using sticky putty,

(be careful not to use a wall whose surface could be damaged when removing

the sticky putty).

Review points:

How would the group have responded to and met the task if the task leader simply asked the whole group to 'Create a copy of the picture ten-times original size'?

If the assembled big version is not right in any area, where did the task fail and for what reasons?

If anyone has embellished their particular piece (which almost certainly will happen) how does this augment or threaten the final result, and what does this teach us about local interpretation and freedom? Does it depend on the task and the aims (and customer needs) as to whether the result is improved or weakened? (Probably)

The activity demonstrates divisionalized 'departmental' working - each person (represents a team or department) working on their own part (representing specialisms), all of which contribute to an overall group aim and result. What are the main factors determining success for working like this?

Does each individual person (which represents a team or department) necessarily need to know what other people are doing, in order for the overall task to be achieved? (Probably not in detail.)

Does each individual person (which represents a team or department) necessarily need to know what the end aim is in order to achieve the overall task? (Not necessarily, but arguably it's helpful if they do.)

What level of mutual understanding and checking (while the task is in progress) is useful for this sort of 'departmental' or divisionalized working? Is there a fixed rule for checking in progress, or more likely, does it depend on the task and the performance of it?

Here are some suggestions of well-known pictures to use for this exercise:

Sunflowers (Van Gogh)

Venus and Mars (Botticelli)

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The Hay Wain (Constable)

Bathers at Asnières (Seurat)

London Underground Tube Map

The Bayeux Tapestry (lots of work there..)

These are just examples - choose a picture that appeals to your group, and

which when cut into pieces gives sufficient detail to work on.

Other ideas for pictures: geographical maps and weather maps, biological

diagrams, well-known posters and cartoons.

You can adapt the exercise by altering the 'ten-times' enlargement factor, for

instance five-times would make the task easier and quicker; twenty or a hundred-

times would make it more difficult and longer, (and also more impactful, if you

have time and space, and enough drawing materials...)

The task can be made more complex for large groups by:

splitting the group into teams

issuing each team a piece of the picture

instructing each team to cut its piece of the picture into smaller pieces, giving one smaller piece to each team member.

The resulting assembled whole picture will indicate how well each team communicated and managed its own divisionalization of the task.

Appendix – Definitions & Resources

Resources

ACCA - http://www.accaglobal.com/

ICAEW- http://icaew.com

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AIA - www.aiaworldwide.com/

Accounting web - http://www.accountingweb.co.uk/

ACAS - http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=837

Definitions

What is teamwork?

Key Points: -

In a general sense people talk of teamwork when they want to emphasise the virtues of co-operation and the need to make use of the various strengths of employees

This booklet concentrates on team working which involves organising employees into teams based on a distinct product, part of a process, or service - often cutting across existing functional divides

Teams have been around for as long as anyone can remember and there can be few organisations that have not used the term in one sense or another. It is common to hear of management teams, production teams, service teams or even whole organisations being referred to as teams. Employers stress the importance of employees working as a team and advertise for staff with the ability to work in such a way. In a general sense people talk of teamwork when they want to emphasise the virtues of co-operation and the need to make use of the various strengths of employees.

This booklet concentrates on a more specific use of the term team working involving a reorganisation of the way work is carried out. This includes organising employees into teams based on a distinct product, part of a process, or service - often cutting across existing functional divides. These teams are given a high degree of responsibility and expected to work with increased flexibility. Frequently the change to this type of team working is accompanied by wholesale changes to the management structure and the role of supervisors and managers.

Companies which have reorganised their workforce into teams in this way claim substantial improvements in morale, job satisfaction, productivity and quality. These claims have resulted in interest from other organisations keen

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to share in the possible benefits. At the same time there is confusion over what exactly is meant by team working and concern on the part of managers, employees and their representatives over the possible drawbacks of embarking on what may be a radical change in work organisation.

Most research into team working has been carried out in manufacturing and much of the advice in this booklet is placed in a manufacturing context. Team working, however, is capable of much wider application and the booklet will also be relevant to organisations in the service sector. Small firms, too, often naturally work in teams and will find the advice here can help to improve their effectiveness.