Problem solving team is a way of making a way to get through a problem. They will help a team or a manager with a problem and resolve by giving them an action plan. The rules for a problem solving team are just to give good ideas and listen as well as contribute. A disadvantage of this could be that not everyone will have the same problem solving idea and would not be happy with the end result.
Work teams do the regular duties and tasks; they are a self directed group of employees. They are responsible for there goals, quality controls. Work teams are most useful when the job content changes frequently and if employees skills are limited. This can be a team working in a clothing store on a certain floor, skills are limited and they have certain tasks they do on a regular basis. They also could be tired of doing the same things on a regular basis and may want to move on to do something else.
Quality circles are a team that works together solve work based problems or to help progression in a work place which are mainly quality of performance problems. They use management techniques and are usually in small teams of 5-10 who are voluntary employees e.g. student reps are voluntary and have meetings on how they can improve the college/university. A lot of the time team members will not agree and this could result to a member leaving, but as it is an odd number they are obliged to go with the majority vote.
A Virtual team is communicating via electronics such as the internet or telephone. They can be in the same building or they can be in different parts of the world. The team members can complete tasks at home; they have independent roles but also help there other team members. An example of this can a banking organisation, they can communicate with each other about money transactions and any problems they are facing. This team can be badly affected with technical problems such as slow internet or bad signal, this could be crucial for the organisation.
Benefits of teams are having more than one person to do a task, with more people it will be much easier and quicker as people have different skills and knowledge, some better than others. It also gives you other people opinions on what you are doing. It gives you more knowledge to a given task, and teams members can learn from one another and help each other out. Team members help the motivating grow by supporting each other. When working in a team each member will try and complete tasks equally which would make everyone happy. Also a benefit is to create a positive synergy is another way of saying people working together. I.e. you can lift 50 pounds with your right arm and 50 pounds with your left, but 150 pounds using both arms.
Task 2
Now that I know the different types of teams I have chosen a team to use for Fox Associates which is a quality work team. I have chosen this because the team will be selling insurance and this will be a regular duty or task that they will be doing every day. They will be responsible for their own goals and will be helping each other out with their given goals. They mainly progress in quality of performances; this is what selling insurance is about. My team will consists of 5 members, I think this will be excellent for my team as it would be easier to get know each other and everyone will have a say.
Cohesive teams mean a team that sticks together. They will remain united to pursue goals regardless of any setbacks and problems that occur on the way. Team members that have something in common with another will be likely to be closer. These similarities can be age, gender, status or experience. The team members will stay focused on tasks and others on process of maintenance roles.
When I first get my team together and they meet for the first time, I would do an introduction plan so the team will get to know each other and start to feel more comfortable in their team. I would some exercise so that the members get to know each others names ant try and create a relaxed atmosphere and make them feel welcome. Once they know each other a little bit better, I will make it clear about what roles they will play and goals they need to achieve. I shall make the rules clear explain to them what type of a team I want them to be. I will make sure they understand the qualities of a team and that they all must support each other along the way. I think this is very important because they will have a good clear idea as to what they will be doing in the coming weeks and months.
During the first week as a team leader I will be setting tasks for them and giving them deadline dates and make them well aware that they are a team. I will then give them each a role and what responsibilities they will have. I will give them training is giving to each team member that is necessary to them and ask them whether they understand the role. Once I have explained what they will be doing I as a team leader I am responsible for the team dynamics, I will tell them all to support each other. I will monitor the team’s individual performance as well group performance. I will keep the group on track and recognise their mistakes and work on them.
In order to build team cohesion I will identify the team’s goals and ensure they are progressing. Contribution is essential to have in any team other wise there will not be a team. As leader I will have individual appraisals were I will monitor their progression and give them positive and negative feedback. The team should also be able to manage themselves as I will not be around them all the time, I will help them to do this so they can solve work-related issues. When there is conflict in the group I must resolve the problem as it could go on and will affect the team’s progression.
To keep the team cohesive I would us the criteria of SMART. This is stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely.
To be specific your goal has a much better chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must know who’s involved, what needs to be accomplished, have a location, to be timely, identify requirements and constraints and to have a purpose of reaching a goal.
Measurable means to start solid criteria for measuring progression toward the skill of each goal you set. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates this will give more motivation to achieve your goal.
Attainable is When you identify the most important goals. You will begin to find out ways you can make them happen. You will start to develop new skills.
To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which the team are willing and capable to work with each other. You must ensure that every goal represents considerable progress. A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low one because low goals have a less motivational strength.
Timely is when a goal should have a time frame. With no time frame there's no sense of urgency.
I have explained the stages that I will go through with my clients as a team leader. It is important to go through the stages of forming, storming, norming and performing. This is the theory that was created by Tuckman. Forming is at the beginning of team formation. This is when you go through getting to know each other and having group activities. Storming is when goals and decisions start being made. The teams started structuring and they know each other a little bit better. Norming is when big decisions are made within the group it is at the stage of agreement. Performing is when goals are being achieve and the team is more strategically aware, they know exactly what they are doing and why.
DR. Meredith Belbin is a British researcher and management theorist, best known for his work on management teams. These include;
- Plant
- Resource investigator
- Co-ordinator
- Shaper
- Monitor evaluator
- Team worker
- Implementer
- Completer finisher
- Specialist
The Plant is the creative leader who comes up with new ideas and approaches. They thrive on praise but criticism is especially hard for them to deal with. Plants are often reserved and prefer to work apart from the team. They may also be poor communicators and can tend to ignore given constraints.
The resource investigator is an outgoing person and very enthusiastic. They will develop new ideas and explore new activities. They explore available options, develop contacts, and negotiate for resources on behalf of the team. They identify and work with outer stakeholders to help the team achieve its objective. There is a chance that they might lose their enthusiasm and a little too optimistic.
The co-ordinator is a mature, confident and takes the lead role in a team, they clarify goals and make big decisions they can also be known as the chairman. They are calm and good-natured and deliver tasks very effectively. They guide the team through their aims and objectives. They should be excellent listeners and know what values each of a team member brings. The co-ordinate can come across as manipulative and too assertive.
The shaper is someone who thrives on pressure and very dynamic. They drive the team by setting objectives and priorities. They overcome obstacles and see them as exciting and challenging. A weakness could be that they are very argumentative and could offend people.
Monitor evaluators is best at analyzing and evaluating ideas that other people come up with. These people are sharp and objective, they carefully consider the pros and cons of all the options before coming to a decision. Monitor evaluators can often poor motivators and see the negative side to things rather than positive.
The team worker supports their team members and helps them stay together. They try to improve the team’s communication. They tend to be popular people who are very capable in their own right but whose priority is team cohesion and helping people getting along. Their weaknesses may be there indecisive, and maintain uncommitted positions during discussions and decision-making.
Implementers are the people who complete their job. They turn the team's ideas into practical actions and plans. They are conservative, disciplined people who work efficiently and are very well organized. These are the people who you can count on. They may not be flexible and find it hard to change.
The finisher keeps energy in a team and make sure there are no errors. They take a lot of attention to detail. When deadline days are arriving they push the team into progressing. They are known to be perfectionist and orderly. Their weakness could be worrying for unnecessary reasons.
The specialist is the technical expert. They are much focused and very knowledgeable. They are expert in the job role and are very committed. This may limit their team involvement, and lead to a worry with technicalities at the instead of relevant goals.
As a team leader I must assign each member a role. The roles I will choose are from Belbins roles; I have chose my self to be a team leader as I will be the one to make all the major decisions and deliver tasks. I must guide the through step by step of their goals and objectives.
I have also chosen a plant so they can come up with new ideas and solve any problems the company or team members are having. If the company is in trouble the plant will help us overcome it. They will also take criticism on board and handle it well.
Another role I have chosen is a shaper. As the team will be under pressure we will need some one who can cope with it, if the other team members see a person doing this they will think I can do it too. They like taking on challenges and I will be giving them many goals that need to be achieved for a deadline.
I have chosen a monitor evaluator as they will be a sober and strategic character. They will find different options for obstacles the team come across. They will evaluate others ideas and judges accurately. They will bring a good strategic way of over coming difficult situations.
I have also chosen a team worker because it will be good for the team as they are co-operative and will listen to other people and get along with everyone. When the team is down the team worker will bring them back together and create a nice atmosphere.
Finally I will have a finisher as they will recognise any small errors which could be crucial in circumstances. They motivate the team when they are feeling down or lack drive. The work they produce has a high standard of quality.
http://www.topachievement.com/smart
