Team Building Essentials Workshop Curriculum

Objective:
To understand the essentials of an effective team through analyzing key
concepts of cooperation, trust, communication skills and creative problem solving
by recognizing individual strengths to utilize the power of the group.
Introduction:
Welcome attendees to Workshop
Detail the purpose of the workshop, review items to be
discussed, outline agenda for the workshop (when lunch and breaks
will be), identify main topics such as personality assessment via yers
!riggs test, team dynamics, team communication, team creativity,
conflict, and organizational cultures.
"#pectations$ %t the end of the day, attendee will have the
knowledge and tools to be develop more effective teams in your
organization and understand how to become a more effective team
member themselves.
Discussions and activities & Throughout this interactive
workshop, there will be many opportunities for discussion through
activities developed to illustrate key topics.
'onclusion & (eview main topics. (ecap with two detailed lists
on an ideas and actions page which details items discussed that are
interesting and actions which can be implemented within the ne#t )*
days in your organization.

Introductory Exercise+
,urpose+ The purpose of this icebreaker is to make workshop attendees
develop a sense of camaraderie with each other.
-cebreaker title+ $ What is the worst .ob you ever had/
%ttendees form groups of three to four members. %ttendees discuss in
small groups the following 0uestions+
). What is your dream .ob/ What was your worst .ob/
1. What are the common characteristics about your worst .obs/
2. 3ow did your co$workers feel about their .obs/ What happens
to morale when a worker hates the .ob/ Why do organizations
continue to allow unpleasant working conditions to e#ist/
%ttendees in small groups introduce each other and relay each
other4s information.
ersonality:
,urpose+ The purpose of this section is to have attendees better
understand their own personality preferences and the preferences of
others.
The yers !riggs test will be used to have attendees assess
their own personality preferences. yers !riggs is a personality
te#t that measures each of the traits in 'arl 5ung4s model. The
!T- measures how people prefer to focus their attention
(e#troversion vs introversion, collect information (sensing vs
intuition), process and evaluate information (thinking vs feeling)
and orient themselves to the outer world (.udging vs perceiving).
3ave attendees complete yers !riggs %ssessment
-t can be found online at + http+66www.humanmetrics.com6cgi$
win65Types).htm
"#plain each of the four types
Extroversion / Introversion+ e#troversion characterizes people
who are outgoing, talkative, sociable, and assertive. -ntroversion
refers to those who are 0uiet, 0uiet and cautious. -ntroverts feel
comfortable being alone.
Sensing / Intuition+ 7ensing people use an organized structure
to ac0uire factual details. 7ensers synthesize large amounts of
information to form 0uick conclusions. -ntuitive people collect
information based on their senses. They rely more of sub.ective
evidence and their 8gut feeling.9
Thinking / Feeling+ Thinking types rely on rational cause & effect
logic and scientific research to make decisions. They weigh the
evidence ob.ectively and unemotionally. :eeling types consider
how their choices affect others. They weigh the options against
their personal values.
Judging / Perceiving+ 7ome people prefer order and structure in
their relationship with the outer world. 5udgers want to resolve
problems 0uickly. ,erceivers like to adapt spontaneously.
(eview yers !riggs assessment preferences. Did attendees
have any surprises in that they thought they would be one type
and turned out to be another/
(eview that yers !riggs may be situational and life stage
oriented.
-dentify perceptions, misconceptions and stereotypes about
introverts and e#troverts. What are the most misrepresented
ideas of each other/ Why/
% review of the ); ,ersonality Types
I!T"
:or -7T5s the dominant 0uality in their lives is an abiding sense of responsibility
for doing what needs to be done in the here$and$now. Their realism, organizing
abilities, and command of the facts lead to their completing tasks thoroughly and
with great attention to detail. <ogical pragmatists at heart, -7T5s make decisions
based on their e#perience and with an eye to efficiency in all things. -7T5s are
intensely committed to people and to the organizations of which they are a part=
they take their work seriously and believe others should do so as well.
I!#"
:or -7:5s the dominant 0uality in their lives is an abiding respect and sense of
personal responsibility for doing what needs to be done in the here$and$now.
%ctions that are of practical help to others are of particular importance to -7:5s.
Their realism, organizing abilities, and command of the facts lead to their
thorough attention in completing tasks. -7:5s bring an aura of 0uiet warmth,
caring, and dependability to all that they do= they take their work seriously and
believe others should do so as well.
I$#"
:or ->:5s the dominant 0uality in their lives is their attention to the inner world of
possibilities, ideas, and symbols. ?nowing by way of insight is paramount for
->:5s, and they often manifest a deep concern for people and relationships as
well. ->:5s often have deep interests in creative e#pression as well as issues of
spirituality and human development. While the energy and attention of ->:5s are
naturally drawn to the inner world of ideas and insights, what people often first
encounter with ->:5s is their drive for closure and for the application of their
ideas to people@s concerns.
I$T"
:or ->T5s the dominant force in their lives is their attention to the inner world of
possibilities, symbols, abstractions, images, and thoughts. -nsight in con.unction
with logical analysis is the essence of their approach to the world= they think
systemically. -deas are the substance of life for ->T5s and they have a driving
need to understand, to know, and to demonstrate competence in their areas of
interest. ->T5s inherently trust their insights, and with their task$orientation will
work intensely to make their visions into realities.
I!T
:or -7T,s the driving force in their lives is to understand how things and
phenomena in the real world work so they can make the best and most effective
use of them. -7T,s are logical and realistic people, and they are natural
troubleshooters. When not actively solving a problem, -7T,s are 0uiet and
analytical observers of their environment, and they naturally look for the
underlying sense to any facts they have gathered. -7T,s do often pursue variety
and even e#citement in their hands$on e#periences. %lthough they do have a
spontaneous, even playful side, what people often first encounter with them is
their detached pragmatism.
I!#
:or -7:,s the dominant 0uality in their lives is a deep$felt caring for living things,
combined with a 0uietly playful and sometimes adventurous approach to life and
all its e#periences. -7:,s typically show their caring in very practical ways, since
they often prefer action to words. Their warmth and concern are generally not
e#pressed openly, and what people often first encounter with -7:,s is their 0uiet
adaptability, realism, and Afree spiritA spontaneity.
I$#
:or ->:,s the dominant 0uality in their lives is a deep$felt caring and idealism
about people. They e#perience this intense caring most often in their
relationships with others, but they may also e#perience it around ideas, pro.ects,
or any involvement they see as important. ->:,s are often skilled
communicators, and they are naturally drawn to ideas that embody a concern for
human potential. ->:,s live in the inner world of values and ideals, but what
people often first encounter with the ->:, in the outer world is their adaptability
and concern for possibilities.
I$T
:or ->T,s the driving force in their lives is to understand whatever phenomenon
is the focus of their attention. They want to make sense of the world $$ as a
concept $$ and they often en.oy opportunities to be creative. ->T,s are logical,
analytical, and detached in their approach to the world= they naturally 0uestion
and criti0ue ideas and events as they strive for understanding. ->T,s usually
have little need to control the outer world, or to bring order to it, and they often
appear very fle#ible and adaptable in their lifestyle.
E!T
:or "7T,s the dominant 0uality in their lives is their enthusiastic attention to the
outer world of hands$on and real$life e#periences. "7T,s are e#cited by
continuous involvement in new activities and in the pursuit of new challenges.
"7T,s tend to be logical and analytical in their approach to life, and they have an
acute sense of how ob.ects, events, and people in the world work. "7T,s are
typically energetic and adaptable realists, who prefer to e#perience and accept
life rather than to .udge or organize it.
E!#
:or "7:,s the dominant 0uality in their lives is their enthusiastic attention to the
outer world of hands$on and real$life e#periences. "7:,s are e#cited by
continuous involvement in new activities and new relationships. "7:,s also have
a deep concern for people, and they show their caring in warm and pragmatic
gestures of helping. "7:,s are typically energetic and adaptable realists, who
prefer to e#perience and accept life rather than to .udge or organize it.
E$#
:or ">:,s the dominant 0uality in their lives is their attention to the outer world
of possibilities= they are e#cited by continuous involvement in anything new,
whether it be new ideas, new people, or new activities. Though ">:,s thrive on
what is possible and what is new, they also e#perience a deep concern for
people as well. Thus, they are especially interested in possibilities for people.
">:,s are typically energetic, enthusiastic people who lead spontaneous and
adaptable lives.
E$T
:or ">T,s the driving 0uality in their lives is their attention to the outer world of
possibilities= they are e#cited by continuous involvement in anything new,
whether it be new ideas, new people, or new activities. They look for patterns and
meaning in the world, and they often have a deep need to analyze, to
understand, and to know the nature of things. ">T,s are typically energetic,
enthusiastic people who lead spontaneous and adaptable lives.
E!T"
:or "7T5s the driving force in their lives is their need to analyze and bring into
logical order the outer world of events, people, and things. "7T5s like to organize
anything that comes into their domain, and they will work energetically to
complete tasks so they can 0uickly move from one to the ne#t. 7ensing orients
their thinking to current facts and realities, and thus gives their thinking a
pragmatic 0uality. "7T5s take their responsibilities seriously and believe others
should do so as well.
E!#"
:or "7:5s the dominant 0uality in their lives is an active and intense caring
about people and a strong desire to bring harmony into their relationships. "7:5s
bring an aura of warmth to all that they do, and they naturally move into action to
help others, to organize the world around them, and to get things done. 7ensing
orients their feeling to current facts and realities, and thus gives their feeling a
hands$on pragmatic 0uality. "7:5s take their work seriously and believe others
should as well.
E$#"
:or ">:5s the dominant 0uality in their lives is an active and intense caring
about people and a strong desire to bring harmony into their relationships. ">:5s
are openly e#pressive and empathic people who bring an aura of warmth to all
that they do. -ntuition orients their feeling to the new and to the possible, thus
">:5s often en.oy working to manifest a humanitarian vision, or helping others
develop their potential. ">:5s naturally and conscientiously move into action to
care for others, to organize the world around them, and to get things done.
E$T"
:or ">T5s the driving force in their lives is their need to analyze and bring into
logical order the outer world of events, people, and things. ">T5s are natural
leaders who build conceptual models that serve as plans for strategic action.
-ntuition orients their thinking to the future, and gives their thinking an abstract
0uality. ">T5s will actively pursue and direct others in the pursuit of goals they
have set, and they prefer a world that is structured and organized.
-nteractive activity+ ost -mportant feature of a .ob for a yers !riggs personality
preference.
,urpose+ To have attendees understand which .ob features are important for
each personality type according to yers !riggs assessment.

%ttendees identify the most important feature of an ideal .ob
-nteractive activity+ Team Tower
,urpose+ To have attendees understand the differences in personality types in
trying to achieve a task.
Bive attendees materials needed to construct a tower & blocks,
balloons, tape, etc. "ach group will be given C minutes to make
a tower. Towers must be free standing and will be .udged on
height, beauty, stability and meaning. The group with the
highest score wins.
,rocessing 0uestions+ Who was the leader for this task/ Was
there any conflict/ 3ow cohesive was the group/ 3ow do you
feel about the group work/
Team %ynamics
,urpose+ To have attendees understand the dimensions of team dynamics
including the main topics of defining a team, the stages of team development, the
0ualities of an effective team member, cohesiveness, social loafing,
communication, creativity and conflict in teams.
Teamwork Definition
What are teams/
Teams have 1 or more people who interact and influence each
other, are mutually accountable for achieving common
ob.ectives and perceive themselves as a social entity within an
organization.
Broups & people with a unifying relationship.
,rocessing 0uestion+ What is the difference between teams
and groups/ Bive e#amples. Which would you rather be a part
of/
Stages of Team Development
"#plain each stage of team development
Forming stage&this is the orientation or get to know you
stage. -t involves more socialization than real interaction.
Storming stage& -n this stage, interpersonal conflict arises.
orming stage& -n this stage, the group develops its own
norms of what is acceptable and non$acceptable behavior.
:rom these norms, cohesion begins.
Performing stage $ -n this stage, the group becomes task
oriented and must work together to accomplish their goals.
!d"ourning stage& -n this stage, the goal has been
accomplished and the team disbands.
#ualities of effective team mem$ers
:orm small groups. 3ave groups decide and put on white board
what 0ualities are important for effective group members.
Dualities should include+ integrity, trustworthiness, hard working,
etc.
%dditional processing 0uestions+ Think of an e#perience where
they demonstrated that they were a good team member. Think
of an e#perience where they could have been a better team
member. Discuss with all.
Team Effectiveness %odel
What is team effectiveness/ The e#tent to which a team
achieves its ob.ectives, achieves the needs and ob.ectives of its
members and sustains itself over time.
What causes team effectiveness/ :actors include+
organizational and team environment, team design, and team
processes which lead to team effectiveness.
Erganizational and team environment characteristics include+
communication systems, physical space, organizational
structure, etc.
Team design characteristics include+ task characteristics, team
size and team composition.
Team processes include team norms and team roles.

&auses of Team &ohesiveness
Why are some teams more cohesive than others/
-s team cohesiveness important/ Why/
What is team cohesiveness/
Team cohesiveness is the degree of attraction people feel
toward the team and their motivation to retain members
'haracteristics that affect team cohesiveness include+ member
similarity, team size (smaller better than larger teams), member
interaction, team success, difficult entry, e#ternal competition
and challenges
What is the relationship between team cohesiveness and team
performance/
When teams support goals and have high cohesiveness, there
is high performance. When team norms conflict with company
goals and have high cohesiveness, there is low task
performance.

Team Pro$lems
% problem with teams is social loafing.
7ocial loafing is a situation in which people e#ert less effort (and
usually perform at a lower level) when working in groups than
when working alone.
What could be done to limit social loafing/ Do you feel there
are some people in your organization that tend to do less than
others/ 3ow do you deal with it/
Ways to limit social loafing include+ form smaller teams,
specialize tasks, measure individual performance, increase .ob
enrichment and select motivated employees.
Team &reativit'
7hould a team be creative/ Why/
'reativity e#ercises. 3ave teams work together to develop the
answers to lateral and vertical thinking 0uestions. "#ample+
8a pets9 can be translated to 8a step backwards9
Team &ommunication
Why is it important to communicate in teams/
What is passive communication/ What is aggressive
communication/ What is assertive communication/ When is
each style most likely to be effective/
Passive people generally do not stand up for their rights= they
easily let others take advantage of them= they under react to
situation, often responding too little and too late. Ether 0ualities
of the passive person include a 0uiet voice, little or no eye
contact, few gestures and fre0uency of agreeing with other4s
opinions. -n addition, they tend to be under responsible. :or
e#ample, a passive women may say Flet4s go to dinner wherever
you want, - don4t care.4 !ut then at the restaurant, she is now
saying Fthis place is terrible, the food is awful= why did you bring
me here/9 7he can easily complain because she was not
responsible for the decision.
!ggressive people do stand up for their rights, but they don4t
care who gets in their way= they over react to situations, often
too 0uickly= they are most concerned about not being taken
advantage of without worrying about the other person4s rights. -n
addition, they tend to have loud voices, too much eye contact
and they invade other people4s body space. They are also over
responsible. They make decisions for other people, answer
someone else4s 0uestions and make plans for their friends. Ef
course, they genuinely believe they are doing these things to
help other people
!ssertive people stand up for their rights and at the same time
are sensitive to the people4s rights. They respond with the
appropriate amount of behavior at the appropriate time.
%ssertive people can negotiation solutions to problems with one
goal being the enhancement of the relationship.
assive &ggressive 'ole lay:
,urpose+ To illustrate different styles of communication in teams.
%ttendees read the following short paragraph detailing
the 7ituation.
%ttendees answer the following 0uestions based on their
understanding of passive, aggressive and assertive
communication styles.

(ole ,lay+ -t is the Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving
holiday. Gou made plans many months ago for a long overdue
vacation with your family. Gour family has rearranged their
schedules to fit with yours to take this vacation together. Gour
boss comes in at H+2* with a big problem. The pro.ect that was
under your direction has hit another roadblock and will re0uire
you to work over the holiday weekend. What do you say to your
boss/ Ise the assertive, aggressive and passive conflict styles.
,rocessing 0uestions+
Which of the behavior styles was the most effective in solving the
problems/ Which of the behavior styles do you think is most
used in conflict situations/ Why isn4t the assertive mode used
more often/
&onflict
'onflict tends to occur when team work is re0uired. This may
be due to different personalities, social loafing, etc. 3ow do you
deal with it/
&onflict resolution
%nalyzing conflict on the .ob.
,rocessing 0uestions+ What causes conflict on the .ob/ What
causes conflict in teams/ Where have you seen conflict
recently/ What is the common goal of your work team/ Does
everyone recognize this goal/ %re relationships with co$workers
of high or low importance/
'onflict resolution model
There are five conflict resolution styles.
'ollaborating style. This aims to create a win & win situation in
which all parties are mutually beneficial.
%voiding style. This aims to use a lose & lose style to smooth
over or avoid conflict altogether
'ompeting style. This aims to use a win$ lose style that tries to
win at other4s e#pense
%ccommodating style. This aims to use a lose & win style that
tries to give in to others when the issue is not important to you.
'ompromising style. This aims to create a 8middle ground9 in
which some issues are won and some are lost.
(ow to deal with conflict
The best way to deal with conflict is to remember a few key
points+
!e specific. 'heck out what the other person is thinking or
feeling.
Take your time & think before you respond.
Try to deal with one conflict at a time.
%ddress conflict issues at the appropriate time and setting.
aintain the self esteem of the other person.
%sk for reasonable change.
%dmit when you are wrong and allow others to admit their
mistakes
7ummarize your actions and feelings.
)rgani*ational &ultures
What is the organizational culture of your workplace/ 3ow is
this evidenced/ What characteristics make up the
organizational culture/
'ulture is comprised of values, norms, and metaphors.
etaphor e#ercise.
7ample+ -f your company were a flower, what flower would it be
and why/
Team Work &ctivity
,urpose+ To illustrate and demonstrate the key elements of performing in an
effective team by utilizing team work, communication, creative thinking and
adapting to change.
7cavenger 3unt and6 or 7ub %rctic 7urvival e#ercise
To illustrate how to act as an effective team, it is recommended
that attendees perform a team activity such as a scavenger hunt
or the sub artic survival e#ercise. aterials on the sub arctic
survival e#ercise can be purchased by 3uman 7ynergistics, -nc.
7cavenger 3unt+ :or the scavenger hunt, attendees can be
given clues and locations in which they need to work together to
Funcode4. The team that finishes first wins a prize.
7ub %rctic 7urvival e#ercise+ :or this e#ercise, attendees form
small teams in which they read a short case study. %ccording to
the facilitator4s manual, attendees crash land in 'anada with
.ust a few belongings. -ndividuals and then teams work together
to decide the order of importance of the few belongings. The
score closest to the survival e#perts wins.
,rocessing 0uestions include+ Did you win/ Why or why not/
What skills did you use/ 3ow did you make decisions in your
group/ Did your group have a clear leader/ 3ow did members
of your group communicate/ Was this style effective/ Where
more interpersonal or task skills utilized/ Why/ Ise the
facilitator4s guide for additional processing 0uestions.

Conclusion
The conclusion will review main topics discussed. The
conclusion will also identify an 8ideas9 section in which issues
discussed today were interesting and an Factions4 section in
which issues discussed today can be implemented in the ne#t
)* days.
Thank attendees for their participation.