Certificate in Management Human Resources Module

Working with People

Unit 6

Working in Teams

Unit 6

Working in Teams
Unit objectives
When you have completed this unit you will be able to:
define and describe a team explain how to establish unity of direction in a team list the qualities of an effective team describe the four, basic team styles identify your own preferred team style encourage positive teamwork in your own team.

What is a team?
A team is a number of people who are working together in order to:
complete a shared task e.g. build a new ship or

rescue survivors from a plane crash

achieve a common goal e.g. win the F.A. Cup or

increase company sales by 10% Teams can be small or large. Just two people, working together, can be a team. And hundreds of people can also be a team, providing they are all co-operating and helping one another to achieve the same result.

Working with People

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

6.1

Unit 6

For example:
the engineers, technicians, scientists, managers and

administrators in charge of the US Space Programme at NASA are a team

the surgeon, anaesthetist and nurses who, together,

perform hospital operations are a team.

the conductor, brass, string, percussion and

woodwind musicians who play together as an orchestra are a team

the people on a factory production line who put the

components together to produce a car are a team.

Key point

An effective team, whether small or large, consists of people who work together, co-operatively, to achieve the same end result. This end result is often referred to as:
an outcome a goal an objective.

These words all mean more or less the same. The activity that follows is designed to give you an opportunity to think about the teams to which you belong, and the common goal for each, which you share with your other team members. On the chart below note down up to four teams to which you belong (in your working life and your personal life), and the goal of each team. For example: 1. Project Team; Produce design for new brochure by 10 September 2001.

Personal activity

6.2

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

Working with People

Unit 6

Name of the team 1.

Common goal I think everyone in the team is working towards

2.

3.

4.

In the first part of this activity you listed the teams to which you belong and each teams goal. Now check with a colleague from the same team whether or not their understanding of the teams goal matches yours. Note the comparisons on the chart below.

Working with People

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

6.3

Unit 6

Name of the team

Common goal I think everyone in the team is working towards

Common goal my colleague thinks everyone in the team is working towards

1.

2.

3.

4.

6.4

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

Working with People

Unit 6

There are, of course, no right or wrong answers to this activity because every team has its own goals and objectives. But the key question is this: For each team, does your goal match with your colleagues goal? For example, do you both think that, for team A, you are working as part of a team that intends to, say, Maximise sales and provide outstanding customer service. Or does one of you, for example, think that the teams goal is to Maximise sales, while the other person thinks that the teams goal is to, say, Provide outstanding customer service? If a team any team is going to be successful in achieving its objective, then everyone in the team must have the same understanding as to what that objective is.

Activity feedback

Key point

Establishing unity of direction is a key task for every manager. Quite simply, this means that everyone in the teams needs to know the answers to the following questions.
What does the team need to achieve, and by when? What are they, as individuals, supposed to be doing? How are they, as individuals, supposed to be doing it? How will their individual contribution help the team,

overall, to achieve its goal?

The only way to establish unity of direction to make sure everyone in the team is pulling together towards the same goal is to give your team the answers to the questions above.

Key point

Working with People

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

6.5

Unit 6

Case study

The King Motor Racing Team was competing in the Formula 4 Grand Prix. Someone called in their driver when he was leading. Nobody knew who. Nobody knew why. The driver came in, but no one was prepared. One guy went and fetched some tyres, but the guy with the jack was not there. Another guy tried to start fuel filling. Yet another asked the driver what his problem was. He didnt know. Eventually they discovered that he shouldnt have come in anyway. There had been a misunderstanding. The team lost the race.

Checklist

People in effective teams do:

share a common understanding of the goal the

team is trying to achieve

know what it is they are supposed to be doing,

and do it
work together co-operatively and harmoniously in

order to achieve the teams goal

recognise that everyone in the team has a part to

play
understand that everyone in the team is equally

important and needed, if the team is to achieve its goal.

What are the qualities of an effective team?

If you have ever been part of an ineffective team, then you will know that membership of this kind of team can be irritating, frustrating and disappointing. This is because, in an ineffective team:
things do not happen when they are supposed to

6.6

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

Working with People

Unit 6

there is often a tense, unfriendly atmosphere deadlines and targets are frequently missed just one or two people seem to find themselves doing

all the work

no one really knows what the team is supposed to be

doing
no one really wants to be part of the team.

On the other hand, being part of an effective team can be an exciting, enjoyable and highly motivating experience.

Imagine that you are a member of an effective team a team where everyone works together to achieve the same outcome, a team that enjoys working together. List three key things which, in your opinion, the people in the team would do, for example: help one another if difficulties arise. 1.

Personal activity

2.

3.

Working with People

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

6.7

Unit 6

Activity feedback

In the most effective teams, the people working together:

co-operate and work together share responsibility deal with problems when they occur communicate trust, respect and support one another.

These behaviours are dealt with in more detail below.

Co-operating and working together

Co-operation and willingness to help one another are the hallmarks of an effective team. Team members realise that the purpose of the team is to achieve a shared goal, so everyone in the team is prepared to help everyone else. In practice, this may mean that one team member is willing to stay late to help another team member to finish an urgent report; or one person, seeing that a colleague is having a difficult time coping with an angry customer, will willingly take over and deal with the problem.

Sharing responsibility
People in effective teams share responsibility equally, especially when things go wrong. They dont say Thats not my problem, or Thats not my job, or I dont see why I should do it; I did it last time. Effective teams pull together. People take equal responsibility for the successes as well as the failures, and take on extra tasks and obligations just because those tasks and obligations are there and someone in the team has to take responsibility for making sure they are done.

6.8

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

Working with People

Unit 6

Dealing with problems

When problems occur as they often will the people in an effective team will look for ways in which, by working together as a team, the problems can be solved and the difficulties overcome. In effective teams, when trouble strikes, people dont make negative statements like Oh well, thats it then theres no way we can put this right. Instead, they ask What can we do to deal with this? and say There has to be a way to overcome this difficulty. Lets put our heads together and work something out.

Communicating
In an effective team, people communicate. They talk openly to one another. They share ideas and information. They make helpful suggestions. They listen to, and try to learn from, each others experiences. They discuss problems and ask for advice. They tell each other what is going on inside and outside the team, and they do not withhold information from one another.

Trusting, respecting and supporting

People in effective teams trust one another to get on with the job. They respect the skills, knowledge and experience that each individual brings to the team, and they recognise that everyone in the team contributes in a different way. And, perhaps most important of all, people support one another, especially in times of difficulty. For example, if one person in the team is feeling ill or stressed, other team members may offer to finish a task, deal with an awkward phone call or even just make a cup of coffee. In the most effective teams everyone knows that they can count on their colleagues, and they know that their colleagues will, in turn, expect to be able to rely on them.

Working with People

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

6.9

Unit 6

Personality types, team styles and roles

To understand how teams work and how, as a manager, you can get the very best out of your team, it is important to understand how people tend to operate when they are working as part of a team. First of all, it is vital to recognise that every individual has their own views, attitudes, preferences and beliefs. These relate to big issues in life, such as religion, politics and morality, to name just three. But, they also relate to much smaller issues, for example:
views on which football team to support attitudes towards central heating versus fresh air in

the office
preferences about the kinds of food they choose to eat beliefs about the dangers of smoking cigarettes.

In addition, people have different personalities. There are shy people, outgoing people, people who like a challenge, people who prefer familiar situations, people who like to take risks, people who like noise and company, people who prefer peace and quiet and so on. Research has shown that, in a team situation, people will adopt different styles of behaviour, depending on their views, attitudes, preferences, beliefs and personalities. A persons styles of behaviour are the ways in which they will react or respond to work-related situations.

Key point

6.10

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

Working with People

Unit 6

What difference does personality make to the team?

In the 1940s Isabel Briggs Myers and Katherine Cook Briggs began working to develop a system which would enable people to understand the importance of different personality types. They developed the MyersBriggs Type Indicator, (often referred to as the MBTI), which is now after more than 50 years of research and development used in organisations throughout the world. The MBTI is a questionnaire which, when scored by someone who has undertaken the appropriate training, will identify an individuals personality type. Myers and Briggs identified that people tend to be:
either introvert (quiet and inward-looking) or

extrovert (outgoing)
either sensing (absorbing information in a literal,

concrete way, e.g. tasting food, noticing changes in the weather) or intuitive (generating information from abstract possibilities, e.g. working out a new way to do something)
either thinking (making a decision because it is the

right thing to do, or because it is the logical thing to do) or feeling (making a decision because it feels right or because we know the decision will please someone we care about).
judging (planning ahead and working to a schedule)

or perceiving (acting spontaneously or making a decision at the very last minute). The topic of personality types is very wide-ranging and beyond the scope of this workbook. Even so, as a manager, it really is important that you have a grasp of how different personality types operate and interact at work.

Working with People

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

6.11

Unit 6

Team styles
In the book Leadership Skills for Women Marilyn Manning and Patrician Haddock have identified that, broadly speaking, when working in a team, people (both men and women) will tend to adopt one of four different styles of behaviour. These are: 1. 2. 3. 4. Traditional style Analytical style Dominating style Charismatic style

The traditional style team member

This team member can be any age, and be male or female. Within a team, the person who adopts this style will tend to behave in the following ways:
They will view the team as very important and are

likely to form good, close relationships with other team members. They are likely to prefer to spend coffee and lunch breaks with other team members, and may arrange out-of-work, leisure activities for the team.
Because the team is so important to these people, they

expect team loyalty from other team members. Consequently, they can get very upset if other team members do not take the team seriously.
They like an easy-going, relaxed atmosphere and find

tension or trouble on the team very upsetting.

They prefer familiar situations. They tend to have

their own routines and established systems and operating procedures. They like to know where they stand and what they are supposed to be doing. They are not risk-takers, and they really dislike change.
They tend to be predictable and often patient,

preferring a secure, familiar situation. They are willing to take instructions and are usually very loyal to their organisation.

6.12

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

Working with People

Unit 6

Traditional style team members are:

consistent co-operative conventional predictable steady.

Checklist

Traditional style team members are not:

willing to change open to new ideas or ways of doing things keen to make swift decisions keen to take risks able to function efficiently in a tense, stressful

atmosphere.

The analytical style team member

This team member can be any age, male or female. Within a team, the person who adopts this style will tend to behave in the following ways:
They are extremely conscientious and like to get

things right for themselves, their team and their organisation. They tend to worry if things appear to be going wrong.
They are thoughtful and tend to prefer not to offer

opinions about anything until they have had time to think things through.
They have very high standards, both for themselves

and for the team, and doing a good job is very important to them.

Working with People

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

6.13

Unit 6

They are slow to make decisions because they need to

analyse a situation, look at it from all angles and consider all the pros and cons before they commit themselves to a course of action.
Checklist

Analytical style team members are:

accurate careful critical precise thoughtful.

Analytical style team members are not:

quick to decide slapdash careless disorganised.

The dominating style team member

This team member can be any age, male or female. Within a team, the person who adopts this style will tend to behave in the following ways:
They are easily bored with routine, these people

thrive on challenge and change. They are constantly looking for new experiences, new ideas and new ways of doing things.
Because they have confidence in their own abilities,

they prefer to do things their own way, and they dislike being controlled or told what to do. They need

6.14

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

Working with People

Unit 6

to be able to think for themselves and be allowed to use their initiative.

They are impatient, quick-thinking and decisive. Often

risk-takers, they like to get on with the job, and often feel that any decision is better than no decision at all.
Prestige and position are often important for these

people and they tend to measure themselves and others in terms of what has been achieved. Dominating style team members are:
confident determined impatient able to see the big picture and unworried about details open to new ideas and ways of doing things.
Checklist

Dominating style team members are not:

careful cautious indecisive.

The charismatic style team member

This team member can be any age, male or female. Within a team, the person who adopts this style will tend to behave in the following ways:
They thrive on social contacts. Popularity at work is

very important and, sometimes, work friendships are more important than the work itself.
Enthusiastic and optimistic, these people will go out of

their way to be friendly and helpful towards others.

Working with People

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

6.15

Unit 6

Their cheerful outlook encourages a positive team

atmosphere, and they will do whatever they can to support other team members in times of difficulty.
They can be impulsive, and may often act without

thinking things through.

Dislike of dealing with details means that they would

rather just do the job and see what happens.

They are excellent communicators and able to charm

and convince just about everyone they come into contact with. They love to network and enjoy persuading others to see things their way.
Checklist

Charismatic style team members are:

charming impulsive optimistic supportive.

Charismatic style team members are not:

likely to deliberate and think things through willing to sacrifice work friendships by making

unpopular decisions
keen to face up to unpleasant facts.

The next activity will give you an opportunity to think about your preferred team style, and the team style most often adopted by the people you work with.

6.16

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

Working with People

Unit 6

1.

How would you classify yourself? Do you think you are a traditional, analytical, dominating or charismatic style team member? Which of these styles most nearly fits your behaviour when you are working as part of a team? Tick one box only. Traditional Dominating

Team activity

q q

Analytical Charismatic

q q

2.

Now think about the teams to which you belong at work. (You may find it helpful to refer back to the activity on page 6.3.) Choose either:
the team which you lead, or the team which you consider to be your main or most

important work team. Complete the chart below by inserting the names of your team members and ticking the box alongside the team style they most usually adopt.

Working with People

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

6.17

Unit 6

My own preferred team style Name: Name: Name: Name: Name: Name: Name: Name: Name:

Traditional Traditional Traditional Traditional Traditional Traditional Traditional Traditional Traditional Traditional

q q q q q q q q q q

Analytical Analytical Analytical Analytical Analytical Analytical Analytical Analytical Analytical Analytical

q q q q q q q q q q

Dominating Dominating Dominating Dominating Dominating Dominating Dominating Dominating Dominating Dominating

q q q q q q q q q q

Charismatic Charismatic Charismatic Charismatic Charismatic Charismatic Charismatic Charismatic Charismatic Charismatic

q q q q q q q q q q

Activity feedback

The mix of styles will vary from team to team and will, of course, affect the way in which the team functions and operates. For example, if a team consists of, say, five traditional style team members and one dominating style member, there could be problems because the traditional people want a steady, predictable work routine, whereas the dominating style person wants challenge, change and excitement. For a manager, it is important to recognise:
the different styles people adopt in a team the fact that, in most teams, the mix of styles will

not always be balanced, and may not always be what suits your style best.

6.18

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

Working with People

Unit 6

Taking into account

these different team styles the wide range of personality types the infinite variety of views, attitudes, preferences and

Key question

beliefs which people hold, is it any wonder that some teams are unable to function effectively, or even that some teams fall apart because of differences and disagreements?

Roles
Researchers such as Dr Meredith Belbin have identified that, within a team, each individual will tend to take on the role and responsibilities of one of the following:
Co-ordinator. Co-ordinators help to keep the team

focused on the task in hand; and make sure that everyone is involved in the work.
Plant. Plants are creative ideas people who work

best alone, generating new ideas and solving complex problems.

Monitor-evaluator. Monitor-evaluators are able to

take an objective view of the task in hand, and are particularly good at analysing and evaluating data.
Implementer. Implementers enjoy turning ideas

into action and making sure that tasks are finished properly, on time, and within the budget.
Shaper. Shapers will drive themselves and

everyone else hard to make sure that ideas and concepts are turned into practical reality.
Resource investigator. Resource investigators are

great at communicating and networking and making sure the team has the resources it needs to do the best possible job.

Working with People

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

6.19

Unit 6

Completer-finisher. Completer-finishers take care

of the details and make sure that everything is done in the right way, and to the highest possible standards.
Team worker. Team workers make sure that

everyone on the team feels supported, and they work hard to ensure high morale and good team spirit.

How can you encourage positive teamwork?

As a manager, it is your responsibility to do whatever you can to ensure:
a peaceful and harmonious working environment good team spirit and unity of direction productive and effective working practices a happy and hard-working team.

Personal activity

List four practical things that you, as a manager and team leader, can do to ensure positive teamwork on your team. 1. 2. 3. 4.

6.20

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

Working with People

Unit 6

There are a number of practical things you can do to encourage positive teamwork. These include:
Making sure that everyone in the team knows what the

Activity feedback

teams goals are. People cant be expected to achieve something unless they know precisely what it is they have to work towards.
Letting people know how the team is doing, and how

they as individuals are doing. People need to know:

- what has been achieved so far - what still needs to be achieved.

People also need to know that you, as manager and team leader, are happy with their performance and think that they are doing well. (Constructive feedback is a great motivator.)
Accepting responsibility for the team and supporting

the team, even when things go wrong. Your team needs to know that they can rely on you not to let them down if the going gets tough. If team members know that you support them even when they make mistakes or get things wrong then, in turn, they will support one another.
Leading from the front and encouraging the team by

example. Team members will follow your lead. If you are constructive, enthusiastic, hard-working, motivated and cheerful, then they will be the same. If you arrive late and leave early, constantly find fault and criticise, complain about your organisation, then the team are likely to do the same.
Communicating openly and honestly with the team and

sharing information equally. One of the most destructive things any team leader can do is to give information to some team members, and not to others. If this happens, the people with the information feel on the team and in the know, whereas the people without the information feel off the team and left out.

Working with People

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

6.21

Unit 6

Anticipating problems and planning ahead can

help you and your team to avoid difficulties and problems. The team looks to you for leadership and they expect you to think about what might happen, and what you will do if it does.
Being consistent and fair with everyone in the

team, and treating everyone equally. This means not having favourites. It means being prepared to spend time with certain people in the team with whom you have little in common. It also means not having private jokes with some people and not with others, and not allowing some people, but not everyone, additional expenses or other favours.
Keeping calm in a crisis. It is your responsibility, as

team leader, to maintain a calm exterior, as this will encourage your team to feel that they can rely on you in even the most difficult of situations.

Checklist

Effective team leaders do:

give genuine praise and express genuine

appreciation
say Thank you ask for suggestions support team members who are experiencing

problems and difficulties

keep their sense of humour set a good example maintain the highest standards of personal honesty

and integrity.

6.22

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

Working with People

Unit 6

How do you match the team member to the task?

Every team consists of a number of individuals with different aptitudes, experience, knowledge, expertise and temperament. As a manager, a key part of your role is matching the right person to the right task. To use a football analogy, some people are brilliant goalkeepers, whilst others are amazing strikers. Some people play best when they are defending and some play best when they are attacking. Exactly the same principles apply in any work team where people take on the roles which are best suited to their individual skills and abilities. For example, some people:
are excellent verbal communicators, but have

difficulty preparing written reports

have the poise and self-confidence to make dynamic

and professional presentations to groups of people, but are not too good at generating creative ideas
are diplomatic and discreet when handling

confidential information or sensitive issues, but have difficulty analysing problems or making decisions. Understanding your team members individual strengths and weakness will help you to:
allocate the right tasks to the right people ensure that people have the opportunity to work to

Key point

their full potential

keep motivation and team morale high because people

will be engaged in the kinds of work they enjoy most and do best.

Working with People

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

6.23

Unit 6

Working in Teams summarised

What is a team?
A team consists of a number of people who:
share a common goal or purpose are willing to work together to achieve the same outcome pool their energies, skills, talents, knowledge and

experience in order to complete a shared task. Teams operate in all areas of life and include:
sports teams who play to win a game sales teams legal teams manufacturing teams medical teams design teams emergency services teams, e.g. fire and ambulance service provision teams, e.g. hairdressing, catering,

transport etc.

What are the qualities of an effective team?

In an effective team everyone:
knows what the team needs and wants to achieve

the teams goal, objective, target

knows the date by when the team is supposed to have

achieved its goal

knows what they, as an individual, are supposed to be

doing, and how they are supposed to be doing it

6.24

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

Working with People

Unit 6

understands how their individual efforts will help the

team, overall, to achieve its goal

works together, co-operatively and harmoniously, to

achieve the teams goal

recognises that everyone on the team has a part to

play and a valuable contribution to make

appreciates that everyone on the team is equally

important. In an effective team everyone:

shares responsibility looks for positive ways to deal with problems as and

when they occur

communicates openly and honestly by sharing ideas

and information; listens to the others on the team; feels able to make suggestions; discusses problems and asks other team members for advice
trusts, respects and supports the other people on the team.

Personality types, team styles and roles

We saw that personality makes a difference to the team and its functioning. In addition, most people will tend to adopt a particular style of behaving and functioning when they are part of a team. This style of behaviour is closely connected to each individuals personality. For example, some people are naturally sociable and outgoing by nature. Others are naturally reserved and cautious. Generally, people will tend to adopt one of the following styles when working on a team:

Working with People

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

6.25

Unit 6

TRADITIONAL STYLE These people prefer: convention These people resist: change

consistency predictability steadiness traditional ways of doing things

risk-taking stress dynamic, fast-moving environments

ANALYTICAL STYLE These people prefer: These people resist:

accuracy attention to detail precision getting things right rather than doing things
quickly

carelessness a slapdash, disorganised approach haste spontaneity

DOMINATING STYLE These people prefer: These people resist:

challenge change and innovation opportunities to use their initiative risk-taking

analysing the details studying the big picture slow decision making caution

CHARISMATIC STYLE These people prefer: These people resist:

a wide circle of social contacts networking outside their own organisation good working relationships, no matter what
the cost

making tough decisions accepting things as they really are rather than
as they would like them to be

discipline and control rules and regulations

doing things on impulse rather than planning

ahead

People also tend to adopt particular roles when working as a member of a team. They may be:

6.26

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

Working with People

Unit 6

co-ordinators shapers plants resource investigators monitor-evaluators completer-finishers implementers team workers.

How can you encourage positive teamwork?

As a manager, you can encourage positive teamwork by:
communicating the teams goals to everyone on the

team
accepting responsibility for the team setting a good example and keeping calm in a crisis anticipating problems and planning ahead keeping the team informed about progress the

teams and each individuals

supporting everyone on the team communicating openly and honestly being consistent and fair with everyone and treating

everyone equally.

Working with People

Resource Development International Ltd (RDI) 2009

6.27