Module 1 Using Teamwork Skills

Learning Outcomes

1.1 Understand the need for a team to agree a contract for

working together.

1.2 Understand how roles and responsibilities can be

allocated within a team.

1.3 Be able to work within a team towards a specific goal.

1.4 Be able to assess the effectiveness of a team.

1.5 Understand how to resolve conflict in teams.

Introduction

Teamwork is an essential part

of workplace success. Like a

football team working together

to set up the perfect shot,

every team member has a

specific role to play in

accomplishing tasks on the

job. Although it may seem as if

one player scored the goal,

that goal was made possible

by many people’s planning,

coordination, and cooperation

to get that player the ball.

Teamwork

Teamwork involves building relationships and working with other people using a

number of important skills and habits:

Working cooperatively

 

Contributing to groups with ideas, suggestions, and effort

 

Communication (both giving and receiving)

 

Sense of responsibility

 

Healthy respect for different opinions, customs, and individual preferences

 

Ability to participate in group decision-making

Group Contract

What Motivates You?

Motivation is what draws you to

move toward something. It can

come from a desire or a curiosity

within you or can be from an

external force pushing you.

Motivation styles vary for different

situations and topics but

nonetheless, you draw on them

especially when you try to learn

something new. If you can

recognize your main motivational

style, you can identify the

situations that best satisfy your

needs.

Goal Orientated

If you are goal-oriented, you

probably reach for your goals

through a direct and obvious route.

This might lead you to a reference

book, your computer, or to call an

expert—whatever means is

available. You usually prefer

meeting in person when it’s the

most effective method and don’t

find learning new things, itself,

much fun.

Relationship Orientated

If you are relationship-oriented,

you take part in learning and

teamwork mainly for social contact.

When you meet and interact with

people, you learn things along the

way. You may not like working

independently or focusing on

topics (separately from the people)

because that doesn’t give you the

interactivity you need to learn.

Learning Orientated

If you are learning-oriented, the

practice of learning, itself, drives

you. You search for knowledge

because learning delights you and

you may become frustrated by

anything that requires you to spend

more time following procedures

than on actual learning.

Teamwork – An Inventory of Skills

Part of being a good team member

is learning how to understand your

personal strengths (what you have

to offer) AND where you might

need to draw assistance from

others. Listed in the workbook are

10 of the characteristics that make

a productive team member. Rate

your level of confidence in each

skill (HONESTLY) – and then

devise a plan for how you can

improve some of the areas you

think might need to improve upon.

Paper Towers Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUMyHs_cMCk

Effectiveness of the Team

How did YOU do?

What went well?

How did OTHER members of the

group perform?

What didn’t go so well……why?

What would YOU change next

time?

Conflict in the Team

Turtle – Avoider

All conflict is to be avoided at any

cost. Contentious issues are

shunned and allowed to remain

unchallenged. This results in a loss

of goals and in damage to

relationships. The turtle character

communicates an air of

helplessness in the face of conflict,

believing that solutions to

disagreements and divergence of

energies are not easily found. Like

the turtle when danger looms, they

quickly withdraw into their thick-

shelled carapace of avoidance.

Lion – Competition

The Lion is king and the king must

be seen to be in control and to win.

Conflict is a way of demonstrating

control. Relationships are only

important for their usefulness. How

others view them is not as

important as their pride in the

strength they can display over

weakness. To lose in conflict,

which for them can simply mean

giving way, is seen as a sign of

weakness.

Ostrich – Compromiser

Favours the middle ground,

resulting in all sides in the conflict

winning a little and losing a little.

They regard sacrificing part of the

goal as being preferable to the

conflict continuing. The attitude

can be born out of lack of

experience, lack of confidence, or

not having a viable strategy for

addressing conflict. Although they

can identify the problem, if they

feel that their interests are at risk

they will ignore the problem and

settle for a short-term solution.

Teddy Bear – Accommodator

Avoids discussing the conflict in

order to protect the relationship.

They feel it is easier to

accommodate the other party by

smoothing over any problem. They

fear addressing the issue and

running the risk of damaging the

relationship by causing possible

hurt.

Owl – Collaboration

A wise old bird, the owl views

conflict as a healthy occurrence.

He knows that the Chinese

character for Conflict combines the

characters for Danger and

Opportunity. The owl is creative in

helping those involved to find a

solution that does not damage the

relationship. They help others to

explore and identify the difficulty

and are only satisfied when a

problem is resolved and tensions

are dissolved.

Learning Outcomes

1.1 Understand the need for a team to agree a contract for

working together.

1.2 Understand how roles and responsibilities can be

allocated within a team.

1.3 Be able to work within a team towards a specific goal.

1.4 Be able to assess the effectiveness of a team.

1.5 Understand how to resolve conflict in teams.