ME3101 / ME3102Mechanical Systems DesignChapter 2What makes a good team

What is a team?

team/tēm/

Noun: A group of coming together to accomplish something

Verb: Come together as a team to achieve a common goal: "he teamed up with the band".

Synonyms:squad - gang - group - crew - party - brigade

Common

goal!!A group of people!!

Benefits of teamwork

Good teamwork requires contribution from each team member and good communications between team members.

When that happens, teamwork offers an entire suite of benefits to the team

Benefits of teamwork

How does it benefit…US?

1. More hands on deck:

Most projects probably aren’t single dimensional. Having more people in a group accomplishes many things.

• Firstly, many things can be done at the same time with proper allocation within the group!

• Secondly, having people from different backgrounds brings to the team many viewpoints and opinions

Benefits of teamwork2. Support:

People, are ultimately social creatures. Thus, one of the best aspects of teamwork is that when people come together in a common objective and work together, they form bonds with each other and in turn, lends support to each other.

This impacts, and motivates every individual to put in their best foot forward and contribute to the team, eventually leading to success!!

Benefits of teamwork3. Making better decisions

Another of the benefits of teams and good teamwork is that it ultimately results in better decision making.

With more people on the same project, more ground can be covered, thus the team would be able to watch out for loopholes in their ideas and patch it up.

Also, the more diverse the backgrounds of the members are, the better the team would be to able to offer differing viewpoints and cater to a larger crowd.

How to make a team work?

FOLLOW THESE

11C’S AND YOU’LL BE

GOOD

How to make a team work?

The 11C’s of team work:

•Clear Expectations: The expectations of each member should be stated before any work has begun. For example, does everyone agree to respond to any messages within 24hrs? Is it agreed that everyone should make an effort to be early for every meeting?

•Context: Members should understand why they came together to do this project. Ultimately, this project is an academic module and all should understand that the amount of effort you put in affects the team

•Commitment: Is everyone committed to the team? Does everyone have the same vision of the end result? Teams should find ways to encourage every team member to commit to the project ideals. Motivate them!

•Competence: A good team is comprised of people from diverse backgrounds, with the appropriate skill-sets and knowledge required to accomplish aims of the project. If not, the team has to obtain access to the required resources.

How to make a team work?

The 11C’s of team work, continued:

•Charter: The team agrees on the vision and project and the strategy to reach it, deciding on the rules of engagement with each other. This is then communicated to every member.

•Control: Are teammates empowered to make decisions and able to contribute effectively to the project? Is there an authority figure in the team? Every team has its own culture, it would be best to be a working one!

•Collaboration: Is there a group process that everyone adheres to? Is everyone working together cohesively? The team project relies heavily on effective communications in between team members, make sure everyone gets along,

•Communication: Is there a common platform of communications established? This establishes a tool whereby ideas can be communicated and feedback to be delivered

OverviewGood teamwork isn’t hard. Just follow these few guidelines.

WORK HARD!!

TREAT ALL WITH DIGNITY AND

RESPECT

COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY

FOCUS ON THEOBJECTIVES

SUPPORT EACH OTHER