Teamwork and Project Management Flashcards

Flashcards covering key concepts related to teamwork, team dynamics, project management, and conflict resolution.

Teamwork

Collaboration among individuals to achieve a common goal, especially when tasks are too complex for one person.

Conflict

Disagreements or clashes within a team that can arise from various factors.

Problems in Teamwork

Occurs when team members lack a common objective, have differing ideas or work speeds, possess inadequate skills, lack a leader, engage in distracting conflicts, or exhibit personal egos.

Establishing Effective Teams

Includes understanding team types, roles, processes, dynamics, and conflict management.

Informal Teams

Teams formed based on common interests or shared goals, providing a sense of identity and communication networks.

Formal Teams

Teams created by management to achieve specific goals, such as producing work, generating ideas, managing processes, resolving conflicts, improving conditions, or motivating workers.

Advantages of Informal Teams

Provide a sense of identity, friendship, support, opportunities for discussing interests, and informal communication networks.

Benefits of Working Through a Team

Increased motivation and productivity, decreased costs, improved decision-making, reduced duplication of effort, and greater flexibility.

Team Roles (LTCD)

Leader, Thinker, Carer, and Doer; considers team aim, size, lifespan, strengths, weaknesses, resources, and accountability.

Detailed Role Allocation

Initiator, Investigator, Administrator, Motivator, Coordinator, Activator, and Leader.

Team Processes (Stages)

Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning (mourning/transforming).

Team Dynamics Problems

Arise from lack of communication, leadership, personality differences, skills/resources, direction, role allocation, commitment, or other issues like prejudice.

Team Dynamics Elements

Includes motivational talks, enthusiasm, team colors, and clear communication of goals through team briefings.

Team Synergy

Occurs when combined effort exceeds individual effort, but can be hindered by a weak link within the team.

Team Dynamics Theories

General theories (Group consensus and Belbin role theory) and specific theories (Jungian theory, MTR-I approach, and Margerison-McCann profiles).

Projects

Definable tasks with allocated members, budgets, and resources to achieve a specific outcome.

Role of Project Manager

Responsible to stakeholders such as sponsors, suppliers, clients, team leaders, and other entities.

Roles of Project Manager

Planning, organizing, activating (leading), and controlling.

Project Life Cycle

Initiation, planning, execution, and adjourning stages.

Project Charter

Communicates the common goal to all team members and avoids misunderstandings.

Project Charter Sections

Includes purpose, scope, outcomes, environmental scanning, budgets, chain of command, precautions, assumptions, and risks.

Conflict

A state of disharmony or clash, including functional and dysfunctional types.

Causes of Conflict in Business

Limited resources, unrealistic expectations, emotional reactions, personality differences, and lack of proper communication.

Management of Conflict (Resolution Steps)

Negotiation, conciliation, mediation, and arbitration.

Conflict Management and Team Dynamics Relationship

Poor team dynamics increase the chances of conflict, necessitating crisis management.

What is a Good Team?

Each member understands their role, members understand each other, synergy exists, there is open-mindedness, respect for opinions, good communication, and a strong, flexible leader.

Team Stages / Phases

The team stages are Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, Adjourning (mourning / transforming)

Team Dynamics Belbin theory

Nine different roles (Thinkers, Task-oriented, People-oriented) that bring balance to the team.

Reasons for Conflict

Lack of communication, resource allocation, not respecting rules, power struggle, role ambiguity, different cultures and personalities, not aligning personal goals with business aim.

Importance of Conflict Management in Business

Functional conflict leads to greater productivity, creativity and happy staff, while dysfunctional conflict leads to lower productivity, low staff morale

Advantages of Functional Conflict

New ideas, improved creativity, positive change, improved understanding develops (increase organizational vitality) and group members become more loyal.

Results of Dysfunctional Conflict

People lose focus, lower staff morale, resources are wasted, creates a negative organizational culture, reduces group cohesion and increases aggressive behavior.

Team Dynamics

Conflict Management Skills include minimizing interpersonal conflict, prioritizing, time management, understanding change and understanding reasons for change.