Week 5 Leadership and Interpersonal Skills

What is the difference between a group and a team (Schein, 1980; Brill, 1976)?

A group is loosely connected individuals aware of belonging, with no required shared goals or roles, whereas a team is structured with shared purpose, specialised roles, collaboration, and continuous communication to achieve common objectives.

What are the key characteristics of a group?

Flexible structure, no clear roles, no shared expertise or goals required, defined mainly by psychological awareness and sense of belonging.

What are the key characteristics of a team?

Shared goals, specialised roles, collaborative decision-making, continuous communication, and knowledge consolidation to guide actions and improve performance.

What is knowledge consolidation in teams?

The process of sharing and transferring learning through interaction (e.g. NHS handovers), enabling continuity, coordination, and improved future decision-making.

How does team culture develop?

Through repeated interaction and shared experiences, forming norms, expectations, and working practices, which can be positive or become toxic if negative behaviours are reinforced.

What is Tuckman’s model of team development?

A staged model where teams evolve through forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning, with leadership style needing to adapt at each stage.

What happens in the forming stage and required leadership style?

Members are unfamiliar, roles unclear, trust low; leader must use directing style to provide structure, clarify goals, and guide interactions.

What happens in the storming stage and required leadership style?

Conflict, competition, and frustration emerge; leader uses coaching style to manage conflict, build trust, and facilitate communication.

What happens in the norming stage and required leadership style?

Roles become clear, trust develops, collaboration improves; leader adopts participative style, empowering members and encouraging shared decision-making.

What happens in the performing stage and required leadership style?

High trust, accountability, and self-management; leader uses delegating style, allowing autonomy while supporting performance.

What is the adjourning stage?

The team disbands after task completion, often involving emotional responses (loss, uncertainty), requiring leaders to support transition and recognise contributions.

What are limitations of Tuckman’s model?

Based on small groups, not always linear, stages can overlap or regress, influenced by external factors like leadership changes, trust breakdown, or culture. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

What is Belbin’s definition of a team role?

A behavioural tendency to contribute and interact in a particular way, focusing on how individuals behave rather than their technical skills.

What are key assumptions of Belbin’s model?

Roles are behavioural, context-dependent, individuals have multiple roles, should not be used for recruitment, and leaders must build balanced, complementary teams.

What are Belbin’s three role categories?

Action-oriented (execution), people-oriented (relationships), and thinking-oriented (ideas and analysis).

What are action-oriented roles in Belbin’s model?

Shaper (drives progress), Implementer (turns ideas into action), Completer-Finisher (ensures quality), each with weaknesses like rigidity or reluctance to delegate.

What are people-oriented roles in Belbin’s model?

Coordinator (clarifies goals), Teamworker (builds harmony), Resource Investigator (explores opportunities), with weaknesses like indecision or loss of focus.

What are thinking-oriented roles in Belbin’s model?

Plant (creative ideas), Monitor Evaluator (analytical judgement), Specialist (deep expertise), with weaknesses like narrow focus or lack of enthusiasm.

What are virtual teams and their leadership challenges?

Teams working remotely via digital tools, facing challenges such as reduced informal interaction, limited non-verbal cues, cultural differences, and coordination complexity.

What are self-managed teams and when do they fail?

Teams with high autonomy and shared leadership, requiring trust and communication, but fail when ego dominates, responsibility is avoided, or trust breaks down.

What does effective team leadership require?

Self-reflexivity, awareness of team development and roles, adaptability in leadership style, and sensitivity to underlying team dynamics (“finger on the pulse”).

What defines a real team (Hackman)?

A team with correct skills, balanced roles, clear purpose, and a structure that supports performance, rather than just being labelled a team.

What are Hackman’s five conditions for team effectiveness?

A real team, compelling direction, enabling structure, supportive organisational context, and expert coaching.

What is the Input–Process–Output (IPO) model of teams?

Team effectiveness depends on inputs (design, skills), processes (communication, leadership, decision-making), and outputs (performance, satisfaction, innovation). :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

What is Adair’s Three Circles model?

Leadership must balance individual needs, task requirements, and team relationships simultaneously for effective performance.

What is groupthink and why is it dangerous?

A psychological drive for consensus that suppresses dissent, leading to poor decisions, flawed strategies, and organisational failure due to lack of critical evaluation.

Master: What are the key theories and models in Leading a Team?

Tuckman’s Team Development Model (forming–storming–norming–performing–adjourning); Belbin’s Team Roles (action, people, thinking roles); Hackman’s Model (real team, direction, structure, context, coaching); Input–Process–Output Model (team effectiveness framework); Adair’s Three Circles (individual, task, team balance); Groupthink Theory (Janis); Virtual Teams; Self-managed Teams; Team Leadership Styles (directing, coaching, participative, delegating); Concept of a “real team” vs nominal team; Complementarity principle in team effectiveness.