Teamwork and Conflict Management Flashcards

• Teamwork

• Tasks are complex and time-consuming.

• A single person cannot handle it all.

• Problems in Teamwork

• Lack of common aim.

• People have different ideas and work at different speeds.

• No correct skills.

• No leader.

• Conflict distracting members.

• Personal egos.

• Establishing Effective Teams

• Understand different types of teams and team roles.

• Team processes (stages).

• Team dynamics.

• How to manage conflict.

• Types of Teams

• Informal teams: Common interest, shared goal; gives sense of identity.

• Formal teams: Created by management to work towards a goal; outcomes include producing work, new ideas, managing a process, resolving conflict, improving working conditions, and motivating workers.

• Advantages of Informal Team

• Sense of identity.

• Friendship and support.

• Opportunity to discuss or participate in an interest or hobby.

• Being part of an informal communication network.

• Benefits of Working Through a Team

• Increased motivation and productivity.

• Decreased costs.

• Improved decision making.

• Less duplication of effort.

• Greater flexibility.

• Team Roles

• LTCD: Leader, Thinker, Carer, Doer.

• Consider aim, size, life span, strengths, weaknesses, resources, and accountability.

• Detailed Role Allocation

• Initiator: Gets things started.

• Investigator: Does research.

• Administrator: Handles paperwork and keeps track.

• Motivator: Cares for people.

• Coordinator: Ensures resources are properly used.

• Activator: Does the actual work and gets everyone involved.

• Leader: Handles decision-making and crisis management.

• Team Processes (Stages)

• Forming: Getting together.

• Storming: Volatile; differences arise.

• Norming: Starting to work together.

• Performing: Work getting done.

• Adjourning (mourning / transforming): End.

• Team Dynamics

• Problems arise due to lack of communication, leadership, personality differences, skills/resources, direction, role allocation, and commitment.

• Team attitude/spirit: motivational talk, enthusiasm, team colors.

• Team briefing: communicating goals – clear, concise, and motivational.

• Team synergy: Combined effort is stronger than individual effort.

• Team Dynamics Theories

• Group consensus: Mutual consent, not necessarily agreement (compromise).

• Belbin role theory: Variety of roles (shaper, implementer, completer, coordinator).

• Jungian theory

-using personality types to help people work better together and build strong brands

• MTR-i

-management team roles indicator

-a tool that shows how people behave in teams. (Not just their personality) helping businesses build stronger teams.

-collective competencies: the synergy of a team that can only be achieved by working together.

-behavioral styles: these are the styles based on Jungs personality types. It is important to identify the behaviors that will lead to optimal success for a team.

-team BARS (behaviorally anchored rating scale): this is a scale for measuring individual performance within the team

• Margerison-McCann profiles

  -profiles that help teams work better by showing each persons natural team role and work style

  -the 8 team roles:

  -reporter, advisor

  -creator, innovator

  -explorer, promoter

  -assessor, developer

  -thruster, organizer

  -concluder, producer

  -controller, inspector

  -upholder, maintainer

• Project Management

• Projects are definable tasks, resourced with members, budgets, resources – to achieve outcome.

• Project Manager

• Important role in success; responsible to stakeholders like sponsors, suppliers, clients, and team leaders.

• Roles of Project Manager

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

• Project Life Cycle

• Initiation stage: Need, viability, team draft, proposals, project charter.

• Planning stage: Detail on budgets, time-lines, SWOT, market research.

• Execution stage: Action, implementation, team roles finalized, briefing, resources.

• Adjourning stage: Project abandoned/completed/incorporated.

• Project Charter

• Communicates common goal and avoids misunderstandings; part of the business plan.

• Project Charter Sections

• Purpose Statement, Scope Statement, Project Outcomes, Environmental Scanning, Budgets, Chain of Command, Precautions, Assumptions, Risks.

  • Environmental scanning:

    - helps businesses stay aware of changes and adapt to survive and grow.

• Conflict Management

• Conflict is a state of disharmony or clash.

• Types: Functional and Dysfunctional.

• Causes of Conflict in Business

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

• Management of Conflict (Conflict Resolution Steps)

• Negotiation, Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration.

• Conflict Management and Team Dynamics

• Poor team dynamics increase chances of conflict; need crisis management.

• What is a Good Team?

• Each member understands his role and each other; synergy exists; open-minded, respect, good communication, strong leader.

• Team Stages / Phases

• Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, Adjourning.

• Team Dynamics (Belbin Theory)

• Nine different roles in team, brings balance: Thinkers, Task-oriented, People-oriented.

• More Reasons for Conflict

• Lack of communication, resource allocation, not respecting rules, power struggle, role ambiguity.

• Importance of Conflict Management in Business

• Functional conflict (greater productivity, creativity, happy staff).

• Dysfunctional conflict (lower productivity, low staff morale).

• Advantages of Functional Conflict

• New ideas, improved creativity, positive change, improved understanding, increased communication.

• Results of Dysfunctional Conflict

*   People lose focus, creates a negative organisational culture.

• Conflict Management Skills

• Minimise interpersonal conflict by managing stress and practicing time management.