Effective Teamwork

What is a team?

A group of people pooling theirs skills,

talents, and knowledge, with mutual
support and resources, to provide
effective solutions to problems.
Why work in teams?

 To share perspectives.
 Learn from each other.
 Discover more about yourself and
others.
 Learn something new, support each
other, experiment, and have fun.
Five elements of Cooperative
Learning:
1. Positive interdependence:
 Each person is responsible for a different
learning issue.
 Each is responsible for sharing
information and teaching each other.
Five elements of Cooperative
Learning:
2. Face-to-face interaction:
 The team works together to make a solution
plan.
 The team re-groups regularly to review
progress and reassess goals.
Five elements of Cooperative
Learning:
3. Individual accountability:

 Each person: does research, writes up results for

the group.

4. Collaborative/social skills:
 The team reviews reports/progress together and
edits each other’s work.
 The team shares resources and ideas effectively.
 Cooperation, communication, trust, and effective
leadership are key.
Five elements of Cooperative
Learning:
5. Group processing:

 Assessment of group performance by the

group.
 The team discusses what they have learned
and what problems still exist.
The Five Stages of Group
Development (Bruce Tuckman):
1. Forming
 Team building: define team & individual roles, develop
trust and communication
 Task: define the problem & strategy to solve it, identify
needed resources
2. Storming
 Conflicts arise, collaboration is low, members realize
the task is harder then they first imagined
 Diagnose conflicts: Find out if everyone agrees on
goals, roles & responsibilities. Try to identify the
problem, and work out a solution that meets everyone’s
goals.
The Five Stages of Group
Development (Bruce Tuckman):
3. Norming
 Members accept the team, team ground rules, their roles,
and the individuality of their fellow members.
 Team members begin to cooperate, give constructive
feedback.

4. Adjourning or Reforming
 Bring closure to tasks
 Review group processes, make suggestions/plans for
improvement
The Five Stages of Group
Development (Bruce Tuckman):
5. Performing
 Team members have gained insight into personal and
team processes, and have a better understanding of each
other’s strengths and weaknesses
 The group has developed strategies for avoiding or
resolving conflicts.
 Members feel a close connection to the team.
Tips for Problem Solving:
 State your views in clear non-
judgmental language
 Clarify the core issues
 Listen carefully to each person’s point
of view
 Check understanding of the
disagreement by restating the core issues
 Use techniques such as circling the
group for comments and having some
silent thinking time when emotions run
high
Guide for Giving Constructive
Feedback
 Be descriptive and speak for yourself
 Don't use labels, exaggerate, or be judgmental
 Talk first about yourself, not about the other person
 Phrase the issue as a statement, not a question
 Restrict your feedback to things you know for certain
 Help people hear and accept your compliments when giving
positive feedback
Receiving Feedback
Breathe

Listen carefully
Ask questions for clarity
Acknowledge the feedback
Acknowledge the valid points
Take time to sort out what you heard
Recipe for a Successful Team
 Commitment to shared goals and objectives

 Clearly define roles and responsibilities

 Use best skills of each
 Allows each to develop in all areas

 Good Personal Relationships

Recipe for a Successful Team
 Effective systems and processes
 Clear communication
 Beneficial team behaviors
 Well-defined decision procedures
 Use of scientific approach
 Balanced participation
 Established ground rules
 Awareness of the group process
References
These tips are compiled from these excellent websites on team/group work:
Union City, NJ, Cooperative Learning website:
http://www.union-city.k12.nj.us/innovations/studentp/peercoach/coop/index.html
Team Building
(Alabama Supercomputing Program to Inspire Computational Research in
Education):
http://www.aspire.cs.uah.edu/aspire/workshops/fall2000/Team_Building.ppt
Building a Successful Team (Patrick Boyle, Center for Families and Children):
http://www.cwru.edu/finadmin/humres/eerel/team.pdf