Group 3: Leading Effective Teams TEAM

Small number of people with complementary skills committed to a common purpose and working interdependently to achieve specific performance goals using an approach for which they hold themselves accountable.

TEAM CHARTER Means of empowering team members, both individually and collectively It is the official document from the team sponsor that empowers the team to act. It is a written document describing the mission of the team and how this mission is to be accomplished SECTIONS Section 1 Charter: (Project or Task Force) o Establishes the nature of the work. o A Project is typically a well-defined system or process change, the scope and implementation needs are known up front, the project timeline is predictable, and the outcome identified. o A Task Force is usually less prescribed, usually focusing on a problem to be solved or an improvement opportunity. Section 2. Team Name: o Identifies the team. o Enables the team to distinguish the effort from others. Section 3. Version (Number/Date): o Tracks and clarifies versions of the charter, identifies current charter. Section 4. Subject: o Identifies the area of focus. o Clarifies the intent of the project. Section 5. Problem / Opportunity Statement: o States why this effort was initiated and what will be affected by the outcome. Section 6. Team Sponsor: o Identifies the senior leader that supports and/or initiated this effort. Section 7. Team Leader: o Identifies one individual who will guide the team to achieve successful outcomes and who will communicate to senior leaders. Section 8. Team Members and Area of Expertise: o Defines who will be on the team and why.

Section 9. Performance Improvement AIM (Mission): o It describes what the team intends to do, providing the team with a focus and a way to measure progress. The aim should be derived from a known problem (data) and need for corrective action. Section 10. Scope (Boundaries): o Specifies the boundaries of the process you are involved in. They may be stated in time frames and/or process steps. Section 11. Customers (primary and other) and Customer Needs Addressed: o Identifies the primary (and other) customers of the product or service you provide and specifies the ways in which you meet their stated needs. Section 12. Objectives: o Listing out the specific and measurable objectives for the effort will help define the opportunities to improve. Section 13. Success Metrics (Measures): o Defines how you measure the success of the improvement effort or the project as a whole. Section 14. Considerations (Assumptions /Constraints /Obstacles /Risks) o Describes both positive and negative factors that must be discussed and understood prior to the work beginning. o Assumptions: statements of requirements that must be accepted; o Constraints: an element that might restrict or regulate project actions or outcomes; o Obstacles: a factor that might impede progress; o Risks: a course of action that might pose a hazard or cause loss. Section 15. Available Resources: o Articulate who and what is available to support the team. This might include a facilitator, trainers, or funds. Section 16. Additional Resources: Required o What it does: Articulate what else will be needed to make this project successful. This might include a subject matter expert (SME), etc. Section 17. Key Milestones: Date: o Marks significant expectations and/or deliverables the team can expect. Section 18. Communication Plan (Who, How, and When): o Clarifies your communication plan.

Section 19. Key Stakeholders and Area of Concern (as it relates to the Charter): o Identifies individuals and/or departments that may be impacted by the outcome. These individuals should be sought out as a resource and communicated with on a regular basis.

working together towards the same goal.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A SUCCESSFUL TEAM Share a common purpose Have a clear set of objectives Are the right size for the job Have complementary skills Communicate clear roles and responsibilities Hold each other mutually accountable Balance task and encouraging behaviors Build relationships through mutual trust and respect Involve team members Respect Diversity Work towards consensus Communicate openly Take time to plan Identify and resolve group conflicts Conduct self-assessment Be aware of perceptual behaviors

TYPES OF TEAMS Functional Teams o It is a group of people with a common functional expertise working towards shared objectives Matrix Teams/Cross-Functional Teams o Composed of persons from different organizations or department who are subject matter experts of some kind. Pure Project Teams o A group of people with complementary skills, a common purpose, shared goals and mutual accountability who share responsibility for accomplishing project goals and who report full time to the project manager. Independent and Interdependent Teams o INDEPENDENT - every person performs basically the same actions o INTERDEPENDENT - no significant task can be accomplished without the help and cooperation of any of the members Self-Managed Teams o The team as a whole is accountable for the outcome of its decisions and actions. Sports Teams o A sports team is a group of people which play a sport together. Members include all players (even those who are waiting their turn to play) as well as support members such as a team manager or coach. Virtual Teams o A virtual team is a group of people who work interdependently and with shared purpose across space, time, and organisation boundaries using technology to communicate and collaborate. Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Teams o Multidisciplinary teams involve several professionals who are focusing on the issues in which they specialise. o Interdisciplinary team approach involves all members of the team

POSITIVE ASPECTS OF TEAMS Increased efficiency and productivity Higher quality of programs and services Better use of talent and skills Improved relationships Greater sense of belonging and employee satisfaction Greater commitment to goals and objectives Increased motivation Increase responsiveness to customer needs Improve communication

CHALLENGES OF TEAMS It takes time and resources to establish teams and run them effectively Managers and supervisors often experience difficulty letting go of authority, sharing information, and empowering staff to make decisions Learning new roles and behaviors can be difficult Team meetings and training take people away from their daily work, resulting in backlogs Working in teams may be inconsistent with organizational culture or norms/rewards