Construction

Supervision
TCOM 624
Lecture No. 4
(Team Building )

PROF. GENE U. MACABODBOD, DM.

 Team Building
• Team building is a process that develops cooperation
and teamwork within a work unit.
• To constitute an effective team, its members must share
a common goal, have respect for each other, and be
motivated to use the strengths of each member to
achieve their objectives.
• Current corporate philosophy stresses that each
member of a team plays an integral part in the success
of the company.
 Team Building
• Is an important tool for a construction supervisor;
 Craft workers work with tools of their trade while supervisors work
with and through people (managing and organizing people);
 Coordination of activities & efforts of various entities is an important
responsibility of a supervisor;

• Is a management skill that must be learned after completing a

craft training (from a skilled worker to a supervisor);
 Team building is not a craft skill taught through apprenticeship, but a
thorough knowledge of a craft will make an efficient supervisor;
 Some new supervisors has some natural ability to bring workers
together and coordinate their activities, forming them into a cohesive
work unit;

• Is a skill that needs to be taught to most new supervisors which

can be improved, even in those that have natural team-building
ability;
 The Need for an Effective Construction Teams

The demand for highly effective teams increases due to the ff;

Changes in the workforce ;Crafts skills are becoming more

specialized (e.g. carpenter specializes into a rough carpenter or
framer, a finish carpenter or a cabinet carpenter)
Changes in the breadth of company services;
Some companies are working to broaden the services shat
they can provide (e.g. for a material supply and distribution
company, they expand their services by providing logistics
support to help contractors to better manage their materials on
site)
The Need for an Effective Construction Teams
 Changes in project owner expectations;
 Owners might be demanding for the execution of project at
a much faster pace, at lower cost, with zero defects and
zero tolerance for accidents;
 Changes in technology incorporated into the product;
 New technologies rapidly gaining on the design side, are
driving changes on the production side
 Changes in technology available to execute construction; ;
 Embracing new technologies in terms of constructions tools
and equipment;
 Changes in project organization;
 New approaches to organize & manage construction project
are being developed and broadly embraced;
 The Construction Team
 The most basic is a craft crew, which is under the leadership of a lead craft
person or a foreman, that includes craft workers of varying skill types & levels;

 If the size & level of the project increases, multiple crew will now be involved,
each operating as a team under the leadership of general foreman;

 If various specialty contractors will be involve, each with their own team
structure, but as a whole, forms part of the project team, they will be under the
leadership of the project superintendent;
 The Construction Team
 A subset of the project field team is composed of the supervisors of the various
trade contractors that form the supervisory team for the project;

 The company team would include the project manager, the purchasing agent,
the yard manager, & various other company-level people;
 The Construction Team
 Another concept of the project team would include managers from the various
trade contractors, the general contractor or the consulting manager and
designers, as well as the project owner;
 Team Characteristics
Characteristics of a Successful Team Member:
• Must possess the ff;

 Technical Skill ;
 Able to communicate well;
 Ability to take direction
 Willingness to give up some personal interest for the
interest of the success of the team;
 Desire to help team mates operate at a higher level;
 A strong work ethic;
 Team Characteristics
Characteristics of a Successful Team Leader:
• Must possess the ff;

 Honesty and Integrity;

 Respect for others, both on and off the team;
 Vision
 Confidence in the team members;
 A problem solver that enjoys challenges;
 A strong desire to lead;
 Team Characteristics

Characteristics of a Successful Team:

• Must possess the ff;

 The ability to develop well-defined team performance

objectives;

 Mutual, Internal Accountability;

 High Credibility and Trust

 Team Characteristics
• Four Distinct Process of Team Development ;

 Forming;

 Storming;

 Norming;

 Performing;
 Team Formation
Four Distinct Process of Team Development ;
• Forming;
 Individuals are brought together to form a team (team members are
brought about by selection, chosen for a specific skill, or based
upon availability)
 Base level of expectations is defined for the team and for each
member ;
 Common grounds are identified, which includes common goals &
similarities among members;
 An inventory of team member capabilities is made, which are
analyzed in the context of team needs (this determines such things
as how evenly matched the skills & capabilities of the members are,
and what unique capabilities are brought to the teams by each
member;
 Common goals will be agreed upon and members will express their
dependence upon one another;
 Team Formation
Four Distinct Process of Team Development ;
• Storming;
 Team members identify and resolve issues of power and
control;
 Differences are recognized, members try to work out
solutions;
 Leadership begins to emerge (some members will
appreciate and other s will reject) ;
 Settling the issue of leadership can often be a stormy
process;
 Team members tend to act more independently, testing
limits and determining what is allowable or not, and what
the consequences are of engaging in behavior that is not
allowed;
 Team Formation
Four Distinct Process of Team Development ;
• Norming;

 Successful teams move past the storming phase and

into the norming phase;
 Team members begin displaying trust in one another
and the leadership;
 Communication skills among members are developed
and improved;
 External resources are sought to augment team
resources;
 Roles are assumed and assigned;
 Team processes are developed for various aspects of
team operations;
 The team begins to perform useful tasks;
 Team Formation
Four Distinct Process of Team Development ;

• Performing;

 Successful teams will achieve the performing phase,

where the team works together collaboratively;
 A unique team identity is developed and team members
begin to feel comfortable with their roles and with other
team members;
 Members will become interdependent upon one another,
trusting their fellow team members to carry their part of
the team responsibilities;
 The team begins to develop effective and valuable
solutions that will be produced at a high level;
End