Link Modules core skills - teamwork, problem solving and decision making
What the exam tests
How teams form, how roles and conflict are managed, and how you contributed. Teamwork is a core skill and is often assessed through the action plan and short questions. Problem solving and decision making are examined through case studies.
Team versus group
A group is people together; a team has a shared goal, interdependence and agreed roles.
Stages of team development (Tuckman)
Forming (polite, uncertain), storming (disagreement about roles and ideas), norming (ground rules agreed), performing (productive), adjourning (review and celebrate). Storming is normal, not failure.
Roles
Chair, timekeeper, recorder, researcher, presenter. Belbin's team roles include coordinator, shaper, implementer, monitor evaluator, team worker, resource investigator, completer-finisher and specialist.
Making teams work
Clear goals; agreed ground rules; minutes and action points with owners and deadlines; active listening; constructive feedback; addressing conflict about the issue, not the person. Collaboration is usually best for important decisions, though compromise is faster.
Worked example
An enterprise team disagrees on pricing. Instead of a shouting match, the chair restates the shared goal (maximise profit at the Christmas fair), the team gathers cost and competitor data, agrees criteria, and votes. The minority view is recorded in the minutes.
Traps
Describing teamwork as 'we worked well together' with no evidence; treating conflict as a disaster; not stating your own role; letting one person do everything; no review of what the team would change.