How To Work As A Team - All The Skills You Need To Know

 

What Are Team Dynamics?

Team dynamics are the forces which can affect the direction of team behavior and performance. Those forces are insentient and mental. Out of different directions, team dynamics can carry the team towards the expected and required direction. These dynamics are creating due to the nature of team's work, team personalities, working relationships, working environment, etc. These can be good or bad.

They Can Impact On;

• Productivity or profitability
• Staff retention rates
• Performance (both team and private)
• Whether people enjoy work
• Goodwill of the company  

A group is a social community which consists of two or more people, and a team is a special instance of a group with a shared goal. In this situation, there will create a dynamic as the team depends on the success of individual team members. E.g.: - Cricket team wins or loses as a team.

Everyone on the team both talks and listen. No one dominates the conversation. The interactions are energetic within a lot of faces to face communication. Team members not always talk through the team leader. They connect with one to another directly. Side conversations are also happening. Time to time people go outside and collect beneficial information for the team. There should be a good idea about successful communication patterns because they are more important than individually contributes.   

Strategies to Improve Team Dynamics

1. Doing a diagnosis to identify factors which cause problems or lack of team performance.
2. Doing team mental health check-ups by interviews in private, safe, and confidential environment.
3. Changing organizational structure, removing people, moving people, reassigning and changing office layout.
4. Conducting team development workshops to discuss team performance issues.
5. Conducting personality workshops.
6. Change workshops, aimed at addressing latent fears and resistance to the work of the team. 
7. Stakeholder workshops.
8. New processors, tools or technology.
9. Cultural change programs etc

The Skills Required to Work within a Team

Organizing and planning skills.

These skills are essential to complete tasks before the deadline.

Decision-making skills

There should be a common agreement when making decisions. Sometimes you have to keep aside personal previews.

Problem-solving skills

There should be skills to solve problems efficiently and in time without causing difficulties.

Communication skills

Verbal communication, listening and questioning skills should be very good. Make sure that no one misunderstands what you are trying to say.

Ability to build rapport

Should be good at developing a sense of having within the team.

Persuasion and influencing skills

Build up your persuading and influencing skills. Some people do it effortlessly, without anyone noticing.  

Facilitation skills

Should have Wide range of skills including supporting processes, team building, project management, etc.

Feedback skills

Giving and receiving clear and efficient feedback is essential to work within a team. It helps to maintain the understanding within team members. It helps to keep the process running efficiently and to the plan.

Skills in chairing meetings

There should be skills for chairing meetings. Some of those skills are controlling the meeting, addressing, reminding, pace making, ensuring runs at the time, outlining the purpose of the meeting and remind team members why they are in the meeting.

Conflict resolution

There should be abilities to control and solve disagreements within the team, difficulties in communication and other conflicts.

Belbin’s Team Roles

We need to understand clearly about the roles people play as members of a team.

Shaper

They try to add a shape to the team. He continues the work forward. He has a good idea about the direction of the work. He focuses on taking positive actions.  

Plant

He provides new ideas and also gives new solutions to solve questions.

Co-Ordinator

He always tries to get others ideas when making decisions and encourage to work together. He manages team dynamics. Often in a leadership role.

Monitor evaluator

He tries to identify all the pros and cons of a decision. He likes to ensure that all the information are known before making the decision.

Resource investigator

They are experts in finding information which is useful to make decisions. They keep networking between other teams and organizations. They collect external recourses and information to help the team.   

Implementer

He always focuses on practical solutions. He is willing to do anything which has to do to get the expected result.

Team worker

He helps to keep good personal relationships within the team and helps for team’s efficiency. 

Specialist

They are technically minded persons. They provide expert knowledge about a product or a service.

Complete-finisher

They ensure that tasks are completed correctly. They are very good at organizing meetings, keeping the team on the schedule. They tied up all the loose ends. 

What is a Team Plan?

It is a framework which consists of goals, tasks, processes, timelines, and milestones. A team plan helps to achieve goals. First, we need to establish clear and common goals. They should be clear, accurate, relevant, reflect organizational culture and performance standards.

Establishing a Team Plan Involves

1. Breaking goals into tasks
2. Establishing timelines, milestones, and deadlines
3. Allocation of tasks
4. Determining processors 

01. Breaking Goals into Tasks

In here we have to analyze goals and need to identify tasks which are needed to complete to achieve goals. This can be done by a team leader, manager or some combination of team members. 

To complete tasks on time and perfectly the needed qualifications should be determined. It involves,

Determining communication channels

Training team members

Identifying reporting and supporting relationships. 

02. Establishing Timelines, Milestones, and Deadlines

Team members will need to be aware of the timelines to plan the workload effectively. Sometimes tasks depend on the completion of other tasks. So the establishing of Timelines, Milestones, and Deadlines are essential.

03. Allocation of Tasks 

Through this, we can achieve an effective team operation and also can efficiently use the human resources. Tasks can be allocated according to the member roles. Sometimes it can be allocated according to the person's skills, by the manager or supervisor and also by team members.

04. Determining Process 

Establishing process for common tasks will streamline their completion. It should encourage and recognize input from all the team members. Feedback between team members and between the team and the team leader should be courage acted upon. 

Negotiation

If the deadline conflicts with other important tasks you have already been allocated, you may need to negotiate alternative strategies for ensuring all the tasks are completed. Negotiation should be done firmly not aggressively.

• Negotiating deadline for the new task
• Renegotiating deadline for the new task
• Seeking help from others
• Obtaining approval for working overtime

Monitoring Progress

It is to ensure the goals and tasks can be achieved within the given period or to identify the need for alternative strategies.

• Performing Regular team meetings to discuss the progress
• Setting milestones or mini-deadlines
• Monitoring daily or long term work schedule
• Alternative strategies
• Allocating more people to work on that task
• Allocating different person to work on that task
• Assist (advice, support, etc.)
• Modifying team memberships