All entries for Friday 25 November 2011

First Entry on Working in a Team

Workshop tutor: Trudy Hillier

Date: 16-Nov-2011

Introduction

This workshop focused on developing our thinking and understanding into the factors involved in successful team work. Beginning with a discussion into the key factors that contribute to a highly effective team, the main points raised included:

1. Leadership - provides a drive and direction to the group in order to achieve its goals
2. Communication & organisation - listening/contributing, time management and understanding individual strengths and allowable weaknesses.
   
3. Diversity - fresh perspectives, new ideas/solutions
   
4. Team players - support morale and tolerance
5. Commitment - the motivation to complete objectives

In other words, team work involves "a group of people with complimentary skills, that work to achieve a goal, with mutual accountability."

Following this, we then went on to look at one of the key theories in relation to team development, Belbin's Theory.

The above image illustrates the 9 roles Belbin highlighted, from left to right they include:

1. Plant (PL) - creative and imaginative
2. Resource Investigator (RI) - extrovert, explores opportunities from other perspectives
3. Co-ordinator (CO) - promotes team discussion
4. Shaper (SH) - provides drive
5. Monitor Evaluator (ME) - strategic and discerning
6. Teamworker (TW) - Co-operative, diplomatic and averts friction
7. Implementer (IMP) - Reliable, takes practical steps and actions
8. Completer Finisher (CF) - Searches out errors and delivers on time.
9. Specialist (SP) - provides knowledge and skills in rare supply
   

The Belbin profiles we generated from self perception surveys prepared before the workshop provided an opportunity for valuable reflection and discussion. From my profile I discovered, that my strengths or preferred roles lie as a 'co-ordinator' and 'resource investigator' and my least preferred roles are as an 'implementer' and 'specilaist.' I believe this was an incredibly accurate representation of myself and useful in understanding my manageable roles which I may have to 'flex' into in order to perform within a highly efficient group.

From this workshop my understanding of 'difficult' people I may have clashed with has been enhanced and often the most challenging and provocative people, liable to offend others are just 'shapers' that thrive on pressure and provide the drive to get work done.

Action Points

1. Try not to avoid my least preferred roles ('implementer' and 'specialist') and improve on them by working closely with these kinds of team members, in order to learn from them and make these roles more manageable.
2. Continue to emphasis my strengths in team work by co-ordinating, promoting discussion and exploring multiple opportunities.
   
3. Understand that I will not get on with everyone or understand their methods but accept these so called 'allowable weaknesses' in order for the team to be happy and productive.

Dafydd Davies : 25 Nov 2011 18:07 |  Tags: Hillier P3 Portfolio Trudy Wspa |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem