1. Donald Heer 10/06/10 Adapted from Terri Fiez, Director, School of EECS
Working as a Team
Donald Heer
10/06/10
Adapted from Terri Fiez, Director, School of EECS

2. Overview
Team Roles
Group Meetings
Brainstorming

3. Team Roles

4. Individual Roles in a Team
Leader/Facilitator
Recorder
Reporter
Reflector

5. Team Leader/Facilitator Responsibilities
Keep meeting focused & moving
Open meeting
Review agenda & move through agenda
Facilitate discussions
Manage participation
Help team use appropriate discussion methods
Close the meeting

6. Recorder Responsibilities
Capture key points for each agenda item
Highlight decisions and action items
Collect future agenda items
Distribute or post minutes

7. Reporter Responsibilities
Capture the key results from discussion
Present these results to the group when solicited

8. Reflector Responsibilities
Monitor the process the team is using in activity
Present to the group the effectiveness of team activity. Reflect on the process: Areas of strength, rough areas and areas for improvement

9. Group Meetings

10. Setting Team Meeting Ground Rules
Attendance & Lateness
Norms
Participation & Information Sharing
Interruptions
Decision Making
Quality of Work
Others

11. Basic Team Issues Goals – What is the team trying to accomplish?
Roles – What should each member be doing to help the team accomplish its goals?
Interpersonal – How are we going to get along and what are we going to do when we’re not getting along?
Synergy – How can we best learn from each other?
Sanction – How will we handle situations when people are not following the team charter and/or not fulfilling their obligation to the team, including doing their portion of the project?

12. Guidelines for Teams Meet at least weekly Meeting should be used to:
Share results of individuals
Review upcoming activities
Check teams’ progress
Identify specific roles
Prepare, conduct and determine what happens between meetings

13. Meetings Be prepared Come on time Participate End on time
Be prepared to drop a topic
Keep records
Value diversity
Maintain positive group dynamics
Listen and have an open mind
Summarize decisions and future plans before leaving

14. Exercise Get into teams
Decide who will take what roles in meetings for the next two weeks. Turn in a sheet of paper with who will act in what role.
Acting in your team roles:
Review the Roles and Responsibilities Contract supplied. Discuss what each item means to ensure mutual understanding of each item.

15. Brainstorming

16. Why Brainstorming?
Builds interpersonal expertise because all students participate
Quiets the loudest talker and prevents quick solutions
Develops a skill that is useful in project management

17. Verbal Brainstorming: Procedure
Present a carefully designed problem
Appoint a facilitator to safeguard the process and a recorder to capture ideas
Recorder copies all suggestions on board/easel as they are named
Take a moment to think about the problem before addressing it verbally
Ground rules: No discussion, no reaction, no judgment

18. Non-Verbal Brainstorming: Why Brainwrite?
Sometimes called “brainwriting” instead of brainstorming
Useful with controversial, emotionally charged topics, or when building upon ideas is more important than creating a wide range of options

19. Brainwriting: Procedure
Pass around sheet of paper with topic to be addressed written at the top. First person WRITES an idea and each other team member builds on, or adds, to ideas noted
Done silently
Cycle paper 3-4 times around group or until people run out of ideas

20. References http://tlt.its.psu.edu/suggestions/teams/
Benefits of Teamwork | Roles on a Team | Organizing Project Work | Team Meetings | Communicating in Teams | Conflict Resolution Tips | Bad Behaviors - Dealing with Unproductive Team Member
Understanding Conflict and Conflict Management
Effective Interpersonal/Intrateam Communication
Understanding Small-group Dynamics
Puzzled about teams…